SWAN (System Wide Automated Network) has been serving Illinois libraries since 1974 and today has a membership of 97 libraries throughout the Chicagoland area. By consolidating services and collaborating together, the SWAN membership is able to promote:

• A shared online public access catalog with more than 8 million items available to patrons
• Centralized cataloging and software services that save library staff valuable time and money
• A unique collection of materials from public, college, and special libraries across Illinois
• 24/7 support to library staff—including IT, consulting, training, documentation, and tutorials
• Networking opportunities and knowledge/resource-sharing among the 2,000+ member library staff, as well as professional memberships to OCLC, COSUGI, and more
• Library accessibility through modern technology like Linked Data (making library catalog materials discoverable to the World Wide Web and search engines) and easy procurement of materials; patrons can receive a variety of alerts like email or SMS/text message notifications, in a variety of languages (English, Spanish, Polish, and more)