Mission Statement

The Northern New York Library Network is a regional non-profit multi-type library agency dedicated to distributing resources and services among its members in the 12,000 square mile, seven-county area known as the North Country. Member organizations include all types of libraries: academics, school (P-12), public, archives, and special libraries. The purpose of the Network is to provide collaboration and support to help members meet their individual goals, for the ultimate benefit of the library user.

A Description of the Northern New York Library Network

The Northern New York Library Network was chartered in 1965 by the Regents, the body responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within the state and presiding over the public university system and the New York State Education Department. An independent, 14-person board of trustees governs the Network, which includes representatives from a variety of library types, and members of the research community. The Board advances policy and planning, while the Network’s staff carries out basic operation and management. Membership is open to any library falling within the Network’s territory as defined by the Board of Regents and which meets membership criteria. The Network is one of nine such regional councils in the state coordinating state-wide services to all types of libraries. The Northern New York region covers the geographically largest and most rural area of the nine councils, with a population of 500,000 residents over the seven counties.  

Services of the Network include electronic resource sharing programs, access to digitization equipment, specialized medical information services, a regional catalog and ground delivery, coordinated collection development among academic libraries, professional training programs, project grants and travel grants, and access to an attorney for timely input on intellectual property, vendor contracts, first amendment, civil rights, employment law, and other legal matters that impact library operations.