Strategic Priorities

The CARLI 2023 STRATEGIC PLAN outlines our organization’s aspirations and defines our understanding of the consortium’s focus. This plan—the third update since the foundational 2018 document—builds on the consortium’s many accomplishments since CARLI began almost 20 years ago, aiming to continue its growth and maintain its high level of excellence in member engagement and collaboration.

I am grateful to all who have contributed to the development of this plan, including the CARLI Governance Board and member library staff. The listening sessions, online surveys, and conversations with members, allowed us to work together to shape priorities and expectations, challenges and accomplishments, and to set our sights on how we would like CARLI to look in the future.

Anne Craig
CARLI Senior Director
October 1, 2023

CARLI 2023 Strategic Plan

Ensure organization-wide commitment to an environment of inclusiveness and openness

• Promote change and become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive; increase awareness and knowledge of practices and principles that CARLI and members can engage and learn to further DEIA
• Investigate and identify systemic racism and inequities in library policies, procedures, and services
• Engage with BIPOC communities, librarians, and educators to eliminate racism and inequities from library services and operations
• Develop inclusive services for all communities and peoples

Encourage innovation in skills, services, programs, and all aspects of CARLI operations and its members

• Encourage conversations about transformation, innovation, and evolving needs
• Connect institutions by providing opportunities for interaction and collaboration
• Facilitate innovation and transformation
• Develop and support Open Educational Resources

Align funding, staff, time, and expenditures with operations to exemplify CARLI’s mission, values, and strategic priorities

• Prioritize CARLI operations in support of core services (I-Share, e-resources brokering, professional development)
• Pursue alternative funding opportunities for the support of innovative programs and services
• Explore opportunities to collaborate with other states or organizations or academic library affiliated organizations

Establish and communicate the value proposition for academic and research libraries in Illinois

• Document the value that CARLI creates; articulate to policymakers and legislators how CARLI provides value to the State of Illinois and why it is a good investment of taxpayer dollars
• Provide opportunities for sharing information among the membership about funding successes and challenges

Enhance collaboration among libraries by identifying, nurturing, and supporting services and programs that can best be provided at scale

• Community
  • Facilitate and strengthen connections among member libraries
  • Support awareness and knowledge of CARLI’s array of services and programs
  • Identify new services/programs that are scalable and replicable
• Outreach and Marketing
  • Work closely with committees to support CARLI’s work
  • Leverage expertise of member libraries
  • Provide education and training in both in-person and virtual modalities that cover a variety of topics
  • Connect CARLI and member library programs and services to student outcomes such as retention and completion

Provide Resources, Services, and Tools for Discovering and Optimizing Information, Resources, and Collections

• Collaboration
  • Support the needs of member libraries with a focus on the superior functioning of the CARLI portfolio of services and programs
  • Support the needs of member libraries by enhancing services and programs through custom development, documentation, and focused education
  • Expand participation in and utility of I-Share