CARLI Board Members

CARLI Board of Directors Roster and Terms

Fred Barnhart Dean, University Libraries Northern Illinois University	Fred Barnhart's entire two decade plus professional career has been influenced by ILCSO, IDAL, and then CARLI, and knowing firsthand the benefits of membership and collaboration, and he is honored to serve on the Board of Directors. He believes strongly in the power of CARLI to advocate for our member libraries and look forward to contributing as a library director and also as a passionate believer in the importance of education for our state. "We know that the future of Illinois depends on education, whether it is offering opportunities for first generation students, encouraging the pursuit of lifelong learning, or sharing our immense collections more broadly with the world. I welcome the opportunity to work with CARLI in a new way to continue its successes into the future."
Spencer Brayton Library Manager Waubonsee Community College	Spencer Brayton is Library Manager at Waubonsee Community College (Sugar Grove, IL and Aurora, IL) where he works to support library services, operations, strategic planning, and growth of the college libraries. Spencer holds an M.A. in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an M.S. in Management from the University of St. Francis (Joliet, IL). His research interests focus on the convergence of media literacy and information literacy. Together with Natasha Casey, he has co-authored several forthcoming articles in this area. He has presented at and/or served in various capacities for the following organizations: National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE), Canadian Association of Academic Librarians (CAPAL), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Global Alliance for Partnerships on Media and Information Literacy (GAPMIL), United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). He maintains a website and blog, “Converging Spaces.” “Leaders should value the voices of others, and de-center themselves as much as possible because collective action is effective action, and requires many, not few, or one person’s priorities.” – Donna Lanclos
Anne Craig CARLI Senior Director	Since July of 2016, Anne Craig has had the privilege of serving as the Senior Director at CARLI, the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois, a unit of the System Offices of the University of Illinois. CARLI counts 128 academic and research libraries as its members, ranging in size and scope from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to small, one-person libraries, and research libraries like the Newberry. Prior to July 2016, Anne was the Director of the Illinois State Library for 11 years under Secretary of State Jesse White. She held various roles at the ISL since start there as a Reference Librarian in 1989. "I have seen firsthand the power that consortia can bring to challenges that all libraries face. Together, we can deliver transformative, enriching services and programs to Illinois’ students and faculty. I am so proud to be part of this great organization!"
Rebecca Donald Director, University Library Services Trinity International University	Rebecca Donald is currently the library director at Trinity International University (TIU). In the past she has served as Head of Public Services at TIU and as a Reference Librarian at Lake Forest College. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She gained an MA in Christianity and Contemporary Culture at TIU, with a thesis on “The power of unlimited care: An examination of Nel Noddings’ feminist care ethics, Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy and Anders Nygren’s theology of agape.” In addition, she is presently in the PhD program in educational studies at TIU, and is beginning dissertation research on feminist care pedagogy in academic libraries. "A professor recently commented to me that she believed the two most caring professions are nurses and librarians. I appreciate how CARLI enables us to care well for students and others at our institutions."
Jeff Douglas Director of the Library Knox College	Jeff Douglas has an M.S.L.S. degree from the University of Kentucky. He has served on the ILA Public Policy Committee, the executive board of the Illinois State Historical Society, and as a programming and facilities consultant with liberal arts college libraries. Jeff is a member of ALA, ACRL, and ALA's College Libraries and Rare Books and Manuscripts sections. He has published on Illinois history and the history of the book. Jeff worked with RhodesWorks LTD of Champaign to design and install exhibits at Knox on the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the history of Knox’s Old Main. “The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together: our virtues would be proud, if our faults whipped them not; and our crimes would despair, if they were not cherished by our virtues.” ----- All’s well that ends well.
Cindy Fuller Director, Staley Library and Associate Professor Library Millikin University	Cindy Fuller, a long-time participant in CARLI in various capacities, recognizes the important role CARLI plays in the life of academic libraries within the state of Illinois. She serves as a representative of private universities on the CARLI Board of Directors. Her experience in libraries includes reference, technical services, acquisitions, electronic resources, and now administration, as the Library Director at Millikin University for over 8 years. Her previous CARLI experience includes service in user groups, functional teams, task forces, and the Board. She was a member of the I-Share Next Task Force. All of these offer a depth and breadth of knowledge that can be useful to the Board it continues to advance CARLI’s member-driven mission, and to advise and guide the next CARLI Senior Director. "CARLI’s commitment to providing resources to member libraries and to providing mechanisms for libraries to access and share those resources is strong, and I am pleased to continue my commitment to CARLI by lending my voice and expertise to the work of the Board of Directors."
Karen Janke Director, Library Erikson Institute	Karen Janke has been the Director at the Edward Neisser Library at Erikson Institute since 2009. Prior to relocating to Chicago, she held several roles at the IUPUI University Library in Indianapolis, including Education Librarian and Access Services Team Leader. Her interests include resource sharing, collection development, and Open Educational Resources. "As the library director at a very small graduate school, I feel the impact of our CARLI Membership on a daily basis. The return on our investment is high and my library is able to offer resources to our users that would be out of reach were it not for CARLI. Library staff members also benefit from the training, professional development, and networking that CARLI provides. Coming from a small institution, I feel I have a unique perspective to share and I’m eager to make a contribution to shape the strategic direction of the Consortium."
Jacob Jeremiah Assistant Dean of Library Oakton Community College	Jacob Jeremiah has been Assistant Dean of the Oakton Community College library since 2016, and has been working in I-Share libraries for more than a decade. His interests include promoting and assessing information literacy throughout the college’s curriculum and Open Educational Resources. "I value CARLI for the service it helps to provide my students, faculty and employees through universal borrowing in the I-Share catalog, consortial purchasing, and professional development."
Tammy Kuhn-Schnell Dean, Library Lincoln Land Community College	As a community college library dean at Lincoln Land, Tammy Kuhn-Schnell sees every day the difference that CARLI membership makes in the quality of research and information found by her students and faculty. She sees the difference that CARLI makes in the inner-workings of our library operations and the important role that CARLI plays when demonstrating value to college administration. "I have a longstanding commitment to CARLI, having worked in Illinois academic libraries for over 20 years, with 6 years as the dean of LLCC’s library. I have a strong service history with CARLI that includes the I-Share Next Task Force, the I-Share Users’ Group and the I-Share Acquisitions and Serials Team. I look forward to continuing to serve and represent community colleges in CARLI and to influence the important direction the organization takes in the future."
Taran Ley, MS, AHIP-S Director, Medical Library Southern Illinois University School of Medicine	Taran Ley is currently the Director of the SIU School of Medicine Library in Springfield, IL. Representing a public university, Taran has worked in libraries for 29 years with 21 years as a library director. As a Director, she is familiar with the state budget process, procurement requirements, vendor licensing, grant application and administration, and other issues faced by our libraries. She is a strong supporter of CARLI and the vital services the consortium provides.
Greg McCormick Director Illinois State Library	“The State Library has a long history of assuring grant programs are developed to support and expand library services in over 1,800 public, academic, school, and special library agencies in Illinois. LSTA funds, and even funding from its predecessor LSCA, have played an integral role in assuring library services are available and continue to be relevant to the state’s residents. Three clear priorities continue to be voiced by our libraries 1) investment in resource sharing; 2) continuance of “free” delivery of library materials between the 1,800 library agencies; and 3) investment in the education of the library workforce. Funding from IMLS, coupled with state resources, allows our agency to address these priorities of the Illinois library community.”
Pattie Piotrowski University Librarian and Dean, Library Instructional Services University of Illinois Springfield, Brookens Library	Pattie Piotrowski, University Librarian and Dean, Library Instructional Services at the Norris Brookens Library, University of Illinois Springfield, has spent the last twenty years in Illinois academic libraries. She holds an MLIS from Dominican University, and an MBA from Illinois Institute of Technology. She has been a member of ALA and ACRL since the start of her career, as well as an active member of ILA. She served as the 2013-14 IACRL President and then as the ILA President in 2016-17. She was a member of the 2003-04 Synergy: Illinois Library Leadership Initiative co-hort and a founding member of Elevate Illinois Libraries Leadership Program, which had its first session in April 2018. In 2016 she was named Illinois Library Association Academic Librarian of the Year. She has published book chapters, published in College & Research Libraries, portal: Libraries and the Academy, and presented at local and national conferences. "Unknown to many of our users, a library is a complex operating system with many moving parts, but our users depend on us and, more importantly, trust us to meet their numerous and varied needs. In Illinois we are fortunate to have a consortium for academic libraries that provides services, training, engagement and cost-savings. Having worked at CARLI institutions for more than twenty years, I have faith in the power of the consortium and believe that our challenge is in supporting and sustaining this organization which is essential to Illinois academic institutions."
John Pollitz Dean, Library Administration Southern Illinois University Carbondale	John Pollitz "CARLI represents a long and respected tradition of multitype library colaboration in Illinois. The historic Illinois consortia that provided the foundation for CARLI were the model for others across the country. I want to add my experience to the Illinois leaders that today are working diligently to ensure CARLI's mission of providing rich library resources to Illinois students and citizens, remains vibrant. I have had a long career involved with state consortia. It started as a leader in QuadLinc, the bi-state multitype consortia in northwest Illinois and eastern Iowa. I was active in Orbis-Cascade and provided leadership in the Council of University of Wisconsin Libraries. I am a strong advocate of my region with a clear understanding that it is by working for the good of the entire state that we succeed."
John Small Clare and Lucy Oesterle Director of Library Services North Central College	John Small "As a library director for 15 years, I am well acquainted with CARLI services and processes. I am particularly interested in the espoused values and working with stewardship of resources and advocacy and commitment to core principles of librarianship."
Frances Whaley Director-Library & Academic Support Services Kishwaukee College	Frances Whaley currently chairs the Network of Illinois Learning Resources in Community Colleges (NILRC) Board. Her contributions to CARLI and NILRC include revision of by-laws and mission statements, participation in strategic planning, and improvement of committee-board processes. With the support of Anne Craig and the CARLI Board, she reinstated the CARLI New Directors Institute in 2017. During her 15 years in Illinois community colleges, Frances has participated in statewide information literacy activities and presented professionally on a variety of topics related to information literacy, assessment, and leadership. Frances holds a Master of Information and Library Science from UIUC and is pursuing an EdD in Educational Leadership. "I am always eager to learn, help, lead, and serve, which aligns well with CARLI’s vital role in the success of Illinois academic and research libraries."

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