BUDGET & FINANCE

VIVA began on July 1, 1994, and has been funded in two-year periods since then.

In addition to the resources allocated through the General Assembly, individual institutions have supported the VIVA project in a variety of ways, most notably through the significant amounts of time donated by dedicated library staff members throughout the Commonwealth.

VIVA libraries take pride in knowing that significant financial benefits have accrued to our members through the group purchases. VIVA has conducted two surveys of the Cost Savings and Value Added nature of VIVA purchases for our member institutions. (The Executive Summaries for both the 1995-96 and the 1996-97 Cost Savings and Value Added Surveys are available.)

As of July 1, 2005, the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA) has recorded approximately $150 million in cost avoidance. This represents money saved over what would have been spent had each individual public institution acquired the VIVA resources independently. In most cases, these are resources that the local colleges and universities would not have been able to purchase in an electronic form without the Commonwealth's support for VIVA. VIVA not only saves money, but also levels the playing field across VIVA institutions and extends access for all of Virginia's students and faculty.

Contact the director:

Kathy Perry, VIVA Director
MSN 2FL
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444