Expanding Our Community: I-SPIE Welcomes U.S. Hybrid Pod Members

We’re excited to announce a new chapter for I-SPIE! In the spirit of collaboration and shared learning, I-SPIE is expanding to include members from the U.S. Hybrid Pod, welcoming participants from beyond the California State University (CSU) system. This expansion marks a significant step toward building a more dynamic resource sharing community of practice.

Originally, we planned to temporarily host the Hybrid Pod information on our site until the Ex Libris-sponsored Community of Practice went live. However, after listening to feedback from interlibrary loan (ILL) practitioners interested in the U.S. Hybrid Pod, it became clear that many in the field prefer grassroots, community-led initiatives over corporate-sponsored platforms. In response, we’ve decided to host the Hybrid Pod information on the I-SPIE website indefinitely, ensuring it remains accessible and community-driven.

By welcoming U.S. Hybrid Pod members, we hope to broaden the scope of our conversations and learn from a wider range of experiences and perspectives. This could mean fresh voices on I-SPIE TV, new ideas, and—fingers crossed—a renewed sense of energy and enthusiasm.

We also want to clarify the evolving roles of I-SPIE and the Resource Sharing Functional Committee (RSFC). Rather than overlapping, these two groups will complement each other: I-SPIE will focus on general resource sharing topics relevant to a broad audience, while the RSFC will continue to concentrate on CSU-specific issues.

We’re looking forward to this new phase and can’t wait to see how our growing community will shape the future of resource sharing.

Stay tuned—and welcome aboard!

- Natalya Magazino - CSU San Marcos