NC LIVE
NC LIVE is North Carolina's statewide library cooperative, founded 1997 and hosted at NC State University Libraries, serving 200+ member libraries with negotiated access to 1.8 billion digital research and learning resources across public, community college, UNC, and independent college systems.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersRaleigh, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NC LIVE does
NC LIVE is North Carolina's statewide library cooperative, founded in 1997 and hosted at NC State University Libraries in Raleigh. The organization operates as a strategic collaboration across four statewide systems: the NC Community College System (58 institutions), the UNC System (17 campuses plus Area Health Education Centers), the NC Independent Colleges & Universities (NCICU; 36 private institutions), and all public libraries coordinated through the State Library of NC. NC LIVE negotiates and licenses electronic research and learning resources on behalf of 200+ member libraries, providing aggregated access to more than 1.8 billion items spanning full-text articles, eBooks, streaming videos, digitized newspapers, and language-learning tools.
The cooperative runs a technology stack that includes the Summon discovery service delivered through a six-year ProQuest agreement, a Hosted Proxy service for remote authentication, a Drupal-based primary website, and a LibGuides-based website template offered to member libraries. Specialized offerings include the HomeGrown Collection of 4,400+ locally-published ebook and audiobook titles delivered through BiblioBoard, the Open Education North Carolina (OENC) open-textbook initiative (now concluded, hosted OER collection remains accessible), and a completed North Carolina Heritage Index proof-of-concept using Solr to federate metadata across participating library collections. NC LIVE also provides professional development through an annual conference, regional workshops, online tutorials, and webinars, and operates an Impact Campaign of patron success stories.
The business model is funded by recurring state legislative appropriations channeled through the UNC System, NC Community College System, and State Library of NC, supplemented by private contributions from NCICU institutions. Total operating budget is approximately $4.3 million annually, of which roughly $3.6 million is spent on licensed content and $0.7 million on operations. NC LIVE reports negotiating 80-90% off list prices and saving the state $47.8 million in 2025 against $3.5 million of equivalent member-library spend. All resources are provided free to North Carolinians via library card or institutional credentials. The 6-person staff is led by Executive Director Claire Leverette; governance is provided by a Librarians' Council with representatives from the four Communities of Interest and multiple advisory committees.
NC LIVE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NC LIVE
- Legal name
- NC LIVE
- Website
- https://nclive.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- NC LIVE is North Carolina's statewide library cooperative, founded 1997 and hosted at NC State University Libraries, serving 200+ member libraries with negotiated access to 1.8 billion digital research and learning resources across public, community college, UNC, and independent college systems.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NC LIVE industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Library Cooperative Services
- NAICS
- Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Learning Content Bundling & Subscription Passes (All-Access Libraries) (MPACALAL)
Keywords
Where NC LIVE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Raleigh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
NC LIVE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- State Legislative Funding: NC LIVE is funded by recurring state legislative funds via the budgets of the UNC System, the NC Community College System, and the State Library of NC. Budget is approximately $4.3 million annually with $3.6 million on content and $0.7 million on operations.
- Private Contributions: Private contributions from NC Independent Colleges & Universities (NCICU) member institutions.
- Member Services (Free to Patrons): All NC LIVE resources are provided free to North Carolinians through their local library. Patrons access via library cards with no direct charges.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Free access for all North Carolinians through library membership |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | OENC Faculty Adoption Grants (Program ended) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
NC LIVE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NC LIVE is a library cooperative that licenses and provides aggregated digital content (1.8 billion items including articles, ebooks, streaming videos, newspapers, and language learning tools) to 200+ member libraries across North Carolina. The organization negotiates bulk pricing, manages authentication and discovery infrastructure, and delivers professional development and technical support to public libraries, community colleges, UNC system campuses, and independent colleges and universities.
Product overview
NC LIVE is a unified statewide library cooperative platform providing aggregated access to over 1.8 billion digital resources (articles, eBooks, streaming videos, newspapers, language learning tools) for North Carolina's 200+ member libraries across four communities of interest: public libraries, community colleges, UNC System, and NC Independent Colleges & Universities. The core platform integrates discovery (Summon), authentication (Hosted Proxy), and website services (LibGuides) alongside a curated collection of licensed databases from ProQuest, Infobase, and other providers. The portfolio includes specialized collections like the HomeGrown Collection of locally-published titles and the Open Education North Carolina initiative providing open textbooks. Resources span business development, healthcare/nursing, career readiness, K-12 education, and STEM disciplines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- NC LIVE Core Platform
- Summon Discovery Service
- Hosted Proxy Service
- Website Service
- HomeGrown Collection
- Business and Market Research Databases
- Health and Medical Research Databases
- Films on Demand Video Collection
- Training and Professional Development
- MARC Records Service
- Open Education North Carolina (OENC)
Quantifiable outcome
- Saved North Carolina $47.8 million in 2025 by negotiating 80-90% off list prices
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use NC LIVE
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
NC LIVE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature5 records
NC LIVE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Internet ArchivecoreCollaboration to provide North Carolina access to the Open Library eBook Lending Collection. Member libraries contributed books to be scanned by the Internet Archive, which were converted into downloadable ebooks. NC LIVE libraries contributed over 1,000 titles to the collection.
- Alliance for Library ImpactcoreConsulting partnership to help facilitate the strategic planning process, working with a Strategic Planning Team made up of library staff representatives from NC LIVE's four Communities of Interest.
- ProQuestcoreSix-year agreement providing Summon discovery service to member libraries, aggregating NC LIVE content, locally licensed content, and physical catalog into unified search results. Also provides ProQuest Central and other research databases.
- BiblioBoardcorePlatform provider for the HomeGrown Collection of locally-published ebooks and audiobooks. Supports unlimited simultaneous access with no holds or checkout limits.
- OpenStaxmajorPrimary provider of open textbooks through the Open Education North Carolina (OENC) initiative. OpenStax textbooks were frequently adopted through OENC grants for courses including Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, Sociology, and more.
- Lumen LearningmajorProvider of open educational resources through OENC initiative, including Waymaker and Candela textbooks adopted for various courses.
- OER CommonsmajorHosts the Open Education North Carolina Collection, a curated hub of open educational resources for North Carolina faculty and students.
- UNC SystemcoreOne of four Communities of Interest and primary funder through state legislative funds. 17 campuses plus Area Health Education Centers participate in NC LIVE.
- NC Community College SystemcoreOne of four Communities of Interest and primary funder through state legislative funds. All 58 community colleges participate in NC LIVE.
- NC Independent Colleges & Universities (NCICU)coreOne of four Communities of Interest providing both governance input and private funding. 36 private colleges and universities participate through NCICU organization.
- Library of North Carolina / State Library of North CarolinacoreState library agency providing funding through state legislative funds and managing public library participation in NC LIVE.
- NC Digital Heritage CentermajorContent partner for the Heritage Indexing proof-of-concept project, providing metadata feeds from digital library assets for aggregated searching.
- UNC Chapel HillmajorContent partner for the Heritage Indexing project, contributing digital library assets to the aggregated metadata search platform.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
NC LIVE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NC LIVE social profiles
Digital presenceNC LIVE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NC LIVE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
NC LIVE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NC LIVE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NC LIVE
What does NC LIVE do?
NC LIVE is a library cooperative that licenses and provides aggregated digital content (1.8 billion items including articles, ebooks, streaming videos, newspapers, and language learning tools) to 200+ member libraries across North Carolina. The organization negotiates bulk pricing, manages authentication and discovery infrastructure, and delivers professional development and technical support to public libraries, community colleges, UNC system campuses, and independent colleges and universities.
Is NC LIVE a public or private company?
NC LIVE is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was NC LIVE founded?
NC LIVE was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is NC LIVE based?
NC LIVE is headquartered in Raleigh, United States, in the North America region.
How does NC LIVE make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. State Legislative Funding is the primary driver. The others are private Contributions and member Services (Free to Patrons).
Does NC LIVE have an API?
No public API is recorded for NC LIVE.
What industry is NC LIVE in?
NC LIVE's product category is Library Cooperative Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACALAL, Learning Content Bundling & Subscription Passes (All-Access Libraries). Its NAICS code is 5131 and its SIC code is 2741.