Pinellas Public Library Cooperative

The Pinellas Public Library Cooperative is a non-profit organization that facilitates cooperation, collaboration, and sharing of resources, programs, services, and expertise among its member libraries. PPLC was the first Library Cooperative formed in the state of Florida, and was founded in 1989 through an Interlocal Agreement between the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) and Municipalities with Public Libraries that are members of the PPLC. The purpose of forming the cooperative was to extend public library services to the unincorporated areas of Pinellas County and to municipalities that do not have library services. PPLC receives and disburses funds, maintains a shared library automation system, maintains a shared materials delivery system, and facilitates collective purchasing for cost savings. In 1992, PPLC established the Pinellas Talking Book Library to provide library services to the blind and physically handicapped. The Deaf Literacy Center was incorporated into the cooperative in to serve the emerging deaf community. PPLC facilitates community partnerships, builds relationships, markets library services, and advocates for local, state, and federal financial support of library services to improve the lives of Pinellas County residents.