About LINCC

Libraries in Clackamas County (LINCC) provides services to the 13 member libraries within the Library District of Clackamas County. For help using the LINCC library catalog, check out the LINCC System FAQ.

History

Since 1977, when the first county-wide funding levy was approved by voters, the 12 public libraries of Clackamas County have cooperated in an informal resource and revenue sharing network, named LINCC, which stands for "Libraries in Clackamas County." The members of the LINCC network are the 10 cities in the County that operate public libraries: Canby, Estacada, Happy Valley, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Molalla, Oregon City, Sandy (including a branch in Hoodland), West Linn, and Wilsonville. The other two member libraries of LINCC are the Gladstone and Oak Lodge Libraries, operated by Clackamas County.

Over the past 36 years, LINCC libraries have shared in the proceeds of a variety of county-wide funding mechanisms, which have culminated in the passage in November 2008 of a county-wide Library Service District with a permanent tax rate of .3974 per thousand of assessed value. Any resident of Clackamas County (with the exception of Johnson City) may visit any LINCC public library, obtain a free library card and check out materials without charge.

Technology and Resource Sharing

Besides sharing county-wide funding, the major cooperative feature of LINCC is that the 12 independent libraries share a single library catalog. The shared catalog makes it very easy for individual citizens to borrow materials from any or all libraries throughout the county and to have those materials delivered via library courier to their neighborhood library for easy pick-up. This shared system and shared county-wide funding has created a seamless public library system in Clackamas County that has greatly facilitated the cost effective sharing of resources among these 12 library "partners" yet allows each local city or county library to retain its own autonomy and ability to tailor its collection and programs to the unique needs of its clientele.