Anyone familiar with libraries, and particularly library organizations in Ohio, is used to dealing with acronyms.   That means everyone should be comfortable with our acronym-enriched Regional Library Systems of Ohio.  The four Regional Library Systems (NEO-RLS in the northeast, NORWELD in the northwest, SERLS in the southeast, and SWON Libraries in the southwest) were established to promote cooperation and improve library services to all citizens in the State of Ohio.  The Regional Library Systems support professional development, collaboration, resource sharing, and innovation among all types of libraries in their regions.  The current system of four fairly equal regions was formulated nearly two years ago, in an effort to provide equitable services across the state.  The services provided by the Regional Library Systems are designed to strengthen member library institutions, making them more effective and more innovative, and building their capacity to provide high quality, accessible, and sustainable services to their communities.

The Directors of the four Regional Library Systems meet on a quarterly basis to drive their common mission and look for new ways to enhance their services to member libraries.  The common mission among the systems is to provide technology assistance to those members who need it and to strengthen that continuing education opportunities available to all libraries in the State of Ohio.  The Regional Library Systems are one of the primary delivery vehicles for the programming available through the State Library of Ohio.  In addition to these primary goals, the Regional Library Systems endeavor to provide significant vendor discounts for their members and enhance multi-type library cooperation.  In addition to their quarterly meetings, the Directors of the Regional Library Systems carry on regular communication throughout the year.

Since the Regional Library Systems resemble each other in many ways, they are able to cooperate and share best practices.  The Technology Coordinators and Continuing Education Coordinators also communicate on a regular basis, either in-person or through a videoconference link to share ideas and develop solutions to regional issues.

Ongoing or recent joint continuing education programs include the Youth Services Symposia (an annual event that . . . . .), the Summer Reading Workshops (regional workshops that explore the designated theme of the annual summer reading program and share programming ideas among area children’s librarians), TechConnections (the annual technology workshop for library technology staff and directors), and this year’s Process Improvement for Libraries (a series of four full-day workshops designed to assist library staff in improving specific processes within their libraries).  Each of these major continuing education offerings would not be possible without the cooperation and collaboration between the four Regional Library Systems.

This issue of the State Library of Ohio online newsletter includes articles written by each of the regional directors.