Outagamie Waupaca Library Service (OWLS) contributed to the WPLC/DLT million dollar e-content buying pool. OWLS contributed $44,082 to the buying pool; $ 37,785 from member library contributions and $ 6,297 from LSTA grant funds.
In May 2011 the Division for Libraries and Technology (DLT) sponsored a statewide E-book Summit. A major recommendation from the Summit was the need to establish a statewide digital content buying pool. In a follow-up action, a committee from the Summit and the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC) set a target goal of allocating $1 million for e-books and audio book purchases.
Starting in 2012, DLT committed $300,000 in LSTA grant funds for e-books with $700,000 being committed by the state's 17 public library systems and their member libraries. Each library system amount is based on a formula of current OverDrive e-book use and system population. For 2013, DLT committed $200,000 in LSTA funds. In 2014, DLT committed $150,000 in LSTA funds.
E-content was purchased through this project to support and encourage expanded availability to libraries and individuals statewide. Funds supported a funding model in close cooperation with the 17 public library systems, 385 public libraries, and LSTA funding.