I recently participated in a Walk & Talk as part of my institution’s Spiritual Renewal Week activities. The event pairs a staff or faculty member with a student for 30 minutes of strolling across campus, chatting, and praying. I had never volunteered for the event before, but it sounded like a great opportunity to support our students, so I signed up. Then, being an introvert who had just signed up for an event that involves being paired with a stranger and talking to them for half an hour, I immediately regretted having done so. While simmering in my uncertainty about how the event would go, I heard the Renewal Week preacher mention that she had been praying for all of the events of the week including the Walk & Talk conversations. I was reminded and reassured that the Lord was going before me and would be with me during the event. I ended up having a good conversation with a student who really needed a listening ear and some encouragement, and I was honored to have the opportunity to pray with her at the end of our walk. As we were parting ways to head back to our regular afternoon plans, she commented that she had never participated in the Walk & Talk before and was really glad she decided to give it a chance. It seemed I was not the only one who had experienced a bit of trepidation about trying something new.
New Territory
02/2025 – Marla Black
Sabbatical
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.
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?
- Individual Membership: For individuals, valid from January 1 to December 31.
- 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.
Vendor Highlights & Updates
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.
January 2025
Available in 3 languages
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
What's Happening in CILA?
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
- Ghana Christian University College – Esther Tawiah
Ghana, Africa
For print-based collection development - Tavriski Christian Institute – Nick Gorodetski
Ukraine
Replacement of library technology equipment - 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.
International Organization Highlight
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.
Meet A Member
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.
01/2025 – Frank Quinn
A Better Shape
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.
January 2025
Note from the Coordinator
Happy New Year! I pray that you had a blessed Christmas season. May 2025 be a year that is marked by a renewed commitment to share Christ’s love in all we do. May our institutions of Christian higher education be empowered by the Holy Spirit to equip students for lives of faithful service. Please take note of this month’s vendor updates below.
Beth Purtee
CLC Team Coordinator
Vendor Updates
Good News! ProQuest has agreed to offer a 15 percent discount on PQDT Global and on ProQuest Religion to CLC members who are not current subscribers. For further information, as well as to get a price quote for your library, please contact your ProQuest (Clarivate) account manager and let them know you are a CLC member and are entitled to the 15 percent discount. If you don’t have an account manager or don’t know who your library’s account manager is, please contact Lindsey Newman: [email protected], who is serving as the primary contact person at ProQuest for the CLC member discount.
Thank you to those who have responded regarding your interest in participating in this ACRL Benchmark group subscription. We do not yet have the 6 libraries needed to begin a group subscription. Please feel free to email [email protected] with any questions or to receive an update.
A member of our team met with a representative from Accordance Bible Software. In Spring 2025 they are planning to implement a web portal subscription model with an FTE-based cost scale. They seem open to providing a discount for CLC members. We plan to resume the conversation once the product has launched.
We recently received an updated discount list from Emery-Pratt. Please see the website for details.
