Membership

Application

Membership Criteria

Revised in April 2019.

This document outlines criteria, expectations and obligations for both prospective and continuing members of the Orbis Cascade Alliance. Members in good standing will remain in compliance with these criteria as well as Alliance articles of incorporation, bylaws, memoranda of understanding, and adopted policies.

These membership criteria reflect the discussions and decisions of the Orbis Cascade Alliance Council and Board in retreat and in regular meetings in April 2003; January, May, & July 2006; February 2009; July 2014; and February-April 2019. This document is subject to interpretation and revision by the Alliance Board.

Orbis Cascade Alliance recognizes two types of participation: full membership & affiliate participation.

Full Membership Criteria

Any NWCCU accredited associate, baccalaureate, masters, or doctorate granting, public or private non-profit academic institution in Oregon, Washington, or Idaho may be considered for Orbis Cascade Alliance full membership. Institutions in contiguous areas that can fully participate in the consortium may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Potential full members must demonstrate a commitment to Orbis Cascade Alliance goals and principles and must be able and willing to meet all service and financial obligations, both start-up and continuing.

Full members are required to:

Participate in the Alliance’s Shared Integrated Library System (SILS), currently based on Ex Libris Alma and Primo, and comply with all adopted policies and consortium-wide workflows, including the lending and borrowing of library materials via Summit.
Develop and sustain the Alliance’s five program areas:
1. Discovery and User Experience: Collaboration around discovery systems and services, user experience, and reference and instruction support.
2. Resource Sharing and Fulfillment: Development and use of Summit, Primo, and other RSF services, including participation as a direct courier drop site.
3. Shared Content and Technical Services: Including cooperative collection development initiatives, cooperation around the SILS, and other initiatives that broaden access through shared development and description of content.
4. Systems: Support for technologies shared used by Alliance programs, teams, and members.
5. Unique and Local Content: Development, stewardship, and dissemination of unique and local content.
Actively support governance, strategic planning, shared work, and decision making through:
- Faithful participation by the library dean, director, or equivalent (must have budgetary responsibility for the library) at meetings of the Council of library deans and directors.
- Library staff and other institutional capacity that enables the library to meet consortial obligations and expected performance levels in keeping with the size of the member organization in support of committee, team, and project work.
Pay all membership and opt-in fees in a timely manner.

Full members can opt in or out of other services that are judged by Council to be opt-in (e.g., most database purchases, additional courier drop sites, participation in Archives & Manuscripts service).

The basic unit of membership is the institution. Each academic institution is an independent member of the Orbis Cascade Alliance and is expected to participate in Alliance services and to meet all membership obligations. All branches, autonomous libraries, etc. of an institution are included in membership. Divisions of an institution are not eligible for separate full membership. When an institution is part of another consortium or shared system, only the applicant institution may join the Orbis Cascade Alliance. As appropriate, other participants in the consortium or shared system may separately apply for Alliance membership. In all circumstances requiring interpretation or judgment, the Board will determine what constitutes an institution.

The applicant institution must provide evidence of its ability to advance the activities and priorities of the Orbis Cascade Alliance. Full membership applications include institutional data provided through an application form. The Board will conduct a site visit, meet with library staff, director(s), and the chief academic officer and make a recommendation for Council action. Although published standards for university, college, and community college libraries (e.g., ACRL standards) may be used as a guide for deliberations, the Board and Council may interpret, revise, and/or depart from such guidelines at their discretion.

Institutional Criteria

In considering an institution’s application for full membership, the Alliance will take into consideration a number of institutional characteristics, including the following:

1. Institutional Profile

Statement of applicant institution’s mission and its strategic compatibility with the mission of the Alliance.
Statement of established and emerging areas of institutional interest and/or strength.
Number, characteristics, and locations of students, faculty, staff, and researchers.
Nature and extent of the applicant institution’s cooperative affiliations and relationships.

2. Library Collection

Adequacy of collections to support institutional needs.
Size and character of the circulating collection available to members via Summit.
Evidence of institutional commitment to maintaining collections at an appropriate level, including an acquisitions budget appropriate for the scope of the institution’s instructional and research enterprise.
Size and characteristics of non-circulating collections of specialized materials, special collections, and archives.

3. Budget

Evidence of resources available to meet the financial obligations of membership.
Evidence of continuing commitment to support the financial obligations of membership.
Evidence of an institutional commitment to support library materials and operations budget.

4. Library Staff

Evidence of staffing levels to meet consortial obligations and expected performance levels.
Adequate staff resources available to support participation in consortial governance and committee work, including travel to and hosting of meetings.
Evidence of an institutional commitment to professional development and innovation.

5. Materials Delivery

Designation as a courier drop site.
Commitment to consortial best practices and to meeting Alliance expectations for Summit borrowing.

6. Technical Preparedness

Evidence of staff expertise to meet various technical requirements and obligations.
Willingness and ability to support the requirements of participation in the SILS.

7. Governance

Council member willingness and ability to participate actively in consortial governance and committee work.
Resources available to support participation in consortial governance and committee work, including travel to and hosting of meetings.

The applicant institution is responsible for addressing these criteria in the member application form and the letter of interest.

Affiliate Participation

A limited number of services are available at the affiliate level and do not require full membership in the Alliance. These include:

Each affiliate service has criteria for participation. Contact the Executive Director or Program Manager for information on these services. Contact Alliance Staff.