Call for Public Comment and Endorsement: CARLI Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries

CARLI Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries

September 2024

On August 9, 2024, state university Western Illinois University (WIU) laid off all its librarians (except for the library dean), nine faculty librarians in total, effective May 2025.[i] This follows Columbia College Chicago’s May 2024 decision to lay off five staff, including the director, four of whom were librarians.[ii]

What has happened at WIU and Columbia is part of a growing national climate of budget cuts, mergers, and closures in higher education, for colleges and their libraries.[iii] CARLI members seek to participate in the conversations around the impact of shrinking access to information services in higher education on students, faculty, and other stakeholders. With this statement specifically, CARLI emphatically proclaims the importance of librarians in higher education libraries. Librarians (and libraries) are not an excisable luxury that is somehow detached from an institution’s educational excellence but are instead critical components of campuses and the academic experience. Their work is inextricably interwoven with student success and well-being for the duration of the student’s academic career, and they are important colleagues who contribute to the essential work of faculty.

Librarians serve the interdisciplinary teaching and research mission of higher education institutions. Every interaction with a student, undergraduate or graduate, is aimed at student success; that is, producing a successful, skilled scholar or professional who is informed by perspectives both within and beyond their course of study. Librarians also enhance the work of faculty in the roles of co-educators and partners in research.

Librarians connect students and faculty with available resources and services. They ensure that patrons can discover and access carefully curated collections that are scoped to the institution’s mission, curriculum, student needs, and faculty interests. Without librarians making these connections, students and faculty would be left without navigators. Professional faculty librarians are skilled in these areas in a way that staff are not. Campuses need human beings who can leverage technology to align with the mission and population of the school. Technical solutions will never be plug and play. Library staff are experts in using systems for immediate patron needs, but professional librarians use library systems for higher-level, specialized functions such as managing electronic resources, and configure systems, and create policies to support research, instruction, and collection management.

Academic librarians are on the frontlines of the information revolution. Access to global networks of scholarly communication is important for the economic health of our communities. Such access is also necessary for our students and faculty to contribute to vital political and cultural discussions that will shape the future of our world. Digital technologies have decentralized communication networks in ways that hold both promise and peril for the future. Academic librarians fill important leadership roles as campuses respond to new technology such as generative AI, Open Educational Resources, and the open access movement. [iv] [v] They are building healthy communities to collectively negotiate for an information ecosystem that is both equitable and affordable. Librarians also serve as advocates for intellectual freedom and the role of academic freedom in research and scholarship. For decades, academic librarians have anchored the complex information needs of campuses, and that need for information professionals is more pressing now than ever.

The role that academic librarians fill is not immediately visible without a deepened understanding of the work that is happening every day in every library, a day that includes contact with a spectrum of patrons from a variety of backgrounds who have needs ranging from deficits in basic information skills, to social and life needs, to deep exploration of niche subject areas and the communication of innovative ideas.

Today’s academic libraries make resource discovery and access seamless for students and faculty. Library services and spaces are critical supports for academic success, career preparations, and student well-being. Professional-level library personnel are essential for the development of resources, systems, services and space that reflect the radical and transformative changes which are occurring in higher education and in society. Libraries are a vibrant, central piece of every campus.[vi] CARLI and its members see firsthand the library’s value and contributions to learning, creativity, retention, graduation, and skill development. Our members’ contribution to Illinois higher education is lasting and intertwined with their parent institutions’ missions.

For all these reasons, CARLI asks all stakeholders within the higher education community to advocate for protecting academic librarians so they may continue contributing to the robust environment of learning and innovation within Illinois. We want Illinois students to be the most highly educated and engaged population possible. Such an aspiration points to high employment, innovative approaches to problem solving, and an understanding of diverse viewpoints. [vii]

Endorsed by the CARLI Governance Board on September 18, 2024.

• Chicago State University Faculty Senate

  • The Chicago State University Faculty Senate voted to endorse the CARLI Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. William Jason Raynovich, 2024-2025 CSU Faculty Senate President 

• chicago state university

  • I fully endorse this statement. Gabrielle Toth, Chicago State University

• Dominican University

  • As Director of the School of Information Studies at Dominican University, I submit this endorsement of CARLI's statement on behalf of the entire full-time faculty of the school. The loss of librarians, as seen at Western Illinois University and Columbia College Chicago, is deeply troubling. Librarians are essential to the academic mission as collaborators in student and faculty success. They provide specialized expertise, cultivate information literacy, and ensure equitable access to resources. The SOIS faculty unanimously support CARLI’s call to advocate for the protection of librarians, thereby sustaining the quality and integrity of higher education. Don Hamerly, Dominican University

• Elgin Community College Faculty Association

  • The Elgin Community College Faculty Association stands in solidarity with our librarians and all the faculty librarians at higher education institutions in Illinois. Professional librarians are an integral part of the academic mission, and they are vital to a well-functioning college or university. We strongly support this statement and affirm our belief in the value that librarians bring to our institution and other institutions across the state. Dan Kernler, President, Elgin Community College Faculty Association

• Executive Committee of the Academic Assembly at the University of St. Francis

  • The Executive Committee of the Academic Assembly at the University of St. Francis endorses the CARLI Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries. Professional librarians play a crucial role in making informed decisions about informational resources that are responsive to the unique needs of faculty and students at their institutions. Over half of our students are the first in their families to attend college. They deserve access to resources for navigating information and conducting research, informed by the expertise of appropriately-compensated, professional librarians, as do all students. Without professional librarians securely employed in our universities, we cannot fulfill our mission to our students.Submitted by Dr. Erin Evans, Professor of Education and Chair of the Academic Assembly at the University of St. Francis on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Academic Assembly. Statement written by Dr. Anna Ioanes, Assistant Professor of English, University of St. Francis and member of USF's Executive Committee of the Academic Assembly.

• faculty senate of western illinois university

  • The Faculty Senate of Western Illinois University voted to endorse the CARLI Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries at its October 22, 2024 meeting. Jeremy Robinett, Faculty Senate, Western Illinois University

• faculty senate of southern illinois unversity edwardsville  

  • The SIUE Faculty Senate voted unanimously to endorse the CARLI Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries.. Marcus Agustin, 2024-2025 SIUE Faculty Senate President

• Heartland Community College

  • I fully endorse this statement.  Librarians are what make libraries respected, trusted, and essential to the higher education endeavor. Rachelle Stivers, Heartland Community College

• health science librarians of illinois

  • The Western Illinois University faculty librarians provide academic support for the programs in nursing, public health, kinesiology, dietetics, and nutrition. This support includes teaching students the value of going beyond Google, so that they are able to identify and access the best health science research, and also critically appraise evidence for validity and clinical usefulness for future patients and clients. Eric Edwards, 2022-2024 Health Science Librarians of Illinois President, Elizabeth (Betsy) Sterner, 2024-2026 Health Science Librarians of Illinois President

• Illinois Institute of Technology

  • I fully endorse this statement. Devin Savage, Illinois Institute of Technology

• Illinois Wesleyan University

  • Libraries are essential to the mission and vision of higher education; librarians are vital to translating mission and vision into action. On behalf of the library faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University, I endorse this statement. Stephanie Davis-Kahl, Illinois Wesleyan University

• morton college

  • Thank you CARLI for expressing member concerns in such a strong statement. Librarians are essential to students to help them navigate the challenging information landscape. New technologies and old tactics being used to misinform and confuse people can be hindered by the work library and information professionals. Librarians teach students among others, how to utilize information literacy skills to find truthful and correct information. These professionals are important in higher education because they assist at molding and developing critical thinking skills for the next generations. Thank you again CARLI for bringing light to the challenge we are currently facing. Guillermo Gasca, Morton College

• National Archives at Chicago

  • Honor and appreciate professional curators of documentary materials. They make information accessible. Eric Vanek, National Archives at Chicago 

• Network of Illinois Learning Resources in Community Colleges (NILRC)

• Northern Illinois University

  • On behalf of the library faculty of Northern Illinois University, I endorse the CARLI Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries. The statement itself clearly itemizes the many contributions of librarians to the academic mission, but just to emphasize: students may not graduate from the library, but no student graduates without the library. Librarians are vital to the functions of an academic institution and must be recognized and protected as educators and faculty both within and outside the classroom. Removal or reduction of librarians in an effort to economize does so at the expense of the academic mission and success of students. Frederick Barnhart, Northern Illinois University

• oakton college

  • I wholeheartedly endorse the CARLI statement emphasizing the vital role of professional librarians in higher education. Denying access to these skilled professionals creates significant barriers to information literacy and perpetuates inequities. Librarians provide essential guidance in navigating the complexities of information retrieval, evaluation, and ethical use. Their absence disproportionately impacts students from disadvantaged backgrounds who may lack the necessary skills and resources to succeed in their academic pursuits.

    Furthermore, in an age of rapidly evolving AI technologies, academic librarians are crucial in equipping students with the critical thinking skills needed to evaluate and utilize information responsibly. They will play a key role in shaping a workforce prepared to thrive in an AI-driven world. Jacob Jeremiah, Oakton College

• Principia College

  • I support this statement. Edith List, Principia College

• Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) Board of Directors

• Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing

  • I wholeheartedly endorse this statement, and the opinions expressed by my fellow librarians. Bill Komanecki, Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing

• Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

  • I fully endorse this statement and thank CARLI for their continuous support of libraries and librarians. Geoff Pettys, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  • We write to express our strong support for the CARLI Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries and our deep concern for our colleagues at Western Illinois University. Professional librarians’ advanced training makes them critical partners in knowledge creation at every institution of higher learning and they should be appointed and compensated accordingly. Librarians collaborate with scholars to solve information problems in every domain, and they are dedicated to building a more equitable, just information future. The success of our students and faculty depends on an effective, thriving community of academic librarians. Claire Stewart, Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Dean of Libraries and University Librarian, on behalf of the Library faculty at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Libraries sit at the heart of any college or university supporting staff, students, faculty and even members of the public with research, teaching and access to knowledge. They are fundamental to the mission of the University. Sara Benson, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• As the Western Illinois University Chapter President of University Professionals of Illinois (UPI), the union that represents all of our librarians, I wholeheartedly endorse CARLI's statement. There is no university without libraries and librarians. We must stand together for the future of higher education. Merrill Cole, Western Illinois University
• Librarians are vital to education. Teresa Helena Moreno, University of Illinois Chicago
• I am delighted to support such a thoughtful and necessary letter. Robert D. Karpinski, PhD, DePaul University
• Fully endorsed. Thank you! Joel Shoemaker, Methodist College
• I support this statement on the importance of librarians in academic libraries. Matthew J. Ostercamp, North Park University
• I endorse this statement. Pattie Piotrowski, University of Illinois Springfield
• Thanks to the CARLI Board for this strong statement. Library faculty/librarians are essential partners in student learning and faculty research, and our colleges and universities cannot thrive without them. Claire Stewart, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Librarians drive a library's vision, strategic planning, innovation, and responses to ever-changing university needs and the information landscape.  Without librarians, who is steering the ship?  I endorse the statement from CARLI. Matt Gorzalski, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• Librarians are essential connective tissue, facilitating research and scholarship happening across campus. Contemporary social problems call for increasingly interdisciplinary solutions and the library is one place on every campus where the basic infrastructure for interdisciplinary knowledge sharing and collaboration exists. Divesting from the skilled professionals that can tend to that infrastructure and improve it is an incredibly shortsighted decision. Sveta Stoytcheva, DePaul University
• THANK YOU to the CARLI Board for writing this important statement, and I only wish that it was not necessary. We WIU Librarians appreciate the support we have received from the library community, both from here in Illinois and from across the nation. Thank you. Michelle Holschuh Simmons, Western Illinois University
• I endorse the above statement from CARLI. Reading and access to reading is a right. Libraries are one of the last democratic spaces in the United States. Let's keep them that way. Joy Matteson, Benedictine University
• I fully endorse this statement. Marlee Graser, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
• The advent of the AI age opens up more need for academics librarians for a number of reasons. Finding facts and truth, identifying/creating/acquiring authentic tools and resources, advocating for users, etc. can be even more complicated rather not less, making librarians even more vital.  Examples here: AI challenges for librarians; AI Has Already Become a Master of Lies And Deception, Scientists Warn; We Asked ChatGPT About Art Theory. It Led Us Down a Rabbit Hole So Perplexing We Had to Ask Hal Foster for a Reality Check. Melody Allison, Retired
• Librarians partner with the entire campus community to make certain that students, faculty, and staff have access to the resources they need to succeed in their education and careers. To fire librarians is to leave patrons with an overwhelming disadvantage when competing with people at other institutions. It is a horrible mistake by the WIU administration and all other institutions who do so. Eric Willey, Illinois State University
• Librarians and libraries are an integral part of all higher education institutions. Without librarians guiding students and other patrons with research and the search for knowledge, all higher education institutions will fall behind. Libraries and their staff/faculty must be protected. Allison Isztok, North Central College
• I endorse this statement. Joanna Kolendo, Chicago State University
• I have two degrees from Western Illinois, and I worked in the library as an undergraduate. It makes me sad and angry that the librarians at WIU are being eliminated. Let's eliminate some administration first. I have never been so ashamed of my alma mater. Cindy Ingold, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• I endorse this statement. Melissa Stinnett, Western Illinois University
• Academic librarians are vital to higher education. Those in positions of power at institutions of higher education must protect and value academic librarians. Stacey Shah, Elgin Community College
• We must have librarians in our academic institutions! Lisa Del Giudice, Elgin Community College
• Having worked in both academic libraries as a librarian and as an instructor in information literacy, the need for specialized research skills is more evident than ever. Academic librarians help students evaluate and choose high quality information, and assist them in navigating the information landscape. Students don't know what they don't know--when you show them, they are grateful and empowered. Classroom faculty work in conjunction with librarians to move students into higher literacy. It benefits them as students, citizens, and professionals. Maria Ashton-Stebbings, Elgin Community College
• As a past president of the Illinois Library Association and an academic librarian with over 25 years of experience in Illinois libraries, I wholeheartedly endorse this statement. Librarians are essential partners in student success. Heather A. Jagman, DePaul University
• Libraries are vital to universities. Gabriel Gomez, Chicago State University
• As a trustee of our village library, and as a professor of languages at SUNY Canton, I urge Western Illinois University to invest in its library and its librarians, those who will shape those "magic casements" with which our students and community will view our future environmental and social challenges. Ali Shehzad Zaidi, Canton Free Library
• Librarians are essential to any degree program. Without a staffed library, your students and faculty have no support for their research. Libraries are at the center of an accredited institution and deserve to be appreciated for the jobs they fill and the lives they impact. Erica Ohman, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign