John F. Helmer

Orbis Cascade Alliance 1299 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon 97403-1299 voice: 541.346.1835 fax: 541.346.1968 jhelmer@uoregon.edu

Orbis Cascade Alliance is a consortium of private and public colleges and universities in Oregon and Washington. The Alliance was formed in 2003 through the merger of Orbis and Cascade, two academic library consortia founded in the early 1990's. The Alliance serves the equivalent of more than 211,000 full-time students: 90% of the students enrolled in four-year institutions in Oregon and Washington and more than 20% of the students at two-year institutions. Membership includes all public universities in both states. The consortium has a staff of eight and a total annual budget of $6.5 million. The Executive Director is responsible for consortium leadership, planning, budgeting, staff supervision, representing the consortium in professional and public meetings, and fostering collaborative relationships among member libraries and consortium partners. The Executive Director reports to and advises the Council of library directors. Highlights include:

• Member institutions: Oregon & Washington; private & public; community colleges, colleges, and universities.
• Alliance programs serve an additional 250 affiliated libraries in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and Hawaii.
• Summit
  • Union catalog: 9 million unique titles representing 28 million items.
  • Summit Borrowing: more than 370,000 loans per year. One million loans from 2003 to 2006. Reciprocal on-site borrowing.
  • Center for Research Libraries: patrons from CRL member libraries use Summit to borrow materials from the Center’s research collection in Chicago, Illinois.
• Courier service: 450,000 packages per year; delivery between 280 libraries in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
• Electronic resources: 87 resources (databases, ejournals, ebooks, etc.) licensed or purchased. Cost savings of approximately $8.2 million annually.
• Northwest Digital Archives
  • 31 libraries, museums, historical societies and archives in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska
  • Enhanced access to archival and manuscript materials
  • Union database of Encoded Archival Description (EAD) finding aids and digital content
• Digital Services: Summit search engine, digital collections, institutional repositories, etc.
• Group purchasing: collective purchase agreements with vendors.
• Conferences & workshops: ARL/ACRL Institute on Scholarly Communication, resource sharing, collection development, instruction, copyright, digital reference, electronic resource management systems, Acquisitions Institute at Timberline Lodge, Swimming Upstream preservation conference, Millennium Technical Forum, and the 11th meeting of the International Coalition of Library Consortia.
• Regional Library Services Center: planning effort to create a shared high-density storage facility.
• Grants: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
• In 2005, the Orbis Cascade Alliance was awarded the Excellence Award for Regional Leadership by the NorthWest Academic Computing Consortium.

Participated in securing a founding grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust in 1993. Supervised project staff, implemented INN-Reach union catalog, and assisted Council of directors in the creation of budgets, governance, legal documents, committee structure, etc. Created electronic resource purchasing program and courier system serving three states. Over the course of 10 years, Orbis grew from five Oregon public universities to a membership of 21 institutions in two states: eleven private colleges and universities, eight public universities, and a community college. Played a central role in combining electronic resource programs of Orbis and PORTALS and the merger of Orbis and Cascade.

Held various positions over 12 years: Head, Library Systems and Automation Department; Head, Authorities Section; Principal Cataloger; Rare Book Cataloger; Head, Copy Cataloging Section; Head, Processing Section; and Catalog Librarian.

Major University of Oregon Library Assignments

• American Library Association, 1988-
• Association of College and Research Libraries, Oregon Chapter, Director-at-Large, Executive Committee, 1996–1998.
• College & Research Libraries (C&RL), Editorial Board, 2008-
• International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC), 1997–
• Information Technology & Libraries (ITAL), Editorial Board, 1996–1998
• Northwest Innovative Users Group, Founding Chair, 1995–1997
• OCLC Members Council Delegate, FY09-11

• "Reaching a Higher Summit: elevating discovery and resource sharing," Northwest Interlibrary Loan and Resource Sharing Conference, Portland, Oregon, September 2008.
• "Reaching a Higher Summit: elevating discovery and resource sharing," American Library Association, OCLC VDX Users Group Meeting, Anaheim, California, June 2008.
• "Orbis Cascade Alliance Update," WIN / INLAN Board Meeting, Spokane, Washington, May 2008.
• "Orbis Cascade Alliance and OCLC consortial borrowing solution," International Coalition of Library Consortia, San Francisco, California, April, 2008.
• "Next Generation Systems," chair of a group that organized a half-day session of the International Coalition of Library Consortia, San Francisco, California, April, 2008.
• "From Proposal to Program: Seven Years of the Northwest Digital Archives," Online NorthWest 2008, Corvallis, Oregon, February 2008.
• "Regional Library Services Center," presentation as part of "Off-Site But Not Out of Reach: the Shared High Density Storage Solution," a Library Administration and Management Association, Buildings and Equipment Section (LAMA-BES) Preconference to the American Library Association's 2007 Annual Conference, Washington Research Library Consortium, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, June 22, 2007.
• "Orbis Cascade Alliance," presentation at the 2005 Northwest Academic Computing Consortium Conference on the occasion of the Orbis Cascade Alliance's receipt of the Joanne R. Hugi Excellence Award for Regional Leadership.
• “Consortial Collaboration: a perspective from the US,” International Coalition of Library Consortia, Barcelona, Spain, October 2004.
• “Sharing Resources: a Consortial Perspective,” Northwest Interlibrary Loan and Resource Sharing Conference, Portland Community College, September 2004.
• “Achieving Innovation and Collaboration: University Libraries in the Digital Age,” 2004 Northwest Academic Forum Annual Meeting, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, University of Nevada, Reno, April 2004
• “Summit union catalog and the Orbis Cascade Alliance,” 2004 Academic Library Directors' Symposium, Innovative Interfaces Inc., February 2004.
• “Orbis Cascade Alliance," Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium, Inc., Fall 2003 Members Meeting, November 2003.
• “The Changing Face of Service,” fifth annual Johannah Sherrer Memorial Lecture, Lewis & Clark College, October 2003.
• “Consortial Cooperation – Key to the Future,” Oregon/Washington ACRL Fall Conference, 2000.
• “Selling/promoting consortium benefits to administrators/legislators,” speaker & facilitator at the seventh meeting of the International Coalition of Library Consortia, April 2000.
• “El modelo norte americano, Consorcio Orbis de Bibliotecas de Oregon y Washington.” Seminario de consorcios de Bibliotecas, Cadiz, Spain, 1998.
• “Five Year Vision,” speaker & facilitator at the third meeting of the International Coalition of Library Consortia, 1998.
• “Orbis Consortium,” Oregon/Washington ACRL Fall Conference, 1997.
• “The Changing Nature of Post Secondary Education,” PASS Conference, University of Oregon, 1997.
• “Resource Sharing Systems: Orion, Orbis, and WSCLP,” Northwest Innovative Users Group, 1997.
• “Orbis Borrowing,” Northwest Innovative Users Group, 1996.
• “Grass Roots Union Catalog,” Innovative Users Group Meeting, 1995.
• “Oregon Information Highway,” Online Northwest, 1996.
• “Introduction to Orbis,” Online Northwest, 1995.
• “Authority Control in the Online Environment,” Oregon Library Association annual meeting, 1992.
• Numerous other Orbis Cascade Alliance, Orbis, and CORE overview presentations for librarians and campus administrators.

• Compiler & Editor, “Library Consortia in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.” http://www.orbiscascade.org/index/library-consortia-in-oregon-washington
• “Progress Along the Road to Statewide Database Licensing,” Oregon Library Association Quarterly, vol. 9, no. 4/vol. 10, no. 1, Spring 2004.
• “Orbis: Questioning Foundations in the Midst of Success.” Moveable Type, vol. 9, no. 1, Fall 2001.
• “Planning Amid a Multitude of Projects: A Consortial Perspective.” Oregon Library Association Quarterly, vol. 6, no. 3, Fall 2000
• Information Technology & Libraries, vol. 19, no. 2, June 2000. Guest editor of special issue: Library Consortia Around the World, Part Two. Editorial: "I Inhaled."
• “Orbis Courier Service: The Resurrection of a Collaborative Success.” Oregon Library Association Quarterly, vol. 5, no. 1 [sic], Winter 1999
• Information Technology & Libraries, vol. 18, no. 3, September 1999. Guest editor of special issue: Library Consortia Around the World. Editorial: “Epidemiology of the Consortial Spore.”
• Information Technology & Libraries, vol. 17, no. 1, March 1998. Guest editor of special issue: Library Consortia. Editorial: “Inhaling the Spore.”
• “Orbis: a Virtual Library in the Real World.” Moveable Type, vol. 4, no. 1, Fall 1996.
• “Orbis Debuts.” Moveable Type, vol. 2, no. 2, Spring 1995.
• “Art and Architecture Thesaurus.” Art Documentation, v. 10, No. 1, Spring 1991.

• Moderator, plenary discussion during Leadership in Higher Education: a Role for the 21st Century Librarian?, the 2nd Northwest Academic Library Directors Symposium, November 2008.
• Participant, OCLC Focus Group, June 2008.
• New York State Higher Education Initiative (NYSHEI): Facilitator, 2006 Board Retreat.
• Wills, Eric. "Book by Book, College Libraries Pool Their Collected Wisdom." The Chronicle of Higher Education 52.21 (2006): B5-B6.
• Hoffert, Barbara. "The United Way." Library Journal (1 May 2006).
• Connect New York (CNY): Facilitator, 2006 Board Retreat. Consultant on issues related to funding and governance of library consortia, 2001– 2005.
• Northwest Digital Archives (NWDA): Member, Advisory Board, 2002–
• Profiled in Teresa L. Jacobsen's cover article for Library Journal, “The Class of 1988,” July 2004, p. 38–41.
• "Consortia: The Structure and Economics of Sharing," professional development lecture for Washington Library and Media Directors Council, Yakima Community College, April 2003.
• “Library Consortia,” LIS 559 graduate class, Information School, University of Washington, April 2002.
• Connect Oregon (CORE), 2001, an effort that sought to create a statewide multi-type library consortium. As a member of the steering committee, involvement included development of concept; name, governance, and budget; presentations to library organizations; production & funding of a promotional videotape & postcard; creation of a Web site & email list; and lobbying for Oregon Senate Bill 202.
• “Orbis Courier Service.” Speaker and chair of membership meetings at Oregon Library Association and Washington Library Association annual meetings, 2001.
• Northwest Academic netLibrary Collection (NANC), 2000–2003. One of three project managers developing an ebook collection for 45 colleges and universities.
• Oregon State Library Award: “Library Cooperation Champion,” 2001.
• “Library Courier Stakeholders Meeting,” convener, presenter and discussion facilitator, 1998
• Consultant to Marylhurst College, Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology, and Pacific University, 1998.
• Information Technology Certificate Focus Group, Marylhurst College, 1998.
• Consultant to Meyer Memorial Trust, 1997.
• Consultant to Oregon State University, 1997.
• Orbis Exhibitor at the Oregon Telecommunications Forum, “Idea Marketplace,” Portland, Oregon, 1995.
• Books Tagging Workshop, OCLC, 1991.

Other Community Service

• Member, Board of Directors, Mount Pisgah Arboretum, 1990–1991, 2002–2005
• Vice President, Board of Directors, Mount Pisgah Arboretum, 1992–1993
• Member, Advisory Board, Vivian Olum Child Development Center, 2002–2003