About the Carolina Consortium
HISTORY AND GROWTH
The consortium was established in 2004 for the express purpose of doing "big deals" with three large publishers who, at that time, required a certain volume (number of subscribing schools, total aggregate spend, etc) before they would allow anyone into a big deal. In that first year, we had 37 colleges/universities and one community college participate in one or more of the three deals offered. Over the next decade, the consortium grew rapidly, adding many more members and offers, and greatly expanding both the types of products offered and the kinds of libraries eligible to join. Today, the Carolina Consortium is a large group of diverse libraries, spanning two states and working together to save hundreds of millions of dollars on a wide variety of library resources and services.
Organizational structure
Unlike most consortia of its size, the Carolina Consortium is very loosely organized. There are no MOU's, paperwork, or officers. It is staffed by part-time volunteers. The consortium has no bank account or other assets. It is not a 501(c)(3). At its annual meeting, the group discusses and decides the short and long term goals for the group, and whether any changes in direction are needed. Despite the large number of member institutions, we make decisions through consensus. In 2021 we set up our first standing committee, the Carolina Consortium Advisory Group, to advise the CC staff on complex and strategic issues. The Advisory Group includes- Joseph Thomas (thomasw@ecu.edu) - East Carolina University
- Carol Cramer (cramercj@wfu.edu) - Wake Forest University
- Maryellen O'Brien (mobrien@robeson.edu) - Robeson Community College
- Christee Pascale (cpascale@mailbox.sc.edu) - University of South Carolina
- Jean Gudenas (gudenas@musc.edu) - Medical University of South Carolina
Information Sharing
There are multiple consortium information channels. As new deals are negotiated or new information about existing details becomes available, members are notified via the listserv. A list of deals is publicly available on this website, and more detailed information is on our confidential Box site. NC/SC librarians who want to join the listserv or access the Box account should send a request to Tim.At our annual meeting, we discuss newly available deals and deals that are of special interest. Our vendor/publisher partners are welcome to attend parts of our meeting and discuss their products with interested consortium members.
Core Consortium Negotiators and Staff for 2024
Tim Bucknall (Founder and Convener), Christine Fischer, and Steve Cramer. The core group does most of the work of negotiating deals, communicating with the membership, planning events, and running the consortium. But we are ably assisted by volunteers who help with a variety of consortium deals and projects. Joseph Thomas (ECU) coordinates the OA aspects of CC deals.