In the previous issue of the FLVC Library Services Update, I discussed a topic that’s highly unusual for Florida: snow. I’m delighted to say that there’s no mention of snow in the forecast as we move into early April. Whew!
Also in the previous issue, I mentioned the release of the 2023-2024 FLVC Annual Report (you can find it, along with previous FLVC Annual Reports here), and I described some of the amazing cost savings provided to libraries during the previous fiscal year.
I’d also like to talk about some of the other metrics around the resources and collections provided by or supported by
FLVC. I’m incredibly proud of the efforts of FLVC staff in support of these resources and services, and these numbers tell the story of the scope and scale of the work done by this organization.
As a reminder, FLVC provides resources and services to more than 1 million students, faculty, and staff across the 28 state colleges and 12 state universities in Florida, at more than 150 library locations.
Our libraries across these institutions house amazing collections, collections which are heavily used, as demonstrated by these statistics from the Integrated Library System (ILS):

FLVC also provides an incredible statewide collection of electronic resources in support of nearly all areas of the curriculum at all institutions. This statewide collection of scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, databases, academic videos – and much more! — sees outstanding usage. From January to December 2023, students, faculty, and staff across Florida’s colleges and universities performed 19.6 million searches, engaged in 13.5 million item investigations, and downloaded 5 million full-text resources. And FLVC can provide every library with highly detailed usage information, helping libraries make essential decisions to manage limited resources.
FLVC provides further support for academic engagement through platforms for digital archival content and digital collections, including:
- Florida Islandora, which houses more than 1 million items, many of which are rare or unique pieces of Florida heritage.
- Florida Online Journals (Florida OJ), which provides public access to 50 journals spanning a range of academic disciplines, is published by institutions across the state. During the 2023-24 fiscal year, Florida OJ was accessed over 2.4 million times.
- The Student Open Access Resources (SOAR) Repository, a web-based, searchable database of OER curated by students, librarians, faculty, and staff from Florida’s colleges and universities. In the past year, the OPEN FL community expanded SOAR to include over 150 OER tailored to more than 15 of the highest dual enrollment general
education core courses. - The Florida Open Academic Library (FOAL), a comprehensive, online index that offers a statewide, searchable database of digital archives and collections held by Florida’s public postsecondary institutions. Students have access to over 1.5 million unique digital archive collection items and educational resources via this single search
interface.
FLVC also provides professional development opportunities at no cost to libraries. For example, FLVC partnered with library consortia from across the nation through the Professional Development Alliance (PDA) to offer and share more than 100 free, live, online professional development workshops. These sessions support ongoing professional growth of library staff at Florida’s public colleges and universities, contributing to improved service delivery and innovation within academic libraries.
And for all of the resources and services provided by FLVC, we also provide exceptional support through the FLVC Help Desk! During the 2023-2024 academic year, the Help Desk responded to more than 6,700 queries!
I hope that you’ll take some time to review the FLVC Annual Report to learn more about the many resources and services provided by this organization.
Elijah