Preservation Committee Meeting: November 14, 2025

Conference Call / Zoom

Members attending:

• Alex Altan, Prairie State College
• Liz Bloodworth, Illinois Wesleyan University
• Patti Gibbons, University of Chicago, co-chair
• Stephanie Gowler, Northwestern University
• Bonnie Parr, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
• Sata Prescott, Northern Illinois University
• Amy Sherwood, University of Illinois Chicago
• Jason Smith, Lewis University
• Bradley Wiles, Northern Illinois University, co-chair

CARLI Staff attending:

• Elizabeth Clarage
• Nicole Swanson

Tasks Assigned

• Minutes taken by Bonnie Parr.
• Sata Prescott will take meeting minutes for the next meeting on December 12, 2025.
• Committee members are requested to finish checking Preservation Resources links by the next meeting.
• Elizabeth Clarage and Nicole Swanson will report at the next meeting how they are updating the 2025 Preservation Survey Report (and the attached 2015 Survey) to meet ADA Title II accessibility guidelines.
• The sub-committee (members: Liz Bloodworth, Patti Gibbons, Stephanie Gowler, Jason Smith, and Bradley Wiles) will work on a “hand-out” document to use as a Severe Weather and Emergency Response resource.
• Elizabeth and Nicole, on behalf of CARLI, will contact Polygon about their disaster preparedness assessment program.

Decisions

• The October minutes were approved.
• On the Preservation Resources Webliography, the Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter (“X”) sections will be removed, but email lists and blog resources will be retained; the heading “Social Media” will be changed to “Preservation Email Lists and Blogs”.

Announcements

• Member Announcements:
  • Bradley Wiles (Northern Illinois University): A job opening for a Faculty Librarian in cataloging has been posted; applications are accepted until December 1.
  • Stephanie Gowler (Northwestern University): The Charles Deering Memorial Library has reopened after extensive renovations, updating accessibility issues and exhibit spaces; Stephanie was involved in the installation of a new exhibit featuring the “Treasures of Deering” (which includes the use of new Smart Cases).
• CARLI Announcements:
  • Laurie Blandino has been named senior director designate for CARLI, pending formal approval by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois; she will begin her role on December 8.
  • A webinar will be held on November 19, 2025 covering the topic of Title II accessibility regulations for AV materials; this is the 4th webinar of the ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries series.
  • Registration is now open for the “Preserving and Providing Access to Historical Newspapers in Illinois Library Collections” webinar, to be held on December 11, 2025; presenters are Jessie Knoles and William Schlaack; the webinar is sponsored by the University Library at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and the CARLI Preservation Committee.
  • The CARLI Archives Committee is sponsoring the “Introduction to Appraising Born-Digital Records” webinar, to be held on December 12, 2025.

Discussion

• The Committee reviewed links on the Preservation Resources website that were checked by members as “dead” or recommended for addition to the webliography; there was discussion about the limits of listing resources found on social media platforms (because they require an account to access or they are outdated). 
• Monthly Preservation Articles schedule:  
  • The November/December article will be written by Bonnie Parr
  • Alex Altan is scheduled to write the January article
• CARLI staff and committee members reported on the CARLI Annual Meeting and the AI Table Talk, held on October 21, 2025.
  • Bradley Wiles and Jason Smith moderated the table talk discussion about the current state of AI technologies and use in relation to preservation, particularly in developing values-based policies; the consensus is that most institutions don’t have a formal AI policy and that there is no consistency in what current policies cover in relation to AI use in preservation.
  • The report prompted a question and Committee discussion about how AI use/policies will affect shared resources and the security of data among consortium members.
• The first “Ask a Preservation Expert” session, held on November 12, 2025, had 21 registrants with 14 attendees during the Zoom session.
  • Preservation Committee members present to answer questions included Elizabeth Clarage, Bonnie Parr, Sata Prescott, Amy Sherwood, Jason Smith, and Bradley Wiles, with Nicole Swanson as moderator.
  • Questions included how to preserve a collection of newspaper clippings, how to deal with microfilm with vinegar syndrome, handling plaster sculptures, seeking an explanation why matted works were warped in storage, and what to do with collection items showing signs of past mold growth and stains.
• Elizabeth Clarage gave an update on the status of posting the 2025 Preservation Survey Report.
  • To meet ADA Title II standards for accessibility to online content, the report needs font changes, description of chart images, and updates to the attached 2015 Preservation Survey to be available in an accessible format. 
• The Committee discussed types of emergencies that could be addressed in a Severe Weather and Emergency Response information document (including non-weather-related emergencies) and available resources that can be used for reference.
• Bonnie Parr reported on information she obtained from the Illinois Heartland Library System about their book repair workshops.
  • The IHLS and the workshop presenter are interested in the possibility of holding workshops for CARLI members, depending on input from their Board of Trustees and their event planning for Spring 2026.
  • Pending affirmative information from the IHLS, the Preservation Committee should submit a program and costs proposal to the CARLI Planning Committee for holding in-person workshop(s).
• The Committee discussed sponsoring a disaster preparedness assessment program presented by Polygon, possibly to be held in March or April (timing related to tornado season).
  • A blurb about the program will need to be written for CARLI to advertise the event.
  • Hosting the Polygon program also may go well with other Emergency Resources efforts that the Committee is working on this year.
• Meeting adjourned at 2:06 pm

Next Meeting Dates and Deadlines

The next Preservation Committee meeting will be December 12, at 1:00-2:30 pm.

Future Committee Meeting Dates:
December 12, 2025, minutes taker: Sata Prescott
January 9, 2026, minutes taker: Amy Sherwood
February 13,2026, minutes taker: Jason Smith
March 13, 2026, minutes taker: Bradley Wiles
April 10, 2026, minutes taker: Alex Altan
May 8. 2026, minutes taker: TBD
June XX, 2026, minutes taker: TBD

Deadlines:
November/December article – submit a few days before December 5, 2025
January article – submit early in the week of January 19, 2026