System Merger Exploration
OWLS and Nicolet Merger Exploration Process Overview
In 2023, building on a strong foundation of collaboration, the Nicolet Library System and Outagamie Waupaca Library System launched a joint strategic planning process to better understand the needs and priorities of their shared and distinct stakeholders. Input from over 130 participants, including system and member library staff and trustees, along with additional data collection, helped clarify future priorities and surfaced a key objective: to explore the potential of formalizing their partnership through a merger.
Between August and November of 2025, we completed phase one of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Public Library System Merger Guide. We identified several potential benefits of a merger, including:
- Strengthen staffing depth and succession planning,
- Reduce duplication and administrative overhead,
- Enhance flexibility, expertise, and service sustainability,
- Simplify communication, onboarding, and operations, and most importantly,
- Improve services for member libraries and the communities they serve.
In January of 2026, both system boards voted to proceed with the next phase of the merger exploration.
Contact Us
Please use the following email address if you have any questions about the merger exploration process: mergerexploration@owlsweb.org
Latest Updates
NLS and OWLS Merger Exploration: Process Kick-off
On June 9, the NLS and OWLS Merger Exploration Committee held its first meeting. Composed of system directors, system board presidents, and two library directors from each system, this team is tasked with researching the critical questions surrounding a potential merger. Ultimately, the committee will gather information, seek input, and make a final recommendation on whether moving forward is the best path. For a deeper look at the roadmap, you can review the Process Phases.