CARLI News March 27, 2025

CARLI News March 27, 2025

Submitted by mjhuls on Thu, 03/27/2025 - 10:37am

CARLI Committee Volunteer Application Open through May 2

If you have been considering volunteering for a CARLI committee, the application period will remain open until May 2. Volunteers chosen for a committee will serve a three-year term. Faculty and staff from all CARLI member libraries are encouraged to apply! 

Service on CARLI committees and task forces affords individuals a unique opportunity to use their experience and expertise to help shape the future of the consortium and its services. You can find more information including the charges for the various committees from the committee directory.

We hope you will apply during the 2025 committee volunteer period!

CARLI Governance Board Nominations

CARLI is seeking nominations for candidates to fill seats on the CARLI Governance Board. The Board is the governing authority of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois.
 
CARLI Governing Members will elect one Board member from each of three specified constituencies (public universities, community colleges, and private colleges and universities). Candidates receiving the most votes for each constituency will serve three-year terms, July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028.

The Public Universities constituency will also elect one board member to fill a mid-term vacancy with a two-year term, July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027.
 
Only the director of a CARLI Governing Member institution is eligible to serve on the Board of Directors. The director is defined as the person who is operationally responsible for the staff, services, and budget of the library, with titles that include, but are not limited to, Director, Dean, Chair, or Head Librarian. 
 
Members of the CARLI community may nominate themselves or others (permission of the nominee is required when nominating others) by filling out the online nomination form.
 
All nominations will be reviewed and a slate of candidates developed by the CARLI Nominating Committee comprising Stefanie Bluemle (Augustana College), Geoff Pettys (Southern Illinois University School of Medicine), Morgann Quilty (Parkland College), Anne Craig (CARLI), and Margaret Chambers (CARLI).
 
The nomination period will close at 5 p.m., Friday, March 28.
 
If you have any questions or if you have problems submitting a nomination, please email  with the subject line: Board Nominations.

Required Annual Illinois State Library Certification Due March 31

Each year, all Illinois library system member libraries (including all CARLI libraries) must complete the Illinois State Library’s mandatory library certification to qualify for State Library system services, programs and grants, and to remain eligible for CARLI membership. The certification must be completed by March 31, 2025. If you have not yet completed your certification, please do so as soon as possible.
 
Members should use L2 to complete certification. Libraries should complete the FY 2024 ILLINET ILL Statistical Survey ttps://www.ilsos.gov/departments/library/libraries/ill_survey.html before starting the certification form. 
 
If you need help gathering statistics, CARLI is happy to help. Please send a note to .

Apply for the CARLI Scholarship by June 1

The CARLI Scholarship provides financial assistance to current employees of CARLI Governing Member Libraries pursuing graduate studies leading to a Master′s Degree in Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Scholarships may be awarded for both on-campus and/or distance education programs.
 
Applicants must be employed by a CARLI Governing Member Library at the time of application. Preference is given to full-time employees, but part-time and student employees may also apply. The applicant must also be enrolled or accepted and will be a student in a graduate school program during the academic year, semester, or academic quarter for which the scholarship is received. First-time recipients are given preference, but students may apply for and be awarded the scholarship more than once. Candidates awarded the scholarship must supply proof of admission or enrollment to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before the scholarship is disbursed. Applications are due on June 1, 2025.
 
Amount for the 2025–2026 academic year (August 2025–May 2026) will be a minimum of $1,000.
 
Based on available funding and application review, CARLI reserves the right to increase or decrease the award amount, and/or award multiple scholarships or no scholarships for any academic year.
 
An individual will be selected by the CARLI Scholarship Committee based on the following criteria:

  • An applicant′s response to a personal essay question regarding his/her professional goals and objectives in pursuing a library career that demonstrates a commitment to the profession.
  • Strength of references. Three CARLI Scholarship Reference Forms are required, at least one of which must be from a librarian at the applicant′s library. References may include additional comments or letters. 

Scholarship Committee members are appointed annually by the CARLI Senior Director.

Give to the CARLI Scholarship Fund

We would like to thank our donors for their generous contributions to the scholarship fund. You can give to the scholarship fund online. The minimum donation is $5.00. We hope you will consider supporting future librarians and help CARLI grow the profession with a contribution.

Preservation Webinars

The CARLI Preservation Committee is pleased to invite CARLI members to three upcoming webinars:

Snakes in the Library! Book Snakes and Other Preservation-Related Crafts for Library Outreach

April 9, 10:00–11:00 a.m. 

Hands-on craft projects can be a great way to connect with library users, spark interest in a particular collection, serve as a fun de-stressing activity during finals week, and introduce users to preservation and book arts. Join Gabriel Hamer, Newberry Library, and Shelby Strommer and Arthur Hall, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, for a webinar focusing on easy outreach crafts including "snake" book weights and two simple sewn books. No preservation experience is required to host one of these activities in your library! 

The Preservation of Trustworthy Digital Records: 25 Years of InterPARES Research 

April 15, 1:30–2:20 p.m. (full symposium is 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.)

In the fifth presentation of the CARLI AI Symposium, Dr. Luciana Duranti, School of Information of the University of British Columbia (UBC), will first identify the goal and key products of each of the five phases of the InterPARES project, a multinational and multidisciplinary research endeavor on the long-term preservation of reliable, accurate and authentic digital records. It will then focus on examples of case studies and general studies that are being carried out by the researchers of the 5th phase of the project, I Trust AI, which is underway. I Trust AI aims to design, develop and leverage AI tools to ensure the long-term availability and accessibility of trustworthy digital records.

Ask a Preservation Expert 

May 1, 10:00–11:00 a.m. 

Do you have questions about the best way to store and preserve your institution's collections? Join the CARLI Preservation Committee for Ask a Preservation Expert virtual office hours. Committee members will be on hand to answer questions, offer advice, and share resources to help you plan for the long-term preservation and access of your materials. The Preservation Committee includes members who specialize in archives and special collections, conservation, collections care, disaster planning, and more. 

Don't have a specific question? You're still welcome to join the session and hear what other CARLI members want to know. 

The CARLI Electronic Resources Management Committee Presents: Usage Statistics

Register for the final CARLI ERM Committee presentation on Usage Stats presented by Megan Ruenz from Wheaton College. on Friday, April 11 from 1:30–2:30 p.m. This session will not be recorded.

CARLI AI Symposium

Join the CARLI Public Services Committee on April 15, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. for an engaging AI Symposium exploring the evolving role of artificial intelligence in academic libraries. This webinar will feature 50-minute sessions led by several CARLI committees, including: Commercial Products; Discovery Primo VE; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); Instruction; and Preservation.

Sessions will cover a range of topics, such as using AI for preservation, ethical considerations of AI tools, integrating AI into instruction, and more.

Attendees are invited to join for the entire day or for the sessions that interest them. View the Full agenda and registration on the CARLI Calendar. 

Questions? Contact the Public Services Committee Co-Chairs and .

CARLI Community Building 2025: Sharing Strategies for Instruction

Join colleagues from across Illinois to talk about library instruction! The CARLI Instruction Committee is excited to offer "CARLI Community Building 2025: Sharing Strategies for Instruction," where you can meet other librarians, grab lunch, discuss topics in library instruction, and learn from each other. This in-person event is being hosted by Illinois Wesleyan University on Friday, April 25 from 10:30–2:30 pm. 
 
Registration is required and limited to 25 people. Please register by April 11.
 
This event is free and open to library workers at all CARLI member institutions.
 
While lunch is not provided, participants are welcome to join the group in the campus dining hall for an all-you-can-eat buffet for $6 (cash or card), bring their own lunch, or choose to purchase lunch from the various restaurants that are within walking distance. Parking for this event is free.

Consortial Ebook Offerings Webinar

Are you curious about the ebooks available to you for purchase through an Illinois library consortium? Join us on Monday, April 28, 2:00–3:00 p.m. for a webinar with representatives of CARLI, RAILS, IHLS, and NILRC to learn about ebook programs available to academic libraries as a CARLI member and to ask your questions.

Please feel welcome to .

This webinar is intended for all CARLI member libraries' ebook purchasers. All Illinois library workers are welcome to join. 

Please register to attend.

Building Digital Archives with Minimal Staffing

The CARLI Archives Task Force is pleased to host this two-day online program on May 14–May 15, 1:00–4:00 p.m. on each day.

Digitization can help bring your archival materials to life by making them accessible and easy to use in a variety of projects and settings. There are many reasons to start digitizing your institution′s holdings, and likely just as many stakeholders who want an institution's archival materials digitized. If you don′t have a digitization department, this work can seem daunting—even if you do have a digitization department, you might have good reasons to supplement their output. This webinar will cover getting started on digitization projects in the archives when you do not have many resources.

We will cover equipment recommendations, digitization workflows, metadata, and platforms and tools for managing, accessing, and working with digitized or born digital materials. During the webinar, we will discuss advocating for resources, project planning, and documentation, along with demonstrations. Options for hands-on exploration of several content management systems will be available to registered participants.

All sessions will be recorded.

Registration is required. Register once for both days. Attendees are invited to attend all the sessions or those that interest them. 

Save the Date: Processing Archives Workshop

The CARLI Archives Task Force is pleased to announce an in-person, hands-on archives processing workshop, "Behind the Scenes: An Introduction to Archival Processing" for CARLI members at National Louis University in Chicago on June 6. More information and registration will be available soon.

ACRL Assessment in Action Workshop

CARLI, Illinois State University, and Illinois Wesleyan University, are pleased to host ACRL Assessment in Action: Demonstrating and Communicating Library Contributions to Student Learning and Success. The roadshow will be held on Thursday, June 5, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., at the Illinois State University Alumni Center,
 
In this full-day interactive workshop on strategic and sustainable assessment, participants will identify institutional priorities and campus partners, design an assessment project grounded in action research, and prepare a plan for communicating the project results. Librarians, library staff, and library administrators will learn how to design and implement robust assessments, collaborate with key institutional partners, and communicate assessment activities in engaging and effective ways. Presented by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
 
Designed for:

  • All librarians, library staff, or library administrators that seek to design and implement a student success assessment project.
  • Library staff or administrators who want to identify and improve relationships with campus partners and stakeholders.
  • Library staff of administrators who want to align library assessments with institutional priorities.
  • Library staff or administrators with little or no previous experience with the assessment cycle.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
 
Registration is required. Attendance is limited to 100. The non-refundable registration cost is $50, payable by credit card.

I-Share Resource Management Training Series

CARLI's I-Share Resource Management Training series focuses on how libraries may manage collections and metadata in Alma effectively, with an emphasis on Alma's functionalities for management of physical and electronic resources. This series will cover many topics that involve cataloging as well as the interaction of metadata with other library system functions, such as acquisitions, circulation, and discovery. Each session will highlight different processes and workflows for completing resource management tasks in both institutional and consortial perspectives.

Series content is aimed at those who are responsible for day-to-day work with MARC metadata and inventory data in an I-Share institution. Staff that are responsible for functions in acquisitions, fulfillment, discovery, or reporting may find the information useful as well. Primary emphasis will be on taking advantage of Alma functionality to complete tasks within resource management workflows. Limited discussion on broader cataloging practice and theory may be addressed as time allows.

Each 90-minute session will consist of 55-70 minutes of presentation, with periodic spaces for questions and exploration. Attendees will be encouraged to have examples ready for hands-on practice. 

Registration will be capped at 15 attendees per session, and sessions may be selected a la carte. Each session will be recorded and made available, and it is not necessary to register to receive access to the recording.
 

CARLI Database Brokering Program for FY26

CARLI will open Consortia Manager on April 1 so libraries can view pricing and make selections. We are still working on pricing and licensing issues from several vendors and will most likely not have everything available by that date. All pricing will be available as soon as possible.

OER Updates

Upcoming OER Community Chat

The CARLI OER Committee invites those at Illinois libraries to an informal discussion on Measuring Success Beyond Student Savings on April 17 from 10:00–11:00 a.m. If you are working on local OER and affordable programs, please join and share your thoughts and experiences and learn from your Illinois library colleagues. 

Dee Anna Phares, Northern Illinois University; Lauren Kosrow, College of DuPage, and Zach Claybaugh, Dominican University will lead this discussion.

Please register to attend.

Virtual Course: Understanding and Promoting Open Educational Resources

CARLI is pleased to offer a 3-week synchronous and asynchronous course on open educational resources in May 2025, with the live sessions on May 1, 8, and 15 from 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. 

This virtual course is designed to help the novice person learn about open educational resources to apply the information from this program to build their own local programs and workshops. The program is open to all CARLI members.

The virtual program will contain both synchronous (three live 90-minute Zoom sessions) and asynchronous (readings, videos, etc.) activities to be completed before each live session. The live sessions will include presentations, but the aim of the program planners is that these will incorporate a flipped classroom model to build community among participants as all share and discuss the topics.

Registration is available until April 29 or until the course is full. Course materials will be sent to registrants beginning on April 24. Attendees should plan to attend each live session.

CARLI-OER Email List

CARLI has established an email list for CARLI members to discuss and learn more about Open Educational Resources. Any person from a CARLI institution may subscribe to the email list.

Professional Development Alliance Events

The following programs from the Professional Development Alliance (https://www.carli.illinois.edu/professional-development-alliance) are currently on the calendar. Programs are offered on a wide variety of subjects. Check out everything the alliance is making available to our libraries!

  • April 2: Embedding AI in the Research Process: Supporting Multigenerational Learners with AI Tools and Credo Reference
  • April 9: Snakes in the Library! Book Snakes and Other Preservation-Related Crafts for Library Outreach
  • April 9: NISO Webinar: The Future of Open Access Beyond the Nelson Memo
  • April 10: Voices of the Catalog: A Digital and Oral History of Hennepin County Catalogers
  • April 15: CARLI AI Symposium
  • April 15: Navigating Intellectual Property and Scholarly Communications in the Age of Generative AI
  • April 23: Navigating Accessibility Updates: What Libraries Need to Know
  • April 24: Working Together to Improve Disability and Medical Subject Headings
  • May 2: AI Competencies for Library Workers
  • May 8: Critical Cataloging and the American Library Association Subject Analysis Committee
  • May 14–15: Building Digital Archives with Minimal Staffing
  • May 22: Reviving the Hennepin County Authority File
  • June 11: NISO Webinar: AI & the Research Cycle (Phase II: Data Collection & Analysis)

To register, visit the CARLI Event Calendar. Recordings of past CARLI-sponsored PDA events are available on the Professional Development Alliance website when permitted by the presenter. 
 
Are you interested in presenting a topic for CARLI members and the Professional Development Alliance? Or would you like to moderate a follow up discussion for an upcoming program? to become more involved in CARLI's continuing education efforts!

AI Competencies for Library Workers 

May 2, 1:00–2:30 p.m.

At the start of his term in June 2024, ACRL President Leo Lo established a task force to develop comprehensive AI competencies for library workers, aligning with the evolving needs of academic libraries. In this session, Dr. Lo and the co-chairs of the task force— Keven Jeffery and Jason Coleman—will present the most recent draft of the competencies, describe the processes used to create them, and discuss how they can be applied by library administrators, educators, faculty, and staff to help us and our patrons adapt to new ways of creating, consuming, analyzing, and describing information.

Preservation Tip

Getting Crafty with It: Preservation Crafts as Outreach 
Gabriel Hamer, Newberry Library

As library workers, we are often looking for ways to make libraries more engaging and accessible to our patrons. Preservation crafts can be an entry point into the wonderful world of libraries!

"Preservation crafts" is a loose term that covers any hands-on, easily teachable activity relating to bookmaking, book handling, or housing. They can be a good library outreach activity, engaging library users with library staff and doing a little education work along the way. Colleagues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Libraries, for example, host book snake sewing events as a de-stress activity during finals week.

Even if you work in a department like mine that does not host events for patrons, offering preservation crafts to coworkers in other parts of the library can be a wonderful way to acquaint them with preservation goals, book structures, and safe handling procedures. For instance, the conservation department at my library collaborated with staff from other departments to make poetry zines for our holiday party. It was a good chance to connect with coworkers from other departments, and we reviewed pamphlet stitching and how to use tools like awls and bonefolders.

Read more about craft-based outreach that you might develop for your library.

Other Library News

IACRL Spring Sampler 2025

The IACRL Conference and Continuing Education Committee is hosting the IACRL Spring Sampler 2025 on Thursday, April 17 from 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. This bite-sized conference is a great way to network and see the work being done by academic libraries and library workers across the state of Illinois and in all areas of library work. The event will feature a presentation on imposter phenomenon, round table discussions, and lighting talks. Register now for this free event that is open to all Illinois libraries. Do you want to be a part of the event? Check out the calls for participation and proposals!

Questions? Contact Joshua Newport, IACRL President-Elect, at .

2025 Open Repositories Conference

The 2025 Open Repositories Conference will take place from June 15–18 in Chicago. The program is now available.

The theme for the conference is "Twenty Years of Progress, a Future of Possibilities."  We will reflect on the progress and contributions that the repository community has made toward equitable access to digital resources and research outputs. We will also explore the future possibilities of what repositories can do to tackle existing challenges. Additionally, Heather Joseph from SPARC and Professor Ben Zhao from the University of Chicago will join us as the keynote speakers. 

Early bird registration is open through April 6, 2025. If you have any questions, please contact the . 

Screen Readers: An Introduction and Knowledge Sharing 

People interact with computers in a variety of ways. Amongst the blind community, screen readers are one way of interacting with computers. In this session, Screen Readers: An Introduction and Knowledge Sharing, on April 7 from 1:00–2:00 p.m., attendees will learn the basics of screen readers, including some common myths. Both sighted and blind members of the community are encouraged to attend and to share their experiences and knowledge. 

Presented by Mark Weiler, Wilfrid Laurier University Library. 

Upcoming CARLI Events and Meetings

Consult the CARLI calendar to view the current list of meeting times and locations.

Contact Us

Please direct all questions and comments about the e-newsletter to . 

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If you need disability-related accommodations to participate in any of the events mentioned below, please . Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.