Look Who's Supporting Us!
CARLI |
Illinois Library Assn. |
RAILS State Agency |
ACRL President Leo Lo |
CSU Librarians |
ISU Librarians |
NEIU Librarians |
NIDL Librarians |
SIU-E Librarians |
Council of Illinois University Senates |
WIU Faculty Senate |
Health Science Librarians of Illinois |
UIUC's Lisa Hinchliffe |
Dominican Univ. Faculty (School of Info. Studies) |
Washington Post's Ron Charles |
ALA President Drabinski |
A Very Cool 5th Grader |
UPI @ WIU |
AFT |
MORE...!
We Appreciate You ALL!
FOIA Confirmations!
| IL Public Univs. | # Librarians w/ MLS |
|---|---|
| NIU | 22 |
| ISU | 17 |
| SIU-E | 15 |
| EIU | 13 |
| WIU* | 0 |
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Elimination of WIU Librarians -- IN THE NEWS!
NEW RELEASE
WIU Librarians in Vox: "Why Libraries Need Librarians"
"In August, Western Illinois University laid off its entire librarian faculty and at the same time insisted the university would still have 'adequate coverage in the library,'" reports Vox writer Constance Grady. "The school seemed to be operating under the belief that librarians are only warm bodies who exist to check books in and out..."
NEW RELEASE — Nov. 27
Truthout: "Academic Librarians Urgently Organize"
Former ALA President Emily Drabinski's recent article describes new challenges facing higher education, and how librarians are organizing to defend libraries, student support, and the public good.
LOCAL NEWS
TSPR: WIU's NPR Station Covers Library Debacle
Tri States Public Radio (WIUM/WIUW) released a radio news story and web article (Oct. 16, 2024), covering the collapse of WIU Libraries, as all of its professional librarians were eliminated per termination letters received August 8 (effective May 14). Numerous state agencies, professional librarian organizations, and librarians at other institutions have expressed serious concerns about what this will mean for Western's graduate and undergraduate programs. Supporters continue to call for the reinstatement of WIU's librarians, so that they may continue serving WIU's students and the citizens of the west central Illinois region. View/Hear story.
BUILDING SUPPORT
Illinois Library Association Endorses CARLI Statement on WIU Crisis
The Executive Board of the 2,000-member Illinois Library Association (ILA) has voted to endorse the recent CARLI Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries (pdf), issued in the wake of WIU's decision to eliminate ALL of its librarians. Founded in 1896, ILA is the third largest state library association (w/ 500 institutional members of all library types), and is a chapter of the American Library Association.
UPDATE!
CARLI Calls for Public Comment & Endorsement of Statement
In the wake of the WIU crisis, CARLI's Governance Board has issued a major Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries, and has also called for Public Comment & Endorsement. Specifically the Board notes that, "Individual endorsements are welcome from directors of Illinois libraries, higher education organizations, and library associations." Please comment and endorse the CARLI Statement.
CARLI's Board of Directors has released a major Statement on the Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries (pdf). CARLI is Illinois' publicly-funded statewide academic library consortium, which promotes resource and cost-sharing among its members. A Governing Member of CARLI since its founding, we think WIU should follow its lead and "Bring Back the Librarians."
Beyond Book Bans: WIU Axes Librarians
"Banned books have become a rallying cry for educators—and so many others—who want children to have access to a diversity of stories and to see themselves reflected in their books. But at Western Illinois University, there’s another threat to literacy and information access: Every one of the faculty librarians there has been dismissed."
WIU Interim Associate Provost Christopher Pynes spoke with the Chronicle this week, and almost got it right about the library: "[T]here are certain positions that can’t be reduced,” said Pynes. "You have to have a registrar's office [library] that can function, and you can’t reduce the registrar's office 40 percent [librarians by 100%] just because you’ve lost 40 percent of your students." With Dr. Pynes' essential rationale, we completely agree! If you believe a university's library is a critical operation (an absolute necessity — like the registrar's office), join us in encouraging the Provost's Office to change course and Bring Back the Librarians!
Gardner, Lee. "This is Why Some Regional Public Colleges Are In So Much Trouble." Chronicle of Higher Education (September 17, 2024). View story here.
Ron Charles
The Washington Post
We're becoming a BIG national story! Ron Charles, national critic and writer about books and publishing for The Washington Post (yes, that one), caught up with us recently:
Charles, Ron. "Administrators at Western Illinois University have...decided to get rid of all the librarians." The Washington Post Book Newsletter. (August 30, 2024). View story here.
InsideHigherEd.com
Palmer, Kathryn. "Library Faculty Eliminated Amid 'Fiscal Insanity' at Western Illinois." (August 20, 2024). InsideHigherEd.com.
"The university laid off all its library faculty as part of massive cuts, leaving employees and supporters to wonder how the library will serve campus constituents." View story here
Current
Fea, John. "How Does a University Exist without Librarians?" Current (August 21, 2024). View story here.
Op-Ed
The Chicago Tribune
Lindquist, Sherry. "This is why it matters that Western Illinois University fired all its librarians." Chicago Tribune (Opinion/Commentary). (August 20, 2024). View story here.
WQAD-TV
Franz, Maddie & Mikaela Schlueter . "Aftermath of WIU's decision to lay off employees being felt by campus community." WQAD-TV ABC (August 16, 2024). View story here.
