The Boston Library Consortium (BLC) has welcomed the University of Hartford as its newest member – joining 21 other institutions in the BLC’s network working on innovative solutions that enrich the creation, dissemination, and preservation of knowledge.
Founded in 1957, the University of Hartford is a private university located in West Hartford, CT. The Harrison Libraries at the University of Hartford consist of the general collections in the Mortensen Library, the music and dance collections in the Allen Library, and the University Archives and Special Collections. The Harrison Libraries’ collections include more than half a million books and journal titles, 45,000 musical scores, and 25,000 sound recordings.
The Harrison Libraries provide services and resources that support teaching, learning, research, and creativity at the University of Hartford. We foster intellectual curiosity, scholarly integrity, and critical inquiry, incorporating principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging, and justice into the work we do.
– Harrison Libraries’ Vision Statement
The membership will position the University of Hartford to participate in all the BLC’s programs and strategic initiatives, including the consortium’s membership communities, reciprocal borrowing privileges and resource sharing between BLC member institutions, and professional development activities to strengthen the expertise of library staff.
"The board of directors enjoyed a series of lively and informative conversations with a very energetic and forward-thinking team at the Harrison Libraries this spring," said Dorothy Meaney, BLC’s president and Director of the Tisch Library at Tufts University. "We are delighted to welcome the University of Hartford to the Boston Library Consortium."
For Elizabeth Dill, Director of the Harrison Libraries, BLC membership positions the University of Hartford to share, exchange, and partner with institutions across the northeastern United States for the mutual benefit of students, faculty, and staff.
"Reciprocal partnerships are key to the flourishing of Harrison Libraries,” said Dill. "We are empathetic leaders, enthusiastic partners, but most of all, we aspire to be connectors of information and knowledge while serving as catalysts for diversity, equity, and inclusion, antiracism, and social justice. We’re honored to join the Boston Library Consortium."
"The Harrison Libraries strengthen our collective expertise and collections, particularly in the creative arts, open educational resources, and open-source library systems," added Charlie Barlow, BLC’s executive director. “We look forward to exploring new collaborative opportunities with our colleagues at the University of Hartford."
Efforts will begin immediately to support Harrison Libraries’ implementation of BLC’s consortial resource sharing systems in preparation for the 2022-23 academic year.
About the Boston Library Consortium. Founded in 1970, the Boston Library Consortium (BLC) is a library consortium serving public and private universities, liberal arts colleges, state and special research libraries in the northeastern United States. The BLC members collaborate to deliver innovative and cost-effective sharing of print and digital content, professional development initiatives, and projects across a wide range of library practice areas. For more information, visit blc.org
About the University of Hartford. Spread across seven dynamic schools and colleges, the University of Hartford is a four-year private nonprofit university that has been guiding the purpose and passion of undergraduate and graduate students for over six decades. Centrally located alongside Connecticut’s capital city and midway between Boston and New York City, our 350-acre campus offers big opportunities, from major industry partnerships to vibrant cultural destinations. For more information, visit hartford.edu
Contact: Charlie Barlow, Boston Library Consortium - cbarlow@blc.org