CFLC Facts
Description of the Organization: Founded in 1989, the Central Florida Library Cooperative, Inc. (CFLC) is a non-profit multitype Library Cooperative membership organization devoted to the sharing of resources among all types of libraries in Central Florida. CFLC is one of 6 regional library networks in Florida.
Mission: The Central Florida Library Cooperative is a non-profit organization of libraries, information providers and other organizations in the Central Florida area working together to identify and improve library resources and services, to strengthen cooperative library resource sharing, to enhance the effectiveness of member libraries and their staffs, and to meet the information needs of Central Florida residents by providing seamless access to the wealth of information available.
CFLC plans and activities are complementary to the Florida Plan for Interlibrary Cooperation, Resource Sharing and Network Development, completed in 1994 and Access For All: Libraries in Florida’s Future; A Plan for the Continued Development of Florida’s Libraries, completed in 1997. These state-wide plans encourage resource sharing among libraries of all types in Florida. The goal of statewide cooperation is to make possible freely shared resources among libraries of Florida. The Florida Plan for Interlibrary Cooperation states: "For librarians and libraries to be most effective in this new electronic revolution, they need the assistance of their peers and of regional and state library agencies. This assistance can link libraries into a solid network of cooperating entities that benefit all Florida libraries and residents. The ultimate purpose ...is to improve the ability of libraries to serve their users through interlibrary cooperation. It proposes an ambitious network of both electronic and non-electronic services. It also proposes that all libraries have the responsibility to support and contribute to the network and that all libraries have the right to benefit from the network."
Population Served: CFLC Member Libraries serve more than 2.8 million Floridians residing in eleven (8) Central Florida counties: Brevard, Indian River, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, St. Lucie, and Volusia. Membership is comprised of Public Libraries, Academic Libraries and Special/Corporate Libraries.
Membership: For detailed information on CFLC Membership Categories, Annual Fees and Member Services by category, please click HERE.
Governance: CFLC is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors elected annually by the membership representing each type of member library in the Cooperative.
Staff: CFLC's daily operations are administered by an Executive Director, Marta Westall, and a professional Staff. In addition, CFLC receives assistance from graduate interns from the University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida's School of Library and Information Science. CFLC's headquarters in Maitland includes a state-of-the-art training facility.
Funding: CFLC is supported by funding from local member fees, State of Florida Library Cooperative grant funds, and federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants through the State Library of Florida. CFLC's fiscal records are subject to annual audit in accordance with federal and state grant guidelines. The organization's fiscal, operational and membership year runs from October 1 through September 30.
Services & Benefits: CFLC provides a variety of services to the membership, including:
- E-mail accounts (for Member Librarians ONLY)
- Group Access to the OCLC database for Interlibrary Loan
- Access to OCLC's FirstSearch database for access to journal and magazine indexes, abstracts, and full text online
- Continuing Education Programs and Workshops
- High-Tech, Hands-On Training
- Virtual Book Exchange
- Union List of Serials
- Newsletter
- Marketing Assistance
- Bibliographic Maintenance
- Computer and Database Technical Support
- Committees and Special Interest Groups
- Vendor Discounts
- Bulletin Boards
Member Libraries are provided with opportunities to exchange ideas and information through participation in Committees and CFLC-sponsored events, and frequent Interest Group meetings on focusing on pertinent issues involving Reference Services, Cataloging, Interlibrary Loan, and Government Documents.