The Massachusetts Library System was established in 2010. The system provides the following core services: consulting, training & professional development, cooperative purchasing, research & development, summer library program, and the following services as part of resource sharing: delivery, mediated interlibrary loan, journal article document delivery, MassCat, and electronic content, including statewide databases and eBooks (Commonwealth eBook Collections) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners." It operates from offices in Marlborough and Northampton, Massachusetts.
The entity was formed "to consolidate the services of six former regional library systems:" Boston Regional Library System,
Central Massachusetts Regional Library System, MetroWest Regional Library System, Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System, Southeastern Massachusetts Library System, and
Western Massachusetts Regional Library System.
During its formation by the
Massachusetts legislature
The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, w ...
in spring 2010, the state-wide system received mixed support. The
Massachusetts Library Association
The Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) is the Massachusetts, United States professional library association that "advocates for libraries, librarians, and library staff, defends intellectual freedom, and provides a forum for leadership, comm ...
, for example, opposed aspects of the consolidation of regional systems, claiming service would suffer.
Action Alert: House Budget Has Bad News for Libraries; MLA Opposes Amendments, Asks for Senate Help
Massachusetts Library Associatio
website
Retrieved 2010-12-29
According to its website, the Massachusetts Library System's "services are provided through state funds administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (est.1890) is a state agency that supports libraries in Massachusetts. The governor appoints each commissioner. The current board consists of librarians, academics and library trustees: Carol B. Caro ...
," a state agency
A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government
The machinery of government (sometimes abbreviated as MoG) is the interconnected structures and proc ...
. The executive board consists of representatives from public libraries, public and private schools and colleges, and libraries of private organizations.
References
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Further reading
Update on new Massachusetts Library System
Brandeis University Library, Research & Instruction Services blog, March 3, 2010
* David Riley. Massachusetts library systems to be consolidated, staff cut
MetroWest Daily News
(Framingham MA), Apr 26, 2010.
* Dan Ring. Western Massachusetts Regional Library System faces state funding cuts, layoffs
May 6, 2010
* MLA does not support "The Western Region Amendment.
MetroWest blog
10 May 2010
* Maureen Turner. Fighting for Western Mass. Libraries: the state Senate takes up the cause of the region's libraries
Valley Advocate
(Northampton MA), June 3, 2010
External links
* http://www.masslibsystem.org/
2010 establishments in Massachusetts
Library consortia in Massachusetts