Boston Library Consortium

For Librarians and Library Staff

The Boston Library Consortium offers services to librarians and staff at member libraries ranging from resource sharing and e-resource licensing to professional development and programming on issues of importance to academic and research libraries.

For Students, Scholars & Researchers

Those affiliated with the Full Member libraries of the Boston Library Consortium can take advantage of access to and borrowing of materials from these libraries.

Our Members

Williams College
Boston College
Northeastern University
University of Massachusetts Boston
Wellesley College
University of Rhode Island
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Boston University
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Brandeis University
Marine Biological Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Wesleyan University
Tufts University
State Library of Massachusetts
Bentley University
University of Massachusetts Medical School
University of Connecticut
University of New Hampshire

Boston Library Consortium pilots Innovation Fund to support Communities of Interest, Working Groups, and Committees

October 27, 2020 —The Boston Library Consortium (BLC) has established the BLC Innovation Fund to support and enrich the activities of our Communities of Interest, Working Groups, and Committees through the remainder of the 2020-21...

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Presidential Grant from the Davis Educational Foundation strengthens partnership with the Open Education Network

October 14, 2020 —Through a generous grant from the Davis Educational Foundation , the Boston Library Consortium (BLC) is launching a one-year pilot of OpenBLC to support faculty adoption of open educational resources (OER) across...

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Member Events

December 07, 2020

Meeting

BLC Resource Sharing COI December Meeting - Virtual

The BLC Resource Sharing COI is holding a virtual meeting on Monday, December 7th from 1pm-2pm. The agenda and meeting login details will be distributed via the COI's list-serv.

December 07, 2020

Webinar

NC Live Webinar: What is Data Literacy and Why Is It Important?

Join us in discussing what data literacy is and why it’s important for librarians of all types. Presenters will examine data literacy in both public and academic library contexts and how this is already an integral part of librarians’ work. We’ll end by considering how librarians can leverage data literacy skills to become better advocates for themselves, their libraries, and communities.

Register Here!
This session will be led by Nancy Lovas, Entrepreneurship Librarian at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Morgan Ritchie-Baum, Business & Nonprofit Librarian at Greensboro Public Library.

This webinar is offered to all library workers at BLC member libraries as part of the pilot Professional Development Alliance. To learn more about the Alliance, and to see all available webinars, please visit the Professional Development Alliance Pilot Project page.

December 08, 2020

Webinar

NC Live Webinar: Decolonizing Subject Headings and Collections

This presentation will address the importance of ethical cataloging in challenging multiple forms of bias in descriptor assignment and collection building. Control of such bias supports accurate, equitable, and inclusive collection access and increases findability of relevant resources. Presenters will cover how cataloging and reference/instruction librarians inform each other’s work to support the goal of critical, responsible librarianship.

This webinar is offered to staff at BLC member libraries as part of the pilot Professional Development Alliance. To learn more about the Alliance, and to see all available webinars, please visit the Professional Development Alliance Pilot Project page.

December 09, 2020

Webinar

ASERL Webinar: How to Create Fundable Grant Proposals: ASERL Grantwriting Series

Building on 15 years of developing workflows and systems for managing all aspects of library grantseeking at the University of Arizona and University of Florida, this grant webinar series will share best practices including checklist examples for guidelines and workflows, funding alerts describing funding opportunities for libraries, and templates for sharing submitted and pending proposals with library employees. Behind the scenes stories will divulge unusual ways ideas were generated for fundable projects, and how ideas developed through engagement with a diverse array of experts and assets. Stories will share details of what happened after project teams received their awards, and ways by which teams managed to complete projects successfully. Featured projects will highlight a variety of grant-funded activities including outreach, digitization, training, acquisition of materials, planning and collaborations with diverse partners and for diverse materials.

December 10, 2020

Webinar

ASERL Webinar: Why Did I Leave the Profession? --The DEI Perspective

Join us for an eye opening discussions as 3 former librarians discuss why they left the profession. Co-moderated by Twanna Hodge (DEI Librarian, University of Florida) we will ask the panelists: Why did you decide to become a librarian? How were you recruited? Describe your experience working in libraries? How long did you stay in the profession? Why did you leave? What did you like about being a librarian? What was frustrating? What advice would you provide DEI and other committees who are designing recruitment/retention programs? After our questions, we will open it up to the audience for a lively discussion.

Ira Revels is the Owner and Principal of Ira Revels Consulting, LLC a Connecticut-based management consulting company. Ira has nearly 20 years operating in fast-paced, high-performance organizations and teams. Her professional background includes Strategic Management Consulting, Educational Technology, Fundraising, Training, and Facilitation. Michael Eric Owens is President of M.E.O. Consulting. He is a distinguished scholar, writer, and speaker. Michael is also the founder of and serves as the Executive Director of the Ralph Ellison Foundation. He is the host of the One Mic, One Voice show, which has an international listening audience. Rinata White is a Student Music Therapist, Teacher and Former Librarian.