CARLI Director Resources

CARLI Director Resources

Directors at CARLI Member libraries face unique responsibilities and challenges. In order to support this unique role in the library, CARLI is hosting webinars, New Directors' Institutes and identifying resources intended for those in the leadership position within their organizations. If you have additional suggestions about topics or resources that would be helpful to you, please email us at .

Directors Monthly Updates

The link to the recording of the Governing Directors monthly update is distributed to the Governing Directors email list. The recording is available for 30 days.

Free Speech Needs Free Libraries

Every day, millions of Americans in every state rely on their academic, public, or school libraries to exercise their freedoms of inquiry and expression—using their library of choice to expand their knowledge and to advance their educational pursuits, employment opportunities, and engagement in civic life. Free access to information, long preserved through American jurisprudence, is a critical part of Americans’ Constitutional right to freedom of speech—and this acFree-Speech-Needs-Free-Libraries-A-Joint-Statement-400x400.pngcess through libraries has created generations of knowledgeable civic leaders, educators, scientists, and entrepreneurs. Indeed, throughout our nation’s history, the information available through libraries has served as a powerful differentiator, inspiring the ingenuity and creativity that has made the United States the envy of the world.

CARLI Statement on the Changes at IMLS

On March 14, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14238, continuing the reduction in staffing for several federal agencies. Among the seven agencies affected by this order is the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the largest source of federal funding for libraries. Since its establishment in 1996, the IMLS has been instrumental in delivering essential financial support, conducting investigative research, and providing strategic policy guidance to strengthen libraries across the nation.

As a direct result of this executive order, CARLI received a termination notice on April 9 for its IMLS 2024 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Planning Grant, titled “Consortial Collaboration for Academic Library Leadership Success” (CCALLS). This grant was aimed at planning the possible expansion of CARLI Counts, a tremendously successful CARLI program, to other U.S. library consortia. 

Read the full statement.

CARLI Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries

At their September 2024, the CARLI Governance Board discussed the growing national climate of budget cuts, mergers, and closures in higher education, for colleges and their libraries. In response to this disturbing trend, the Board approved the Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries. With this statement specifically, CARLI emphatically proclaims the importance of librarians in higher education libraries. Librarians (and libraries) are not an excisable luxury that is somehow detached from an institution’s educational excellence but are instead critical components of campuses and the academic experience. Their work is inextricably interwoven with student success and well-being for the duration of the student’s academic career, and they are important colleagues who contribute to the essential work of faculty.

Submit Comments/Endorse Statement

Importance of the Library Dean/Director

At its December 2019 meeting, the CARLI Governance Board discussed the issue that some members’ organizations are not filling the library director position when the incumbent leaves, for example, retires or resigns. The college or university simply “assigns” the library to a campus administrator, like a vice president or assistant provost, who may have many other responsibilities. Sometimes a mid-level library staff member is named as “in charge” without title or compensation change. These assignments erode the effectiveness of the library in many ways, but also dramatically diminish the ability for the consortium to interact in a meaningful way with the library. As a result, services and programs that could be extended to faculty, staff, and students, are never offered or promoted. The entire consortium is weakened as a result.

CARLI, its Governance Board, and members, seek to act as a resource for organizations contemplating a staffing decision whereby the library no longer has a director. The following statement articulates the importance of having a dedicated, library-focused director, not just for continuity of service, but also for leveraging interlibrary cooperation, and ensuring that the campus investment in the library is optimized by a representative who can advocate for innovation and service excellence.

The Importance of a Director in Charge of the Academic Library

Director Webinars

Noon Knowledge Exchange: Completing the ACRL Academic Library Trends and Statistics Survey

February 18, 2026

Devin Savage, Dean of Libraries at Illinois Institute of Technology and Elizabeth Brown, Director of Assessment at Binghamton University - State University of New York host a session to discuss questions, snarls, and sticky spots in CARLI members' ACRL survey responses.

Resources:

Recruiting and Retaining BIPOC Library Staff – CARLI Directors' Institute

May 4, 2022

Victor Jones, Jr. (he/him) discusses trends in recruiting and retaining BIPOC library staff in today’s climate.  He uses reflections from his past experiences as well as the latest literature and findings to shape the conversation.

Resources:

Effective Ways to Onboard New Employees – CARLI Directors' Institute

May 11, 2022

Ben Mead-Harvey discusses his recommendations for the most effective way to onboard new employees, broken into three categories: welcome elements, training with the team, and check-in meetings. He gives a detailed breakdown of each element and spends time explaining the basis for each recommendation.

Resources

Strategic Planning

2022 Illinois Library Transformation Survey Results