The idea for the Great Lakes Resource Sharing Conference (GLRSC) grew out of a directive from the Michigan Council of Library Directors (COLD) to its Resource Sharing Group to propose a collaborative project that would be beneficial to all member libraries. The resulting proposal was to create a regional, cost-effective conference to support resource-sharing endeavors for academic, public, and special libraries in the Great Lakes region.
The goals of the proposed conference were to:
| • | encourage resource-sharing best practices throughout the region; | ||||
| • | foster innovation and collaboration; | ||||
| • | provide a venue for sharing ideas, streamlining workflows, and marketing of services; and | ||||
| • | stay current with changes in resource-sharing trends. | ||||
Through the support of COLD and the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS), this proposal became a reality with the first Great Lakes Resource Sharing Conference in 2014. There was, of course, a great deal of work put into the development and execution of the conference, which extended far beyond the original charge to benefit COLD member libraries. GLRSC attempts to draw together resource-sharing professionals from the entire region, including eight states and one Canadian province.
The initial Planning Committee members were:
| • | Denise Forro (Co-Chair), Michigan State University | ||||
| • | Mike Hawthorne (Co-Chair), Wayne State University | ||||
| • | Susan Powers, Central Michigan University | ||||
| • | Christine Morris, OHIONET | ||||
| • | Lorna Newman, University of Cincinnati | ||||
| • | Anita Cook, OhioLink | ||||
| • | Randy Dykhuis, MCLS | ||||
| • | David Votta, MCLS | ||||
The 2014 conference was held in Perrysburg, Ohio, and featured a keynote address from James G. Neal, who, at the time, was University Librarian at Columbia University and is currently President-Elect of the American Library Association. The first year saw 141 attendees representing eight states and Canada. However, those eight states didn't correspond to those of the Great Lakes region. Instead, Kentucky and Colorado stepped in for Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The following year, GLRSC moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where innovator and IDS Project Executive Director Mark Sullivan was our keynote speaker. 127 attendees from 11 states joined us. Our reach broadened even further outside the Great Lakes region with resource-sharing professionals joining us from states as far-flung as California and Massachusetts.
The 2016 conference, which featured presentations from the authors included in this issue as well as others, was hosted in Indianapolis, Indiana. Attendees were inspired by incoming Chair of ALA RUSA STARS Heidi Nance's keynote speech. Attendance at this year's conference was 132 people from 11 states, again reaching outside the region.
The Great Lakes Resource Sharing Conference has certainly achieved the goals initially set forward by the COLD Resource Sharing Group. As the conference has moved from state to state, the Planning Committee has increased involvement from throughout the Great Lakes region and established a solid framework for producing a successful event. On behalf of Planning Committee members past and present, I extend my thanks to the many volunteers and presenters who have helped make it all possible. It is my sincere hope that next year's GLRSC will continue to build on the success of the past 3 years. I hope you'll join us in the western suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, on June 8–9, 2017. In the meantime, visit us at glrsc.org, like Great Lakes Resource Sharing Conference on Facebook, and follow @GLRSC on Twitter.