The system provides the following core services: consulting, training & professional development, cooperative purchasing, research & development, summer library program, and the following services as part of resource sharing: delivery, mediated interlibrary loan, journal article document delivery, MassCat, and electronic content, including statewide databases and eBooks (Commonwealth eBook Collections) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
[3] During its formation by the Massachusetts legislature in spring 2010, the state-wide system received mixed support.
The Massachusetts Library Association, for example, opposed aspects of the consolidation of regional systems, claiming service would suffer.
[4] According to its website, the Massachusetts Library System's "services are provided through state funds administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners," a state agency.
The executive board consists of representatives from public libraries, public and private schools and colleges, and libraries of private organizations.