GRLC CONSORTIUM

GRLC members have the opportunity to join a consortium for access to digital resources called the Grand River Digital Library.  Currently, we have two sharing agreements, one with Baker & Taylor called Boundless for e-books and e-audio and one with Blackstone for digital audio.

Boundless

https://grandriv.boundless.baker-taylor.com/ 

This is the Boundless platform from Baker & Taylor and includes e-books and e-audios.  Title Source 360 LINK for ordering

Boundless Admin Cheat Sheet

Spent by Members on Materials

2016 - $22,748,  2017 - $35,570,  2018 - $30, 253,  2019 - $26,243,  2020 - $43,637

2021 - $77,482 (includes $30,000 ARPA Grant from the Mo State Library)

2022 - $38,797,  2023 - $36,842

Current Members

Library Name                                 P.O. Number Abbreviation & Site Code                                         


HISTORY

The Grand River Digital Library Consortium (GRDLC) was created in the summer of 2016, spearheaded by the St Joseph Public Library and the Rolling Hills Consolidated Library.  GRDLC is an entity for purchasing and sharing e-content between Missouri libraries north of Interstate 70.  In the initial talks with Baker & Taylor, St Joseph Public Library already had the Boundless service (formerly called Axis360) and Rolling Hills Library wanted to join in and these two libraries worked out the initial details for consortium membership and how the shared collection would work.  

MEMBERSHIP

All public libraries in Missouri located north of I-70 are eligible to join.  The geographic region for the consortium was inspired by the Grand River Library Conference, an association of public libraries located north of I-70 in Missouri. 

For purposes of the consortium, each member library should designate one primary representative and each library gets one vote, if any issues come up for a vote.  Libraries can send as many staff as they wish to meetings or training sessions, but only one may vote.  If the primary representative is unable to attend a meeting where a vote is indicated, he or she may designate in writing another staff person from their library to vote on GRDLC business.  Most business will be conducted online or over email.

If a member organization decides to end their membership, they must do so in writing to both the lead organization and to each vendor.  It is not established at this time whether titles purchased by each library are still controlled by the purchasing library if a library decides to withdraw or if they remain with the consortium, or if it may be possible to move titles to another service.  The member must negotiate this with vendors independent of consortium administration.

FEES

Baker & Taylor sets a platform fee for the Boundless service.  Currently, this fee is paid by St Joseph Public Library and Rolling Hills Library for all members, but this may change if the fee goes up in the future.  If the fee goes up, member libraries will determine annually how this platform fee expense will be shared by members based on a July-June fiscal year.  New members who join outside of this cycle will not be asked to share in any platform costs until the next renewal is scheduled.  This essentially gives each library the first year “free” from platform costs.

Libraries will be required to spend a minimum amount of funds annually towards titles for the consortium.   The chart below shows the levels of participation in the consortium.

Boundless Fees

Public Library Minimum Annual Purchase

POPULATION SERVED Required Annual Platform Fee

0-4999 $200.00 $0

5000-9999 $400.00 $0

10,000-19,999 $600.00 $0

20,000-39,999 $800.00 $0

40,000-59,999 $1000.00 $0

60,000-99,999 $1200.00 Negotiated

100,000 + $2000.00 Negotiated

These are MINIMUM amounts; we expect each participating library to contribute as much as they are able to spend, to grow the collection for all participants.  Member libraries’ purchasing activity will be monitored to make sure the minimum amounts are being contributed to the shared collection.  Members may always spend more than their minimum amounts, and GRDLC encourages donations from local Friends groups and other fundraising to grow and enhance the collection for everyone.  Members who do not spend their minimum required amount in two (2) consecutive years may be asked to leave the consortium. 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

GRDLC member libraries are committed to helping each other with problems and issues with the system.  While there is no regular schedule of training opportunities, issues can be shared with member libraries over e-mail.  All member libraries are encouraged to use the online help provided to GRDLC patrons by vendors as an initial level of troubleshooting problems or issues.

Each vendor will communicate their preferred methods of providing technical assistance.  Each member library is responsible for either sharing access to administrative functions with their fellow staff or requesting additional logins and passwords for administrative functions to provide access to technical assistance for their staff.  We want to provide the best customer service to our library users, which means being able to troubleshoot their issues with the service.

Patrons needing help will be directed to the primary contact listed for each library.  Each member library is expected to help its own patrons to the greatest extent possible.  Libraries should not refer their own patrons to other GRDLC member libraries to answer questions or provide help.

SYSTEM SETTINGS

Initial settings for patron limits and circulation periods for Boundless were set by the founding members.  Changes to these settings must be proposed to all of the member libraries and voted on before they are changed online by the vendor or the lead organization.

Current limits for Boundless:

5 titles checked out per patron.

21 day check out as the default.

Renewal of items allowed if no holds are present.

Limit of 15 holds per patron.


MEETINGS

GRDLC will meet at least once per year in person, which will likely happen at a scheduled Grand River Library Conference meeting.  Other meetings may be conducted electronically as needed. 

COMMUNICATION

Most communication regarding GRDLC will be done over e-mail and/or on a blog site set up for the members.  Each library should make sure that their primary contact information is accurate and up-to-date.  The lead organization maintains the membership and contact list in conjunction with vendors.

LEADERSHIP

Rolling Hills Library is currently the lead contact organization with Baker & Taylor for the Boundless service.  Rolling Hills Library will also act as the lead organization for the consortium and facilitate communications as needed.  In the event that they no longer want to be the lead organization or if members feel the responsibility should rotate, a process for rotation of lead organization may be proposed and ratified by GRDLC members.  It will be the responsibility of the current lead organization to facilitate transfer of information and contacts to the new lead organization should the leadership of GRDLC change hands.

ORDERING

All ordering for Boundless is done online through Baker & Taylor’s TS360 system.  Each library determines what they will buy to contribute to the shared collection.  Member libraries are encouraged to use the tools provided in TS360 to make purchasing decisions.  The system works similarly to many online ordering experiences, where carts are created and items are added to the cart for ordering.

Member libraries are instructed to create and order carts on a timely basis.  Creation of carts and adding titles to carts without completion of the ordering process puts unnecessary delays in getting those items into the collection for patrons.

In the TS360 ordering process, each library is required to enter a purchase order number.  We ask that each library use a system of naming their PO in the system so other users can see which library ordered which titles. Enter in the PO number as ABCD-YYYYMMDD where ABCD is your library’s initials from the Member List.

TS360 will not duplicate check our e-materials carts against each other, but there is now a button that shows up if there is a copy in the consortium.  You can click this button and a pop-up window comes up giving you more information like circs, holds, and copies.  

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT

There is no specific collection development plan for the collection.  The primary purpose of the Boundless Collection is to contain popular materials covering a wide variety of topics and genres as well as classic and enduring works to be shared among all member libraries.  GRDLC is not meant to replace or reduce the physical collections managed by any or all of the member libraries.  It is to provide digital access to materials for those who prefer or enjoy this method of accessing reading, viewing, or listening materials.  Members may buy e-books and/or e-audio as they wish, there are no restrictions as to format.  As the membership grows larger, collection development plans may be created to include specializations by some members in their purchasing.  The consortium has elected to NOT set a number of holds that triggers automatic purchasing of additional copies, but we can get reports when a title has more than a set number of holds.  Member libraries are encouraged to buy additional copies of titles with more than six (6) holds if they feel it will enhance the patron experience of using the resource.  No member library is required to purchase multiple copies.

Patron recommendations have been turned on. Users are limited to 10 recommendations per week.  Patrons can choose whether or not to be on hold for a title if or when it gets purchased.  If member libraries want the recommendations placed in a cart in TS360, they will need to set up a notification to do that in the admin area.

NOTIFICATIONS

There are two levels of administration, one is for each library itself and the other is the consortium as a whole.  Each library can set up some information to be automatically emailed to someone (unfortunately not usage statistics, yet) only about their own library.  It is set up that a director and/or designated staff person gets an email about similar activities for the whole consortium.  These are under Settings—Notifications.


You may want to know all holds that pass the ratio (6-to-1), not just if your patrons are above whatever ratio you set for your library.  You may also want to know what titles are expiring, what titles are recommended for purchase, and what titles are being ordered by the rest of the group.

If you want to be sent an email for any or all of the following, let Michelle know (mmears@rhcl.org) and she will set it up.  We need the name(s) and email address(es) of who to send Notifications to.

____ Titles with Holds from 6 or more patrons from all libraries (Holds ratio of 6 to 1).

____ Titles that are expiring in 1 week or with only 2 circulations left.

____ Titles recommended for purchase by any patron.

____ Titles that have been ordered by any consortia library.

Last Updated: November 3, 2023

Blackstone unlimited

Currently, 20 libraries in the GRLC group have elected to join a consortium with Blackstone to offer downloadable audiobooks from their Blackstone Unlimited service.  The total price is divided by population served, with smaller libraries paying less and larger libraries paying more.  Invoices are issued in January for the calendar year.  Here is a list of the current participating libraries:


Albany Carnegie Public Library

Atchison County Library

Brookfield Public Library

Cameron Public Library

Canton Public Library

Carrollton Public Library

Centralia Public Library

Daviess County Library

Dulany Memorial Library

Gentry County Library

Grundy County-Jewett Norris Library

Hamilton Public Library

Livingston County Library

Marshall Public Library

Mercer County Library

Montgomery City Public Library

Ralls County Library

Rolling Hills Consolidated

Saint Joseph Public Library

Trails Regional Library