Building the 'Bridge' Between Two Liberal Arts College Libraries

The Bridge Consortium was formed in 2003/04 for the express purpose of sharing library materials between Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges more efficiently. The first step was the decision by the libraries to adopt a single shared library system. The success of this endeavor set the stage for a much deeper level of collaboration between the two institutions. A consortium governance structure was established, which included working groups to manage and develop shared operations in key functional areas. Through these working groups, policies and procedures were developed to guide Bridge Consortium work, and new initiatives were developed to broaden the scope of collaboration. Since then, the combined staffs of the Carleton and St. Olaf Libraries have expanded the range of resources available to faculty, staff and students on both campuses, improved search and retrieval of materials, and provided comparable user services and experiences.