Boston Library Consortium

THE ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT CONTROLLED DIGITAL LENDING IS LIMITED BY THE AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGIES, LEGAL UNCERTAINTIES, AND THE COMPLEXITIES OF DETERMINING OPTIMAL WORKFLOWS AND STAFFING SOLUTIONS. THE BOSTON LIBRARY CONSORTIUM WILL IMPLEMENT A PROJECT TO SUPPORT AND SCALE A REUSABLE AND SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION ENABLING CONTROLLED DIGITAL LENDING AS A COMPONENT OF LIBRARIES’ INTERLIBRARY LOAN SERVICES. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO: 1) IMPROVE AND PROMOTE ACCESS TO LIBRARY COLLECTIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING; 2) DEVELOP NEW INTEROPERABLE TECHNOLOGIES TO FACILITATE DIGITAL LOANS OF PRINT MATERIALS; 3) CREATE BEST PRACTICES TO MITIGATE LEGAL RISKS; AND 4) DESIGN SUSTAINABLE WORKFLOW AND STAFFING SOLUTIONS TO SUPPORT THIS EMERGING SERVICE MODEL. THROUGHOUT THIS CONSORTIAL CONTROLLED DIGITAL LENDING IMPLEMENTATION, THE PROJECT TEAM WILL CREATE AND DISSEMINATE PRACTICAL GUIDANCE, KNOWLEDGE, AND TOOLS TO ASSIST LIBRARIES AND CONSORTIA IN IMPLEMENTING CONTROLLED DIGITAL LENDING IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERLIBRARY LOAN AT SCALE.

THE BOSTON LIBRARY CONSORTIUM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE OF LIBRARY CONSORTIA, WILL DESIGN, PILOT, AND ASSESS A THREE-DAY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY FOR BIPOC SUPPORT STAFF LIBRARY SUPERVISORS WHO DO NOT HAVE MASTER OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE (MLIS) DEGREES. THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY WILL PROMOTE RETENTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF A LEADERSHIP SKILL SET, AS WELL AS DELIVER TRAINING AND EDUCATION ON CURRENT, FRONT-LINE LIBRARY TOPICS. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL USE A CO-DESIGN APPROACH TO DEVELOP THE CURRICULUM BY ENGAGING BIPOC THOUGHT LEADERS, BIPOC LIBRARY SUPERVISORS WITHOUT MLIS DEGREES, EXPERIENCED MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS, AND MEMBERS OF THE CONSORTIA TO CO-CREATE A CURRICULUM THAT STRIKES A COMPELLING BALANCE BETWEEN BROADER ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES AND PRACTICAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS. THE INITIAL PILOT WILL DEVELOP AND DELIVER A NATIONAL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY TO 30 LIBRARY STAFF MEMBERS THAT SUPPORT THE LONG-TERM PROFESSIONAL GROWTH OF A VITAL POPULATION OF WORKERS IN LIBRARIES WHOSE NEEDS FOR TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ARE CURRENTLY UNMET.