Member News & Announcements, July IO 2025
Industry Leadership
Georgetown Hires New University Librarian and Dean of the Library
Georgetown University, L.S.A Member, Press Release, June 18, 2025
Georgetown has appointed Alexia Hudson-Ward, a leader in university library systems, as the new university librarian and dean of the library.
Hudson-Ward will begin her role on Aug. 30, 2025, following the departure of Library Dean Harriette Hemmasi, who is retiring after seven years at Georgetown.
Robert H. McDonald Appointed Senior Vice Provost and Director of the University of Texas Libraries
University of Texas, L.S.A Consortia Member (Amigos), Press Release, June 10, 2025
The University of Texas at Austin announces the appointment of Robert H. McDonald as Senior Vice Provost and Director of the University of Texas Libraries, effective August 16, 2025. McDonald currently serves as Dean of University Libraries and Senior Vice Provost of Online and Extended Education at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he has led transformative initiatives in digital scholarship, online learning and library services.
“Robert McDonald has a deep understanding of the evolving role that research libraries play in higher education and beyond,” said David Vanden Bout, Interim Executive Vice President and Provost. “I am confident that his proven leadership in digital strategy, scholarly communication and academic innovation will enable him to further UT Libraries’ legacy of innovation. His leadership will be a powerful asset as we weigh the opportunities presented by emerging technologies during this ongoing period of transformation.”
Roger Schonfeld Named Managing Director, JTSOR Digital Stewardship Services
ITHAKA, Voting Member, Press Release, June 2, 2025
ITHAKA announced today that Roger Schonfeld will lead JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services as its managing director.
Launched in April 2025, JSTOR Digital Stewardship is a new digital collection stewardship solution designed to help libraries and archives describe, preserve, manage, and share their unique collections at scale. This service integrates next generation digital asset management with AI-powered collection processing using JSTOR Seeklight, long-term preservation powered by Portico, and paths for increased discovery through the JSTOR platform.
Partnerships & Collaborations
Clarivate Partners with American Library Association to Advocate for US Libraries
Clarivate Analytics, Voting Member, Press Release, June 9, 2025
Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CLVT), a leading global provider of transformative intelligence, today announced a new milestone in its decades-long partnership with the American Library Association (ALA). Clarivate will be the first sponsor of the ALA Public Supporter Program, which engages the public in supporting libraries and library professionals.
The ALA is the largest library association in the world. It advocates for libraries, library workers, and everyone they serve, from small, rural libraries to the largest library systems in the country.
PALCI Reaches Partnership Milestone, Stockton University Joins as 80th Member
PALCI, L.S.A. Consortia / Voting Member, Press Release, June 2, 2025
The Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation (PALCI) is proud to welcome Stockton University’s Richard E. Bjork Library as its 80th member institution. Located in Galloway, New Jersey, Stockton joins PALCI’s growing consortium of academic and research libraries working together to provide cost-effective, sustainable access to academic resources and services across the region.
As a mission-driven institution dedicated to inclusive access to higher education and student success, Stockton University brings a powerful commitment to academic excellence and innovation in library services. PALCI membership will expand Stockton’s access to affordable electronic collections and interlibrary loan services, including the consortium’s expedited EZBorrow system. These enhanced capabilities are especially critical this year as Stockton undertakes an $19.5 million renovation of the Bjork Library — ensuring continued access to research materials while physical collections are temporarily displaced.
Awards & Honorable Mentions
CCC Wins SSP 2025 Excellence in Publishing, Information Technology & Communications Gold Award
Copyright Clearance Center, Voting Member, Press Release, June 18, 2025
CCC, a leader in advancing copyright, accelerating knowledge, and powering innovation, announces its OA Intelligence software solution that helps publishers automate data enrichment, modeling, and analysis to accelerate OA strategy, was named a Gold winner in the Society of Scholarly Publishing’s (SSP) 2025 Excellence in Publishing, Information Technology & Communications (EPIC) Awards.
SSP’s EPIC awards highlight the remarkable achievements of individuals and teams who are advancing scholarly publishing through creativity, collaboration, and cutting-edge innovation. CCC and other finalists were selected across five top-level categories, each with multiple subcategories to recognize the diverse ways organizations and individuals are pushing the boundaries of scholarly communication.
Infrastructure & Platforms
ASTM Digital Library Launches on the Silverchair Platform
ASTM International and Silverchair, Voting Members, Press Release, June 26, 2025
Silverchair and ASTM International announced the launch of the enhanced ASTM Digital Library on the Silverchair Platform. ASTM International is a globally recognized leader in engineering standards and technical publications. This strategic partnership provides users with advanced access to ASTM's comprehensive collection of more than 35,000 chapters and papers, including 17,000 journal articles spanning multiple engineering disciplines.
The ASTM Digital Library houses a diverse array of engineering content, including ASTM journals, proceedings, manuals, monographs, data series, and technical reports. By migrating to Silverchair's cutting-edge platform, ASTM users will benefit from enhanced search capabilities, improved user experience, and access to Silverchair's innovative AI-powered discovery tools that help researchers find relevant content more efficiently.
Open Access, Open Research
Knowledge Unlatched Finds a New Home with Annual Reviews
Annual Reviews and Wiley, Voting Members, Press Release, June 26, 2025
Annual Reviews today announced that it has signed an agreement with Wiley that enables Knowledge Unlatched (KU) – most recently owned and operated by Wiley – to move to a new home within the Annual Reviews organization. The move supports one of the most recognized initiatives in open access publishing and marks KU’s return to nonprofit stewardship.
Founded in 2012 by publishing innovator Frances Pinter, KU pioneered a crowdfunding model that enables libraries worldwide to support the open access publication of scholarly books and journals. Its programs have made thousands of titles freely available to readers everywhere, demonstrating the power of collective action to advance open scholarship.