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As I approach my Alliance two-year anniversary, I’ve been reflecting on what I shared during my candidate presentation, on what I thought my work would look like, and on how that has evolved since I started. I had anticipated that relationships outside the Alliance—with consortia and education leaders, and with other organizational partners and vendors—would be important, and it has been a joy to build those partnerships. However, while I’d imagined those connections as a foundation for shared projects, I didn’t anticipate how critical they would also be for positioning ourselves to advocate together for the future of libraries and higher ed.

The expanded purpose for these relationships seems to reflect a more general shift. Libraries—bothin within and outside consortial contexts—have always done a good job of speaking together in the sense of having open communication, and collaborating for the benefit of our respective communities. But the other sense of “speaking together”—of cultivating and projecting a shared voice in support of a common cause—has been something that libraries have led or participated in more circumstantially (as local interest and capacity allowed). Over the last two years, I have seen that shift from being a luxury to a necessity. There is growing interest in organizing across libraries and consortia more directly, in not leaving our collective voice to our professional organizations or associations alone, but in joining together in the fight—for funding, for position, for autonomy, for the communities we belong to and serve.

One recent expression of this by the Alliance was the joint statement we developed and issued in collaboration with other library consortia. The Alliance has issued statements before, but this felt different. We were not signing on to a letter someone else had circulated, or putting out a statement representing our individual position; rather, we came together with others to identify what we had in common that we wanted to advocate for, and how we wanted to do that together. In the process, many different leaders and consortia contributed, and the statement from our three organizations actually represents the thoughts and positions of over a dozen, not all of whom were in a position to speak publicly. (This is another critical aspect of speaking together: understanding others’ interests and positions and how best we can speak for them when needed.)

I expect that, over the next year(s), our opportunities to speak together, in all of its meanings, will only continue to grow—not the least of which will be cross-consortial community conversations to follow up on the statement we just issued (stay tuned!). I am grateful to be part of an organization, and work with a Board, that values those opportunities and wants us to lead within them. So as you see opportunities for the Alliance to speak together with others, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

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Get ready for the kickoff of the third cohort of the Resource Sharing & Fulfillment Mentorship Program! Our mentors have spent the summer and fall preparing, and we are now gearing up to recruit mentees for the next launch of this consortial fellowship.

Are you new to the Alliance, and not sure what it does? Do you want to interact with other peers in your field? Have you heard of ELUNA a bunch of times, but you’re not sure what it means and now you’re afraid it’s been too long for you to ask? (Spoiler alert, it’s never too late!). The RSF Mentorship Program might be a great idea for you!

The RSF Mentorship Program facilitates connections between Alliance institutions and staff. The program helps members staff build expertise and connect to the community. Between January and April 2026, mentors and mentees will meet for a few hours each month in order to build skills, collaborate across institutions, and raise awareness of Alliance opportunities.

Interested in applying? Submit your application here by November 21st. 

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VPAT Now Available for Archives West

Archives West, our database of over 40,000 EAD finding aids from institutions across the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West, now has a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)! The VPAT outlines Archives West’s compliance with the new ADA Title II accessibility standards. Your institution’s procurement office or accessibility teams may need this on file on or before the federal deadlines of April 24-26 of 2026. This public document is hosted on the Alliance website and may be shared as needed. 

The Alliance worked with digital accessibility firm Deque Systems to conduct an accessibility audit and develop a VPAT. We also consulted with our regional community of archivists on some complex design decisions. We’re pleased to be able to demonstrate Archives West’s strong support for web accessibility.

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Do you have a great idea for a professional development event? Created in 2017, the John F. Helmer Award promotes professional development and engagement in support of Alliance strategic initiatives.

Funding could support a workshop, symposium, collaborative learning program, or guest speaker/trainer. Two awards of up to $2000 each will be available. Alliance working groups and individual member staff are encouraged to submit applications.

Applications are due December 3, 2025. Full details are posted on the Alliance website; you can also view successful proposals from previous years.