Mission Statement

South Central Regional Library Council empowers our members through advocacy, networking, resources, and professional development; and by supporting diversity, innovation, and collaboration to strengthen their ability to serve their communities and promote environmentally sustainable practices.

About

South Central Regional Library Council (SCRLC) is one of nine Reference and Research Library Resources Councils comprising the Empire State Library Network (ESLN). As a multitype consortium, SCRLC serves over 87 members across 10,000 square miles in the 14 counties of Allegany, Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, and Yates, reaching approximately 500 libraries including the members of its 3 public library systems and 6 school library systems.

SCRLC was chartered by the New York State Board of Regents in 1967 and functions under state law and the State Education Department. Funding sources include the State of New York, grants, and membership dues and fees. SCRLC is governed by a representative Board of Trustees elected by the membership. In this collaborative environment, SCRLC staff and Board are assisted in needs assessment, planning, and implementation of programs and services by advisory committees and task groups. SCRLC members actively participate in the Council's programs and benefit from services and grant programs.

The SCRLC membership is strengthened by the diversity of resources, expertise, ideas, and perspective of its multi-type membership, bringing together library interests across library type. SCRLC is the means through which its diverse membership coordinates, networks, learns, advocates, discovers, and builds on their commonalities. Together, members can achieve a level of service for their users that would be impossible to do alone or as any one type of library. Multi-type library organizations like SCRLC strengthen library services, programs, and access to information for the benefit of all library users, the region, and society as a whole. Multi-type library organizations ensure everyone's success.