There's a lot to share from BLC this season! It was wonderful to see so many of you in person at the BLC Forum on June 4 at Connecticut College, and we're delighted to welcome our two newest members, Boston Architectural College and Smith College. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to our new colleagues. As always, this edition of the BLC Bookmark is packed with updates from across BLC's programs and opportunities to get involved.
Professional Development
BLC Forum 2026: BLC hosted our annual meeting, BLC Forum 2026, on Thursday, June 4 at Connecticut College in New London, CT! Over 200 colleagues representing all 28 BLC member institutions came together for a day of collaboration, learning, and innovation. BLC colleagues led 30 presentations, workshops, panels, and lightning talks, and 13 BLC communities gathered at this year’s Forum. Stay tuned for a recap of the 2026 BLC Forum coming in July, featuring event highlights, presentation slides, and the plenary session recording.
BLC Leadership Academy for Support Staff (BLASS): BLC's inaugural Leadership Academy for Support Staff welcomed 19 Fellows from across the country at the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago, IL from May 17–21. In collaboration with the Professional Development Alliance of Library Consortia and with funding provided by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, BLASS was created to empower library support staff through expert-led workshops, cohort-based learning, and sustained community engagement. We look forward to sharing outcomes from this program in a future edition of the Bookmark.
BLC Leads Pathways: We're excited to announce BLC Leads Pathways, a new foundational leadership program designed for early career librarians with less than five years of experience and established library professionals and support staff. The 2026 program will run from August through December 2026 and includes a virtual institute, weekly virtual sessions, workshops, a site visit, and an in-person summit. Applications are open now through July 13. Learn more about this program via the recorded BLC Leads Pathways Information Session. Email Cate Harriman with questions about the program or application process.
BLC Leads: BLC's signature leadership development program continues to grow, with over 100 alumni now advancing collaborative leadership across the consortium. BLC Leads is a six-month hybrid experience designed for mid-level library professionals, combining expert instruction, peer learning, and site visits. Applications for BLC Leads 2027 will open in November 2026.
BLC Mentors: BLC's mentorship program will now be offered annually, connecting experienced library leaders with mid-career professionals seeking guidance, reflection, and growth. The hybrid program (August 2026–April 2027) features 1:1 mentor-mentee partnerships, cohort meetings, peer support, and two in-person retreats. BLC Mentors 2026-2027 is now welcoming applications for mentees and invites those interested in participating as mentors. Learn more about the BLC Mentors program and hear from past participants when you view the recorded program, Grow and Give Back: BLC Mentors Information Session.
Northeast Science Camp for Librarians: The 2026 Northeast Science Camp for Librarians offers library workers and students the opportunity to learn, connect, and network in science, health sciences, and technology librarianship. This year's conference took place from June 8-10 at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH.
New Professional Development Partnership: BLC is excited to announce a new partnership with DeEtta Jones & Associates, expanding professional development opportunities for library workers at member institutions. Staff at BLC member institutions are now eligible for a 15% discount on select open-enrollment offerings from DeEtta Jones & Associates, including self-paced courses and live, instructor-led cohort-based programs.
Communities
Four New Communities of Interest: We're pleased to announce the launch of four new Communities of Interest! Each offers a space for library staff across BLC member institutions to connect, collaborate, and share expertise:
- The Digital Stewardship Services COI supports peer learning, helps influence JSTOR's direction, and surfaces consortial opportunities among staff using or interested in JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services.
- The Licensing COI is a place for BLC members involved or interested in the e-resource licensing process, including license review, redlining, and negotiation.
- The Facilities COI provides a space to share experiences, challenges, and ideas related to library spaces.
- The Teaching and Instruction COI is a place to share experiences and support each other in all things related to teaching in the classroom.
New Communities of Interest in the Works: We're exploring the launch of two new Communities of Interest; one focused on data, and one on multimedia project support. If you're interested in joining either group, please fill out the expression of interest form linked below; we'll formally launch each COI once we see enough interest. And if you have an idea for a community that isn't listed here, we'd love to hear it—reach out to Amahl at amchenry@blc.org
- Working with Data: Does your Library provide any sort of services to help students or others find and/or work with data for research? Whether your institution employs a data specialist or not, if you help others find and/or work with data, including publication and storage, please consider joining a new BLC COI around research data services. We aim to solicit interest from the group and organize professional development opportunities for beginners and those with more experience. If you’re in the latter category, maybe you can help your colleagues take the next step. Expression of Interest form
- Multimedia Project Support: Does your Library provide services to help students create podcasts, videos, music, or graphics? Do you maintain teaching and learning spaces with multimedia software and audio-visual production equipment? If so please consider joining a new COI around Multimedia Project Support, chaired by Mark Dellelo, the Director of Sound and Image Media Studios at the Brandeis University Library. Expression of Interest form
Innovation Fund Awards: BLC has approved four Innovation Fund awards since our last edition to enrich the collective work of BLC Communities:
- A MarcEdit hands-on workshop led by the Metadata and Resource Management COI
- A facilitated retreat on revitalizing teams hosted by the Senior Managers CoP
- An AI-empowered interlibrary loan workshop from the Resource Sharing COI
- A Confluence training for the Network Zone Documentation Working Group.
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 to enrich their collective work.
BLC Resource Hub: Now Accepting Community Generated Content: BLC's Resource Hub is expanding! BLC now invites contributions from BLC Communities to share work products, initiatives, and resources they have undertaken in their consortial work; such as community-developed reports, best practices, templates, and tools. The Resource Hub continues to serve as a centralized platform providing access to key consortial resources including BLC's 2024–2025 Annual Report, Resource Sharing Policies & Best Practices, the E-Book ILL Lender Tracker, and more.
Licensing and Content
Model License Taskforce: Charged with developing model license language to guide BLC’s consortial acquisitions, the taskforce is actively reviewing existing terms and model licenses and liaising with BLC Communities to draft initial terms. The taskforce hosted a presentation/panel at BLC Forum to update members on the group’s progress and will release a draft of the model license this coming fall.
Resource Sharing
BLC Card Program: The revamped BLC Card Program has distributed over 300 cards since its fall 2025 launch for walk-in borrowing at member institutions. After a successful pilot of digital BLC cards this past year, a second cohort will distribute digital cards in 2026-27. Institutions interested in distributing digital BLC cards should contact Marc Hoffeditz at mhoffeditz@blc.org.
Consortial Collaboration Working Group: BLC established a collaborative working group with the Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation (PALCI) to develop cross-consortial resource sharing strategies and tools between both consortia. The group will release two work products in summer 2026: a Community Expectations Assessment Report highlighting practitioner experiences of the policies, practices, and technical requirements that shape cross-consortial resource sharing and a Cross-Consortial Collaboration Framework to guide consortia in developing successful and durable reciprocal partnerships.
ILL Systems Evaluation: The ILL Systems Evaluation Working Group has completed both phases of its work. In Phase 1, the group developed and published Evaluation Criteria for Resource Sharing Software, a comprehensive set of benchmarks to articulate and prioritize the functionalities of resource sharing software. These criteria were reviewed and prioritized by BLC member institutions in summer 2025 to guide consortial strategy and decision making. In Phase 2, the working group translated these criteria into a Request for Information (RFI) submitted to prominent resource sharing software vendors. Responses to the RFI are currently under review and will be publicly shared in fall 2026.
Digital Lenders Forum: The second Digital Lenders Forum will be hosted virtually on Wednesday June 17 from 2:30-4pm and will focus on internal advocacy to realize digital lending initiatives. Launched in March 2026, the Digital Lenders Forum is a quarterly conversation series on the future of digital lending in libraries and is open to all library stakeholders. Join the Digital Lenders Forum mailing list to stay connected.
Streaming Media Futures: BLC’s new cross-consortial initiative, the Streaming Media Futures Working Group, will launch in August 2026 and is charged with developing a strategy for engagement with streaming media vendors that centers BLC’s values, needs, and priorities to realize the consortial collecting & lending of streaming media resources.
Network Zone
Network Zone Overview: BLC's Network Zone, our shared library system on the Alma/Primo platform, continues to grow with the recent addition of Boston Architectural College. The shared infrastructure from the Network Zone supports a number of core functionalities including cataloging, discovery, and e-resource management; central distribution of open access content, government documents, and consortial subscriptions; and shared expertise that reduces duplication of effort across institutions.
Expanded Leadership and Recent Projects: With Marc Hoffeditz and Jared Cowing now in expanded roles, BLC is further strengthening the project infrastructure through shared governance and expanded capacity. The project has adopted Confluence for shared documentation and is building sustainable decision-making and governance practices to support its various Communities of Practice and Working Groups. Recent projects include developing a more formal e-resources troubleshooting process, expanding analytics capacity and shared dashboards, advancing cataloging workflows for government documents and WorldCat record updates, and preparing for the consortial implementation of the Primo VE Next Discovery Experience (NDE).
Network Zone Day 2026: Leaders from the Network Zone gathered at UMass Amherst in May 2026 for a two-day workshop to refine the project’s value proposition, strengthen its vision through collaborative discussion and brainstorming, and chart future strategies for governance and recruitment.
Shared Systems and Services
Expanding Shared Services: Building on the Shared Services Working Group's recommendations, BLC is advancing work in four areas: shared offsite storage, exploring an opt-in model for collaborative storage, retention, and associated services; group licensing of software and memberships, brokering access to shared tools; centrally managed software platforms, piloting shared systems like Confluence to support collaborative work; and shared consulting services, developing scalable models for cataloging, systems, assessment, data, and ILL expertise.
Offsite Storage Working Group: In March, BLC received a $25,000 grant from the Davis Educational Foundation to support the Offsite Storage Working Group’s efforts and the development of a strategic plan for a shared offsite library storage solution for member institutions. The grant has already supported a site visit to the ReCAP consortial storage facility and will also support an upcoming site visit to the WRLC facility.
Other Consortial Updates
Marc Hoffeditz Appointed Deputy Director We are pleased to share that Marc Hoffeditz has been appointed BLC's Deputy Director. In this expanded role, Marc continues to lead BLC's resource sharing portfolio while taking on broader responsibilities across the organization. Marc's deep expertise in resource sharing and his strong relationships across the consortium make him a natural fit for this role.
Jared Cowing Named Assistant Director for Systems and Metadata Services: We also welcome Jared Cowing as BLC's Assistant Director for Systems and Metadata Services. In this role, Jared leads the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of BLC's Network Zone and works closely with participating institutions and BLC leadership to expand shared systems capacity.
2025 Annual Report: BLC has published its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting the consortium's progress across professional development, resource sharing, licensing and content, shared systems, and community building over the past year.
Strategic Action Committee: BLC's Strategic Action Committee is underway, working to affirm BLC's strategic priorities and identify a focused set of high-impact ideas to guide the consortium's work over the next several years.
As always, thank you for reading! We encourage you to reach out to Team BLC with any questions, comments, suggestions, or if you're looking for ways to get involved.