Join The Open Shelf: A Librarian Chat Series—a virtual space for CARL members to engage in critical conversations about the challenges impacting libraries today. This series will focus on pressing issues such as shrinking library budgets, broader cuts to academic institutions, DEI bans, and other related policies emerging from the federal government. Each session offers an opportunity to share resources, discuss advocacy strategies, and support one another in navigating these complex challenges. Together, we can foster dialogue and build resilience in the face of evolving threats to campus libraries, information access, and academic freedom.
Please fill out the Doodle poll to let us know the best date/time for the first meeting: https://doodle.com/group-poll/participate/erBJO9Be.
Thank you,
CARL Executive Board
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Awards Committees Seeking Members
Please consider joining one or more of these awards committees. It is a great way to give back to the profession and help honor exceptional library workers. If you are interested, please contact Jennifer Silverman, Awards Liaison. The following committees are currently seeking members:
Gayatri Singh Award
The Gayatri Singh Award for Inclusive Excellence in Library Programs and Exhibits was established to honor the legacy of long time CARL board member Gayatri Singh. It provides award money to recognize CARL members who engage in meaningful library programming and exhibits that demonstrate inclusive excellence. It is awarded every other year during a CARL conference and consists of a cash award of $1,000. Individuals or groups from academic institutions in California are eligible to receive the award. At least one of the nominees must be a CARL member. The Gayatri Singh Award Committee shall consist of three (3) at-large members and a Chair appointed by the President. The Committee shall: 1) convene every other year; 2) communicate the award opportunity, including details and deadlines; 3) select and recommend award recipient to the Board of Directors for its approval; 4) notify applicants and recipients of Committee selection; and 5) carry out other duties as assigned by the Board of Directors.
Outstanding Member Award
The Outstanding CARL Member Award recognizes the achievements and contributions of an outstanding member of the organization. It is awarded every other year during a CARL conference and consists of a $300 monetary award in addition to a commemorative plaque. Any current CARL member is eligible to be nominated with the exception of current CARL board members. The Outstanding CARL Member Award Committee shall consist of the Vice-President and three (3) at-large members, including the last recipient of the Outstanding CARL Member Award. The Committee shall be chaired by the Vice- President. The Awards Committee shall: 1) convene every other year; 2) solicit nominations for the Outstanding CARL Member Award; 3) recommend an award recipient to the Board of Directors for its approval; 4) arrange for the design and execution of the award itself; and 5) carry out other duties as assigned by the Board of Directors.
Research Grant Award
The CARL Research Award was established to provide seed money to encourage CARL members engaged in research and/or publication efforts. A competitive cash award will be awarded to the successful applicants. Individual applicants may apply for awards in the range of $250 to $1,500. Groups of two or more recipients may apply for awards in the range of $250 to $2,000. Award amount requested must be justified by a budget. The recipients of the award will be expected to present a summary of the research for a CARL program, publication, or conference. The Research Award Committee shall consist of five (5) at-large members appointed by the President. The Research Award Committee shall: 1) convene every year; 2) solicit nominations for the Research Award; 3) recommend an award recipient to the Board of Directors for its approval; and 4) arrange for the design and execution of the award, itself; and 5) carry out other duties as assigned by the Board of Directors.
CARL Job Listings
CARL hosts a list of job openings at California academic and research libraries. Looking for a new opportunity? Hiring at your library? Read or submit listings at https://carl-acrl.org/jobslist/.
Interest Groups
CARLDIG-S (CARL Discussion Interest Group - South)
Please join the CARLDIG-S Steering Committee on Friday, March 28, 2025 from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm via ZOOM for our next meeting!
We will be discussing:
- Fall Program 2025 - Planning & Theme
- Open Discussion: The political climate in recent years has become increasingly hostile towards librarians and libraries, in particular public libraries. Reference librarians are often the public-facing arm of the library. Has this changing landscape impacted your work? How can we support our public library colleagues through our work with college students and faculty?
Agenda at CARLDIG-S.
Zoom link: https://cpp.zoom.us/j/83186275340
SCIL (Southern California Instruction Librarians)
LOEX Meetup
The Southern California Instruction Librarians (The Southern California Instruction Librarians (SCIL) interest group is coordinating a meet up during LOEX 2025 around the Pasadena area for SCIL members and SCIL curious librarians. If you would like to stay informed about this and our other events, such as our upcoming Spring Program, please sign up for our listserv here: http://listserv.carl-acrl.org/listinfo.cgi/scilsteering-carl-acrl.org
Run for SCIL Board!
SCIL, pronounced “skill”) interest group of CARL connects instruction librarians from throughout Southern California and beyond. If you want to give back to the profession, have ideas for programs, speakers, topics, or event themes, or want to promote idea sharing and collaboration among instruction librarians, now is the time to get involved by running for a position on the SCIL Board.
SCIL is accepting nominations for three elected officer positions for the 2025-2026 academic year:
- Chair-Elect (who will also serve as chair in 2026-2027, and past chair in 2027-2028)
- Membership and Outreach Coordinator
If you are self-nominating, please include a brief statement that includes biographical information, the position you’re running for, and a statement including your reason for running. Also include any past or current SCIL or CARL support/participation if applicable.
Voting will open May 6 - 20, 2025. Please note that in order to vote in the election, you must be a current SCIL member with a CARL membership by May 20, 2025.
Please scroll down for more information on the officer positions. Feel free to email Michelle Brasseur, chair of the nominating committee, with any questions, or contact any of the current officers directly.
Current SCIL Officers
General Responsibilities of SCIL Officers
SCIL officers are expected to attend the majority of business meetings and events either in person or virtually. Business meetings are held every 6-8 weeks during the fall and spring semesters.
Events
- SCIL Works (offered in January or early February) is a half-day mini-conference that highlights the work of area professionals centered around a new theme each year.
- Spring Program (offered in April or May, normally in years alternating with CARL Conference) is a full-day event that engages participants in a discussion/workshop centered on a topic of interest.
- CARL Interest Group Showcase during CARL Conference (normally in even years) years instead of the Spring Program.
- SCIL usually organizes a summer social outing during July but attendance at this event isn’t required.
Elected Officer Position Descriptions
Chair-Elect
This person will serve for a total of 3 academic years, first as Chair-Elect, then as Chair the next year and Past Chair for the year that follows. This length of service provides the Chair-Elect to get help from the current Chair and Past-Chair as well as the rest of the executive committee throughout their tenure. The Chair-Elect shall serve as a member of each workshop or program committee, and shall serve in place of the Chair, as required or requested by the Chair, and shall perform other duties as requested by the Chair. This person either organizes CARL IG participation at the CARL conference or the Spring Program depending on the year. When becoming Chair, this person prepares the agenda for and conducts all meetings. In addition, the Chair serves as a member or chair of program committees for SCIL programs, usually chairing the committee to organize SCILWorks and acts as the liaison between SCIL and the CARL Executive Board. The Chair appoints the Web Maintainer and other non-elected positions as needed. As Past-Chair, this person continues to serve on the Executive Committee to provide a smooth transition for the organization. The Past-Chair can serve in the place of the Chair and Chair-Elect as needed and shall perform duties as requested by the Chair. This person also runs the SCIL officer elections.
Secretary
Attends SCIL business meetings, prepares and keep minutes of meetings (Membership or Steering committee), as required, and sends copies of the minutes to Steering Committee members, and shall perform other duties as requested by the Chair. The Secretary is also responsible for SCIL business-related announcements and reports.
Membership and Outreach Coordinator
Shall be responsible for public relations (e.g., monitoring event registration and resolving registration issues, and greeting members at workshops or programs), the planning of membership social engagements exclusive of annual SCIL programs, (typically the summer social outing), communication regarding social events, and shall perform other duties as requested by the Chair.
ALIGN (Academic Librarians' Interest Group North)
Visit the ALIGN website or contact Ken Lyons at kbplyons@ucsc.edu for more information about this interest group.
DIAL (Diversity in Academic Libraries)
Visit the DIAL website or contact Nicollette Brant at nicollette.brant@csulb.edu for more information about this interest group.
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Appointments
Amanda Raver has joined the University of San Francisco's Gleeson Library | Geschke Learning Resource Center as the new Metadata Librarian. Previously, she was the Cataloging & Systems Librarian at Solano County Library.
Promotions
In January 2025, Dominique Dozier, assistant librarian of Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California, was promoted to Senior Assistant Librarian.
Publications, Presentations, and Awards
Congratulations to Katherine Perry for winning the 2025 Ilene F. Rockman CARL/ACRL Conference Scholarship! The scholarship will help fund Katherine's attendance at the 2025 ACRL Conference in Minneapolis.
Margot Hanson (UC Berkeley), Cody Hennesy (UC Berkeley), and Lee Adams (Cal State East Bay) recently published the following open access article in the Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication: When we went online: Library conference Twitter in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Julia Voss, Nicole Branch, and Loring Pfeiffer, all of Santa Clara University, published an article in the Journal of Writing Assessment in December 2024. The title of the article was "Assessment Is Constructed and Contextual: Identity, Information Literacy, and Interview-Based Methodologies in the First-Year Writing Classroom."
Leanna Goodwater, Santa Clara University, delivered a lightning talk at SCELC Colloquium on March 6, 2025. The title of her talk was "When the Unthinkable Happened: The Effects of Campus Closures on the SCELC Shared Print Program."
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CARL Board Meeting
Date: Friday, March 14, 2025
Time: 3:00 PM-5:00 PM
Attendees: Rayheem Eskridge, Kelli Hines, Sarah Forzetting, Grace Skalinder, Jennifer Silverman, Elizabeth Hernandez, Nery Alcivar-Estrella, Shamika Simpson, Nakisha Crawford
Call to Order
- Chair opens the meeting and the secretary conducts a roll call.
Approval of the Agenda
- Motion to approve the agenda - Kelli Hines
- Second and vote - Sarah Forzetting
Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
- Review and approve minutes from the January 10, 2025 meeting.
- Motion - Sarah Forzetting
- Second - Kelli Hines
Reports of Officers and Committees
President’s Report
- Report
- CARL Conference 2026 will be hybrid due to limited budgets across CA public universities and colleges
- Location - Southern CA, Long Beach as a possibility
- Goal is to increase membership.
- Catering may be on the chopping block. Perhaps, breakfast or lunch (not both).
- Next meeting for the Conference Planning Committee - March 28, 2025
- Next Goal - “Save the date notification,” Thursday - Friday in early April
- Next general membership meeting - August 2025
- Rayheem would like more board members in this one
Treasurer’s Report
- Budget was approved
- Early year expenses are out of the way, including taxes and web renewals
Directors-at-Large Reports
UC DaL Report
- Welcome Elizabeth! No report. Happy to hear anything you have to share though.
- Elizabeth mentioned LAUC (Librarians Association of the University California) is having a statewide assembly on March 24, 2025
- AI - centered. It will be hybrid and Elizabeth will attend virtually.
- Elizabeth will try to plug-in CARL during the assembly. She needs approval first.
CSU DaL Report
- Progress on data collection with the Council of Library Deans.
- Sally is not present.
Community College DaL Report
- Outreach to CA Community Colleges Chief Librarians.
- Edeama is not present.
- Rayheem proposed to work closely with Edeama to reach out to community colleges because they are stable and there’s many. Great options for outreach.
Private Institution DaL Report
- Institutional updates and engagement strategies.
- Jennifer explained that USC continues to have budget issues.
- Understaffed, reduction of library hours.
- Jennifer was elected to be the President Elect of the Library Faculty Council (part of the Faculty Senate).
- At USC, DEI is being rebranded as well as the DEI committee. LibGuides have not been changed because it’s part of academic freedom.
- At Stanford, they are also going through a similar mandate.
- Private institutions rely on federal funding, and have less reliance on state mandates.
- Cuts to NIH funding will affect research at Western University.
- Rayheem proposed - Should CARL create a DEI committee/working group to make best practices recommendations? People are really confused and need some guidance.
ACRL Delegate Report
- Status of proposed bylaws change.
- Communication improvements and updates to ACRL.
- Kelli shared poll - 31 votes, all yes, so we can proceed with changes
Awards Liaison Report
- Scholarship recipient follow-up.
- Recruitment strategies for award committees?
- Jennifer did not have updates. She’s only aware of the Rockman Scholarship Committee. She’s not sure if others exist.
- Grace confirmed that they coordinated with her, and the Rockman winner for this year has been paid.
- Kelli will include a call for scholarship committee members in the newsletter, and she will announce the winner of Rockman
Interest Group Coordinator Report
- Updates from recent meetings with interest groups.
- Next steps for non-responsive groups.
- They did not create reports.
- Rayheem wants to create better connections with them because they are pivotal to drive membership. THis is pending and Rayheem will follow-up.
Shamika (Mentorship Coordinator)
- She strives to connect with ACRL, and already connected with Lifelong Information Literacy to combine forces for a mentorship program
- One volunteer, Daniel, for the mentorship group as a mentee
- Series of workshops (i.e. LinkedIn, resume creation, interview skills, professional development).
- Matching mentors and mentees.
Unfinished Business
ACRL Delegate Bylaws Update
- Review vote results.
- Initiate update of bylaws.
- Vote passed. Rayheem and Sarah are the ACRL delegates.
- Nery will accept track changes and renew bylaws with an updated title.
CARL Workshop Series (AI Focus)
- Updates on workshop series planning.
- Committee recruitment status.
- Rayheem will circle back with Heather Cribb about this. On hold for now.
- Reach out to the CSU Instruction Librarian Community for their dates/workshops about AI. Perhaps, Sally can reach out?
- We may just announce/notify our membership about existing AI workshops/programming. This will lead up to the conference.
- No need to reinvent the wheel.
2026 Conference Sponsorship Ideas
- Discussion on potential sponsorships.
- Sarah will be at ACRL, and she will connect with vendors to recruit to the CARL conference 2026. She will try to get lunch sponsored.
Regional Meetup Planning
- Confirm details for Southern California meetup.
- Plan for this to happen in August
- Rayheem will put together committee of board and general members
- Rayheem wants one of them to volunteer their campus as the venue
- Jennifer will help
- Progress on additional 2025 meetups in Bay Area or Central CA.
- Meet up in the next academic school year, August 2025
- Sarah will host a meet-up at Stanford with members of ALIGN and Stanford colleagues. Date is TBA, but definitely the end of 2025.
New Business
- Review and approval of revised budget, including AI workshop and conference representative expenses.
- Planning for ACRL 2025 Representation
- Confirm attendance and support for CARL representative.
- Sarah is the ACRL rep for CARL for the conference
- Kelli proposed establishing meetings about DEI censorship/funding issues/potential loss of federal data, etc. to share resources.
- Suggested Titles- “What’s going on?” “Beyond the Stacks: Conversations on Access and Advocacy,” “Open Shelf,” “Data, Diversity, and Dialogue: A Librarian's Chat Series,” “Access Matters: Censorship, Funding, and the Future,” “Uncensored Voices: Navigating Challenges in Libraries.”
- Jennifer proposed sharing resources in the upcoming March newsletter
- 1st week of April to start the process of booking a date/Zoom link
- Series Title: Open Shelf: A Librarian Chat Series
- Topic #1: Censorship, Funding & the Future
- Health Resources provided by Kelli and Elizabeth:
- Nakisha suggested crowdsourcing for the topic of the 1st workshop
- Date - Rayheem and Kelli will create a doodle poll for this. April 9, 10, 11.
- Nery will offer support with chat.
- Nakisha will share community guidelines.
Announcements
- Board members may share relevant updates or announcements.
- Kelli is letting everyone know if you are admin in Wild Apricot, then add your mobile number for authentication/access.
- Sarah- ALA elections coming up. Make sure to vote. Tell other people to vote.
- Sarah- Talked to David. The Wild Apricot migration team is nearly done with the migration. Should be good by the end of April.
- Want to have membership campaign, but we need the WA website good to go first.
Adjournment
- Motion to adjourn the meeting - Rayheem, 4:50 pm
- Second and vote - Kelli
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