Library Council of Metropolitan Milwaukee.

ABSTRACT: Records of an organization founded to foster cooperation between Milwaukee area libraries. The collection includes reports, correspondence, memos, newsletters, financial records, meeting minutes, publications, library directories, and union lists.

The records concern a wide range of library services and issues, including archives, collection development, interlibrary loan, interlibrary cooperation, automation, continuing education, legislation and public services. LCOMM organizational functions, including fund-raising, long-range planning and membership and public relations, are documented as well. Other materials of note include copies of the constitution, by-laws, organizational guidelines, and articles of incorporation.

The collection contains some non-print media, including slides, films, and video and audio tapes. These are largely of an educational nature and subjects include local labor and ethnic history, histories of Milwaukee neighborhoods and continuing education for librarians.

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE: Records of an organization founded to foster cooperation between Milwaukee area libraries. The collection includes reports, correspondence, memoranda, newsletters, financial records, meeting minutes, publications, library directories, and union lists.

The collection contains many directories, guides and reports that often are filed separately by title. However, in cases where such items are the products of a specific committee they are filed by committee name and then title. Committees often were formed for the purpose of completing certain projects or advancing certain goals. Committees of note include Archives, Continuing Education, Coordinated Collections (which was formed to evaluate the library collections of LCOMM members and to foster cooperative collection development), Data Base Services, Legislative, Membership and Public Relations, and Public Services and System Council Study. Also included are the records of LCOMM's two long-range planning committees, the Long-Range Planning Committee (1975-1976) and the Long-Range Plan Steering Committee (1979-1982). Each of these committees formed various sub-committees to investigate different areas of the long-range plan. Some of these, such as Archives and Continuing Education, became full standing committees.

The Executive Board is the administrative governing body of LCOMM. Executive Board members are elected by LCOMM members. Most administrative information is found in the records of the Executive Board. These consist of correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes and reports containing information on elections, finances, committee formations and general administrative issues. The Correspondence files also consist mostly of correspondence to and from the Executive Director, although other correspondence is sometimes included as well.

The Libraries for Milwaukee project (1980-1981) was funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant and was designed to promote the role of libraries for studies in the humanities. This resulted in a number of community service programs such as neighborhood walking tours, lectures, performing arts programs and exhibits spotlighting local Milwaukee history. Records in this series are filed by "Libraries for Milwaukee" and then by name of the specific program.

The collection contains some audio and visual materials from 1975-1981. These include audio cassettes, film reels, slides, and videorecordings. Subjects include Milwaukee labor and ethnic history, neighborhood walking tours and LCOMM's Infopass system. There also are some continuing education materials for librarians.

ARRANGEMENT: The files are organized alphabetically by personal name, name of office, or by subject, then chronologically. Files can contain a variety of materials, including correspondence, staff memoranda, and reports.

Audiovisual materials are located in boxes 4-6. The materials are integrated into the box and folder list alphabetically by name of creator (when known), then by subject (when applicable), and then by title. The materials are identified by type of media (audio cassette, film reel, slides, and videocassette), and each item is numbered. 

ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY: The Library Council of Metropolitan Milwaukee (LCOMM) was incorporated in June 1973 by 35 charter members. Management was by a seventeen-member Executive Board of Directors. In September 1974, Susan Keller was appointed LCOMM's first Executive Director. Her successors include Mary Cronin (1976-1980), Carla Roden (1980-1982), Carole Engel (1982-1984), Janis Trebby (1984-1989), Corliss Rice (1989-2000), and Susie Just (2001- ).

LCOMM's staff was restructured in 1982 due to budget cuts and the Executive Director became a part-time position. A part-time administrative assistant position was added in 1984. In 1986 the LCOMM bylaws were changed to allow any interested library to join LCOMM, regardless of geographic location. Additional changes that same year reduced the Executive Board Permanent Members by two, and changed the Friends category to individual members to allow any interested person to support LCOMM regardless of their employment in a library.

LCOMM was formed to improve cooperative planning and activities among area libraries. Various committees were established to work on specific projects and objectives toward that end. These have resulted in a number of publications, productions and programs designed to improve services and cooperation between Milwaukee area librarians.

In 2002 the LCOMM's name was changed to the Library Council of Southeastern Wisconsin.

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

Library Council of Metropolitan Milwaukee. Records. UWM Manuscript Collection 48. University Manuscript Collection. Archives. UWM Libraries. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

ACQUISITION: Corliss Rice, LCOMM Executive Director, donated the collection to the Archives in September 1993 (accession number 1993-004). An unknown donor provided additional materials in May 2003 (accession 2002-100). Susie Just donated materials in July 2003 (accession number 2003-002) and in August 2005 (accession number 2005-005). Wayne Jenkins donated materials in May 2004 (accession numbers 2003-083 and 2003-090). Judy Turner donated materials in August 2006 (accession number 2006-008).

PROCESSING: Robert Garrett processed the collection at the Archives between July 1994 and May 1995.  Karen Bjork added the 1994, 1997, and 2000 Library Directory of Metropolitan Milwaukee to the collection in 2004. William Dodds added materials donated from May 2003 to August 2006 to the collection in the spring of 2007.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

• Archival institutes and workshops--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Archives--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Catalogs, Union--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Collection development (Libraries)--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Ethnic groups--History--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Ethnic neighborhoods--History--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Interlibrary loans--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Labor movement--History--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Libraries--Automation.
• Libraries and metropolitan areas--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Library cooperation--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Library institutes and workshops--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Library outreach programs--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Library publications--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Library resources--Wisconsin--Milwaukee--Directories.

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URL: http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/arch/findaids/uwmmss48.htm
Last edited on June 15, 2007.
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