Executive Director's Report

By Gregg Atkins, CCL Executive Director

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

That famous first sentence from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities lodged itself firmly in my brain (so many) years ago.  It has always served to remind me to search for a broader aspects of a situation -- and to be thankful that I was not a French aristocrat.  Mindful of enrollment numbers, in-person/Zoom classes, some schools already in budget difficulty, and current pandemic/flu/etc. issues, yet consider these things:

•    The LSP moves forward on firm footing with ongoing state funding. CCL and the League have fashioned a very workable operational structure (with CCL in the role of a vendor managing administrative and operational services and CCLC as our sub-contractor). The extraordinary collaborative effort of librarians working together to understand and shape the tools and fashion approaches is the very best part.

•    The work of CCL moves forward thanks to dedicated efforts by its officers and Board members (and new Board members stepped in to serve when needed).

•    A new multi-year contract proposal between Ex Libris and the Chancellor’s Office is being developed, and CCL is actively working with the CCCCO side to help ensure that the known issues (bib record limits, named users limits, etc.) get addressed successfully.

•    Another 5-year state-funded EBSCO contract begins Jan. 1, 2023 – and, yes, CCL-appointed librarians (who did a lot of heavy lifting in a short timeframe) were key to the effort and the recommendations.

•    You and your colleges continue to support the work of CCL through payment of membership fees.  Almost ½ of the colleges have paid, and I know many payments are in process.  (Need another copy of the invoice?  Or never saw it?  Or the ether ate it?  Easy to remedy – let me know!) 

CCL does have a clear mission – “making the world safe for CCC libraries.”  Please remember to lean on CCL when you and your colleagues need to.

Regards -- Gregg

Gregg T. Atkins, Executive Director CCL