The Colorado Library Consortium, known as CLiC, is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization founded in 1960 and headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, that provides support and services to public, school, academic, and special libraries across the state. Formally recognized under Colorado state statute as a regional library service system, CLiC occupies an unusual position: it receives a portion of its income through a state appropriation flowing through the Colorado State Library, which makes it both a governmental instrumentality and a nonprofit organization at once. Its statewide Library Courier service alone moves more than 2.6 million items each year among 350 libraries, giving concrete scale to what that dual identity means in practice. As of June 2026, CLiC employed approximately 13 staff members to manage that scope of work.
Key facts
- Country: United States
- Founded: 1960
- Type: cultural institution; library; nonprofit organization
- Website: http://www.clicweb.org/
Structure and Governance
CLiC is headquartered at 7400 E Arapahoe Rd, Suite 75, Centennial, Colorado 80112. Its financial and organizational records undergo a comprehensive audit each year, filed with the State of Colorado’s Office of the State Auditor, a requirement tied directly to its status as a regional library service system under state statute.
As of October 2025, the board of directors includes Dustin Fife as Chair, Melissa De Santis as Vice Chair, Jon Solomon as Treasurer, Jean Marie Heilig in an Ex Officio capacity, and Brittany Dudek and Nick Schuster as Members. Colorado public library standards set by the Colorado Department of Education require public libraries to be members of CLiC and to participate in the statewide courier service, making membership a formal expectation rather than a voluntary arrangement for publicly funded libraries.
The Library Courier
CLiC’s Library Courier is the physical delivery infrastructure for interlibrary loan across Colorado, connecting 350 libraries and moving more than 2.6 million items each year. For the five-year period spanning 2022 through 2026, the service handled more than 1.8 million physical items annually, and its total operating budget for fiscal year 2026-27 is projected to exceed $1.1 million.
CLiC applies a state subsidy of more than $225,000 toward the courier service to keep participation costs affordable for member libraries, and the program is not operated to generate profit. The financial structure of this subsidy became more significant after the 2022-23 Joint Budget Committee cycle, when advocates secured the first increase in the state appropriation in 17 years. That $150,000 raise enabled CLiC to reduce courier costs for participating libraries by between 8% and nearly 48%, depending on the library.
AspenCat Shared Catalog
CLiC administers AspenCat, a shared catalog that dramatically expands what patrons at small member libraries can find and borrow. AspenCat member libraries hold an average of 15,000 items in their own collections, but through the shared catalog patrons have access to more than 1.7 million items statewide. The courier service provides the physical delivery side that makes that expanded access usable.
Consulting, Training, and Member Services
The ‘Colleague on Call’ program places regionally-based field consultants in rural and small libraries at no cost to the library. Consultants offer trend advice, skill training, board development guidance, and hands-on project support. CLiC funds this service through its state appropriation and service revenues rather than charging library fees directly.
CLiC also operates a cooperative purchasing program that gives member libraries access to pre-negotiated vendor discounts, packaged database subscriptions, and discounts on library supplies, office materials, and technology. These are designed to reduce procurement costs for libraries that could not negotiate such terms individually.
For professional development, CLiC holds an annual Virtual Winter Workshop for library staff and trustees. The 2026 edition ran on February 4-5, 2026, at a registration fee of $25. The 2027 edition is scheduled for February 3-4, 2027.
Fiscal Agency and Organizational Infrastructure
CLiC provides fiscal agency services to library groups, 501(c)3 organizations, and collaboratively-formed project teams. The support ranges from full-spectrum organizational infrastructure to time-bound grant project management. Since 2011, CLiC has acted as the fiscal agency for the Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL) organization, providing organizational infrastructure, HR support, and grant management for that body.
A separate program called ‘No Store’ handles weeded materials from member libraries: CLiC picks them up, ships them, and then resells or recycles them. Income generated returns to CLiC to help reduce costs across its other services, giving discarded collection materials a second use while contributing to the consortium’s financial sustainability.
Did you know
- The ‘Colleague on Call’ consulting service is provided entirely free of charge to rural and small member libraries. CLiC funds it through its state appropriation and service revenues, so no direct fee ever reaches the library receiving the help. (clicweb.org)
- CLiC’s state appropriation went without any increase for 17 consecutive years before advocates successfully lobbied the Colorado Joint Budget Committee for a $150,000 raise during the 2022-23 budget cycle. (clicweb.org)
Data sources
Data updated: 2026-11-01