Teri Koch, professor of librarianship at Drake University, spoke at the Print Archive Network forum at the American Library Association’s midwinter meeting in Chicago on January 30. Her presentation showcased the ground-breaking work by six central Iowa libraries that comprise a collaborative called the Central Iowa Collaborative Collections Initiative. The goals of the collaborative are to reduce duplication among respective collections, to create and maintain a shared collection, to coordinate acquisitions, and to establish additional areas of collaboration.
The initiative was formed by the library directors of Central College, Drake University, Grand View University, Grinnell College, and Simpson College, in summer 2013. University of Northern Iowa joined in November 2014.
During its two-year existence, the collaborative team has made substantial progress toward meeting its goals. Staff at each library are completing a process of verifying that each work within their collections has been assigned to at least one institution, and is available for loaning and in good condition. The Collaborative is seeking a common vendor to facilitate shared purchasing.