See also the Governance Structure, and the Partnership PAN and Quarterly Reports
Latest Updates
» Phase 1 in progress (January 2024)
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.
» Consultant hired (November 2023)
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.
» Merger Implementation Task Force formed (August 2023)
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.
» Rosemont and Partnership Strategic Merger Summit (June 2023)
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).
» Recommendation to create a single federation for shared print activity in the US and Canada (March 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).
Background
In the U.S.-Canada shared print community, there are two organizations that exist to coordinate the activities of individual programs that are focused on the preservation of print material held by libraries. One organization, the Rosemont Shared Print Alliance, addresses needs related to serials and journals and the second, the Partnership for Shared Book Collections, addresses the needs of monographs or books. The two organizations, while focused on different material formats, see significant overlap in interests, concerns, leadership, and membership. A task force charged with investigating these issues recommended the merger of the two organizations, which was ratified by both Executive Committees (see the Report from the Joint Rosemont–Partnership Task Force for Future Strategic Consolidation).
A summit was held to clarify the purpose of the merged organization and to determine next steps toward merger, which included forming a task force of member representatives and hiring an expert to facilitate developing business and governance models.
About the Merger Task Force
A Task Force was formed to guide the implementation of the merger, and is made up of equal representation from the Executive and Operations Committees of both the Partnership and Rosemont. The MITF will work with a consultant to refine the organizational statement of purpose and to define, develop, and document a new business model (see the MITF Charge).
Task Force Members
| Name | Institution | Program | Representing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Krebeck | Washington Research Library Consortium | WRLC | Rosemont OC |
| Anna Striker | California Digital Library | UC Libraries | Partnership OC |
| Gwen Bird | Simon Fraser University | COPPUL | Partnership EC |
| John Burger | Association of Southeastern Research Libraries | ASERL | Rosemont OC |
| Peggy Seiden | Swarthmore College (retired) | EAST & HathiTrust | Partnership EC |
| Scott Warren | Syracuse University | EAST | Rosemont EC |
| Stephen Connaghan | The Catholic University of America | WRLC | Rosemont EC |
| Tony Fonseca | Elms College | EAST | Partnership OC |
Merger Consultant
Sarah Faye Cohen of the Big Questions Collaborative is serving as the consultant to the MITF. Sarah will work with the group to refine the vision and purpose of the new organization and to develop business and governance models that will merge the two organizations into a single federation for shared print activity in the US and Canada.
Project Overview
The project to develop the business and governance models for the new organization is divided into three phases, each with a framing question to be answered:
- What is important to us now?
- How might we best work together?
- What does success look like?
| Phase | Question | Activities | Deliverables | Anticipated timing |
| 1 | What is important to us now? | – Project kickoff – Analysis of relevant materials – Interviews with select participants – Finalize statement of purpose – Articulate value proposition | – Formal Project Timeline – Statement of Purpose – Value Proposition | December 2023 – January 2024 |
| 2 | How might we best work together? | – Portfolio analysis – Draft funding model – Exploration of governance models – Integrated organizational strategy and feedback | – Portfolio analysis including evaluation rubric – Draft funding model – Draft organizational strategy | January 2024 – February 2024 |
| 3 | What does success look like? | – Develop business model – SWOT analysis + recommendations for governance and organizational structures – Launch community feedback process – Final presentation – Co-create implementation plan – Final review | – Business model – SWOT analysis, recommendations – Implementation plan – Final presentation – Project review | February 2024 – March 2024 |
Project Timeline
The project is anticipated to run from December 2023 through mid-March 2024. This timeline may change if necessary.
Historical Documents
- MITF Charge (August 2023)
- RFP for Business and Governance Expert (August 2023)
- Shared Print Merger Summit Meeting Synthesis (June 2023)
- Report from the Joint Rosemont–Partnership Task Force for Future Strategic Consolidation (March 2023)