NC LIVE Resource Selection 2009-2011

Over the past year, members of NC LIVE Librarians Council, the Resource Advisory Committee, countless public and academic library representatives, and the NC LIVE staff have contributed to the process of deciding which resources will be included in our line-up over the next three years.  During this time, we assessed our ongoing and emerging resource needs, identified and evaluated possible products that would fill those needs, and negotiated agreements with the resource providers to enable us to license the most appropriate resources from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2011. 

In more specific terms, the Resource Advisory Committee analyzed survey data, statistical reports, focus group information, trial feedback and vendor provided information over a four month period. The group identified five high priority information gaps in NC LIVE’s current coverage:

• Literature
• Business-related demographics
• Career guidance
• Auto repair
• Music

They also identified areas where demand might be lower:

• Newspaper
• Encyclopedias
• Bibliographic management tools
• Products where platforms were a barrier to expected use

Of course, there is never enough funding available to afford all that we deemed appropriate, so the last phase of the process was to piece together a quilt of coverage that will do three things:

1. Support education
2. Enhance economic development
3. Increase the quality of life of North Carolinians

All decisions were considered carefully and debated and discussed thoroughly before finalization.

The next step in the process will be to work with vendors to create an implementation plan so that each resource is available for NC LIVE member library before January 1, 2009.

We recognize that a library may have some concerns or face challenges in transitioning from products that have been provided by NC LIVE, but will now need to be licensed directly by the library. NC LIVE is committed to assisting you in whatever way we can during this period, so please feel free to let us know how we might be able to help. I encourage you to contact us with any questions, ideas, concerns, or recommendations you might have about our resource selection process, the final line-up, or anything else related to NC LIVE.

Thank you for your support and interest.