We’ve had a busy and productive season at BLC! In this edition of The BLC Bookmark, you’ll find highlights spanning resource sharing, licensing and content, professional development, community updates, and shared systems and services.
- Resource Sharing
- Licensing and Content
- Professional Development
- Communities
- Shared Systems & Services
- Other Consortial Updates
Resource Sharing
BLC’s resource sharing activities continue to deliver value while laying groundwork for digital lending at scale. The updates below highlight progress on digital lending infrastructure, changes to the longstanding Consortium Card program, and revisions to our resource sharing policies and practices.
Digital Lending Toolkit
On July 30, BLC launched the Digital Lending Toolkit, a comprehensive guide to help libraries and consortia navigate the evolving landscape of digital resource sharing. Development was generously supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Davis Educational Foundation.
Digital Lending Summit
Boston College hosted BLC’s Digital Lending Summit on October 29th as the capstone to our IMLS-funded ‘Controlled Digital Lending for Libraries and Consortia’ project. With 80 in-person and over 600 virtual registrants, the Summit provided a forum to discuss future directions and strategies to expand digital lending practices in libraries.
Digital Lenders Forum
At the end of the Summit, BLC announced the launch of the Digital Lenders Forum, a quarterly conversation series about shaping the future of digital lending in libraries. The Digital Lenders Forum brings together library innovators and practitioners to spark practical solutions and visionary ideas that will drive actionable change across the digital lending ecosystem. More information will be shared in early 2026 - in the meantime, join the Digital Lenders Forum mailing list.
BLC Card Program
The revamped BLC Card program was launched this fall for in-person access and borrowing at member institutions. A small cohort will pilot a digital BLC Card during 2025-26. Many thanks to Ann Marie Shafer (UMass Boston), Anne Jorgensen (Bentley University), Paul Bridden (Boston College), and the Access Services COI for revising and strengthening this long-standing program.
Revisions to BLC’s Resource Sharing Policies and Best Practices
The Best Practices & Reciprocal Agreements Working Group led a review and update of BLC’s Resource Sharing Policies and Best Practices. These policies were approved by the consortium’s Resource Sharing Institutional Representatives and will be reviewed and updated at least every two years to ensure they align with operations across our member institutions. As a reminder: BLC’s policies are mandatory for all members, while our Best Practices describe the standard we aim to achieve collectively and are strongly encouraged.
Guiding Principles for Reciprocal Agreements
In alignment with our strategic initiative to grow BLC’s resource sharing network, the working group also developed a set of Principles for Resource Sharing Reciprocal Agreements. This document establishes a framework for evaluating, developing, and maintaining no-fee reciprocal interlibrary loan agreements between BLC and other library consortia.
Licensing & Content
We’re continuing to invest in the infrastructure to support and expand BLC’s shared licensing and content initiatives. The updates below highlight progress on this year’s renewals, a joint purchasing pilot with The Boston Consortium, expanded JSTOR services, and new staff capacity to scale this work and support our members.
Joint Purchasing with The Boston Consortium
Following a member survey this summer, BLC staff and several members met with TBC to scope a potential joint purchasing initiative.The Group Subscription Subcommittee will work with TBC representatives to explore a new agreement for journals, including a read-and-publish option, and books in early 2026.
Expanding our Partnership with JSTOR
Beyond our established E-Books EBA and Path to Open programs, BLC has brokered discounted annual fees for JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services across all tiers (with the highest savings for Seeklight charter participants). In early 2026, we will launch a new Community of Interest to support peer learning, influence JSTOR directions, and surface consortial opportunities among staff using or interested in these new services. We’ve also reached a new agreement for JSTOR Publisher Collections, beginning in January 2026.
New Hire: Program Manager for Licensing & Content
Molly Rainard joined BLC on October 14 as our inaugural Program Manager for Licensing & Content. Molly will lead our shared licensing and content portfolio, negotiate innovative consortial agreements, and partner with the HRM Committee on strategic directions. She joins us from Auraria Library, where she managed licensing and acquisitions on behalf of the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the Community College of Denver; chaired the CU Libraries Electronic Resources Team; and co-led the SPARC Privacy & Surveillance Contract Language Working Group. My thanks to the search committee, chaired by Maridath Wilson (Boston College), with members Julie Adamo (Middlebury), Chris Blackman (Williams), Michael Fernandez (Boston University), Martha Kelehan (Tufts), and Sara Pike (UMass Dartmouth), for their time to recruit our newest team member.
Group Subscription Subcommittee
The Subcommittee met regularly over the summer and fall, contributed to the program manager search, and advanced discussions with TBC. With gratitude for Marc Hoffeditz’s facilitation, the group is refining priorities and processes to identify vendors and resources for the coming year. Recommendations and requests for new consortial agreements are always welcome via the form on our website or through the HRM Committee.
Professional Development
This fall, BLC’s professional development work continued to grow, building on a productive summer of community engagement, leadership development, and member feedback. We look forward to keeping the momentum going and invite you to share your ideas for future programming anytime through the form on our website.
BLC Forum 2025 Recap
This year’s BLC Forum at Boston University brought together 252 colleagues from all 26 BLC member institutions. The Forum featured 27 member-led presentations, workshops, panels, roundtables, lightning talks, and a poster session, highlighting the innovation and expertise across the consortium. Explore our full recap of the 2025 BLC Forum — complete with presentation slides, key takeaways, and resource links — available here.
BLC Leads 2025
21 fellows representing 14 BLC institutions, plus three participants from Florida International University, Stony Brook University, and Howard University, completed the BLC Leads 2025 program at the Fellows’ Summit in November at Tufts University. These fellows now join over 100 program alumni, an active and thriving community of library leaders committed to leadership and professional development.
BLC Mentors
BLC’s mentorship pilot program, BLC Mentors, has shepherded 16 participants across a nine-month hybrid program, combining 1:1 coaching with mentor and mentee cohort meetings to foster peer support. This program concluded with an in-person retreat featuring facilitation by Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz, Dean of the Library at Barnard College, at Tufts University in December. BLC will now be refining the program based on participant feedback and exploring options to sustain mentorship across the consortium-in 2026 and beyond.
Professional Development Needs Assessment Results
We received over 100 responses to this year’s professional development needs assessment. Respondents prioritized AI training across specialties, management and leadership development, information literacy instruction, and technical skills. Responses affirmed the value of community building, opportunities to share expertise, and practical skill development through BLC’s professional development offerings, with a clear preference for short online workshops and on-demand recordings. The results of this annual assessment directly influence BLC’s programming, which you can find here.
Outside of this annual survey, BLC members are encouraged to propose professional development programming, including topics, speakers, and member-led expertise-sharing programs throughout the year via the form found at the bottom of this webpage.
BLC Leadership Academy for Support Staff (BLASS) Updates
Planning for BLASS has resumed following the reinstatement of our IMLS grant. BLC anticipates hosting the inaugural leadership academy for a national cohort of library workers in Chicago, IL at the National Public Housing Museum in Spring 2026. Nancy S. Kirkpatrick, the new Dean of Libraries at Smith College, has joined Cate Harriman as co-principal investigator to support the program in the second year of the grant.
Communities
Two New Communities of Interest
We’ve recently supported the launch of two new Communities of Interest! You can learn more and sign up to join at the links below.
Teaching and Instruction COI
Chaired by Kari Mofford, Librarian at UMass Dartmouth, this community is a place to share experiences, exchange and brainstorm ideas, and support each other as we meet to discuss all things related to teaching and instruction to help all who teach to feel comfortable in the classroom.
Facilities COI
Chaired by Tracy Stoddard, Library Facilities & Information Services Manager at UNH, this Community is a space for library staff at BLC member institutions to share experiences, challenges, and ideas related to the use of space in library buildings. The COI welcomes anyone interested in the design, operation, and continuous improvement of library spaces.
If you are interested in proposing a new COI, we invite you to complete our Community Proposal form and/or email Amahl at amchenry@blc.org.
Community Reports
Co-chairs of BLC’s membership communities submitted reports summarizing their communities’ activities during FY2025. These reports are made available to the BLC Board of Directors, community co-chairs, and other BLC community members upon request.
In-Person Meetings
Several BLC communities recently held in-person gatherings at member institutions. The Business COI met at Northeastern in July. In August, the OER COI met at UMass Boston and the BIPOC Caucus held a retreat at the Boston Public Library. BLC’s Board of Directors convened in person at Trinity College in November. In December, BLC’s Senior Managers CoP hosted an AI Gathering at Brandeis University and the Heads of Resource Management Committee met in person at Smith College.
Funds are available for in-person Community meetings. If your Community would like to meet in person, reach out to your co-chairs and/or BLC’s Executive Assistant and Operations Manager, Amahl McHenry (amchenry@blc.org).
BLC Caucuses
At a time when many consortia are stepping back from EDI efforts and reducing support for identity-based groups, BLC has opened its affinity groups to librarians and library workers nationwide. We have already welcomed participants from several non-member institutions and encourage Caucus members to share this opportunity to connect and build community with their peers who identify.
Shared Systems & Services
Network Zone
In August, we began a four-month implementation to link Trinity College into the Network Zone. We’ve also announced a new fee structure to encourage institutions to join in 2026. If you’d like to learn more, please reach out to me or Fred Folmer (Connecticut College), the current chair of the NZ Leads group, at ffolmer@conncoll.edu.
Shared Services
BLC’s shared services work is moving from exploration to pilot design and implementation, guided by the Working Group’s final report and the four focus areas shared with the membership in sessions at BLC Forum:
- Physical Repository
Working with the Executive Committee, we will develop a strategic plan for a shared physical repository in 2026. The plan will include an environmental scan of existing models, a cost-benefit analysis, sustainability considerations (governance, space, funding), and potential implementation pathways. We will engage members throughout to assess collective needs, capacity, and interest. - Group Licensing of Software & Memberships
This work has transitioned to the Group Subscription Subcommittee, aligning with our broader licensing and content portfolio and joint purchasing priorities. - Centrally Managed Software Platforms
A small working group will lead discovery on centrally managed platforms to better support BLC members, with recommendations anticipated later in FY26. Members interested in contributing ideas to this effort are invited to contact Amahl McHenry at amchenry@blc.org - Shared Consulting Services
We are advancing this work on two coordinated tracks. First, original proposers are refining their concepts into pilot-ready service proposals with clear scope, success metrics, and budgets alongside members of the working group. In parallel, we’re shaping an operating framework for BLC-managed consulting, testing three models: a timebank, a BLC-brokered marketplace, and a centralized model in which BLC contracts consultants directly and recovers costs from participating members, consistent with our current Library Systems & Services Consultant approach.
Other Consortial Updates
Call for Nominations: Strategic Action Committee
BLC is seeking nominations for its Strategic Action Committee; a time-bound, collaborative group charged with affirming BLC’s strategic priorities and identifying a focused set of high-impact ideas to guide the consortium’s work over the next several years. The Committee will review current initiatives, surface emerging opportunities, and deliver implementable recommendations at BLC Forum 2026. The Committee will consist of up to ten members, including representation from the Board of Directors, co-chairs of BLC’s membership Communities, members at large, and the executive director. Learn more and apply here!
As always, thank you for reading and please reach out with any questions, comments, or suggestions. We look forward to hearing from you!