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Update on Merging the Rosemont Shared Print Alliance and the Partnership for Shared Book Collections

December 7, 2023 Author: Anna StrikerCategories:

In the spring of 2023, the Rosemont and Partnership Executive Committees endorsed a recommendation to merge the business and operations of the two federations to create a single organization to coordinate further development of shared print collection management and information sharing in the United States and Canada for the foreseeable future. This new, merged organization will provide more effective and sustainable support for ensuring the collaborative preservation of print collections than is possible in the current environment where programs are dividing their resources. The challenges of ensuring the needs of print journals and print books are both well supported will be addressed in keeping with values of equity, inclusion, and respect for varying points of view and the needs of the material.

To implement this recommendation, the Executive Committees appointed a Merger Implementation Task Force (MITF) made up of representatives from both Executive and Operations Committees to work with an outside consultant to develop business and governance models as well as a vision statement for the new organization. Members of the MITF are

  • Aaron Krebeck, Washington Research Library Consortium (Rosemont OC)
  • Anna Striker, California Digital Library (Partnership OC)
  • Gwen Bird, Simon Fraser University (Partnership EC)
  • John Burger, Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (Rosemont OC)
  • Peggy Seiden, Swarthmore College, retired (Partnership EC)
  • Scott Warren, Syracuse University (Rosemont EC)
  • Stephen Connaghan, The Catholic University of America (Rosemont EC)
  • Tony Fonseca, Elms College (Partnership OC)

The Executive Committees of the Rosemont Shared Print Alliance and the Partnership for Shared Book Collections are pleased to announce that Sarah Faye Cohen of the Big Questions Collaborative will serve as consultant to the Merger Implementation Task Force (MITF). Together they will define structures that will shape the future of shared print collaboration in the US and Canada as the Rosemont Shared Print Alliance and Partnership for Shared Book Collections merge into a single organization. Sarah brings a strong background in strategic facilitation and coaching as well as a deep familiarity with the unique opportunities created when forming a large and diverse collaboration working toward a common goal.

As the merger of the two organizations moves forward, periodic updates will be provided to membership to foster transparency and confidence in this process. All updates, as well as background and historical information, will also be made available on a new web page dedicated to tracking the progress of this project: https://sharedprint.org/shared-print-merger/