CARLI News August 27, 2025

CARLI Annual Meeting, 20th Anniversary Celebration, and Annual Directors Meeting 

Register now to attend the CARLI Annual Meeting and 20th Anniversary Celebration, to be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign. 

There will be a meeting of the CARLI Governing Directors preceding the annual meeting.

This year the annual meeting will also be a celebration of CARLI′s 20th Anniversary! We are pleased to announce that Scott Carlson, Senior Writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, will be our keynote speaker for the event.

The complete agenda can be viewed on the registration page. 

There are a few ways that you can be actively involved in our celebration! 

1. Submit narrative memories to CARLI Support with "CARLI Memories" as the subject line.
2. Share photos from your library’s last 20 years! Save photos here with a descriptive file name. For each photo, please include a statement referencing the permission, source/license for CARLI to share the photo.
3. Submit entries for the "Curious Things from Your Collection" contest. Bring to the October 21 meeting the most outlandish, weird, and/or strangest thing (or a picture of it) in your library′s collection(s), or submit your entry to CARLI Support with "Curious Collections." Limit 3 items per attendee.

We hope you will join us to celebrate! 

Labor Day Holiday

There will be no ILDS service and the CARLI Office will be closed on September 1 due to the Labor Day holiday. Regular service will resume on September 2.

Anne Craig to Retire on December 31

It is with mixed emotions that we bring the news to you that Anne Craig, our fabulous Senior Director, has announced her intention to retire on December 31, 2025. Anne has left an incredible legacy at CARLI and her absence will be deeply felt.
 
"I have loved my time at CARLI; serving as the director has been a privilege and a truly rewarding experience. Working alongside our members, board, staff, and the University of Illinois System Office has given me countless opportunities to learn, grow, and build cherished relationships. I am deeply grateful that, nearly ten years ago, you entrusted me with the leadership of this incredible organization. After more than 40 years of service—five at NIU, 27 at the ISL, and almost ten at CARLI—it is time for me to dedicate more time to family and friends" said Craig in her announcement to the CARLI Governance Board.
 
CARLI Staff has set up a Kudoboard so our members can add their appreciation for Anne's contributions to our consortium! We hope you will take the time to leave Anne a message.

Anne will be dearly missed. We all are wishing all the best in her retirement!

Apply for CARLI Counts Cohort 7 

The institutional application for CARLI Counts, a continuing education library leadership immersion program that prepares librarians to make effective use of research findings on the impact of academic libraries on student success for the twin purposes of service development and library advocacy, is now available. 

Program participants learn how to use local library data analytics in alignment with institutional data, goals, and strategic priorities to improve their services and demonstrate their value. CARLI Counts deliverables will include a portfolio of local case studies, an evaluation of the collective statewide impact of those cases, and a replicable state/regional training model for equipping librarians to be campus leaders in assessing library impact on student learning and success, all of which has been made openly available to anyone that wants to offer their own program. You can find all the materials on the CARLI Counts Curriculum Guide.

CARLI Counts started as a four-year project funded by an IMLS, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant, has been continued with CARLI funds in partnership with the University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign and Lewis & Clark Community College.

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 4: Embracing Failure: Accepting and Addressing Imposter Phenomenon for Growth
• September 9: Building a Sustaining Content Maintenance Schedule Through Summer LibGuides Challenges
• September 10: People, Not Problems: Adapting the Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed Lens to the Library
• September 11: Beyond the Books: Strengthening Public Library Support Through Strategic Relationships
• September 16: Game On! Leveling Up in Cataloging and Acquisitions
• September 16: ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries Series: Accessible Documents and Emails 
• September 16: Demonstrating The Library’s Value to Campus Stakeholders at a Private University: Impactful Practices for All Budgets and Staffing
• September 18: Co-Creating a Student-Centered Research Support Service
• September 22: Your Library’s Greatest Hits: Turning Data into a Value Story
• September 23: Team Approach to Addressing Library Staff Dissatisfaction, Unhappiness, and Burnout
• September 23: ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries Series: Accessible Presentation Slides
• September 23: Buzz Builders: How to Make Your Library the Talk of the Town
• September 24: Supporting Student Success Through Soft Skills: The Library’s Role in The QEP Process
• September 25: Librarian Launchpad: A Practical Guide for New Academic Librarians
• September 30: The Hidden Curriculum: Digital Organization as a Literacy Skill
• September 30: ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries Series: Website Accessibility
• September 30: LibraryLinkNJ Virtual Conference: Connection

• October 1: Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries: Crafting Ethical Narratives for Advocacy and Impact
• October 8: Information for All: Fostering Belonging Through Access to Educational Materials
• October 29: BLC Digital Lending Summit

• November 11: Developing an A.I. Chatbot for the Library: The Rebecca Crown Library Experience

To register, 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. 
 
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? Email us to become more involved in CARLI's continuing education efforts!

ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries Series: Accessible Documents and Emails

September 16, 1:00–2:00 p.m. 

Join Mark McCarthy in this first webinar of our ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries series and learn how to confidently create and remediate documents in MS Word, PDF, and emails to meet the latest accessibility standards. 

In this session, learn:

• accessibility barriers in common document formats
• tips to build accessible documents and emails from the start
• techniques for remediating Word, PDF, and email content
• tools and resources available to streamline your work

Mark McCarthy is the Lead Accessibility Engineer at the University of Illinois System Office′s Administrative Information Technology Services.

ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries Series: Accessible Presentation Slides

September 23, 1:00–2:00 p.m. 

Join Mark McCarthy in this second webinar of our ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries series and learn how to confidently create and remediate your PowerPoint slides (or other formats) to meet the latest accessibility standards.

In this session, learn:

• accessibility barriers in common presentation formats
• tips to build accessible presentation slides from the start
• techniques for remediating PowerPoints (or other slide formats)
• tools and resources available to streamline your work

ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries Series: Website Accessibility 

September 30, 1:00–2:00 p.m. 

Join Tim Offenstein, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in this third webinar of our ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries series and learn how to quickly spot accessibility issues on your website. We’ll look at easy techniques and tools that will help you identify and fix things to make your site accessible and user-friendly for all audiences.

Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries

October 1, 1:00–2:00 p.m.

How can your library use data stories not just to survive, but to thrive? In this interactive session, Dr. Kate McDowell introduces key ideas from her forthcoming book Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries (ALA Editions, 2025), designed to help all library workers—whether data experts or story experts—craft ethical, evidence-based narratives for advocacy and impact. Participants will learn how to:

• Reach diverse audiences with stories that inform persuasively
• Leverage classic and emerging narrative structures for true stories that connect emotionally
• Increase the resilience of libraries through mindful approaches to conflict 

Based on McDowell′s 30 years of library work and national consulting, this session shares insights from the IMLS-funded Data Storytelling Toolkit for Libraries. In an era of rising censorship and shrinking budgets, critical data storytelling offers a powerful response—one that supports library workers from the smallest rural branches to the largest academic institutions. This session is for anyone who wants to use data to tell the story of why libraries matter—truthfully, powerfully, and strategically.

Information for All: Fostering Belonging Through Access to Educational Materials

October 8, 1:00–2:00 p.m.

While library workers strive to increase patron belonging and student success through their efforts to create access to affordable educational resources, students responding to the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois’ Illinois Course Materials Survey: Student Perspective (2023) shared that they continue to struggle to afford their course materials. Libraries are responding to this need through collection development efforts for physical and electronic resources including ebooks, databases, and course material reserves. Libraries also endeavor to serve their patrons’ needs by leading efforts to create and use open educational resources, as well as making these affordable options easily visible to their patrons. Educational resources offer valuable opportunities for libraries to increase belonging for all learners, whether primary, secondary, post-secondary school students, home-school students, international students, or adult learners.
 
Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the need for patron belonging through access to educational materials.
• Understand the wide range of educational materials available to support patrons’ lifelong learning.
• Determine ways your library could support your patrons’ need for access to educational resources.

Presenters include Dee Anna Phares (she/her), Assistant Professor & Subject Specialist Librarian at Northern Illinois University; Elizabeth Clarage (she/her) Director, Collections Services, CARLI; Michele Leigh (she/her) Senior Coordinator, Open Illinois, CARLI, Nicole Swanson (she/her) Assistant Director, Membership Outreach and Library Services, CARLI

Other Library News

Join the New Education Library Workers of Illinois Listserv

Caitlin Stewart, Illinois State University and Heather Jagman, DePaul University, are excited to announce the launch of the Education Library Workers of Illinois (EduLibs) Listserv — a new space for library workers across Illinois to connect, collaborate, and stay informed! Whether you support a department, college, or school of education — or work/study in related disciplines — this listserv is designed for you. 

Use it to share and receive:

• News and updates
• Job postings
• Articles and resources
• Events, conferences, and meetings
• Legislative developments
• Questions, ideas, and more!

If you would like to join a growing network of education-focused library professionals interested in building community, sharing expertise, and staying connected, subscribe to the EduLibs Listserv to get involved!

For questions, contact Caitlin Stewart.

Submit a Nomination for the 2026 ILA Board

The ILA Nominating Committee is seeking candidates for the 2026 Executive Board Election. In April 2026, members will vote for the ILA Vice-President/President-elect, who should be a public librarian, and for three Executive Board positions, who can be public, school, academic, special, or library trustee representatives. These are three-year terms beginning July 2026 and ending June 2029. 

More information is available here. The submission deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 20, 2025.

Upcoming CARLI Events and Meetings

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

Contact Us

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

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

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