The School Library System (SLS) supports the students, faculty, and staff of all public and non-public member school libraries through funding provided by the State of New York. Services that are provided to the Western Suffolk BOCES school community include:
- Information Service - School Library Media Specialists (SLMS) in the member schools are kept apprised of current trends and developments in the library profession including federal, state, and local endeavors such as free electronic database access, grant opportunities, and library advocacy initiatives.
- Professional Development - The SLS provides conferences, workshops, and on-site consulting pertaining to the Empire State Information Fluency Continuum, Learning Standards, best practices, and other educational issues that affect school libraries, staff and students.
- Resource Sharing - Electronic and print materials can be accessed through Inter-Library Loan (ILL) from other school libraries, public and academic libraries, and special libraries either through the SLS office or the Union Catalog.
- Educational Materials - The SLS provides databases and e-books that are available to all of the member districts. These resources support State standards and expand learning opportunities for staff and students.
- Coordination - The SLS coordinates with other library systems and the New York State Library Network to improve services. A Regional Institute is offered in collaboration with the Nassau BOCES and ESBOCES School Library Systems. This Institute provides nationally recognized speakers and informative workshops.
The SLS also provides support through other services which are available through WSBOCES co-sers. These include library automation, online resources such as databases and e-books, and professional development for school library media specialists.
