"In our opinion, VIVA represents the single most important technological development in Virginia in higher education in the past decade; moreover, we believe that VIVA is one of the most significant developments of any kind in Virginia government over this period."
--Dr. Carl Kelly, former Chair, State Council of Higher Education of Virginia, on the occasion of the Governor's Technology Gold Award to VIVA, 2003
VIVA ensures that every Virginia institution of higher education always has the basic resources of a strong library for its students and faculty. As Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, once said, "No one graduates from a library, but no one graduates without one." VIVA brings the essential presence of a great library to every corner of higher education in the Commonwealth, and ensures that all students graduate with the best possible foundation for their next step in life.
Through VIVA, students and faculty at institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth have access to digital and print journals, books, reference sources, and databases that are essential for educational success and research enterprise. Whether you are at a community college or a large public university, a small liberal arts college or an elite private university, the same VIVA is available to you.
The cornerstone for successful research is access to the research literature: great research universities always require great libraries to advance their work. In Virginia, every institution of higher education has access to a great library of essential research literature through VIVA. Researchers at institutions throughout the State can count on VIVA for the critical research and scholarly literature they need.
By working together through VIVA, academic libraries across Virginia have created a powerful business model that eliminates duplication, leverages resources, and drives hard bargains to get the very best value for the Commonwealth's investment. VIVA has consistently sustained a 1-to-5 payoff for Virginia taxpayers: for every one dollar invested, the Commonwealth has received five dollars in value. And less than 4% of VIVA's budget is spent on administration of any kind: a full 96% goes towards obtaining digital and print library materials for students and faculty throughout Virginia.