The StreamNet Regional Library is administered by the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission under the Columbia Basin Fish Accords. The library serves the natural resources community of the Pacific Northwest and those researchers working in cooperation with the Region's fish and wildlife recovery efforts who are not otherwise served by a research library. We also serve the general public who are interested in the issues surrounding the Columbia Basin's natural resources and Pacific salmon recovery efforts.
The library provides access to technical information and research on Columbia River Basin natural resources, especially the fisheries. We also provide information on ecosystems and other relevant subjects for states and provinces in the Pacific Northwest (Northern California through Alaska, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia). This information can be found in a wide variety of formats. The library places particular emphasis on collecting less commonly available 'grey' and 'black' literature, such as consultants' reports, state, local and tribal government documents and non-profit organizations' reports. We continue to receive donations from individuals and agencies closing their libraries (WE 158).
The library maintains a close partnership with the PSMFC StreamNet Project. We organize and coordinate reference document data and share with the project as needed. The StreamNet Regional Library also submits annual report information to the PSMFC StreamNet Project (1988-104-00) for inclusion in the project’s annual report. The state fish and wildlife agencies for Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service share responsibility for the StreamNet Regional database and provide the source documents which are housed in the library. In addition to working with PSMFC StreamNet, the Library also works with the Tribal Data Network (2008-507-00), also administered by the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, to gather data and information sources from the Columbia Basin tribes for inclusion in the PSMFC StreamNet Project databases and library collections as part of the Columbia Basin Fish Accords and FCRPS BiOp (WE 189).
The library offers standard library services including research assistance, interlibrary lending and borrowing, document delivery, and bibliography development (WE 160/161). The library provides assistance with metadata development and serves as a resource for our patrons. We also offer bibliography development for Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program participants.
Our library catalog provides access to our records, inventorying our collections (
http://catalog.streamnetlibrary.org/). The records created in the catalog also link to electronic copies as they are available (metadata development). The library catalog combines information from a large number of digital repositories so researchers are able to retrieve materials with fewer searches. This library database is stored in XML format and is accessible to Internet search engines as well as the search functions included in the software.
Usage statistics for FY2016 are projected to remain stable. We continue to capture electronic copies and create digital copies of documents for researchers. Our website and social media outreach has created a large audience which helps more patrons find our collections and request our services. We partner with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission to attend local natural resources events to promote the library and our services.
Through the CRITFC StreamNet Library contract, the Fisheries Science Department manager participates on various committees and regional groups to coordinate data collection and research throughout the Columbia Basin. The library coordinates with local agencies & non-profits to maximize access to relevant collections and reduce duplication of collections in the area. As a member of the International Association of Aquatic & Marine Science Libraries & Information Centers as well as OCLC Worldcat, the library has access to collections around the world. We also provide documents to other libraries as part of the resources sharing agreements with these groups.
Details of the individual tasks performed by the project are detailed in the Milestones under each Work Element.