On August 31, we reached the soft-close of the Biodiversity Heritage Library’s Call for Support.

First and foremost, we want to thank everyone who has reached out with offers – large and small – and to all who shared our call across their networks. We’ve received some very promising proposals, and we’ll be reviewing these in detail over the coming weeks.

As we review these offers, we want to be clear about what will guide our decisions. Over the past month, the BHL community has agreed on a set of Guiding Principles for the Transition (2025–2026). These principles reflect our shared values and priorities, and will guide our decision-making as we shape BHL’s future.

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news: 🎉 The Biodiversity Heritage Library has a new fiscal sponsor – the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)!

This is a major step forward in securing a sustainable future for BHL.

As many of you know, the Smithsonian Institution will conclude its hosting role at the end of 2025. Since this announcement, BHL has been working diligently behind the scenes to establish new homes for its core functions. With CLIR now on board as our fiscal sponsor, the legal and financial infrastructure for BHL are firmly in place.

Since the release of our official Call for Support on 11 June 2025, the global response has been inspiring and heartwarming. We’re charting the course to a strong and sustainable future for the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Behind the scenes, many exciting conversations are underway, including offers of technical hosting, funding support, and staffing partnerships. As we transition from Smithsonian hosting, we’re seeking ambitious ideas for BHL’s future. 

Help us shape the future of the Biodiversity Heritage Library

The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is at a turning point. After nearly two decades of calling the Smithsonian Institution home, BHL must transition to a new hosting structure beginning in January 2026. Since receiving that news, we’ve been working steadily to secure a strong and sustainable future for BHL. In our last update, we shared the appointment of a Transition Director, the formation of a Transition Team, and a partnership with a fiscal sponsor.

Today, we release our official Call for Support. This is a pivotal moment in BHL’s journey, and we are counting on our community to help spread the word and contribute in whatever ways you can.

Leadership, Fiscal Sponsorship, and Hosting Opportunities

In April 2025, the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) released a public statement announcing that the Smithsonian Institution, our administrative and technical host since 2006, will step back from this role as of January 1, 2026. That announcement marked the beginning of a new chapter for BHL: one filled with both challenges and possibilities.

Today, we’re pleased to share the first in a series of monthly blog posts that will provide open updates on the progress of our transition. We know uncertainty can be unsettling, and we want to assure our global users, partners, and supporters that the transition is well underway, and that we are actively building a stronger and more sustainable future for BHL.

From April 7–11, 2025, the global Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) community gathered at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin for the BHL Annual Meeting. Hosted at one of Europe’s premier natural history museums, this year’s event brought together BHL Members, Affiliates and stakeholders for a week of strategic planning and collaboration.

Navigating Transition Amidst Change

BHL Annual Meetings are usually a time for joyous reunions and celebration of shared successes. This year, however, the meeting was shadowed by the recent announcement that BHL must secure alternative funding and find a new institutional host. In the weeks leading up to the Annual Meeting, the original agenda pivoted swifty towards solution-building. While core elements like committee reports and the ever-popular #BHLDay remained, much of the program was reshaped to focus on navigating the transition.

In 2017, The Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera published its final issue. The journal’s website was turned off and, to ensure ongoing access to the biodiversity knowledge contained within its articles, all volumes (1-49) were made freely available on BHL. The final editorial, entitled “JRL R.I.P.” was written by Rudolf H. T. Mattoni, the then President of the Lepidoptera Research Foundation. You can find it on BHL here.

Jump forward five years. On 4 January 2022, Scott Miller (@PNGmoths) tweeted about the sad passing of his friend Rudolf H. T. Mattoni (1927-2022). Miller’s tweet prompted the realisation (by Roderic Page) that a “bad actor” had resurrected the Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera website and had been using the journal’s title and ISSN to publish new articles. From 2018 onward, the fraudulent party published 262 articles in six issues across two volumes. These articles were not about lepidoptera (butterflies and moths); they covered a seemingly random array of topics, including economics, health, and business management.