Tampa Bay Library Consortium, Incorporated

What Tampa Bay Library Consortium, Incorporated does

Tampa Bay Library Consortium, Inc. (TBLC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Multitype Library Cooperative founded in 1979, headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and operated by a five-person staff under Executive Director Jim Walther and a 13-member Board of Directors. TBLC serves more than 120 member libraries across 18-19 central Florida counties, including public, academic, school, and specialized libraries that collectively reach over 6.3 million Floridians, roughly one-third of the state's population. Its core service portfolio is anchored by Ask a Librarian (a human-staffed virtual reference platform offering live chat, SMS, and email support), Florida Library Webinars (a continuing education program with 700+ on-demand classes hosted on Niche Academy), Reciprocal Borrowing (a walk-in interlibrary checkout network), Consulting and Facilitation, Disaster Recovery Coordination, and an EBook Group Purchase program operated through OverDrive. Supporting services include Regional Training events, Tech-Talk technology content, WebJunction Florida, and a Member Discounts program aggregating vendor pricing from Brodart, Creativebug, Schlager Digital Library, LocalHop, and others.

Name

Tampa Bay Library Consortium, Incorporated

Legal name

Tampa Bay Library Consortium, Inc.

Website

https://tblc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tampa Bay Library Consortium is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Multitype Library Cooperative founded in 1979 that serves 120+ public, academic, school, and special libraries across 18-19 central Florida counties via shared services including Ask a Librarian virtual reference, reciprocal borrowing, training, and group purchasing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Library Cooperative Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL), Academic & Research Library Operations (College/University Libraries) (EDAEAGAB)

Keywords

• Library cooperative services
• Virtual reference services
• Continuing education training
• Reciprocal borrowing programs
• Library group purchasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Full members pay membership dues and are governing members of the consortium. Associate members receive limited benefits with opportunity to reach full member status.
2. Ask a Librarian Cost-Share: Libraries pay cost-share fees for Ask a Librarian services including Local Email/Chat ($435), SMS add-on ($92), and Collaborative Desk use ($910) annually.
3. LSTA Grant Funding: Library Services and Technology Act grants from Florida Division of Library and Information Services fund statewide projects including Ask a Librarian.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TBLC is a nonprofit multitype library cooperative that delivers shared services to 120+ member libraries in central Florida. Its core offerings include the Ask a Librarian virtual reference service (live chat, SMS, and email), Florida Library Webinars and Regional Training for staff continuing education, Reciprocal Borrowing across member libraries, Consulting & Facilitation, Disaster Recovery Coordination, and group purchasing programs for supplies, furnishings, and eResources.

Product overview

Tampa Bay Library Consortium operates as a nonprofit Multitype Library Cooperative offering a coordinated portfolio of library support services. The core offerings include Ask a Librarian (virtual reference via chat, text, and email), Florida Library Webinars (continuing education with 700+ on-demand classes), and Regional Training (in-person events and conferences). Supporting services include Reciprocal Borrowing (interlibrary checkout), Consulting Services (planning, technology, cataloging assistance), and Disaster Recovery Services (emergency coordination). Additional programs include Niche Academy On-Demand Learning, EBook Group Purchase through OverDrive, and a Member Discounts Program providing access to vendor partnerships. Tech-Talk and WebJunction Florida supplement training offerings. Together these services serve over 120 member libraries and 6.3 million Floridians across central Florida.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ask a Librarian Virtual reference service providing Florida residents with live chat, text messaging, and email support operated by member library staff, with extended evening and weekend hours and 24/7 email coverage.
• Florida Library Webinars Continuing education platform offering live webinars and a library of over 700 on-demand classes for Florida library staff.
• Regional Training In-person training, large-scale events, conferences, and web-based learning opportunities for library staff across central Florida.
• Reciprocal Borrowing Interlibrary checkout program allowing patrons of any member library to borrow materials free of charge at any other participating library using a library card with a reciprocal borrowing sticker.
• Consulting & Facilitation Services Consulting and facilitation services assisting library staff with planning, development, analysis, cataloging, interlibrary loans, technology, and video production.
• Disaster Recovery Services Communication and reporting role during regional emergencies: TBLC identifies damaged libraries, coordinates assistance, and serves as a message center for library staff in disasters.
• EBook Group Purchase Program Collaborative eResource purchasing program utilizing OverDrive to provide cost-effective access to eBooks for member libraries and their patrons.
• Member Discounts Program Group purchasing program offering member libraries discounted access to library supplies, furnishings, and electronic resources through vendor partnerships including Brodart, Creativebug, Schlager Digital Library, and LocalHop.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OverDrivecoreTechnology or IntegrationTBLC facilitates an ebook group purchase program using OverDrive as a collaborative and cost-effective way to provide eResources to member libraries and their patrons.
• Niche AcademycoreTechnology or IntegrationTBLC houses all on-demand training content and webinar recordings on Niche Academy platform, providing self-paced learning courses and archived web training for library staff.
• WebJunction FloridaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduced by OCLC and sponsored by Florida's Division of Library and Information Services, WebJunction Florida provides timely learning content accessible anytime for library staff.
• BrodartminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBrodart offers exclusive pricing to TBLC members for library supplies and furnishings including book jacket covers (25% off), consumable supplies (20% off), and furniture/equipment (15% off).
• CreativebugminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline art and craft education resource used by libraries. TBLC members receive discounts up to 20% off regular pricing.
• Schlager Digital LibraryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary source documents publisher offering consortia discounts to TBLC institutions with tiered pricing based on FTE and subscription/perpetual access options.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• OCLC: OCLC is the largest global library cooperative, operating WorldCat, interlibrary loan, cataloging, and library management services used by most U.S. academic and public libraries. Comparable as a library cooperative at massive scale, and also partners with TBLC via WebJunction Florida.

Others

• OverDrive: OverDrive is the leading ebook and digital content platform for libraries, and TBLC's partner for group ebook purchasing. Comparable as a library eResource provider; OverDrive is a direct vendor/partner rather than a cooperative, but serves the same library member base.
• Niche Academy: Niche Academy is a SaaS-based training platform for libraries that powers TBLC's on-demand learning catalog. Comparable as a library-focused training technology provider and direct technology partner of TBLC, though Niche Academy serves libraries directly while TBLC aggregates demand.

Direct peers

• PALCI (Paige Area Library Council): PALCI is a consortium of academic libraries in Pennsylvania providing shared resource discovery and resource sharing. Comparable to TBLC's academic library services in supporting cross-institution library collaboration.
• Bibliomation: Bibliomation is a Connecticut-based library consortium providing shared automation, technology, and support services to public and school libraries. Comparable as a regional multitype library cooperative model serving member libraries with shared infrastructure.
• NELINET: NELINET is a New England library network providing cooperative technology, training, and consulting services to libraries. Comparable to TBLC as a multistate/regional library consortium offering shared services.
• Lyrasis: Lyrasis is a nonprofit library and information services consortium serving libraries, archives, and museums across the U.S. with shared technology, content, and training. Directly comparable to TBLC as a multitype library cooperative model, though operating at significantly larger national scale.
• SEFLIN (Southeast Florida Library Information Network): SEFLIN is a regional multitype library cooperative serving southeast Florida libraries with training, consulting, and collaborative services. Comparable to TBLC as a Florida-based multitype cooperative operating in an adjacent region.
• SWFLN (Southwest Florida Library Network): SWFLN is a Florida-based multitype library cooperative providing training, consulting, and shared services to libraries in southwest Florida. Directly comparable as a Florida library cooperative, though geographically distinct from TBLC's central Florida footprint.

Regional players

• Florida Division of Library and Information Services (DLIS): Florida DLIS is the state library agency that administers statewide library services, LSTA grants, and delivery services. Directly comparable as a Florida library support entity and a funder/partner of TBLC, though operating at the state level rather than regional cooperative level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TampaBayLibraryConsortium
• Xx.com/TBLC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tampa-bay-library-consortium

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tampa Bay Library Consortium, Incorporated