Collaboration and Innovation: Serving Students and Faculty Statewide with a Library Services Platform Program
Now in its sixth year, the Library Services Platform (LSP) connects 110 California community colleges through a unified resource management system. This cloud-based platform enables college libraries to manage and provide access to both print and electronic resources, connecting students and faculty throughout the state to discover and use high-quality materials.
Collaboration at the Core
The success of this statewide program relies on broad collaboration among librarians, classified professionals, administrators, and LSP staff. Throughout the year, participants collaborate to support operations, practices, and policies, with all costs (including training and support) funded by the LSP project.
Local Control, Shared Benefits
While colleges share cataloging resources, e-resource data, and other services, each participating college maintains local control over functional aspects of the platform. This enables colleges to tailor their services and collections to meet their students’ unique needs while gaining the benefits of shared expertise, cost savings, and resources.
Supporting Student Success
A guiding principle and true hallmark of the program is its impact on student success. Students have equal access to library resources at whichever California community college they attend. Additionally, because California State University (CSU) and University of California campuses also use this platform, students who transfer from community colleges will already be familiar with the research system. Faculty also benefit by collaborating across campuses using the LSP, which improves curriculum and information literacy.
Looking Ahead
Key future goals include establishing resource sharing between California community colleges and CSU libraries through LSP software features. The program will also welcome the LSP implementation by Calbright College, California’s online community college, while continuing to work with five remaining colleges that did not migrate to the LSP in 2020.
LSP operates as a partnership involving the Council of Chief Librarians and the Community College League of California, with oversight by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.
Key Facts and Benefits
- 110 participating community colleges
- $4 million in annual software and operations funding
- Five years post-implementation
- 70 work group and task force members from California community college libraries
- Shared expertise, training, and resources
- Significant cost savings for participating colleges
- California community college libraries form the largest consortium of North American product users, providing influence over software development