6.3 COLICO (Committee on Library Co-operation in Ireland)
COLICO (Committee on Library Co-operation in Ireland) is a North-South body whose function it is to optimise the collective value of the combined resources of Irish libraries for their clienteles.  The committee was established in 1977, and since 1994 has been the formal advisory body on library co-operation to An Chomhairle Leabharlanna, and the Library and Information Services Council (LISC), Northern Ireland.  COLICO also provides liaison between Irish libraries and the British Library which is represented in the committee.  An Chomhairle Leabharlanna manages the Secretariat for the committee and publishes the COLICO Annual Report.
COLICO monitors and encourages co-operative projects on the island of Ireland and works towards providing and enhancing shared resources for library staff and users.  Irish libraries co-operate with COLICO by providing data on their document supply and inter-library loans traffic which are included in the statistics published in the COLICO Annual Report.
COLICO has been exploring the feasibility of providing cross-sectoral pathways for learning to users of the public, academic, national and specialised libraries in Ireland to promote wider participation in the knowledge economy.  To this end, in 2006 COLICO liaised with the INSPIRE committee in the United Kingdom, and organised the conference Pathways to Learning: exploring the potential for cross-sectoral library service provision.  Following the conference, the committee have been investigating the possibility of running a Pathways to Learning programme, and a cross-sectoral library service provision scheme is in the process of being set up in the Cork region.  Further developments in this area are planned for 2008.
More details on COLICO and its activities are available at www.librarycouncil.ie/colico

6.4   Library.ie
Library.ie which is managed by An Chomhairle Leabharlanna aims to be a first stop shop on the web for information relating to all types of libraries in Ireland. For further information see http://www.library.ie

6.5   Consortium of National and University Libraries (CONUL)
CONUL was established by the university libraries and the National Library of Ireland to promote co-operation among the member libraries and to provide a forum for discussion on matters of mutual interest.

6.6   The British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL)
This association represents the interests of law librarians and information managers who work in law firms, third level institutions and government libraries and information services. It encourages research and co-operation. Irish BIALL members provide legal information services to a user group that spans the business, academic and government communities.