CARLI News August 26, 2026

CARLI News August 26, 2026

Submitted by mjhuls on Wed, 08/26/2026 - 10:44am

CARLI Annual Meeting and Annual Directors Meeting 

Register now to attend the CARLI Annual Meeting on Tuesday, November 10, at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign. We are also providing a virtual option for those who wish to attend online. To attend virtually, register here.

There will be a meeting of the CARLI Governing Directors preceding the annual meeting. If you are planning to attend both meetings, please register for each one.

This year the focus of the annual meeting will be on library advocacy. Our keynote speaker, Scott Chrastka, executive director of EveryLibrary will present, "Advancing the Academic Library Agenda for Higher Education in Illinois". The session will examine key issues in Springfield and Washington and demonstrate ways for you to strengthen relationships with campus leaders, faculty, students, policymakers, and other higher education stakeholders.

The complete agenda can be viewed on the registration page.

There are a limited number of rooms in a block available at the I Hotel for guests that require an overnight stay. You can book this reservation online or if you call, you need to mention the code CARLI1126 when making the reservation. Here is the booking information for an online booking. Use this link to make a reservation. The room block expires on October 9 or when all rooms have been reserved, whichever comes first.

You will enter:

  • Group/Block Code: CARLI1126
  • Guest Password: 9mj#o

All staff at CARLI member libraries are welcome to attend the CARLI Annual Meeting. We hope you will join us!

Labor Day Holiday

There will be no ILDS service and the CARLI Office will be closed on September 7 due to the Labor Day holiday. Regular service will resume on September 8.

Margaret Chambers to Retire September 30

Margaret Chambers, CARLI Director and Advisor Membership and Communications, has announced her retirement on September 30, 2026. CARLI staff are sincerely grateful for her twenty years of exceptional leadership and service.
 
"I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of CARLI, and I′m grateful for the opportunity to spend the last two decades working with the CARLI staff, with our member libraries, and with the System Office leadership. I′ve been proud to be a part of a group so deeply committed to the foundational principles supporting the freedom of access to information, especially in these challenging times. Libraries and librarians are the best of the best."
 
CARLI Staff have set up a Kudoboard so our members can express their appreciation for Margaret′s contributions to the consortium! We hope you will take a moment to send Margaret a message.
 
Please join us in wishing Margaret a long, healthy, happy retirement!

ACRL Benchmark: Library Metrics and Trends

CARLI is pleased to provide access to ACRL’s Benchmark: Library Metrics and Trends for all CARLI governing member academic libraries at no additional cost. Access is available to governing members (with IPED IDs) beginning August 2026 through June 30, 2029. Benchmark provides libraries with data visualizations that facilitate comparisons with peer groups, Carnegie classes, and nationwide data. A CARLI peer group is set up for CARLI members. 

ACRL is providing CARLI members with an introductory webinar, “Benchmark 101,” on September 1, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Please register to attend. This session will be recorded.

For questions about your library's access through CARLI, please email . For technical questions about using Benchmark: Library Metrics and Trends, please email .

CARLI members participating in this offer should review the terms and conditions of CARLI’s contract for Benchmark to understand the applicable services, and contract requirements.  A redacted copy of the contract is available in CARLI’s instance of ConsortiaManager.

Call for Nominations: Illinois Open Educator Award 

The CARLI OER Committee is pleased to invite nominations for an Illinois Open Educator Award, recognizing outstanding higher education faculty and staff who demonstrate innovation and excellence in the use, creation, and advocacy of Open Educational Resources (OER). 

This award celebrates educators and library staff who have been key players in the creation and adoption of OER, which reduces costs for students and makes higher education more equitable and accessible.

Nominations are due to CARLI by September 28. The recipient will be recognized during the CARLI Annual Meeting and featured in statewide OER communications. 

Please visit the program webpage for complete details on eligibility and the nomination process.
 
Please register in advance for this presentation. The program will be recorded.

Alma Letters, Upgraded: Making Your Emails More Accessible - September 9, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 

Alma sends a lot of emails on behalf of your library, from hold notices to overdue reminders, and making sure those emails are accessible matters. In this webinar, CARLI staff will walk through accessibility improvements made to I-Share Alma letter templates, explain what was managed centrally by CARLI, and outline what member libraries may want to review or update on their own. Whether you manage Alma configuration directly or just want to understand what changed and why, this session will give you a picture of where things stand and what to do next.

Electronic Resources Management Tea (ERMT)

The ERMT: Electronic Resources Management Tea is continuing through the end of 2026!

Join us on the fourth Wednesday of the month in September and October from 9:00 –9:45 a.m. on Zoom. In November and December, we will meet on the third Thursday from 9:00–9:45 a.m. to accommodate holiday schedules.

More information about ERMT is shared on the CARLI E-Resource Contacts mailing list. If you are not currently a subscriber, visit the link to subscribe.

Ask a Preservation Expert 

Do you have questions about the best way to store and preserve your institution′s collections? Join the CARLI Preservation Committee for Ask a Preservation Expert virtual office hour on Thursday, November 19, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Committee members will be on hand to answer questions, offer advice, and share resources to help you plan for the long-term preservation and access of your materials. The Preservation Committee includes members who specialize in archives and special collections, conservation, collections care, disaster planning, and more. 

Don′t have a specific question? You′re still welcome to join the session and hear what other CARLI members want to know. Please register to attend.

CELUS Information Session Recording

As previously announced, CARLI has a subscription to a consortial instance of CELUS, a tool that allows for harvesting and analysis of e-resource usage data through the COUNTER API that enables CARLI staff to monitor and analyze usage of CARLI-funded resources. 

Through our agreement with CELUS, member libraries can opt in to read-only access, allowing libraries to analyze their own institutional usage of CARLI-funded resources. CELUS is offering this to CARLI members at no cost for the remainder of FY27. Beginning in FY28 (July 1, 2027-June 30, 2028) libraries will be able to subscribe to read-only access for an annual fee of $200. Additionally, CARLI will offer full institutional subscriptions to CELUS as part of the FY28 Software as a Service (SaaS) selection cycle.

A recording of the recent CELUS information sessions is now available. If you are interested in getting read-only access to your institution′s data for no cost through the remainder of FY27, please send a note to CARLI Support with the name and email address of the staff who should have access (multiple accounts are okay). CARLI staff will select the product in ConsortiaManager and send an order confirmation; you will not be invoiced for this order. Contact information will be sent to CELUS, and they will set up accounts.

Professional Development Alliance Events

The following programs from the Professional Development Alliance are currently on the calendar. Programs are offered on a wide variety of subjects. Check out everything the alliance is making available to our libraries!

  • September 1: Word for Intermediates - Microsoft 365
  • September 2: Preparing For April: Developing Workflows & Quick Wins with Web Accessibility
  • September 3: Learning with LOUIS: Integrating Audio Descriptions into Live Video
  • September 8: Enhancing Accessibility: How the George A. Smathers Libraries at UF are Creating Accessible Environments
  • September 10: Training that Sticks: Improving Onboarding for Staff Online
  • September 10: Storytelling with Impact: Using Data and Community Voices to Strengthen Your Library
  • September 10: AI & the Literacy Crisis
  • September 22: Introduction to MarcEdit
  • September 22: Flying by the Seat of Our Pants: Assessing Early Career Librarians' Readiness for Management Roles
  • September 24: Checking Out Conflict: Tried & True Techniques to Tackle Tense Times
  • September 24: Plain Language Toolkit for Librarians: Practical Tools to Improve Understanding, Engagement, and Trust
  • September 29: Building an Immersive Learning Program in the Academic Library: From Vision to Implementation
  • October 5: Small, Meaningful Progress: Implementing a Readability Widget for a Neuro-Inclusive Library Website 
  • October 6: Cultivating Organizational Change Through Conflict Transformation
  • October 6: The Gen-Z Stare & Other Mysteries of Library Instruction
  • October 6: (Social) Media Literacy: Teaching Everyday Information Literacy Skills for College Students 
  • October 13: Creating a Comprehensive AI Training Course for Community College Students
  • October 15: Mind the Social Gap: Addressing Student Social Needs through Library Programming with Limited Resources 
  • October 20: Practical Usability for Small Teams
  • October 22: Managing a Busy Schedule & Dealing with Burnout

To register for an event visit the CARLI Event Calendar.
 
Recordings of past CARLI-sponsored PDA events are available on the Professional Development Alliance website when permitted by the presenter.
 
View recordings of past AI-specific PDA webinars offered this fiscal year, compiled by Minitex.

Are you interested in presenting a topic for CARLI members and the Professional Development Alliance? Or would you like to moderate a follow up discussion for an upcoming program? to become more involved in CARLI′s continuing education efforts!
 
PDA is now making on-demand learning resources available such as ¿Cómo se Dice? Spanish Basics for Library Staff.

Other Library News

ILA Annual Conference 

Register now to attend the Illinois Library Association's Annual Conference - Fired Up & Ready to Go: For All Illinois Libraries! The conference will be held October 6-8 at the Peoria Civic Center. Registration closes September 17, 5:00 p.m. View the conference schedule.

HSLI Annual Conference

Registration is now open for this year's Health Science Librarians of Illinois (HSLI) Annual Conference. The event will take place virtually from Tuesday, September 29, to Thursday, October 1.

You can find more details and register for the event on the conference website. Registration deadline is Monday, September 21st.

Open Education Conference, October 27-29

Register by August 31 to receive the early bird discount to attend the 2026 Open Ed Conference hosted by the Open Education Association. This year's fully virtual event focuses on the theme The Space Between and is packed with sessions designed to cater to all levels of experience in open education. View the conference program.

OEN Open Pedagogy Learning Circle

CARLI Members can apply to participate in the OEN Open Pedagogy Learning Circle, a collaborative, resource-rich learning environment over the course of seven synchronous, one-hour sessions designed to share, learn, discuss, and create open pedagogy! There is no cost for participation. Approximately twelve applicants will be chosen for this program.

OEN Open Educational Practices Specialist, Jamie Witman, will be facilitating and will also be available for consultations outside of the synchronous sessions to assist you with your questions related to open pedagogy. 

The application deadline is September 4.

Upcoming CARLI Events and Meetings

Consult the CARLI calendar to view the current list of meeting times and locations.

If you need disability-related accommodations to participate in any of the events mentioned below, please . Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.

Registration is typically required for CARLI events. For more information and to register for events, please visit the event page links.

Contact Us

Please direct all questions and comments about the e-newsletter to . 

Subscribe to CARLI email lists to receive the latest news on topics of interest to you.