BLC Leads Pathways
BLC Leads Pathways is a learning community of early-career and established professionals and support staff committed to developing their ability to lead.
BLC Leads Pathways aims to advance collaborative action in the workplace, accelerate professional journeys, and develop a pipeline of future leaders.
BLC Leads Pathways builds on the consortium's strengths to center peer-to-peer support and maximize opportunities to understand and develop foundational leadership skills. This program leverages the diversity of individual and organizational perspectives arrayed across BLC’s member institutions and beyond. BLC Leads Pathways combines instruction, engagement with BLC leaders and BLC Leads alumni, small-group learning, and culminating experience. BLC Leads Pathways enables participants to explore the possibility of leadership, better understand and navigate organizational systems with influence and effectiveness, and define an aspirational, implementable career vision.
Program Outcomes
Co-create a collaborative learning community of trusted peers to engage challenging topics, take risks, fail, and grow
Reflect upon, articulate, and chart their professional journey, leadership identity, and skills integration
Gain deep, authentic exposure to a wide range of library professionals and their leadership journeys, approaches, contexts, challenges, and successes
Deepen understanding of leadership, drawing upon both personal experience and established leadership theories, concepts, skills, practices, and challenges
Develop awareness to better navigate organizational systems with influence and effectiveness to advance collaborative action across their organization and community
Program Structure
BLC Leads Pathways builds shared knowledge through collaborative inquiry around a series of foundational leadership topics and questions explored in weekly virtual activities and two in-person experiences over the course of four months.
Identity and Impact: Who am I and how do I show up within the work context?
Collaboration and Influence: How do I foster effective collaborative work with others?
Systems and Advocacy: How do I visualize the bigger picture and understand my opportunities within it?
Change and Agency: How do I navigate change and take constructive action?
Growth and Reflection: Who do I want to be as a leader?
Program Schedule
20+
Fellows
5
Foundational
Questions
2
Onsite
Programs
14
Virtual Activities
Virtual Institute
The program opens with the Institute, a virtual two-hour event designed to build relationships within the cohort, expose Fellows to perspectives and assessments that will create a foundation for the remainder of the program, and clarify program opportunities, expectations, and the varied session formats that comprise the program.
At the Institute, you’ll be introduced to your Pod, spend time getting to know each other, and set the foundations for a collaborative learning community of trusted peers to move through the BLC Leads Pathways program.
The Institute will be held virtually via Zoom on August 26, 2026 from 2:30 - 4:30 pm ET.
Cohort
BLC Leads Pathways is driven by the cohort structure, inviting Fellows to co-create a collaborative learning community. The cohort will meet virtually every other week on Wednesdays from 3 - 4 pm ET for peer-to-peer support and sense making in response to Fireside Chats, expert-led workshops, and the program overall with an emphasis on Pod discussion.
Pods
Pods are the heartbeat of BLC Leads Pathways. Each Fellow will join a Pod with four to five other Fellows. Within each biweekly cohort meeting, this will offer a regular space for you to connect with and learn from a small number of Fellows. In these Pods, Fellows engage together in challenging topics, take risks, fail, and grow.
Fireside Chats
Fireside Chats are interactive panel discussions featuring leaders from BLC’s member institutions who represent a range of positions and experiences. At each Fireside Chat, you will investigate a foundational question through deep, authentic exposure to a wide range of leadership journeys, approaches, contexts, challenges and successes. Fireside Chats will also be held virtually on Wednesdays at 3 - 4 pm ET during the program schedule.
Workshops
Workshops offer Fellows opportunities to deepen their understanding and awareness of established leadership theories, concepts, skills, practices, and challenges from experts in the field. Each Workshop will focus on different aspects of the leadership discovery journey related to the foundational questions to deepen your impact and grow your leadership potential. Workshops are held virtually once a month on Wednesdays from 3 - 4:30 pm ET.
Site Visit
The site visit immerses you into the workings of leadership in other BLC’s member institutions. You’ll gain deep, authentic exposure to professional and leadership journeys through small-group conversations about the contexts, approaches, successes and challenges facing leaders at all levels. You will analyze and reflect upon how the host institution demonstrates and practices the foundational questions explored throughout BLC Leads Pathways. You will visit one BLC member institution on October 14, 2026.
Summit
At the conclusion of the program, you’ll come together with your cohort at the Summit to reflect, share ideas, set intentions, and develop a personal development plan to continue your leadership journey. You will prepare and deliver a final presentation to your cohort, detailing your leadership journey throughout the program culminating in your capstone leadership philosophy statement. The Summit will be held in-person at a BLC member institution from December 15-16, 2026.
Who Should Participate
BLC Leads Pathways is designed for library workers, including librarians and support staff. It is most suited to those who are interested in exploring leadership as a pathway or enhancing their ability to advance high-impact work by building their leadership skills and identity, growing their confidence, and expanding their influence within their organizations and communities. This program is a commitment to leadership development at all library levels to cultivate and support a pipeline of future leaders.
The program welcomes participants who may or may not hold formal leadership titles, are eager to develop their capacity to lead – whether formally or informally, and seek to better understand, navigate, and collaborate within their organization and community with influence and effectiveness.
The program caters to early career library professionals with less than 5 years of experience in libraries as well as established library support staff who desire to deepen their impact and enhance their career trajectory. Both groups will have the opportunity to enhance self-awareness, grow their leadership potential, and craft intentional, aspirational career growth.
BLC Leads Pathways is for you if you...
- Are interested in the possibility of leadership
- Have a desire for a transition, an upcoming transition, or recent transition to a role with more leadership expectations
- Want to better understand, navigate, and collaborate within your organization and community with influence and effectiveness
BLC Leads Pathways is open to all librarians and library workers. Membership in the Boston Library Consortium is not required to apply and participate. BLC welcomes all interested persons, valuing the diversity of professional experience this brings and honoring a variety of lived experiences and participation needs.
Program Fees
The 2026 BLC Leads Pathways program fee is:
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BLC member institutions: $2,750
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Non-BLC institutions: $3,850
The program fee:
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Includes lodging and meals during program activities
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Does not include travel to and from the program locations
BLC is committed to making BLC Leads Pathways accessible to all BLC member institutions, fostering a diverse community of leaders irrespective of their financial capacities. Recognizing that some institutions may encounter challenges in covering the full cost, the BLC Leads Fund was established to reduce the program fee for those who would otherwise be unable to participate in the program.
Our Selection Process
Applications are now open for the BLC Leads Pathways 2026 Fellowship. The application deadline is July 13, 2026.
Applicants must submit both an application in addition to the Statement of Support from the dean/director/university librarian (or equivalent) at your institution (see more information about the Statement of Support below). If you are an applicant external to BLC, please refer to the External Statement of Support form. Applications and Statements of Support must be submitted online by July 13, 2026.
Decisions are made by a committee of senior library leaders across BLC's member institutions. Decisions will be announced on July 27, 2026.
You can view PDF versions of the Application, Statement of Support for BLC Member Institutions, and Statement of Support for Non-BLC Member Institutions to aid in application preparation.
Statement of Support
In order to be considered for the 2026 BLC Leads Pathways Fellowship, BLC must receive a Statement of Institutional Support from your Director, Dean, or University Librarian (or equivalent). This Statement of Institutional Support should be submitted by your Director, Dean, or University Librarian (or equivalent) on or before July 13, 2026.
Please submit a request for support to your Director, Dean, or University Librarian (or equivalent) right away, so that they will have ample time to prepare that piece of your application package. It is helpful to share why you are interested in the program and what benefits you hope to gain through your participation.
In addition to seeking institutional support, you are encouraged to discuss your participation in BLC Leads Pathways with your supervisor(s) ahead of applying. It is important to make sure that you will be able to engage in the weekly requirements. Considerations may include: shift flexibility, reassigned time, and time away for the two in-person experiences.
Who can I turn to with questions about my application materials? Reach out to Cate Harriman, BLC Program Manager, Learning and Development, at charriman@blc.org with any questions.
Virtual Information Session: BLC Leads Pathways
Thursday, June 11, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
This information session will provide an overview of the BLC Leads Pathways experience, including its collaborative learning model, peer-to-peer engagement, and focus on building foundational leadership skills. We’ll also review the application process for the upcoming cycle and provide guidance to help you prepare. The session will conclude with a Q&A, giving you the opportunity to ask questions and determine if BLC Leads Pathways is the right next step for your professional journey.
BLC Leads Pathways is open to all, including those outside of BLC member institutions. If you’re interested, we encourage you to register for this info session and learn more.
Register for BLC Leads Pathways Information Session
History of the Program
Since 2017, the BLC has sought to support and elevate leadership journeys among library workers. Beginning in 2017, BLC has offered BLC Leads, a hybrid leadership development program aimed at mid-level library professionals who aspire to scale their leadership responsibilities or grow their leadership skills within their current position. Upon completion, BLC Leads Fellows find continued support through a sustained community of over 100 alumni and a lifelong professional network of colleagues. Past Fellows have emerged as effective leaders at all levels of the academic and research library enterprise – as Deans, Associate University Librarians, and division heads at BLC member institutions and beyond.
In 2022, BLC Leads was redesigned based on a comprehensive review, building on our strengths to center peer-to-peer support and maximize opportunities to embed emerging leaders in the diversity of individual and organizational leadership journeys arrayed across BLC’s member institutions.
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BLC Lead Pathways builds on this strong legacy of leadership development and the proven success of BLC’s signature leadership programs. In response to member feedback and a growing interest in leadership development opportunities across every level of the library workforce, BLC launched BLC Lead Pathways in 2026. The program reflects BLC’s ongoing commitment to cultivating emerging and established leaders while strengthening the future of libraries through inclusive, accessible professional growth opportunities.
Questions?
Use the form below to reach out to Cate Harriman, BLC's Program Manager for Learning and Development