Massachusetts Library System - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Massachusetts Library System (est.2010) is "a state-supported collaborative" in Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

with a mission to "foster ... cooperation, communication, innovation, and sharing among member libraries

Library

In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

of all types" and "to provide regional services to libraries and residents." Members may include "public

Public library

A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...

, academic

Academic library

An academic library is a library that is attached to academic institutions above the secondary level, serving the teaching and research needs of students and staff...

, school

School library

A school library is a library within a school where students, staff, and often, parents of a public or private school have access to a variety of resources...

and special

Special library

A special library is a term for a library that is neither an academic, school, public or national library. Special libraries include law libraries, news libraries, corporate libraries, museum libraries, and medical libraries and are not usually open to the public for use...

" libraries. The system intends to provide "core services": "delivery; continuing education; advisory and consulting; online content/databases; mediated interlibrary loan

Interlibrary loan

Interlibrary loan is a service whereby a user of one library can borrow books or receive photocopies of documents that are owned by another library...

." It operates from headquarters in Waltham

Waltham, Massachusetts

Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...

.

The entity was formed "to consolidate the services of six former regional library systems:" Boston Regional Library System, Central Massachusetts Regional Library System

Central Massachusetts Regional Library System

Central Massachusetts Regional Library System was a multitype library system serving 244 academic, public, school and special libraries in 72 central Massachusetts communities. CMRLS was one of six Massachusetts Regional Library Systems . Collectively, CMRLS libraries serve 924,491 people who...

, MetroWest Regional Library System, Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System, South Eastern Massachusetts Library System, and Western Massachusetts Regional Library System

Western Massachusetts Regional Library System

The Western Massachusetts Regional Library System , was a collaborative that was supported by the state of Massachusetts, that provided leadership and services to foster cooperation, communication, and sharing among member libraries of all types. WMRLS assisted member libraries in promoting access...

. During its formation by the Massachusetts legislature

Massachusetts General Court

The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...

in spring 2010, the state-wide system received mixed support. The Massachusetts Library Association

Massachusetts Library Association

The Massachusetts Library Association 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, communication, professional development, and networking to...

, for example, opposed aspects of the consolidation of regional systems, claiming service would suffer.

According to its website, the Massachusetts Library System's "services are provided through state funds administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners

Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners is a state agency that supports public libraries in Massachusetts. The governor appoints each member of the board. The current board consists of librarians, academics and library trustees: Katherine K. Dibble, Francis R. Murphy, Mary Rose Quinn,...

," a state agency

Government agency

A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...

. As of December 2010, the executive board consists of representatives from public libraries, public and private schools and colleges, and private organizations such as the National Fire Protection Association

National Fire Protection Association

The National Fire Protection Association is a United States trade association that creates and maintains private, copywrited, standards and codes for usage and adoption by local governments...

and the Lowell General Hospital

Lowell General Hospital

Lowell General Hospital is an independent, not-for-profit hospital serving the Greater Lowell area in Massachusetts. Lowell General was organized and incorporated in 1891. The main campus is located at 295 Varnum Ave in the Pawtucketville section of Lowell. It has 217 Beds, 28 bassinets...

External links

http://www.masslibsystem.org/
http://masscat.org/index.htm
http://mblc.state.ma.us/mblc/mls/index.php

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Further reading

External links