About Us

 

Pacific Library Partnership
 
 
 
 
The Pacific Library Partnership is a consolidation of four library systems, BALIS
(Bay Area Library and Information System), serving Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties; PLS (Peninsula Library System), serving San Mateo County; MOBAC (Monterey Bay Area Cooperative Library System), serving Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties; and SVLS (Silicon Valley Library System), serving Santa Clara County.
 
The purpose of this new consolidated regional system is to improve the services of its constituent member libraries by maintaining existing CLSA (California Library Services Act) programs, leading research and development efforts to ensure that libraries are best positioned to respond to demographic, economic, and cultural changes through innovative and collaborative approaches to programming and services and the enhancement of collective resource building and sharing.
 
This new system is part of a statewide effort as encouraged and supported by the California State Library to consolidate library systems throughout the state to achieve efficiencies and realize further economies of scale. There are currently fifteen systems in the state. Under the consolidation plan, ten of the fifteen systems in the state will be in three systems with five independent systems remaining at this time.
 
The PLP will develop broader goals and scope than the CLSA mandated programs in communications, delivery, and reference, which are legislated by current law. The consolidation will improve and enhance services. A local system may continue local best practices to meet its own needs. This may include committee structure and programs.
 
 
In Fall of 2006, each system selected Library Directors to represent their respective systems in the planning for the consolidation. This group, called the Fishbowl Group, has met regularly since Fall 2006 and continues to serve in a steering capacity for the new system formation. A chronology and timeline are available for review.
 
The governance model for the PLP is a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA). Each of the four systems currently operates under a JPA. To join the PLP, you must be a JPA, and the Administrative Council of each system must approve their JPA joining the PLP JPA. The PLP JPA is an overarching structure; leaving the four systems’ JPAs intact. The PLP JPA went into effect July 1, 2009. The  JPA and draft bylaws are available for review.
 
 
  • The PLP will achieve economies of scale by investing in a set of shared resources in programs and services that will benefit people served by the communities in the four systems.
 
  • The PLP will reduce duplication of effort and redundancies at the administration level as the four systems become one.
 
  • The PLP will facilitate the ability of member libraries to work together to increase the quantity and quality of the services and programs for the people in this broader geographic area.
 
  • The PLP will enable each member to be more responsive to the changing needs and expectations of its community.
 
  • The PLP will create a common approach to marketing and public relations and have a shared capability for this work.
 
  • The PLP will enable resource sharing to work better and more seamlessly.
 
  • The PLP will allow member libraries to have a stronger, more effective and unified voice.
 
  • The PLP will capitalize on the talents and competencies of a larger group of member library staff and increase the opportunity to share and learn from each other.
 
  • The PLP will collaborate to invest in research and development of new initiatives and pool resources to support development of these initiatives.
 
  • The PLP will invest in a common administrative infrastructure.
 
  • The PLP will extend the network and communities of practices among the people who work in the member libraries.
 
  • The PLP will provide the structure and support for member libraries with common interests to communicate and share in a broader geographical arena.
 
 
  • Programming
  • Expanded Materials Delivery
  • Staff Development and Continuing Education
  • Support for research and development, such as an innovations Grant Program
  • Technology opportunities, such as the Open Source Grant
  • Communities of Interest on such topics as Friends Activities, New Facilities, Aging Facilities, New Technologies. Could be virtual and called by a convener
  • Self-Selected Communities of Interest published in the Staff Directory
  • Social Marketing
  • New model for resource sharing
  • Shared models for the “behind the scenes” library work, centralized acquisitions, cataloging, processing of media and books, including specialized collections, i.e., foreign language
 
 
 
 
 

 
Population Served
Governance
Staffing*
Programs and Services/Special Features
BALIS
3,295,467
JPA
Shared Admin/Acct costs with PLS/SVLS
·         Social Marketing Campaign (due Jan 2008)
·         Innovations Grants
·         Public Information Committee NLW Campaign (annually)
·         BALIS website
MOBAC
747,888
JPA
Contracts with PLS for basic Admin, Accounting, and some Reference ($71,165 in FY07/08)
·         Calcat resource sharing
·         Gale Databases (public libraries) and Access Science (academic libraries)
·         Staff intranet
PLS
733,496
JPA
Shared Admin/Acct costs with BALIS/SVLS
·         Building
·         Staffing
·         Shared Network and Technology Through PLAN
·         Shared Catalog
·         Delivery Fleet (4 trucks)
·         Community Information Program
SVLS
 
1,808,056
JPA
Shared Admin/Acct costs with PLS/BALIS
·         Public Awareness Task Force (project TBD)
·         SVLS website
 
All
6,584,907
 
 
·         Delivery
·         Gale Database Contract
·         Multicultural Committee (PLS/SVLS)
·         Great Bay Area Staff Development Committee (all)
·         Summer Reading (not shared)
·         Committees
·         Training and Workshops
New System