Idaho Commission for Libraries

VALNet, the Valley Automated Library Network, is a consortium of public, school, and academic libraries in Southeastern Washington and North Central Idaho working together to share resources and information services. VALNet currently serves 60,000 patrons with over 630,000 items. In fiscal year 2000, VALNet libraries exchanged over 500,000 items among themselves.

In addition to cooperation among different types of libraries, VALNet promotes cooperation among city and county governmental units and school districts in two states. VALNet libraries cooperate in many ways to provide the best possible services to their users and to make optimal use of financial resources:

• Shared online patron access catalog
• Shared check-out system
• Daily courier picks up and delivers items to all VALNet libraries
• Cooperative collection development
• Cooperative grant writing
• Shared staff development programs
• Shared patron training programs

The VALNet consortium was created in 1985 with 4 agencies and 5 library locations. Over the years, VALNet has grown to include 20 agencies with 49 library locations.