Member Library Benefits

LEO's mission is entirely in support of our memberlibraries:
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:

Collaborative resource sharing;
Partnerships and major grant support for cost efficiencies and strength in collaboration, including the fiscal sponsorship services;
Informal networking;
Professional development workshops for area library staff and volunteers, including the Bonebrake Professional Development Fund; and,
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 2026, LEO is offering two major resource sharing benefits to member libraries:

Access to the Oregon Digital Library Consortium's OverDrive collection via Library2Go;
The Discover and Go online pass program.

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 Sponsorship Support program. LEO member libraries without a 501(c)(3) organization to accept grant funds or donations can use LEO as their fiscal sponsor, or 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. LEO's program continues to serve as a model for the state, with the State Library of Oregon funding multiple additional cohorts. For more information on the original cohorts, please visit the EDI Cohorts information page.

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. A subsequent grant funded round, through the Trust for Civic Life, extended the pilot to an additional eight libraries and resulted in the development of a robust collection of support materials managed by OSU Extension: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/mfp/library-things-resources.

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, support for 2023 LIOLA and 2024 Public Library Association conference attendance, and funding for library staff participation in advocacy events in Washington, DC.

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 along with 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.