Online Communities

The SELCO regional integrated library system (ILS) is a multitype automation system. It was designed to be so, from its inception, when the first 3 online libraries were 2 public libraries and a high school At present, 41 school library media centers are members of the ILS. They are in 2 private high schools and 22 public school districts. 9 of the districts have all their schools' media centers online with SELCO, in the others, just the high school and middle schools are regional ILS members. In my 6.5 year tenure at SELCO two schools have withdrawn from the SELCO ILS. 21 additional districts in the southeast region are not affiliated with the regional library automation system, but are members of the multitype region.

We met today with a school district contemplating membership in the regional integrated library consortium (ILS). Their estimated automation fees would be roughly 8 times what the raw cost of their current stand-alone software is (not considering technology services and support, training, online databases included in automation service package, or unfettered access to materials beyond their holdings through interlibrary loan.)

Their over-riding question was why was membership in a regional consortium worth the price? An equally troubling question was what data do we have to show increased circulation after a school media center becomes a regional online library.

I'm feeling very defensive, and don't have good answers for either question. I think the answer lies in the school's educational philosophy and the place of the school media center in the educational and curricular climate. If the media specialist is part of the teaching team, using the materials of the media center and the regional and statewide connectivity to inspire beyond the textbook research and learning, the price is part of the education of the children. The ILS is the doorway through which the student's learning world is expanded beyond the school building.

If the library is the place where books are kept, and the automation system is an inventory control tool, then I suspect, to them, the automation system is a very expensive database. I also project that the media center is not a bustling place of learning, but a museum of print artifacts where the nerds may occasionally visit. Although, I suspect the nerds are buying books or using other libraries, if they are lucky enough to have or be able to travel to a public or academic library in their community. I will write more on the appropriateness of the place of those libraries in the education of children on another day.