Each year, FLVC publishes an Annual Report that provides information on all aspects of FLVC resources and services, with an emphasis on projects completed during the course of the year, as well as updates on work in progress. This year’s Annual Report is now available.
I’m extraordinarily proud of all of the work that has happened at FLVC over the course of the past year in support of teaching, learning, and research at Florida’s state colleges and universities! The scale and scope of the work of FLVC is extraordinary, and the results of this work speak for themselves. While I hope all of you will take some time to review the full Annual Report, I’d like to highlight some of the accomplishments of FLVC Library Services over the past year . . . cost savings is one area of excellence, and this chart shows the savings achieved by FLVC through shared, centralized resources and services.
Over the course of the past year, we have continued to grow and expand the resources and services that we provide to libraries. Here are just a few of many examples:
- RapidILL was fully implemented at 26 participating colleges, transforming the way institutions share electronic
resources.
- Peer-to-Peer Resource Sharing was successfully launched at 20 institutions, extending the reach of participating libraries beyond Florida’s 40 public colleges and universities.
- Statewide E-Resources: FLVC negotiated favorable pricing with 12 vendors and publishers for the 2025-26 statewide e-resources collection, saving Florida $25 million compared to individual institutional licensing.
- Group Licensing: FLVC secured 613 subscriptions for participating institutions, resulting in cost savings of over $9 million compared to individual licensing.
- Florida Islandora: FLVC collaborated with libraries at each institution to test and review an upgraded version of the
Florida Islandora platform. Florida Islandora enables institutions to create digital collections and make them accessible to the public free of charge. Implementation of the upgraded platform is anticipated for 2025-26. - Florida OJ: In 2024-25, FLVC added ten new journals and upgraded to OJS 3.3 LTS (Long-Term Support) to improve security and functionality.
- FLVC OER Summit: In May 2025, FLVC hosted its seventh annual OER Summit. This free, live virtual event featured state, national, and international experts in OER. More than 700 individuals participated, representing Florida, the U.S., and more than 20 countries worldwide.
- Professional Development Alliance (PDA): FLVC continued its strong partnership with library consortia from across the nation through the PDA, providing institutional library staff access to 115 free, live, online professional development workshops.
- OpenAthens: FLVC completed its statewide implementation of OpenAthens, enhancing e-resources authentication for all 40 public colleges and universities. OpenAthens improves research discoverability while streamlining the cost effective management of e-resources.
- OpenAthens Reporting API: FLVC now provides institutions with this powerful set of advanced tools to analyze usage and connect library activity with student success.
- Usage Dashboard: In May 2025, FLVC released an OpenAthens Power BI Usage Dashboard, providing libraries with enhanced access to their OpenAthens e-resources accession data. The dashboard also serves as a model for future projects that integrate local student data to better assess the impact of libraries on academic achievement.
- Statewide Help Desk Support: FLVC’s statewide Help Desk offers phone, email, and live chat support for all its services, with a significant portion dedicated to library-related inquiries. In 2024-25, the Help Desk successfully managed nearly 6,900 requests for assistance from colleges and universities across Florida, demonstrating its vital role in supporting library services.
These are just a few examples from the Annual Report. There’s SO MUCH MORE! I hope you will take some time to visit FLVC.org/annual-reports to learn more about all of the ways that FLVC supports YOUR libraries, along with information about upcoming projects and initiatives.
Happy Holidays!
Elijah
