A Study of Multitype Library Cooperatives: Including Developments in the Southwest Michigan Library Network, Michigan, California and Texas, with References to New York State and Illinois.

This report reviews the activities, structure, and organization of the Southwest Michigan Library Network (SMLN) and provides a review of multitype networking in several other states, sources of funding, and issues in national networking. The SMLN is a cooperative group of 56 libraries located within the five counties of Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, and Van Buren. It is one of 15 regions of cooperation (ROCs) organized to provide an opportunity for all types of libraries to share resources and to fill interlibrary loan requests within the region, if possible, before referral to the major reference research libraries in the state. Following a preface, the document covers the history and development of the SMLN including its organization, funding, relationship to other cooperatives, and accomplishments. A section on interlibrary cooperation and resource sharing covers legislation, establishment of multitype cooperatives, and cooperative services and programs in Michigan's ROCs. An overview examines cooperatives in several other states and provides detailed descriptions of activities in California and Texas. Issues and concerns in multitype networking generally are then outlined, followed by conclusions and recommendations to the SMLN. Data and additional information on multitype library networks are appended, and an extensive bibliography is provided. (THC)