Governance / Preservation Committee Meeting: May 8, 2026

Preservation Committee Meeting: May 8, 2026

Conference Call / Zoom

Members attending: 

  • Liz Bloodworth, Illinois Wesleyan University
  • Patti Gibbons, University of Chicago, co-chair
  • Stephanie Gowler, Northwestern University
  • Dan Green, University of Chicago 
  • Sata Prescott, Northern Illinois University
  • Bradley Wiles, Northern Illinois University, co-chair

Members absent: 

  • Andy Meyer, North Park University
  • Amy Sherwood, University of Illinois Chicago
  • Jason Smith, Lewis University

CARLI Staff attending: 

  • Elizabeth Clarage
  • Nicole Swanson

Tasks Assigned

  • Minutes taken by Liz Bloodworth.
  • Sata Prescott will draft a proposal for an in-person, hands-on workshop in basic preservation and consider the number of instructors needed. 
  • If interested in helping with the in-person workshop, contact Sata. 
  • Bradley Wiles and Patti Gibbons will finish the draft of the annual report for the committee. 
  • Committee members should provide feedback on the draft of the annual report by May 20. 

Decisions

  • April 2026 minutes reviewed and accepted.
  • The committee will move forward with plans for an in-person workshop covering basic preservation skills.

Announcements

  • Member Announcements: None.
  • CARLI Announcements: 
    • Committee Membership:
      • We did receive approval for Dan Green to continue for a full, 3-year term beginning in July.
      • Our call for volunteers closed on May 1. By our next meeting, we should be able to share new members beginning in July.
      • During our June meeting, we will be taking volunteers to serve as co-chairs for the 2026-2027 Committee. So, be thinking about if you would like to volunteer and please let either CARLI staff or Brad or Patti know if you have any questions.
    • Continuing Education
      • Save the date: June 9, 2026, 1:00-2:00, Archives Committee Webinar on Archives and Emotional Labor – Registration is now open.
      • Programming recap regarding Ask an Archivist office hour: No attendees. 

Discussion

  • Ask A Preservation Expert recap, May 1, 2026: The Office Hours received a question regarding preservation of games, which led to an interesting conversation about the preservation of this unique type of collection especially in light of the need to circulate the games.
    • This discussion highlighted the growing presence of games in libraries. CARLI Preservation Committee might consider programming around games for next year.
    • Nicole will send links shared in the chat to attendees.
  • Polygon Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Services webinar, May 6, 2026: The program had about 80 registrants, and Matt DeCirce filled the full hour and stayed late for questions. His presentation covered a lot of content and included images that could
  • Monthly preservation newsletter/blog articles: Liz Bloodworth will be writing an article about digital preservation. That article will be due May 20 to CARLI. Bradley Wiles will write an article in June. A wrap-up article will be determined.
  • Emergency Response email: Bradley Wiles will be writing up an email for corn sweat and humidity concerns that will be going out this summer.
  • Digital Possibilities series: Nicole Swanson shared an overview of all sessions in this series. Registration for all sessions is open.
  • Book Repair/Basic Preservation workshop: Sata Prescott provided a rough outline for this proposed workshop:
    • Proposed plan: partner with LACONI/RAILS/others?
    • Use previous model: 2-3 presenters with specific methods discussed.
    • Hands-on kit of materials (would need funding)
      • Pick 3-4 specific skills (hinge repair, enclosure, page cleaning, et al?)
      • Total participant cap?
    • For an in-person, hands-on workshop, CARLI requires a proposal that includes a brief description, agenda, list of needed supplies, possible refreshments, and possible location. Pending approval, CARLI would then fund the purchase of needed supplies. 
    • The committee discussed timing and location. Sata Prescott offered to host in a lab at Northern Illinois University. Bradley Wiles is willing to help.
    • The program will focus on what to do preservation-wise given budget and time constraints. 
    • Advertising for an in-person workshop should start 4-6 months in advance to give institutions time to plan travel.
  • List of possible programming: The committee will pass along this list to next year’s committee members. The committee added games and audiovisual preservation to the list for future consideration. 
  • Preservation Committee Annual Report: Bradley Wiles and Patti Gibbons have begun drafting the report. They ask for feedback from other committee members. 
  • ADA Compliance: The deadline has been extended by a year. 
  • ALA in Chicago: No one has heard anything about open houses yet.

Next Meeting Dates and Deadlines

The next Preservation Committee meeting will be June 5, 2026.

Future Committee Meeting Dates:
September 12, 2025, minutes taker: Patti Gibbons
October 10, 2025, minutes taker: Stephanie Gowler
November 14, 2025, minutes taker: Bonnie Parr
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: Stephanie Gowler
May 8, 2026, minutes taker: Liz Bloodworth
June 5, 2026, minutes taker: Jason Smith

Deadlines: Committee annual report due on May 29.