GODFREY – Just a decade ago, the first community college libraries were joining the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI). Today, Lewis and Clark’s own Dennis Krieb is serving as chair of CARLI’s executive board.
Having access to CARLI’s shared online catalog, I-Share, means that Lewis and Clark students, faculty and staff can request and receive books and other materials from a pool of more than 34 million items from more than 150 academic libraries across the state.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
“It provides us access to services and databases that we wouldn't have and couldn't afford on our own,” Krieb said. “This year CARLI purchased streaming access to Alexander Street Video databases for member libraries – a resource few libraries could afford to purchase alone.”
CARLI has been around since the 1970s, and Lewis and Clark was one of the first community colleges to take part in the system when it joined in 2003. Now, a representative from Lewis and Clark heads up CARLI’s 12- member executive committee, which comprises four representatives from public universities, four from private universities, four from community colleges and the director of the Illinois State Library (ex officio).
As board chair, Krieb works closely with the CARLI executive director on various projects and services.
“CARLI has always been proactive in seeking new ways to serve academic libraries in Illinois,” he said.
“Last year CARLI added print books on demand,” Krieb said. “If an L&C student cannot find a copy of a book to request from another CARLI library, CARLI will purchase the book and send it to our library – free of charge.”
In addition to the board, CARLI has a staff of about 20 people, an executive director and a
physical location at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The board meets quarterly to oversee the operation, and to give participating schools a voice.
“I’m getting the opportunity to work with many library directors in the state. This experience has been terrific so far,” Krieb said.
All 150 CARLI libraries vote for representatives, and Krieb was elected in 2011. He served as
interim chair for a while before being elected to his own three-year term, which will run through 2015.
Visit CARLI online for more information at www.carli.illinois.edu. Visit Reid Memorial Library’s web page at www.lc.edu/library.
More like this:
