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From the Executive Director ...

Dear Colleagues:

This report summarizes BCR's activities for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2003. Because of the continuing decline in library funding across most of the BCR region, our efforts this year were focused on reducing the cost of electronic information resources and in showing our members how to use those resources efficiently.

BCR reduced the administrative charges on LexisNexis services and reduced the network surcharge on OCLC searching at the beginning of the fiscal year and implemented a second price reduction on OCLC services in January of 2003. Together these price reductions saved BCR member libraries about $300,000. Over the last decade, BCR has reduced its surcharges six times and absorbed five price increases by various vendors, saving our members well over $2 million.

BCR's internal operations became significantly more efficient in FY 2002-2003, with general and administrative expenses dropping more than 25 percent. This is a clear indication that the reorganization that was implemented a year ago has been successful in reducing our overhead costs. We are currently serving more than five times as many libraries as we were 10 years ago, with the same number of regular employees. Internet-based tools and services continue to increase our productivity and enable BCR's hard- working staff to accommodate this increased workload.

Indeed, fiscal 2003 was an extraordinarily productive year for BCR. We offered 242 workshops, including 63 Web-based sessions and partnered with state library agencies to provide access to the College of DuPage teleconferences free to library personnel throughout the region. Ninety libraries joined the network, and an estimated 200 smaller institutions began using BCR services through group purchases organized by state libraries or local consortia. The use of new services initiated by BCR's R&D unit increased by more than 40 percent, and a vigorous cost containment program, combined with our reorganization, allowed us to reduce prices and still meet our budget goals.

The overall use of OCLC core services by BCR libraries more or less plateaued during the year. Online cataloging declined slightly, while ILL use went up a bit. BCR staff put a great deal of effort into consulting with library managers on ways to optimize the use of OCLC services and reduce costs. And we assisted an increasing number of small libraries in their implementation of the Web-based OCLC CatExpress service.

Reference database and e-book usage continued to expand, in spite of the poor state of library funding in most of our member states. The success of BCR's R&D program in incubating new database contracts shows that cost-effective services can be adopted by the library community even in difficult economic conditions.

All these programs demonstrate BCR's continuing commitment to helping the library community share resources, reduce expenses and use automated information resources in the most creative and cost-effective way. With the ongoing support of librarians across the region, the advice of an energetic Board of Trustees and the hard work of the BCR staff, we look forward with confidence to the challenges of the new year.

Dave Brunell
Executive Director
BCR

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