Blog

Senior Library Information Specialist – University of Missouri – Kansas City – Kansas City, MO

Job Summary

Reporting to the Head of Collections and Acquisitions, this position is a part of the Collections & Acquisitions department, which is responsible for managing physical and electronic resources encompassing areas of acquisition, payment, resource maintenance and troubleshooting, renewal, and cancellation for the University Libraries and UMKC Law Library. The Senior Library Information Specialist position is responsible for many aspects of the daily duties within the resource management life cycle, including placing orders for print and electronic books, processing renewals, maintaining resources, and cancelling resources. Additional duties include student supervision and workflow enhancements.

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02/2025 – Marla Black

Marla is the Assistant Branch Manager at Alafaya Branch Orange County Library System in Orlando, FL. She has been a member of ACL for 10 years.

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University Librarian – Spring Arbor University – Spring Arbor, MI

Job Summary

The University Librarian should be an enthusiastic and innovative director and leader who works collaboratively with faculty and staff to provide the library services necessary for students’ success at Spring Arbor University.

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Executive Director – Christian County Library – Nixa, MO

Job Summary

The Executive Director (ED) oversees the day-to-day operations of the library district, providing strategic leadership to ensure the delivery of high-quality library services to the community. This role involves managing staff, developing programs, maintaining collections, and ensuring compliance with library policies and law as approved by the Board of Trustees. The ED is the chief executive and administrative officer of the library and reports from time to time to the Board of Trustees. The ED works with the Board to establish a strategic plan to fulfill the mission of the library to ensure success into the future and optimize support for learning within the library and community.

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Public Services Head Librarian – Moody Bible Institute – Chicago, IL

Job Summary

Under the direction of the Dean of Operations & Education Initiatives, the Public Service Head Librarian manages all Public Service operations, provides digital and non-digital resource oversight, develops, implements, sustains, and assesses the information literacy program for the MBI learning community as well as other duties as assigned. Moody Bible Institute is a Christian-based Higher Education and Media Ministry. We exist to equip people with the Truth of God’s Word. If you are mission-minded, and have a servant’s heart, join us as we look to further impact the Kingdom of God. Moody Bible Institute is a Christ-centered, multicultural community that values and seeks faculty and staff who are committed to diversity, work effectively with diverse populations, and engage others in ways that honor our rich cultural mosaic and biblical foundation. Candidates must align with MBI’s Christian identity. Employees are expected to sign a Statement of Faith and adhere to the Community Standards. We comply with all applicable laws pertaining to nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and any other applicable legally protected category. As a religious institution, we have the right to, and do, require that employees hold beliefs consistent with our Doctrinal Statement and conduct themselves in a manner consistent with our religious beliefs, as explained in our Community Standards.

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Sabbatical

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work….” Exodus 20:8-10 NKJV

I’ve worked in academic libraries for 37 years: 19 at Indiana University, 12 at Point Loma Nazarene University, and 6 at Lenoir-Rhyne University. All three institutions had some kind of faculty status for librarians, and all three allowed for promotion in rank, service on faculty committees, and other faculty responsibilities and benefits. For the most part, I think faculty status has been a strong positive for libraries and librarians. With these systems in place, I was promoted several times, received tenure at two different institutions, and served in leadership roles on faculty committees at all three institutions.

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February 2025

Note from the Coordinator

Happy February! As this short month gets underway, we’re bringing you a short yet valuable update. While we’ve highlighted a few key vendors below, don’t forget to visit the website for a comprehensive list of all our partnerships. We’re here to answer any questions or provide additional details about the consortial discount opportunities available to you.

Beth Purtee
CLC Team Coordinator

Is your CLC Institutional Membership
in good standing?

Did you know ACL offers two types of memberships?

  1. Individual Membership: For individuals, valid from January 1 to December 31.
  2. CLC Institutional Membership: For Christian institutions of higher education, valid from July 1 to June 30.

As we begin the new year, we want to remind our CLC institutional members that maintaining your membership in good standing requires your library to have at least one full ACL individual member.

To ensure compliance, be sure an individual from your library has a full ACL individual membership for the 2025 membership year. If you or someone from your library needs to renew their individual ACL membership, please do so immediately through the MY ACCOUNT section of the ACL website. Those who have renewed their membership for 2025 should have received an email with payment and membership confirmation. If you are unsure of the status of your CLC or individual membership, please don’t hesitate to contact the ACL Home Office for assistance.

In case you missed it last month, we’re excited to remind you about the 15% discount for new subscribers to ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global (PQDT Global) or the ProQuest Religion Database. This is a great opportunity to expand your library’s resources at a reduced cost. Visit the ProQuest offer webpage to find out who to contact for more information or to request a price quote.

Additionally, we’ve started discussions with ProQuest about potential discounts on ebooks. Stay tuned—we’ll share details as they become available.

As you prepare your budgets for the upcoming year, don’t overlook our partnership with Perlego! With a library of over one million books, including theology titles from Zondervan, Eerdmans, Baker, and IVP, Perlego provides robust learning opportunities. Each license grants unlimited access to all titles on the platform. Greater numbers of purchased licenses provide discounts at scale. Want to learn more? Register to join one of our upcoming webinars with Perlego:

Register today or reach out to Ryan Borgesius, ([email protected]) directly if you’re unable to attend but want details on this valuable offer.

Our long-standing partnership with OCLC continues to bring great value to CLC members. New subscribers to WorldShare Management Services (WMS) can enjoy a 20% discount, and we’re just a few libraries away from reaching the 25% discount level.

In addition, we hope to soon be in conversation with OCLC regarding the possibility of broadening the scope of our partnership to include additional OCLC products..

This month, we’d like to remind you about the fantastic resources available through RightNow Media. With a subscription, your institution gains discounted access to over 20,000 Biblical video resources, benefiting not only your students but also employees, their families, and alumni.

Be sure to visit the offer webpage for pricing details and additional information about this valuable partnership.

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January 2025

Note from the Coordinator

Happy New Year to one and all! It is a joy, as always, to be a part of ACL and this amazing CILA team. The fall is perhaps my favorite time of the year for CILA work, because the team reviews all the applications for the Global Library Investment Grant. While it is always difficult to allocate our finite funds, it is so encouraging to see the amazing work that is being done around the world by faithful librarians and educators. Whether it is setting up an ILS, pursuing professional development, or updating a library collection, it all helps move God’s kingdom forward in knowledge and witness as we equip our students and the communities we serve. This newsletter highlights the projects that were chosen for this year.  Additionally, there are opportunities to be involved that the team is excited to share. Enjoy learning about your fellow members and the work of ACL. 

Peace and blessings to each of you in this season.

Erin McCoy
CILA Coordinator

Openings on the CILA Leadership Team

Are you passionate about making an impact on a global scale? CILA is excited to announce two openings for Global Members-at-Large on our Leadership Team!

The Global Member-at-Large is a vital part of the team, contributing broadly without a predefined role. These team members will bring diverse insights, ensuring our decisions are inclusive and well-rounded. They will play a key role in shaping CILA’s initiatives by offering valuable input, expertise, and perspectives.

Duties include:

  • Active participation in virtual team meetings via Zoom and email.
  • Engagement in the International Interest Group listserv and Zoom meetings.
  • Collaboration with team members to achieve goals and meet deadlines for projects such as:
    • Quarterly newsletter
    • Grant application review
    • Resource promotion

How to Apply:
Please create a paragraph- 500 words max- illustrating your library experience, your involvement with ACL or another library organization, and what skills you believe you can contribute to the team, based on the above list. Email Erin McCoy at [email protected] directly with your application. In the subject line put “CILA Volunteer Inquiry”. Contact Kristina Claunch, ACL Volunteer Coordinator, with any additional questions.

Congratulations to the 2024 Global Library Investment Grant Recipients

  1. Ghana Christian University College – Esther Tawiah
    Ghana, Africa
    For print-based collection development
  2. Tavriski Christian Institute – Nick Gorodetski
    Ukraine
    Replacement of library technology equipment
  3. Lesotho College Education  – Monica Letsoha
    Lesotho, Africa
    Professional development

International Librarians Special Interest Group Update

The goal of this interest group is to try to meet every other month on Zoom, alternating times and hosts to accommodate all the time zones represented. We will discuss the issues unique to overseas libraries as well as ways to share our expertise and resources with each other. If you have a heart for international libraries or live in a country outside the US, please join our group.

CALA – Christian Association of Librarians in Africa

CALA-K is an acronym for Christian Association of Librarians in Africa. They have a vision similar to ours, they seek to empower Christian librarians through professional development, scholarship, and spiritual encouragement for service in higher education and society in Africa.  In the past, ACL has sent librarians to offer training locally and they have sent people to the ACL conference.

We have people helping present at their CALA online conference.  If more people are interested we could use another co-presenter or an additional presentation on Zoom.

What is your name? Lilian Jeptoo

Where is your library located? Nairobi, Kenya

What type of library do you work in? Academic – Liberal Arts

How long have you been a librarian? 8+ years

What is your primary library role? Reference and circulation librarian

What do you love most about your library role? Engagement and student success

What challenges do you face in doing your job as an international librarian?  Subscriptions and funding

What are some low-budget or free resources you use in your library? Google Scholar and Kenya Law online databases

Dorothy Spidell Conference Scholarship – Now Open!

The Dorothy Spidell Conference Scholarship provides financial assistance for international ACL members (outside the U.S. & Canada) to attend the 2025 ACL Annual Conference at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho (June 1–4, 2025).

Eligibility: Applicants must be 2025 ACL members, practicing academic librarians (full or part-time), or full-time MLIS students.

Scholarship Covers:
✔ Conference registration (On-campus Double Occupancy Package)
✔ Up to $150 per day for incidental travel costs on arrival & departure days (i.e. Transportation from the airport to the conference site, meals on travel days, tips/gratuities)

Applicants are responsible to secure funding for airline tickets.

Application Deadline: March 10, 2025
Recipients will be notified by March 20, 2025.

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01/2025 – Frank Quinn

Frank is the Jonas Branch Library Supervisor at the Lincoln County Public Library/Jonas Branch Library in Lincolnton, NC (approximate population size 96,000). He has been a member of ACL since 1999.

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A Better Shape

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV

When we are facing adversity and a spiritual battle, it is easy to blame God and to beg Him to remove us from it. “Why me?”  is something that easily falls from our lips instead of gratitude and worship. We think if we are doing battle, God is picking on us, or just AWOL. Libraries and librarians, as well as Christians, are facing a lot of adversity and uncertainty currently, and many of us are facing them in our personal lives as well.

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