The Boston Library Consortium (BLC) has appointed Cate Harriman as Program Manager, effective March 1.
Cate joins BLC from the Newberry Library in Chicago IL where she has served in various roles in the Conservation and Teacher & Student Programs Departments since 2015. During her tenure at the Newberry, she produced over 250 professional development programs for Chicago-area educators and spearheaded the implementation of credit-bearing virtual professional learning seminars.
"We are delighted to welcome Cate Harriman as our new Program Manager," said Charlie Barlow, executive director of BLC. "She brings experience building and leading innovative professional development programming, curiosity about strengthening our capacities for sharing expertise across the consortium, and a demonstrated commitment to deeper modes of collaboration."
Among her many accomplishments, Cate oversaw the transition from in-person to virtual programming during the COVID-19 pandemic and managed an ambitious annual program of 60+ professional development offerings serving more than 1,000 teachers as part of the Newberry Teachers’ Consortium.
Professional development has been a core focus of BLC since its early years. In 1977, BLC formed a Program Committee to implement staff development programs and to assist other Committees in organizing programs of specific concern to any one of them. At that time, BLC maintained Committees for Cataloging, Readers’ Services, Selection/Acquisitions, and Serials and offered occasional workshops to strengthen expertise.
Today, BLC supports 19 membership Communities focused upon a wide range of library practice areas, a robust portfolio of professional development workshops and webinars, and a signature leadership development program, BLC Leads. The new Program Manager role positions BLC to build upon this rich history and increase opportunities for knowledge and skill development.
"I’m thrilled to join the BLC team as Program Manager," said Cate Harriman. "I am inspired by the work of BLC and its many Communities, and I look forward to learning from and collaborating with every member of the Consortium to create innovative and inspiring professional development opportunities."
In this expanded full-time role, Cate will help strengthen the culture of assessment of consortial initiatives and cultivate an environment that promotes collaboration within and across BLC's member institutions through a comprehensive portfolio of professional development initiatives. Cate is charged with leading the planning and execution of all virtual, in-person, and hybrid professional development activities for the Consortium, including the annual membership meeting and the BLC Leads program. In partnership with Emma Leisentritt, BLC’s Executive Assistant and Senior Program Coordinator, Cate will also co-lead the Innovation Fund to support and enrich the activities of the BLC Communities.
Cate holds a Bachelor of Arts & Sciences in English and Political Science from Millikin University. She currently resides in Indianapolis IN and will relocate to the New England area later in 2022.