Events

Events

Wed, Jul 15, 2026 / 2:00pm to 3:00pm

3D printing as a process for creating real-world objects from digital models has hit its stride in the consumer and academic spheres, and many places of learning are now equipped with some form of 3D printing – though a lot of printers are, sadly, collecting dust. Educators are looking beyond the initial novelty of these devices and imagining ways to deploy them for pedagogical support, and curricula that integrate 3D printing no longer need to be limited to pure tech or engineering disciplines.

This workshop will provide participants with a brief overview of 3D printing as a concept and a process, as well as practical advice on how to make the most out of a 3D printer in the classroom. Whether you want to create tangible, customized learning objects to facilitate understanding of complex ideas, or you want to actually include your students in the design process and foster a mindset of iterative “productive struggle”, join us for this session to spark your creativity and get excited about 3D printing!

Please register for the July 15th program.

Please note:

Do you have questions about 3D printing and how it can be combined with a pedagogical practice or OER? Please join us for 3D Printing Office Hours on July 16, 10-11 a.m.

If you have any questions, please contact .

Thu, Jul 16, 2026 / 10:00am to 11:00am

Do you have questions about 3D printing and how it can be combined with a pedagogical practice or OER? 

This Office Hour is to answer follow-up questions about 3D printing, offer troubleshooting advice, and any other related inquiries from the Illinois SCOERs participants.

All CARLI Members are welcome. Please join us!

Join the Office Hour via Zoom

Tue, Jul 21, 2026 / 10:00am to 12:00pm

Join us for the Summer 2026 Virtual CARLI New Directors' Institute held across two-hour Zoom sessions on July 13 and July 21. 

The CARLI New Directors' Institute is designed for library directors in their role three years or less; however, all CARLI member library directors are welcome to attend.  

Please register to attend each session. All programs will be recorded except the final Directors' Panel. 

Session 1: July 13, 9:00-11:00 a.m.

  • 9:00 a.m. "Communicating with the 'Dark Side' - Dr. Sarah Zehr Gantz
  • 10:00 a.m. "Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries" - Dr. Kate McDowell

Join Dr. Sarah Zehr Gantz and Dr. Kate McDowell to learn skills for communicating with your administration and how to craft evidence-based narratives for library advocacy and impact!

Session 2: July 21, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

  • 10:00 a.m. "CARLI Services Overview" - CARLI Staff
  • 11:00 a.m. "Directors' Panel: Sharing Experience, Answering Questions"

Learn about CARLI Services and benefit from the perspective of experienced library directors at CARLI-member libraries.

for the Directors' Panel by July 10.

Program

Session 1, July 13, 9:00-11:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m. "Communicating with the 'Dark Side'" - Dr. Sarah Zehr Gantz

This interactive session will provide strategies for communicating with administration at your institution. Talking with administrators can be daunting and frustrating, but it does not have to be. Come with a message you want to communicate to your administration that can be used as an example or case study throughout the session. 

Sarah Zehr Gantz is Associate Vice President for Academic Initiatives and Policies within the office of the Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs in the University of Illinois System. In this role, she works with academic programs and activities at the three system universities. Previously, Sarah held various roles at the Urbana-Champaign university, including admissions and career services within academic units, and public engagement, international relations, and corporate relations at the campus level. She also worked in consulting and nonprofit roles prior to joining the staff at the university. Zehr Gantz earned a BS in finance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a PhD in higher education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and she is currently pursuing a Master of Studies in Law (MSL) from Urbana. Zehr Gantz’s research interests include experiential learning programs such as internships, cooperative education, and apprenticeships, as well as higher education policy and international issues. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, reading, and community service.

10:00 a.m. "Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries" - Dr. Kate McDowell

How can your library craft stories from data ethically? Dr. Kate McDowell will introduce key ideas from her book Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries (ALA Editions, 2025), designed to help all library workers—whether data experts or story experts—craft evidence-based narratives for advocacy and impact. Participants will learn how to:

  • Leverage classic narrative structures for true stories that connect emotionally
  • Understand and reach diverse audiences with stories that inform and persuade
  • Increase the resilience of libraries through strategic approaches to contemporary conflicts 

Based on McDowell’s 30 years of library work and over a decade of consulting, this session shares insights from the IMLS-funded Data Storytelling Toolkit for Libraries. In an era of rising censorship and shrinking budgets, critical data storytelling supports library workers from the smallest rural branches to the largest academic institutions. This session is for anyone who wants to use data to tell the story of why libraries matter—truthfully, powerfully, and strategically. 
Learn more about her book.

Session 2, July 21, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m. "CARLI Services Overview" - CARLI Staff

Learn more about the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI), our staff, our relationship with the University of Illinois System, your membership and value, services available to your library, and committee opportunities.

11:00 a.m. "Directors' Panel: Sharing Experience, Answering Questions"

Benefit from the experience of CARLI-member library directors at diverse institution types and sizes on topics of interest or concern to you! Please  before July 10.

Wed, Jul 22, 2026 / 9:00am to 9:45am

A yellow background with a blue teapot adorned in multi-colored flowers in the upper right corner. The teapot is tipping forward to the left and curly tendrils of vines pour out with the letters E, R, M, and T. Each letter is periwinkle and are adorned in multi-colored flowers. The text is in blue and magenta. The CARLI logo appears in the lower left corner.

 

Image caption: A yellow background with a blue teapot adorned in multi-colored flowers in the upper right corner. The teapot is tipping forward to the left and curly tendrils of vines pour out with the letters E, R, M, and T. Each letter is periwinkle and are adorned in multi-colored flowers. The text is in blue and magenta. The CARLI logo appears in the lower left corner.

 

The Electronic Resources Management Tea is every fourth Wednesday of the month from 9 - 9:45 am on Zoom, June through August 2026. 

Wed, Jul 22, 2026 / 1:00pm to 2:00pm

Are you interested in adding dynamic assignments to your Open Educational Resources? Want to learn how to add H5P learning tools to your course materials? Or create stored testbanks to accompany the OER materials in your class? Then, this is the course for you. You should also request access to LibreStudio and Adapt on the LibreTexts site prior to the class so we can get you started creating new learning tools.

This workshop is part of a series of workshops designed for the support of Open Education Resources in the State of Illinois for the CARLI member institutions who have opted to use LibreTexts. Please share with faculty and staff who are interested in Open Education Resources.

Please register in advance.

 

Wed, Jul 22, 2026 / 1:00pm to 2:00pm

In this virtual, open conversation on building accessibility into vendor relationships under ADA Title II, discuss with library and consortial colleagues what the recent deadline extension means for you, share your experience setting content priorities, compliance workflows, and adding accessibility clauses into contracts, and consider how we can work together in these efforts. 

Discussion facilitators:

Amy Coughenour, Program Manager, Diversity & User Experience and Consortial Training Coordinator, Orbis Cascade Alliance
Rebel Cummings-Sauls, Director of Digital Services and Open Education Resources (OER), Florida Virtual Campus Library Services (FLVC)
Rachel Erb, Director of E-Resources,  Florida Virtual Campus Library Services (FLVC)
Jenny Taylor, Associate Director, Electronic Resources, Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI)

Please register to attend. This event will not be recorded.

 

 

Wed, Jul 22, 2026 / 2:00pm to 3:00pm

Do you have questions about the Illinois Support for the Creation of Open Educational Resources grant (SCOERs), the OER funding from the Secretary of State/Illinois State Library, or the CARLI Member OER Initiative? Do you need guidance creating your OER or ancillary materials?  

If so please feel free to join us with all your OER related questions. Registration is not required.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://illinois.zoom.us/j/84245967645?pwd=VkVQeGRQQVIvdXA2dWg4Umx4UU5rQT09

Meeting ID: 842 4596 7645
Password: 271282

Wed, Jul 22, 2026 / 11:00pm to 11:45pm

These monthly, informal, agenda-free meetings provide a platform for you to talk with other directors about topics on your radar and/or updates from your library. CARLI usually provides updates as well. CARLI rotates the meetings (day of the week, time of day) to accommodate busy calendars. We do our best to avoid conferences, holidays, and other conflicts. Please let me know about times/days that never work for you. If you cannot attend, you may send a representative. We look forward to seeing you all for conversation and updates!

Check your CARLI Governing Directors email for connection information.

The meetings are recorded. The link to the recording will be sent via the CARLI Governing Directors email list as soon as it is available and can be viewed for 30 days after the meeting.

Thu, Jul 23, 2026 / 1:00pm to 2:00pm

CARLI Committee members join the CARLI Staff Liaisons for a brief overview of what to expect when serving on a CARLI committee. You will hear from the CARLI Director and committee liaisons, and have the opportunity to ask questions. You might even meet some of your committee colleagues! Advance registration is required for this event.

Wed, Jul 29, 2026 / 1:00pm to 2:00pm

Liz Bloodworth, Illinois Wesleyan University, will discuss the use of AI tools for transcription of both oral history interviews and handwritten text documents. With increasing demands on staff time, especially in small shop archives, AI offers an opportunity to enhance the discoverability of archival materials through efficient transcription. Liz will share tips for using AI tools ethically and responsibly, stressing the importance of human review throughout the process. 

Then, Chris Levesque will discuss digital engagement in the University of West Florida’s Citizen Archivist Projects. During Library Week 2025 and 2026, the UWF University Libraries hosted participatory transcription events of letters and ship logs from their Digital Archives. This effort built on the well-known National Archives' Citizen Archivist model to engage students, faculty, and the larger UWF community. This talk will discuss selection of materials, implementation of the project, and lessons learned.

This webinar is the sixth of the summer Digital Possibilities webinar series, a CARLI and FLVC joint collaboration.

Presenters:

Liz Bloodworth has served as the University Archivist & Special Collections Librarian at Illinois Wesleyan University since 2023. She holds an MLIS with an archives specialization from the University of Missouri - Columbia and an MA in History from Illinois State University. Her research focuses on enhancing the archival research and learning experience for undergraduates.

Chris Levesque holds a joint appointment as a Digital Collections Archivist at the UWF University Libraries and as Archivist at the UWF Historic Trust. As an archivist, Chris is most interested in digital preservation of at-risk archival materials. His work as a historian focuses on the soldier’s experience of war and connections between war and religion.

Register to attend.

Hosted by FLVC

View additional webinars in the Digital Possibilities series

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