From the release of our 2023-2024 Annual Report to the launch of BLC Leads 2025 and the progress of several working groups, we've got lots of exciting updates to share in this edition of the BLC Bookmark News.
Professional Development
Resource Management
Resource Sharing
Shared Systems & Services
Other Consortial Updates
BLC Forum 2025
Boston University will host BLC Forum 2025, our annual membership meeting, on June 5. Last year’s conference included 22 member-led sessions representing a wide range of areas of library practice and collaborations – and we hope to welcome even more library colleagues to share their expertise this year! We invite you to submit your proposals here by 5 pm ET on Friday, March 28, 2025. Registration will open in March.
BLC Leads 2025
BLC Leads will soon welcome a new cohort of library professionals for the 2025 program, which will kick off in June. Applications closed for the BLC Leads 2025 cohort on January 31, 2025. Decisions will be announced to applicants on Friday, February 28, and the 2025 cohort will be announced in March.
Mentorship Program Pilot
In April 2025, BLC will launch our mentorship program pilot, BLC Mentors, an eight-month initiative designed to support mid-level library professionals. Building on the success of BLC Leads, its alumni network, and the revitalized Senior Managers Community of Practice, this program will establish a sustainable mentorship model for future expansion to other BLC communities seeking mentorship. To learn more, contact Cate Harriman, BLC’s Program Manager for Learning and Development, at charriman@blc.org. More information regarding applications will be forthcoming via BLC Announcements in March 2025.
New England Science Boot Camp 2025
Bowdoin College will host the 2025 New England Science Boot Camp for Librarians from Tuesday, June 24, to Friday, June 27, 2025. The New England Science Boot Camp is an unique opportunity for the science librarianship community to stay informed of current trends in scientific and health-related research while providing immersive learning and networking opportunities. This conference is open to all library workers, library students, and scholars across the New England region. Registration will open in March 2025.
BLC Leadership Academy for Support Staff
Applications for the BLC Leadership Academy for Support Staff opened on Tuesday, February 25, 2025! This opportunity is available to those underrepresented and historically excluded in the library and information field who are in supervisory roles and do not possess an MLS degree. Applications will be accepted until Friday, March 21, 2025 and decisions will be announced shortly after the application deadline.
Community Name Changes
Two BLC Communities have updated their names to better reflect their membership and activities. The former Associate University Librarians (AUL) Community of Practice is now the Senior Managers Community of Practice. The former Continuing Resource & Metadata Management Community of Interest is now the Metadata & Resource Management Community of Interest. You can learn more about BLC’s Communities of Practice, Communities of Interest, and Caucuses here. Sign up by completing the form on each Community page, or reach out to Amahl McHenry, BLC's Executive Assistant and Operations Manager, at amchenry@blc.org with questions.
Innovation Fund Awards
We are pleased to announce that since our last edition, BLC has approved four Innovation Fund awards to enrich the collective work of BLC Communities:
Through BLC’s Innovation Fund, individual BLC Communities of Interest, Communities of Practice, Working Groups, Committees, Caucuses, and independent coalitions may apply for funding awards of up to $1,500. If your Community has an idea for an Innovation Fund project, please reach out to Amahl McHenry and/or complete the form here.
Upcoming Meeting Highlights
Several BLC Communities are planning day-long meetings and workshops to network, share information, and collaborate more deeply on their collective work. Upcoming meetings include:
Advancing BLC’s Group Subscription Strategy
On February 20, members of the Heads of Resource Management (HRM) Committee met at Tufts University to refine the goals and priorities of BLC’s shared licensing program. The discussion also focused on shaping a new staff role dedicated to managing BLC’s resource management activities and providing direct support to member institutions. This initiative aims to advance collection development, management, and assessment projects that leverage the diverse strengths of BLCʼs member institutions.
Resource Sharing Site Visit Report
After 13 months of site visits to BLC member institutions, Resource Sharing Program Manager Marc Hoffeditz released an internal site visit report detailing the resource sharing operations, policies, and practices of our consortial membership. Special thanks goes to the many practitioners and leaders who took time out of their busy schedules to meet and detail their experiences in this important work. For access to this report, please contact Marc Hoffeditz at mhoffeditz@blc.org.
Dissolution of Heads of Resource Sharing
The Heads of Resource Sharing Committee voted unanimously in November 2024 to sunset the group and reincorporate with the Resource Sharing Community of Interest. BLC’s Board of Directors subsequently approved this decision in December 2024. In the coming months, the community will work to revise their charge and establish responsibilities for institutional representatives to serve as primary contacts and voting representatives for their institution.
Consortium Card Working Group
Based on the results of an October 2024 survey on current practices, the Consortium Card Working Group collaborated with the Access Services Community of Interest to revise the consortium card program’s policies by clarifying consortial and institutional responsibilities. The group is actively working to redesign the physical consortium card layout and will establish the groundwork to pilot a digital version of the card in 2025-26.
ILL Systems Evaluation Working Group
The working group is actively drafting a robust set of evaluation criteria to assess current interlibrary loan software options. In the coming months, they will engage with the Resource Sharing Community of Interest to streamline these criteria with the intention of engaging member institutions to vote and prioritize features most critical to their resource sharing operations. These criteria will guide a broader evaluation of existing software on the market in late 2025.
Best Practices & Reciprocal Agreements Working Group
A new working group kicked off in January to update BLC’s resource sharing best practices and consortial documentation. To realize BLC’s strategic initiative to grow our resource sharing network, the group will also work to develop a preliminary reciprocal agreement for BLC to use in engaging other consortia to set up no-fee reciprocal agreements and identify a set of recommended consortial partners to collaborate in realizing these arrangements.
Network Zone Winter Planning Retreat
The Network Zone Leads, team chairs, and selected BLC staff met at Trinity College in December 2024 to brainstorm and plan for the next phase of the Network Zone project. Over the two days, the attendees collaborated to arrive at a prospective set of goals to cover the next 6-24 months of the project, alongside a team structure and decision-making workflow to support these goals. You can learn more about BLC’s Network Zone project here.
Shared Services Working Group
BLC’s Shared Services Working Group has launched a survey to seek bold ideas and practical suggestions for services, tools, systems, or human resources that could strengthen and support the entire BLC community. The Shared Services Working Group will provide recommendations to BLC’s Board of Directors regarding the scope and structure of BLC-facilitated shared services programs that member institutions can opt into. If you would like to contribute your ideas, please complete this form by March 10, 2025.
Ben Ide Named Library Systems and Services Consultant at BLC
In February 2025, Ben Ide began a new role as Library Systems and Services Consultant at BLC. In this role, he will have the capacity and flexibility to support new systems and technical services projects at individual BLC member institutions, while working closely with BLC leadership to position BLC as a catalyst and central resource for leading, researching, assessing, and managing shared systems and services.
2023 - 2024 Annual Report
In January, we published BLC’s 2023-24 annual report describing the meaningful progress we have made toward our strategic priorities, establishing sustainable initiatives, strengthening collection stewardship, promoting professional development, optimizing resource sharing, and enhancing shared systems. You can explore the full 2023-24 Annual Report to learn more about the milestones, achievements, and future directions of BLC here.
We hope you enjoyed reading and encourage you to reach out to Team BLC with any questions, comments, suggestions, or opportunities to get involved.