Consulting

In addition to offering our members access to our expertise through our core services, we can also help members with specific projects. Our affordable, member-supported rates ensure all libraries have access to the breadth and depth of our experience. This experience includes:

• working with local and provincial governments on cross-sector projects;
• long-standing relationships with public, school, post-secondary, and special libraries;
• extensive knowledge of technology, including hardware and software options for public libraries, and an interest in finding open-source solutions wherever possible;
• access to other like-minded organizations that might be better-suited to help with a specific idea.

What We Do

We can help with with strategic planning, project management, and technology management plans. When we don’t have the precise help you need, we can help you find it, and even help with the introductions and administration. Access to our network is part of the Libraries Co-op advantage.

Our IT Health Checks highlight our approach to collaborative consulting. In 2014, we conducted a series of these “Health Checks” with public libraries in rural British Columbia. We looked at everything we could find related to technology: budgets, plans, long-term sustainability, and overall security. We checked phone and internet connectivity to see where improvements could be made, and were able to make a number of those changes ourselves, on the spot. We also helped library staff understand the configurations of their workstations, printers, and backups for data and power. By working across a whole region, libraries had a chance to share what they did well, learn from each other, and discuss opportunities for regional optimization.

Learn More

Send an email to office@bc.libraries.coop, or call to discuss your project.