Duchesne and Uinta review five-year sharing agreement; Wasatch removed from draft

The board reviewed a proposed five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Uinta Library designed to formalize sharing of physical collections and responsibilities between the two counties. The draft trims Wasatch County from the prior consortium agreement after five years of limited participation and refocuses the arrangement on Duchesne and Uinta.

Under the draft, the agreement covers circulation and transfer of physical items between member libraries; digital collections (for example, Hoopla, Libby, Blackstone) are excluded from the MOU unless both counties and a third-party vendor agree to include them. The MOU requires two months' notice to terminate the agreement, delivered by hand or by certified mail, and calls for both parties to share certain statistical information while protecting patron-identifying data in accordance with applicable privacy policies.

When asked how much each county shares, staff explained transfer counts reflect items that were actually checked out after transfer rather than every item shipped, and noted population differences explain why Roosevelt and Vernal draw more on the shared catalog. The presenter said staff will send the draft to the county attorney for review; if attorneys raise no substantive objections, the board expects to recommend the MOU to the county commission next month.

No formal approval was requested at the Jan. 20 meeting; the board reviewed the draft and will revisit the item after attorney feedback.