Merging Shared Print Organizations

The Merger Implementation Task Force (MITF) sends the final report to the Executive Committees of both organizations. Those committees agree to distill the report findings/recommendations into a shorter Merger Plan summary document, clearly spelling out the problems at hand, proposed actions that seek to resolve those challenges, etc. 

In late March, the merger task force worked with our consultant to summarize key conversations and decisions during BQC’s consulting engagement with the Merger and Implementation Task Force (MITF), outline potential paths forward, identify questions for further consideration by the Executive Committees, and offer recommendations for the merger and the future organization.

The merger task force had its Phase 1 meeting with the consultant in late January. Phase 1 work included:

• Analysis of relevant materials 
• Interview select participants
• Analysis of interview feedback 
• Finalize statement of purpose
• Articulate Value Proposition

The MITF is currently reviewing a draft Statement of Purpose and Value Proposition, which will be presented to the governance groups for the Partnership and Rosemont in the near future.

The Executive Committees have accepted a recommendation from the MITF to contract the services of Sarah Faye Cohen of the Big Questions Collaborative to facilitate the work merging the business and operations of the two organizations. In this role Sarah will facilitate discussions and help 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.

For more information, see the full announcement distributed to members.

The Rosemont and Partnership Executive Committees endorsed the roster for the task force that will guide the work to merge the two organizations. Membership includes two representatives from each of the Executive and Operations Committees for both organizations. Please see the MITF Charge (August 2023) for more information on the scope and responsibilities of this Task Force.

On June 23, 2023, twenty-eight members of the operations and executive committees from the Rosemont Shared Print Alliance and the Partnership for Shared Book Collections met to discuss the scope and purpose of a new shared print alliance organization made from the merger of Rosemont and the Partnership, as recommended by the Joint Rosemont–Partnership Task Force for Future Strategic Consolidation and approved by the Executive
Committees of those organizations.

A summary of the meeting discussions and outcomes is available in the Shared Print Merger Summit Meeting Synthesis (June 2023).

After months of study and collecting input from numerous parties, the Joint Rosemont–Partnership Task Force for Future Strategic Consolidation recommends the Rosemont Shared Print Alliance and the Partnership for Shared Book Collections merge 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. A single coordinating organization supports the missions of both extant organizations more effectively and sustainably than dividing 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.

For details on this recommendation, see the Report from the Joint Rosemont–Partnership Task Force for Future Strategic Consolidation (March 2023).