College Center for Library Automation: Florida's LINCC for Public Colleges

In line with this issue’s theme of resource sharing, our member spotlight is the College Center for Library Automation (CCLA). Susan Campbell, Research and Development Consultant at CCLA and the organization’s NISO voting representative, responded to the ISQ editor’s questions about her organization and their involvement with resource sharing and standards.

For our readers who aren’t familiar with CCLA, can you briefly explain who you are and what you do?

The College Center for Library Automation, CCLA, is a unique, state-funded organization established in 1989 by the Florida Legislature with offices and a centralized computing facility headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida.

We provide a suite of automated library services to Florida’s 28 public colleges—80 campus libraries in 65 cities—that are used by more than one million college students, faculty, and staff throughout the state. Our core product is “LINCC,” the Library Information Network for Cooperative Content. LINCC has three key components:

1. LINCCWeb, a web portal that college students use for research and to find the books and resources they need. Accessible from LINCCWeb is a shared catalog of the library materials at every public college library in Florida
2. A statewide collection of e-books, full-text journals, articles, databases, and other e-resources.
3. A library management system (ILS) that librarians use behind the scenes at their colleges to catalog, circulate, and manage their library collections.

This issue of ISQ is focusing on Resource Sharing. Can you tell us about CCLA ’s role in resource sharing for Florida’s colleges?

At the core of the LINCC system is a single database of bibliographic records representing the aggregate library collections of Florida’s 28 public colleges. CCLA manages and maintains this shared database for the colleges, facilitating efficient searching and resource sharing among libraries

We have worked with our ILS software vendor, Ex Libris, to develop a standards-based, integrated interlibrary loan module in which all Florida colleges can freely share their resources. Our single, shared database environment enables students to quickly and easily place a request for an item, regardless of which Florida college owns it. Borrowing and lending is facilitated by Florida’s Library Network Statewide Ground Delivery service

In the past we supported and maintained a statewide document delivery program based on Ariel software, and we recently released a white paper to colleges addressing current trends in document delivery methods. On the e-resources side, we negotiate local licensing with database vendors on behalf of interested colleges, enabling them to match resources to local curriculum needs. We then provide student access to those resources through LINCCWeb.

We are currently working on partnerships with Florida’s state universities to expand LINCC’s existing resource sharing capabilities to include joint use libraries.

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