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)

The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world. It strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science.