On June 5, 2025, the Boston Library Consortium (BLC) hosted its annual membership meeting, the BLC Forum, at Boston University. With representation from all 26 member institutions, the Forum brought together a record number of in-person attendees – 252 colleagues – for a day of collaboration, innovation, and community building.
This year’s Forum was driven by the membership. Charlie Barlow, BLC’s Executive Director, kicked off the day with an energizing and interactive plenary session, Empowering Libraries: Building on BLC’s Strategic Priorities, that invited both in-person and virtual attendees into a shared dialogue about the impact of BLC and the consortium’s collective path forward. Building on this conversation, the day centered on member-led programming, with colleagues across the consortium facilitating 16 presentations, 2 panels, 6 lightning talks, one workshop, and one poster session. These sessions showcased the innovative work taking place across BLC’s member institutions, facilitating a vibrant exchange of ideas, knowledge, and resources at scale.
Community engagement remained a core focus of the Forum. Seventeen BLC Communities held meetings, providing opportunities for colleagues to share updates, exchange expertise, and advance collaborative projects. Attendees also enjoyed guided tours of BU Libraries, gaining firsthand insights into Boston University’s library spaces and services.
The BLC Leads 2025 Cohort & Alumni Mixer capped off the day, creating space for current fellows and program graduates to connect, share experiences, and expand their professional networks. The mixer featured a presentation from Nancy Kirkpatrick, Dean of Libraries at Smith College.
Testimonials from attendees capture the impact of the Forum to foster community and encourage the sharing of knowledge and resources among BLC’s membership:
“At the end of the day, I was grateful and filled with joy to connect with so many people and hear what our colleagues are doing in their work despite the extreme challenges.”
“It was exceptionally informative and I loved the opportunity to see colleagues from other institutions in person instead of on zoom.”
“My favorite part of the Forum was hearing updates on the BLC's work; as someone who hasn't been super involved with the BLC until now, it was so cool to learn more about what the organization does.”
“Great forum as per usual! It's always a highlight of my professional year!”
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Presentations and Workshops:
Member-led presentations promoted expert perspectives and innovative strategies to address current challenges and drive innovative change in the library landscape within and beyond the BLC community. Explore the Forum’s presentations, presenters, and resources below:
Solace & Stories: The Emergence of Cozy Fantasy
Lily Reilly, Northeastern University
Managing Collaborations in a Multi-Phase OpenAthens Implementation
Yueqing Chen, and Louisa Choy, University of Massachusetts Boston
Using AI Tools for Literature Searches: How Great is This Idea?
A'Llyn Ettien, Boston University
Senior Information and Borrowing: The Positive Impact of Recognition and Promotion
Mary Calo, Brandeis University
EDI Steering Committee Updates: Infographic and Reading List
Michael Brown, Boston Public Library, and Sonia Pacheco, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Exploring Shared Services within the BLC
Kim Sweetman, University of New Hampshire
Library Strategies to Support Experiential Learning Courses in Business Schools
Dorice Moylan and Kathleen Berger, Boston University
BLC Network Zone: Where We're Going, Where We've Been
Nathan Mealey, Rebecca McCallum, Lori Stethers, Wesleyan University, and Fred Folmer, Connecticut College
AI in Action: Practical Ways Library Staff Can Leverage AI
Brock Edmunds, Boston University
Rebuilding a Sustainable and Sustaining BLC Community of Practice
Jill Livingston, Wesleyan University, and Laura Hibbler, Brandeis University
What's New at the Internet Archive
Chris Freeland and Mek Karpeles, Internet Archive
Operational Shifts and Pedagogical Partnerships: Engaging AI Across the Academic Library
Nathan Mealey and Jason Di Resta, Wesleyan University
Thinking Outside the Stacks: Circulating Equipment at Tisch Library
Jess Spear and Miles Donovan, Tufts University
Intercampus Collaborations for Catalyzing Action Toward Environmental Justice: Capacity Building and Empowerment During Uncertain Times
Sarah Hutton, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, and Lauren Movlai, University of Massachusetts Boston
3,650 Hours: WMS to Alma in Just Five Months
Rebecca Gerber and Morgan Kolinski, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Check This Out!: Revitalizing BLC’s Consortium Card Program
Marc Hoffeditz, Boston Library Consortium, and Ann Marie Schafer, University of Massachusetts Boston
A DIY Approach to Web Archiving to Protect the Things You Care About
Avi Bauer, Seung-hwan Leo Kim, Merrill Pecci, Boston College, and Anna Kijas, Tufts University
Lightning Talks
Lightning talks offered members the opportunity to share innovative and creative concepts in concise, engaging 15-minute presentations.
Making Meaningful Metrics: Applied Analysis of Online Content for Instructional Librarians
Lucy Flamm and Jack Mulvaney, Boston University
Speedy Delivery: Mobilizing Our Public Service Students to Accelerate ILL Lending
Angie Batson, Wellesley College
Cultivating Future Success: Growing Professional Experience for Library Student Workers
Pam Pfeiffer, Wellesley College
Library Lab Partners: Combined Information Literacy/Data Management Instruction for Labs
Cecelia Lasley and Elizabeth McCall, Tufts University
Understanding Our Researchers' Data Services Needs
Margarita Corral and Ford Fishman, Brandeis University
Become the Best Job on Campus: tips for giving and asking for student employee feedback
Eliana Peretz, Tufts University
Roundtables and Panels
The BLC Forum showcased engaging panels and roundtables on BLC projects and programs, driven by member-led leadership and engagement:
BLC Network Zone Roundtable
Nathan Mealey, Wesleyan University, Terry Simpkins, Middlebury College, Amy Harrell, Trinity College, Fred Folmer, Connecticut College, and Susan Swogger, University of Vermont
BLC Leads Fireside Chat: How to get the most out of your BLC Leads
Martha Kelehan, Tufts University, Abby Walsh, Boston College, Dominique Couturier, Boston University, Heather Castle, University of New Hampshire, and Andrew Weidner, Boston College
Poster
Student Perceptions of Campus Safety: Information for Academic Libraries
Steph Barnaby, Northeastern University
Community Meetings
Seventeen BLC Communities held in-person and hybrid meetings during the BLC Forum:
- Access Services COI
- Archives & Special Collections COI
- Assessment COI
- BIPOC Caucus
- Business COI
- Directors Meeting
- Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion COI
- Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Steering Committee
- Heads of Resource Management
- Health Sciences COI
- LGBTQIA+ Caucus
- Metadata & Resource Management COI
- Media COI
- OER COI
- Resource Sharing COI
- Science & Engineering COI
- Senior Managers COP
As attendance at the Forum continues to grow year after year, this membership gathering has solidified an annual opportunity to strengthen ties, share knowledge, and inspire one another across institutions. BLC looks forward to announcing the date and location of the 2026 BLC Forum soon.