WEST Welcomes New Members! Graduate Theological Union, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado Mesa University, and Southern Methodist University

WEST is excited to welcome four new member libraries to the trust network as of July 2023!

The Graduate Theological Union (GTU), located in Berkeley, CA, joins as a member of the Statewide Electronic Licensing Consortium (SCELC) membership in WEST. GTU’s specialized and diverse theological collections serve the needs of more than 20 member schools, academic centers, and affiliates that comprise its immediate community. GTU is also a participant in the SCELC Shared Print Program for monographs and, before joining WEST, participated in the Journal Retention and Needs Listing (JRNL) Tool pilot to test opening the tool to libraries beyond member shared print programs. 

WEST is very pleased to announce a new consortial WEST membership for the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries. This opt-in consortial membership includes three continuing WEST members and two new WEST members. WEST is glad to complement the Colorado Alliance’s monograph shared print program with analysis, decision-making support, and a trusted network for serials and journals.

As a part of the new Colorado Alliance consortial membership, WEST welcomes the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU Boulder) and Colorado Mesa University (CMU) at Grand Junction, CO! 

CU Boulder is home to the largest collection in the Rocky Mountains region. In addition to participating in the Colorado Alliance shared print efforts, CU Boulder is a retention library in the HathiTrust Shared Print Program for monographs and contributes staff time to the governance and leadership of the Partnership for Shared Book Collections. 

CMU is a western Colorado regional public higher education institution and brings a distinct perspective and collection that serves a range of liberal arts, professional, and technical programs at the master’s, bachelor’s, associate and certificate levels. 

WEST also welcomes Southern Methodist University of Dallas, TX. SMU Libraries make up the largest private research library network in Texas. SMU has served as a shared print retention library in the HathiTrust Shared Print Program for monographs since 2018. SMU is also a member of the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), which played a significant role in WEST’s founding and continues to be a key partner organization. 

A warm welcome to all! We are especially excited to welcome these new members as we head into our next iteration of group collections analysis this fall and engage members in Future of WEST strategic planning. 

The WEST Executive Committee and its Membership Subcommittee are continuing outreach to potential new members, seeking to broaden and diversify the range of libraries who shape and contribute to the collection we preserve for the future.

If you are interested in becoming a member of WEST, please email the WEST Program Manager, Alison Wohlers, at alison.wohlers@ucop.edu.