Boston Library Consortium

For Librarians

The Boston Library Consortium offers services to librarians 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

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

Announcing BLC Leads 2018

"BLC Leads was an amazing experience." "It was great to learn you can be a leader at many levels." "BLC Leads let me step away from my everyday work and think about the big picture."...

Learn more

Health Science Services and Resources Expanding Knowledge Webinar

The BLC's March webinar of our Expanding Knowledge Webinar Series "Expanding Knowledge: Health Science Services and Resources" with Amanda Nevius , liaison to the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine at the Hirsh Health Sciences...

Learn more

Member Events

April 24, 2018

Meeting

AUL COI Meeting - April 24th, 10AM-2PM

The next BLC Associate University Librarians COI meeting will be on April 24th from 10am to 2pm in Room 204 of the Tisch Library at Tufts University.

Click here for directions to Tufts and parking information.

Those driving can park in the Dowling Hall Parking Garage for $8 and pay by credit card upon exit. Alternatively, you can also park in a surface lot and buy an $8 parking permit online with a credit card using this site.

The agenda will be sent to the COI listserv prior to the meeting.

April 26, 2018

Training

Active Learning with Primary Sources Workshop

The BLC is pleased to announce our upcoming collaboration with the Librarians Active Learning Institute, Active Learning with Primary Sources, a half-day workshop specially designed for BLC member libraries. The workshop will be held in the John J. Burns Library at Boston College on April 26th from 1PM-5PM.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE

In this workshop, participants will engage in a reflection activity to consolidate their learning, discuss applications for their teaching, ask questions, and discuss points of interest.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to utilize backward design in teaching, create measurable learning objectives, and outline learning activities, instructional methods, and assessments.

Instructors:
Laura Barrett, Director of Education and Outreach, Dartmouth College
Peter Carini, Archivist, Dartmouth College
Cindy Tobery, Associate Director of the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning, Dartmouth College

Please contact Executive Director Susan Stearns or Program Coordinator Jessica Hardin if you have any questions.

We hope to see you there.

April 27, 2018

Symposium

Streaming Media for All: Accessibility Guidelines and Best Practices - April 27th

The BLC is sponsoring our Streaming Media COI's upcoming event "Streaming Media for All: Accessibility Guidelines and Best Practices", on Friday, April 27th at the Theology and Ministry Library at Boston College from 10AM-4PM.

Presenters will address best practices, services, guidelines and workflows at their institutions regarding captioning and/or audio description of their collections, whether commercial or newly created content. There will also be a segment with commercial streaming media vendors who will showcase their accessibility features. Attendees will learn about services and products that can enhance media accessibility at their institutions.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE

Speakers:
Kyle Courtney, Copyright Advisor, Harvard University
Carli Spina, Head Librarian, Assessment and Outreach, Boston College
Laura Quilter, Copyright and Information Policy Librarian, UMass Amherst
Shirley Cho, Academic Resources and Operations Specialist in the Center for Teaching Excellence, Boston College
Jeremy Smith, Digital Projects Manager, UMass Amherst
Holly Mockavak, Head, Music Library, Boston University

Kate Silfen, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Librarian, Boston University

Vendors:
Kaltura
3Play Media
WGBH
Kanopy
Infobase (Films on Demand)
Alexander Street Press/Proquest
Swank Motion Pictures

Registration ends Thursday, April 19th. The event will be recorded and posted in the Member Events section of the BLC website, if you are not able to attend in person. If you have any questions, please email Executive Director Susan Stearns or Program Coordinator Jessica Hardin.

May 08, 2018

Webinar

May Expanding Knowledge Webinar: Visualization and Assessment

The BLC is pleased to announce the May webinar of our Expanding Knowledge Webinar Series "Expanding Knowledge: Visualization and Assessment" with Steven Braun, Data Analytics and Visualization Specialist at Northeastern University and Konstantin Starikov, Head of Circulation and Interlibrary Loan Services at Boston University, on Tuesday, May 8th, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

In this webinar, attendees will obtain a basic understanding of assessment, data visualization, and their uses in a library setting. What is assessment, and how can it be used to improve the user experience? What is data visualization, and how can it help us in assessment? The presenters will address these questions while providing a gentle introduction to both topics, showing some examples of their use, and suggesting resources for further learning.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE

Steven Braun received his M.S. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University and his B.A. in chemistry and Asian studies from St. Olaf College. His visualization work emphasizes interdisciplinary connections that challenge the ways in which we understand information, experience, and narrative in the world around us. For samples of Steven’s work, see http://www.stevengbraun.com.

Konstantin Starikov's primary areas of interest are user services, digital scholarship, scholarly communications and the relationship between the humanities and sciences. He holds a PhD in Russian Studies from Brown University and a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences from The University of Chicago. He has been co-chairing the Assessment COI at BLC since 2015.

Please contact Executive Director Susan Stearns or Program Coordinator Jessica Hardin if you have any questions. The webinar will be presented using GoTo Webinar. We recommend using a headset for the audio if possible. Or, feel free to join with other colleagues at your institution and participate in a group. We will be recording the presentation and archiving it in the "Member Events" section of the BLC website should you be unable to attend in person.

May 30, 2018

Networking Day 2018

The BLC is pleased to announce our annual Networking Day will be held at Brandeis Univeristy in the Sherman Hall Function Room on Wednesday, May 30th from 9:30AM-5:00PM.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE

The keynote speaker is Dr. Robert W. Livingston of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He will be presenting "Strategies for Building and Leveraging Diversity". This presentation will give participants a deeper understanding of the challenges and benefits of diversity, as well as practical tools for promoting a diverse and inclusive work environment. Participants will learn about the psychological and structural determinants of prejudice and discrimination, with a focus on understanding the nature of racism and sexism. Dr. Livingston will also present a model for how individuals and organizations can move from conversation to action to progress.

This year's lightning talks are as follows:

"Creating Virtual Pathways for Real Results: Course Collaborations for Integrating Virtual Reality Into the Curriculum" – Sarah Hutton, UMass, Amherst
"Something There is that Loves a Wall: Anonymous Reference Queries" – Steven Runge, Boston College
"Mapping Campus Research: A Student-Centered Exploration"– Erica Shattle, Tufts University
"Data Architecture Framework for Library Collections" – Patrick Carr and Greg Colati, UConn
"Kickstarting the Diversity Conversation: The Libraries Diversity Reading Group at Williams Libraries" – Jonathan Miller, Williams College
"Data Visualization at the Library: The Many Uses of Tableau" – Carla Spina, Boston College
"The College Matters for U Program" – Annette Vadnais, UMass, Amherst
"Mid-Year Orientation: Bringing Light, Warmth, and Information Literacy to January" – Amanda Nevius, Hirsch Health Sciences Library, Tufts University

Select BLC Communities of Interest will be meeting at the conclusion of Networking Day. If you have any questions, please email Executive Director Susan Stearns.