Member Library Benefits
LEO's mission is entirely in support of our member libraries: our mission is to empower rural libraries through collaboration.
To support our member libraries, LEO focuses on collaborative opportunities for resource sharing, serving as a place to network and connect, recognizing the unique opportunity it has to connect member libraries and member library staff, expanding professional learning opportunities, and finding ways to grow collective advocacy opportunities for and on behalf of our member libraries.
LEO Membership
LEO activities to serve rural libraries include:
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Partnerships and major grant support for cost efficiencies and strength in collaboration, including the fiscal agency service;
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Informal networking;
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Professional development workshops for area library staff and volunteers, including the Bonebrake Professional Development Fund; and,
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Advocating for the recognition of the public library as the heart of the rural community.
LEO membership gives libraries the benefits of our collaborative purchasing power — such as with Library2Go — and the organizing resources of LEO for networking, training, and grant writing. Your membership fee demonstrates that you believe in the opportunities created by working together in service to libraries and our communities, and that we can do so much more collectively, each contributing their own piece, than we might hope to do on our own.
Libraries must be members of LEO to take part in our collaborative purchasing programs.
Collaborative Resource Sharing
In 2024, LEO is offering three major resource sharing benefits to member libraries:
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Access to the Oregon Digital Library Consortium's OverDrive collection via Library2Go;
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Year-round access to the Beanstack online reading program resource;
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The Discover and Go online pass program, due to roll out for summer 2024.
Partnership and Strength in Collaboration
LEO was founded on the principle that there is strength in collaboration. At every opportunity, LEO looks for places where organizing at the regional level will provide deeper access or open doors to resources or projects that would otherwise be unavailable.
One example is our Fiscal Agency Support program. LEO member libraries without a 501(c)(3) organization to accept grant funds or donations can use LEO as their fiscal agent. A small administrative fee is charged for this service, depending on the number of transactions. An updated Fiscal Sponsorship Policy was developed in 2023 and offers more information.
LEO is also dedicated to finding granting opportunities that benefit library staff and/or patrons across the 16-county service area, such as the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion cohort grant. In 2021-2022, LEO was awarded a grant funding six regionally-based cohorts in rural Oregon, supporting library staff, board members, and key volunteers in a year-long commitment to move equity work forward in rural, conservative communities. For more information, please visit the EDI Cohorts information page.
LEO's program continues to serve as a model for the state, with the State Library of Oregon funding additional cohorts in Spring 2023 along the Oregon Coast (Tillamook) and the Portland Metro area (Wilsonville), Fall 2023 in McMinnville and Eugene, and a virtual 201 cohort for Spring 2024.
The cohort project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of Oregon.
In 2023, LEO supported three member libraries in a cohort model to expand or develop Library of Things collections. This project was funded by The Roundhouse Foundation and was done in partnership with Oregon State University's Extension program. Learn more about the project, including the 2024 virtual Library of Things mini-conference on our Library of Things page.
Professional Development Opportunities
The Bonebrake Professional Development Fund was created in 2020 in recognition of the many years of service and incredible contributions of retiring Board member Aletha Bonebrake. Aletha was one of the founding members of the Libraries of Eastern Oregon, and one of its most dedicated volunteers.
The Bonebrake Professional Development Fund supports the continuing education and professional development of library staff in Eastern Oregon, with funds to support the cost for a library staff person from the LEO region to participate in the Oregon Library Association’s biannual Leadership Institute, LIOLA, as well as a set of funds for ongoing scholarships. In addition, the Bonebrake Professional Development Fund contains funding for ongoing virtual and in-person professional development opportunities coordinated by LEO on behalf of members. Past Bonebrake Professional Development Fund support included attendance for LEO member library staff to various Library Journal online courses, in-person readers' advisory training led by Kaite Stover, and support for 2023 LIOLA and 2024 Public Library Association conference attendance.
For additional professional development opportunities organized by LEO, please see our Events page.
Training and Networking Support
Throughout its history, LEO has provided opportunities for member library staff to connect with one another both formally, through organized training sessions, such as the 2021-2022 EDI Cohorts, and informally, through our Annual Meeting (held each October following the quarterly Board meeting), virtual gatherings, online coffee chats, and more. In addition, LEO strives to connect member library staff with training offered by vendors in support of LEO-provided resources, such as OverDrive and Beanstack.