User:Jsnowhill/sandbox/Chemeketa Cooperative Regional Library Service

The Chemeketa Cooperative Regional Library Service (CCRLS) is a library cooperative serving residents of the Chemeketa Community College district, which includes most of Polk, Yamhill, and Marion counties, in Oregon. The CCRLS offices are located on the campus of the Chemeketa Community College in Hayesville, an unincorporated suburb of Salem, Oregon.

History
In 1972, a $12,000 Library Services and Technology Act grant was given by the Oregon State Library to the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments to fund a study of the library needs of citizens in the tri-county area surrounding Salem, Oregon. At that time, statistics showed that of the 240,500 residents of the area, 100,000 did not have local library service. The plan that developed out of this study recommended implementation of five basic services: a bookmobile, courier service between libraries, a district-wide library card, provision of reference and information service to smaller libraries, and a film circuit service. Unable to fund a bookmobile in the first year of operation, a books-by-mail service was implemented, instead. Initial funding was provided by a 1973 Library Services and Construction Act grant. At that time, the Chemeketa Community College administration was designated the fiscal agent for the grant money funding the new Library Service. The Cooperative began operating in 1974. In 1975, special legislation (Oregon Senate Bill 160) authorized community college districts to establish public libraries, clearing the way for CCRLS to operate as a department of Chemeketa Community College.

During its first decade of existence, CCRLS was funded through a series of levies. The Service was highly visible to the public because of the necessity to approach the voters every few years for funding. Services changed in a minor way, with books-by-mail eventually being deleted as a less cost effective service. In 1985 the Chemeketa District voters approved a tax base for the College, a portion of which was dedicated to CCRLS. This created (before the years of property tax limitations), the first stable funding for a public library multi-jurisdictional system in the State of Oregon. This funding allowed CCRLS to pursue library automation, and for the first time, the CCRLS member libraries were linked by a computer network that allowed library users to search all 18 libraries' catalogs at one time, and request material from any of those locations to be delivered to their home library within days.

CCRLS today
Current CCRLS services include: reimbursement to cities for serving non-city patrons, courier service among libraries, lost book reimbursement, an integrated automated system, net lending reimbursement, a rotating collection of bestsellers for small libraries, and a pass-through grant from State funding for children’s services. All direct services to patrons, including bookmobile services, have been discontinued. Instead, CCRLS provides greater service to the member libraries in the form of computer networking and equipment, centralized software administration and support, cataloging services, and payment for numerous online services such as downloadable audio and ebooks, reader advisory services, language-learning applications, and access to online databases available through the Oregon State Library. In 2017, CCRLS, through it's member libraries, serves approximately a half-million District residents. CCRLS is also a participant in the Oregon Library Passport program, which allows users of participating libraries access to the collections of all other participating libraries in the State.

Services available through CCRLS

 * Full catalog of the 17 public libraries in the CCRLS District
 * Universal borrowing privileges within the CCRLS District
 * Courier service to bring items from across the District to your local library
 * Access to thousands of titles in downloadable audiobook and ebook format via Library2Go
 * Reading recommendations for all ages from Novelist
 * The Chilton Library of auto maintenance guides and ASE test prep guides
 * Online legal guides, naturalization and citizenship test preparation guides, college and career guides
 * Access to Ancestry.com
 * Digital Academy learning resources
 * Networks, equipment, and software necessary to run the libraries
 * Free, public internet workstations
 * IT support, and training for library staff
 * Software support, and training for library staff
 * Financial reimbursements to local libraries for their service to the Cooperative

CCRLS member libraries
CCRLS membership includes 17 public libraries and one community college library:


 * Amity Public Library, Amity, Oregon
 * Chemeketa Community College Library, Chemekete Community College
 * Dallas Public Library, Dallas, Oregon
 * Dayton (Mary Gilkey) Public Library, Dayton, Oregon
 * Falls City (Wagner) Community Library, Falls City, Oregon
 * Independence Public Library, Independence, Oregon
 * Jefferson Public Library, Jefferson, Oregon
 * Lyons Public Library, Lyons, Oregon
 * McMinnville Public Library, McMinnville, Oregon
 * Monmouth Public Library, Monmouth, Oregon
 * Mount Angel Public Library, Mount Angel, Oregon
 * Newberg Public Library, Newberg, Oregon
 * Salem Public Library, Salem, Oregon
 * Sheridan Public Library, Sheridan, Oregon
 * Silver Falls Library District
 * Stayton Public Library, Stayton, Oregon
 * Willamina Public Library, Willamina, Oregon
 * Woodburn Public Library, Woodburn, Oregon