Central and Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing, or CW MARS, is a

library consortium A library consortium is any cooperative association of libraries that coordinates resources and/or activities on behalf of its members, whether they are school, public, academic, special libraries and/or information centers. Consortia exist on a v ...

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

western Massachusetts Western Massachusetts, known colloquially as “Western Mass,” is a region in Massachusetts, one of the six U.S. states that make up the New England region of the United States. Western Massachusetts has diverse topography; 22 colleges and u ...

dedicated to efficient resource sharing and rapid access to information. CW MARS was formed in 1982 to promote resource sharing among 28 public and academic libraries through a shared library automation system. In 1984, the network was incorporated as a 501(3)(c) not-for-profit corporation and the first member libraries began circulating on the shared system. CW MARS is governed by its member libraries in the form of a User's Council, which approves the annual budget, establishes CW MARS policies, and elects officers to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee works to develop and recommend policies, budget and membership. CW MARS has a professional staff for support of its

integrated library system An integrated library system (ILS), also known as a library management system (LMS), is an enterprise resource planning system for a library, used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid, and patrons who have borrowed. An ILS usually is co ...

(ILS), network functions and the Digital Treasures library. , CW MARS has more than 150 members and 175 branch locations, including public, academic, school, and special libraries. CW MARS offers a shared online computer system and combined collections of more than nine million items.

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* Library consortia in Massachusetts 1982 establishments in Massachusetts {{library-stub