About the Alliance

The Orbis Cascade Alliance is a nonprofit consortium of 38 colleges and universities in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. The Alliance runs a shared library management system and discovery interface, works on collective purchasing, facilitates access to unique and local collections, and coordinates resource sharing for our members.

Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission

Orbis Cascade Alliance pushes the boundaries of what is possible in libraries through strategic collaboration in the Pacific Northwest. To advance member institutions, we create and deliver innovative, sustainable, and essential library programs and resources.

Vision

The Orbis Cascade Alliance, an exemplary academic library consortium, is a vital partner in advancing transformative learning and research and creating equity in higher education.

Values

We value open communication, innovation, agility, discussion and collaborative decision making that elicits and includes the perspectives of each member. We value and nurture strong and lasting personal and institutional commitments to our work together. Where differences occur we value open debate, exploration, willingness to change, and the creation of solutions that serve the collective good of our member colleges and universities as a whole.

Who We Are

The Alliance is made up of many types of groups that work together to move us towards our goals. The following are short descriptions of each group and information on the membership of that group.

Board

What it does: The Board of Directors has fiduciary responsibility for the organization with the exception of adopting an annual budget and determining strategic directions, two governance duties assigned to Council.

Who are its members: Board members are elected from the Council membership.

Link to details: Board of Directors

Council

What it does: The Alliance is governed by a Council of member Library Deans and Directors. Council approves the budget and all strategic initiatives.

Who are its members: Member Library Deans or Directors are appointed by their institution to serve on the Council.

Link to details: Council

Members

What they do: Alliance Members may serve as program representatives and on Project or Standing Groups. Member staff are the backbone of the Alliance.

Who are its members: Staff working at any institution that is a member of the Alliance are considered members.

Link to details: Members

Representatives

What they do: The Council members from each member institution designate a Representative to each program. Program Managers consult with Representatives for voting and formal input on issues. Representatives speak for an entire member institution. Thus each Representative is expected to gather input from all relevant divisions, branches, autonomous libraries, etc.

Who are its members: The Library Dean or Director selects an individual to serve as the representative for their institution for each program area.

See representatives listed on their Program pages.

Groups

What they do: Groups carry out projects and tasks described in their charges. Group members do not represent their institution, but rather use their background and experience to inform efforts to work for the good of the entire membership.

Who are its members: The Groups are composed of Alliance members. Groups are formed and appointed by Program Managers or other sponsors, such as Council.

Link to details: Group Structure

Alliance Staff

What they do: Alliance Staff work with all of the groups above to meet Alliance goals.

Who are its members: Individuals hired by the Alliance office.

Link to details: Alliance Staff

Committees and Task Forces

What they do: Committees and task forces have been and can be created to complete a specific task or explore an issue.

Who are its members: The make up of a committee or task force is determined by the needs of the task and membership may reach across all of the groups above. Examples: Shared Integrated Library System (SILS) Task Force and Equity Exploratory Committee