About WiLS

Being part of the WiLS community helps stretch budgets and enhances a library's ability to deliver services to patrons. WiLS facilitates resource sharing, cooperative purchasing and licensing, and many other activities related to information technology.

WiLS has over thirty years' experience in facilitating resource sharing! When a library joins this consortium of 500 Wisconsin libraries, a wide range of information resources and library services are readily available to the library's personnel and patrons.

Membership categories:
Basic, Full, Full Member-Group, Resource Sharing, and CatExpress.

  1. Basic Membership includes use of the WiLS Cooperative Purchasing/Electronic Licensing Service (including OCLC Reference Products and Services) and reduced rates on consulting and related services.

    Basic member services are available to ALL WiLS members.

  2. Full Membership is defined as a library that performs all cataloging through the Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC) and/or a combination of online activity and tapeloading. Full Membership includes access to the complete range of OCLC products and services with related WiLS support, assistance and training including initial profiling, on-site training, communication, representation and fund accounting, as well as additional WiLS OCLC services.

  3. Full Member-Group Membership (Multiple libraries cataloging under single symbol)

    Full Members enjoy full access to all services included in the Resource Sharing and Basic Membership categories.

  4. Resource Sharing Membership includes access to:
    (a) WiLS Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Service—provides access to the library resources of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, the State Historical Society Library and to the collections of other WiLS member libraries. WiLS provides location and delivery of materials, fund accounting and reporting, credit for lending to other WiLS members, and training and support as needed. See our Resource Sharing web pages for details about available services.

    AND/OR

    (b) OCLC Group Access Capability (GAC) services provide access to OCLC for sending and receiving ILL requests and related OCLC products and services. WiLS provides support, assistance and training to assure effective use of the service. These libraries use only OCLC for ILL and do not use OCLC Cataloging.

  5. CatExpress Membership includes access to the OCLC CatExpress Copy Cataloging Service for small libraries and support assistance from WiLS to assure smooth and effective use of service. Support assistance includes problem solving, profiling and related start-up processing, and coordinated billing. Training is available, but optional, and at additional cost. Order Form

For More Information

Please contact Cheryl Bradley at cbradley at wils.wisc.edu or phone 608.265.4167.