CLiC (Colorado Library Consortium)

What CLiC (Colorado Library Consortium) does

CLiC (Colorado Library Consortium) is a Centennial, Colorado-based nonprofit regional library service organization founded in 2004 that operates as a cooperative consortium for Colorado libraries. Its core offering, AspenCat, is a shared integrated library system serving more than 115 libraries with access to more than 1 million items and enabling roughly 4,500 physical and ebook exchanges per month; the platform is built on the open-source Community Koha ILS hosted by ByWater Solutions, with Pika as the patron discovery interface and integration of the Marmot Digital Archive. CLiC complements AspenCat with a statewide Library Courier (operated by Western Peaks Logistics) that transports nearly 3 million items annually, a Talent Development program (workshops, Virtual Winter Workshop, CLiC & Connect rural meetups, AspenCat Con), Colleague on Call regional consulting, and Cooperative Purchasing that negotiates volume discounts on databases, ebooks, and supplies from vendors including Gale/Cengage, EBSCO, OverDrive, and ProQuest.

The organization serves public, academic, and K-12 libraries across Colorado, with an emphasis on small and rural libraries that lack the scale to procure technology and content independently. Its business model combines member participation fees, pass-through cooperative purchasing revenue, and State of Colorado subsidies for courier service; no revenue figure is disclosed. Go-to-market is community-led: CLiC engages members through direct outreach, regional consultants, peer-learning events, email broadcasts, and its website rather than traditional sales channels. The team of 11-50 employees is led by Executive Director Jim Duncan and Deputy Director Sara Wright, and the organization is governed independently with no parent company, venture backing, or M&A activity in the source data.

Operationally, CLiC has incrementally expanded its product surface in recent years, adding READsquared reading programs (2020), Hiveclass e-learning (2024), Wi-Fi usage analytics pilots, and digital archive integration via Pika, while retiring the long-running Quipu Group Courier Management System in August 2024. Geographic scope remains Colorado-domiciled, with out-of-state resource sharing via courier connections and partnerships with the Marmot Library Network, Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries, and University of Colorado Libraries anchoring broader regional collaboration.

Name

CLiC (Colorado Library Consortium)

Legal name

Colorado Library Consortium (CLiC)

Website

https://clicweb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CLiC is a Colorado-based nonprofit consortium that provides a shared library catalog (AspenCat), statewide material courier, training, consulting, and cooperative purchasing to 115+ public, academic, and K-12 libraries across Colorado.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Library Consortium Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Resource Sharing Operations (EDAEAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Library Collections & Cataloging Services (Acquisitions, Metadata, Circulation) (EDAEAGAE)

Keywords

• Library consortium services
• Shared library catalog
• Interlibrary resource sharing
• Library courier delivery
• Cooperative purchasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Centennial

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Member Fees and Cooperative Purchasing: CLiC generates revenue through cooperative purchasing arrangements with vendors, negotiating discounts on electronic resources, databases, and supplies for member libraries. The organization also receives funding from the State of Colorado to subsidize courier services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CLiC provides Colorado libraries with shared catalog access (AspenCat, an ILS serving 115+ libraries with 1+ million items), statewide physical material delivery via a courier service transporting nearly 3 million items annually, affordable talent development workshops and conferences, on-site regional consulting (Colleague on Call), and cooperative purchasing arrangements that negotiate discounts on databases, electronic resources, and supplies for member libraries.

Product overview

CLiC (Colorado Library Consortium) is a nonprofit organization serving Colorado libraries through a suite of interconnected services. The core offerings include AspenCat (a shared ILS catalog serving 115+ libraries with 1M+ items), Library Courier (statewide material delivery), Talent Development (professional development workshops), Colleague on Call (on-site consulting), and Cooperative Purchasing (negotiated vendor discounts). Supporting products include the Marmot Digital Archive (integrated digital collections), Hiveclass (e-learning video platform), and Wi-Fi analytics tools. The organization operates primarily as a service consortium rather than a software product company, with AspenCat built on Community Koha open source ILS hosted by ByWater Solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AspenCat: Shared catalog (integrated library system - ILS) serving more than 115 libraries with more than a million items, enabling resource sharing among member libraries.
• Library Courier
• Talent Development
• Colleague on Call
• Save Money (Cooperative Purchasing)
• Extras

Products and services

• AspenCat
• Library Courier
• Talent Development
• Colleague on Call
• Cooperative Purchasing
• Hiveclass
• Marmot Digital Archive
• Wi-Fi Usage Analytics

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 1 million items available through shared catalog
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• HiveclassminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024CLiC added Hiveclass as a cooperative purchase offering - an e-learning platform with 1,800+ skill-based video lessons across 17 sports/activity units, including mindfulness, yoga, and nutrition content, available in English and Spanish.
• READsquaredminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2020CLiC partnered with READsquared to offer reading program solutions including challenges, badges, prizes, events, and automated communications. Libraries can launch pre-packaged programs within hours.
• Colorado Alliance of Research LibrariesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2019Co-host of FOLIO Meet-up Colorado 2019 event to explore open source library technology platform.
• Marmot Library NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2019Co-host of FOLIO Meet-up Colorado 2019. CLiC communicates with Marmot regarding resource sharing and courier operations.
• University of Colorado LibrariesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2019Co-host of FOLIO Meet-up Colorado 2019 to explore future library technology.
• ByWater SolutionscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2019ByWater Solutions hosts the Community Koha ILS platform for AspenCat. The partnership provides scheduled custom reports, customized shelving locations, automatic renewals, twice-yearly updates, and ongoing support for 115+ member libraries.
• Gale/CengagemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2017CLiC partnered with Gale/Cengage to offer database packages for schools, public libraries, community colleges, and four-year academic institutions at discounted rates through cooperative purchasing.
• Western Peaks LogisticscoreOthersWestern Peaks Logistics operates the statewide courier delivery service for CLiC member libraries, handling physical material transport between libraries across Colorado. Service was temporarily suspended during COVID-19 and has since resumed.
• Ramblin JacksonminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBoulder-based digital marketing and video production agency that designed and developed CLiC's current website, focusing on ease of navigation and staff accessibility.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Lyrasis: Nonprofit membership organization providing technology, content, and collaborative services to libraries, archives, and museums across the US. Comparable as a larger-scale library cooperative offering shared services and cooperative purchasing.
• OCLC: Global library cooperative operating WorldCat, shared cataloging, and resource sharing infrastructure at much greater scale. Comparable as a shared library services backbone, though broader in scope and geographic reach than CLiC.
• Bibliotheca (now part of Axiell): Library technology vendor providing ILS, RFID, and self-service solutions to public libraries globally. Comparable as a peer in the broader library technology stack serving similar public library customers.
• SirsiDynix: Major commercial vendor of integrated library systems used by public and academic libraries worldwide. Comparable as an alternative ILS provider that competes for the same library customers CLiC serves via AspenCat.

Direct peers

• MINITEX Library Information Network: Minnesota-based multitype library cooperative providing interlibrary loan, courier, and shared services. Closely analogous operating model as a multi-type library consortium with statewide reach.
• Califa Library Group: California library consortium that negotiates cooperative pricing on databases and e-resources for member libraries. Directly comparable in mission around cooperative purchasing and shared library services.
• Bibliomation: Connecticut-based library consortium providing shared ILS, courier, and cooperative purchasing to member libraries. Closely analogous operating model to CLiC in a different state.
• Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries: Statewide consortium of academic and research libraries in Colorado. Comparable as a Colorado-based library consortium collaborating on shared services and resource sharing with CLiC.
• Marmot Library Network: Regional library consortium serving western Colorado libraries with a shared catalog and interlibrary courier. Directly comparable as a peer consortium operating in the same state and co-hosting events with CLiC.

Others

• ByWater Solutions: Hosting and support provider for the Community Koha ILS platform that powers AspenCat. Comparable as a partner enabling CLiC's core technology layer and could be considered a peer supplier in the open-source library technology ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/clicweb
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colorado-library-consortium

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 CLiC (Colorado Library Consortium)