Board Chair’s Message to Membership

Dear Co-op members,

Looking back on 2013 and forward to the 2014 AGM, I am very pleased to see such solid progress being made on so many Co-op initiatives.

That our Co-op is now simultaneously offering viable, affordable, and comprehensive solutions for Integrated Library Systems, licensing, repository, content management, connectivity and cloud hosting is outstanding. Even more remarkable is that we are able to do so as a non-profit based entirely in Canada, leveraging member-owned infrastructure, and using almost exclusively open technologies.

The Board and Co-op staff remains strategically focussed on the delivery of shared operational infrastructure and resources for our diverse members across Canada. Board governance and member input, along with the Co-op’s mission, vision, values and Strategic Plan all frame our activities. In this context, we have successfully incubated new, optional, accessible technologies and member services, attracting new members along the way.

At each Board Meeting, we review an operational report prepared by Co-op staff. These tell a powerful story about the initiatives underway, so from this point forward, the reports will be posted for member viewing along with our approved minutes. You will find the January operational report linked from our website: http://bc.libraries.coop/about-us/board/

The Co-op’s ability to provide so many diverse and affordable services is enabled by member fees, the support of our provincial partners, and our relationships with numerous service partners across Canada. Thank you all for collaborating in our shared success.

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend our Annual General Meeting / Members Council on Friday, June 13, 2014. As in previous years, the meeting will be held in-person and by teleconference. This year we also plan to live stream the meeting. Please watch for more information about AGM 2014, including a call for nominations for Board directors, in the Spring.

I know that Co-op staff will be attending several provincial conferences and the CLA conference this Spring. I encourage you to connect with them if you can.

Our Co-op’s achievements are the realization of the members’ commitment to community-built solutions for our libraries. I hope all members feel a sense of our shared accomplishment.

Regards,

Joanne Richards
Chair, BC Libraries Cooperative
Director, Kootenay Library Federation
Phone: 1-888-664-4553
email: KLF-ofc@telus.net