Central Library: Home

What is a Central Library:

Each library system in New York State has one or two central libraries. Flower Library in Watertown is the Central Library for the North Country Library System (NCLS).  Central Libraries function as a major reference, information, inter-library loan and electronic resource for the system.

According to New York State Education Law, the library system and central library may use Central Library Aid (CLA) for the implementation of program and priorities of the Central Library as described in the library system's approved Five Year Plan of Service. This can also be found on the Documents tab.

There are two types of Central Library Aid (CLA): Central Library Division Aid (CLDA) and Central Library Book Aid (CBA). The Central Library Advisory Committee (CLAC) creates a yearly budget and makes decisions on how the CLDA money is to be spent. These funds are used to improve services to residents of the entire library system. CLDA funds are typically used to fund personnel, marketing tools and system wide access to databases.

Databases paid for using Central Library Division Aid (CLDA): Printable "How to" Guides can be found on the Documents tab.

• Ancestry
• Artistworks
• Data Axle/Reference USA
• Fold3
• JobNow
• Law Depot
• Niche Academy
• Universal Class
• Weiss Financial Rating

Flower Library uses Central Library Book Aid (CBA) to purchase, house and lend:

• Adult foreign language items
• Adult graphic novel non-fiction items,
• Adult nonfiction items: books, dvd's, and audiobooks.
• Adult non fiction e-books and e-audiobooks for Overdrive.

How are funding decisions made?

Using NYS Education Law and the NCLS Central Library Plan of Service as guides, the Central Library Committee (CLAC) makes recommendations for use of the Central Library Aid (CLA) funds by creating a yearly budget. The committee makes budget decisions based on the  review of database usage, library staff needs and survey information. This budget, once approved by the CLAC is then approved by Flower Library board, then by the NCLS board. A copy of the current budget can be found on the Documents tab.

What services does the Central Library provide?

Flower Library works with NCLS to:

• Purchase, house, lend and maintain the adult nonfiction collection purchased using Central Library Book (CBA) funds. Visit Flower Library's website to make a nonfiction purchase request.
• Provide reference service for patrons and member library staff of all the North Country Library System libraries. To ask a reference question, visit Flower Library's website.
• Create and maintain documentation for member library staff on topics such as reference and genealogy. Visit the Reference LibGuide for more information.
• Assist in the training of member library staff in reference services, inter-library loan, and other topics of interest to member library staff. To view the upcoming schedule, visit the calendar on NCLS's website. You can also view past trainings via recorded YouTube videos on the Training Videos tab.
• Create and distribute an annual newsletter. See the Documents Tab for a complete list of Newsletters, Board Minutes, etc.
• Facilitate inter-library loan of materials to other libraries. To learn about ILL, visit the LibGuide.