Membership in the Maine Shared Collections Cooperative (MSCC) is free and open to all Maine libraries, with circulating print book collections, and an automated ILS with MARC data. Ideally prospective Member libraries will also be MaineCat members. There are no membership fees for joining the Cooperative. 

Libraries that join MSCC make a commitment to retaining specific books in their collections for a minimum of 15-years. For most libraries these books are identified through our collections analysis services. Note, that going through this service is not a prerequisite for joining, libraries can also self-nominate titles they feel warrant Maine Shared Collections retention commitments by sending Maine Shared Collections Librarian Matthew Revitt a list of titles they agree to retain.

Joining MSCC requires that libraries sign our MSCC Memorandum of Understanding. The MOU can be signed by an institutional representative, for example chair of board of trustees or provost, before the retention commitments are documented in catalogs. The MSCC Memorandum of Understanding includes the terms and conditions of the retention commitment and describes the governance structure of the Cooperative.

MSCC currently has 42 members (including the founding members). See our complete list of members who have collectively agreed to retain approximately 1.5 million books. The Maine Shared Collection Cooperative (MSCC) welcomes Maine libraries that wish to join the Cooperative and make commitments to retaining books in their collections.

For more information about joining MSCC please contact Maine Shared Collections Librarian Matthew Revitt (matthew.revitt@maine.edu or 207 581-2665).