| What is the name of your committee? | Acquisitions Committee |
| Your Name | William Midgley |
| Your Email | midgley@uic.edu |
| If your committee is part of a section, please select it (if applicable) | Metadata & Collections |
| Which report are you submitting? | May |
| How many times did your group meet during this reporting period? | 4-6 |
| First Activity | |
| Please summarize work accomplished, decisions made, and follow-up actions determined during the past 6 months. Your summary can be a narrative or bullet points, see below for reporting on specific areas. |
Members of the committee completed a presentation to be delivered by committee members in June at ALA (Program Title: New Issues in Academic Acquisitions in a Time of Constant Change and Uncertainty). Members also met with an ALA CORE representative regarding making a comprehensive update to the ALA regarding vendor relationships as they pertain to pricing and access of electronic content. |
| Second Activity | |
| If your committee has a specific strategic goal assigned, update any progress made on this goal. | |
| Third Activity | |
| Deliverables (Fill in bullet point and progress made) |
Completed panel discussion content for ALA summer 2026 presentation to be delivered by Acquisitions Committee members. Complied and created a working document for a longer-term comprehensive update to ALA manual regarding advocacy on vendor pricing and access models for ebook content |
| Ongoing Work (Fill in bullet point and progress made) |
Complete update to ALA policy manual |
| Fourth Activity | |
| What will your group be working on for the next 6 months? Write these goals in SMART goal format. |
Complete update to ALA policy manual update in collaboration with CORE leadership to make concrete and specific recommendations for how vendors should price, license and provide access to ebooks for libraries |
| Fifth Activity | |
| How did your work contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, or belonging within Core or the library profession? What areas of improvement do you see for your committee or Core in these areas? |
Our presentation touched on ways librarians could respond to directives to halt acquisitions of “DEI” materials, as well as recommendations around complying with accessibility recommendations. Our advocacy for fair ebook pricing and access will provide concrete language to libraries to advocate for greater access to electronic content at the best value for libraries nationwide |
| Is there anything Core could have provided during this time that would have helped your group with its work? | |
| Please provide suggestions for future education topics, initiatives, publications, resources, or other activities that could be developed based on your group’s work. | |
| Please describe anything you need to bring to the Core Board or section leadership for discussion or action at their next meeting. | |
| Please share any additional comments, concerns, or suggestions you have. | |
| Today’s Date | 07/29/2026 |
Category: Membership and Value to Members
Promoting Preservation Interest Group – May 2026 Report
| What is the name of your interest group? | Promoting Preservation Interest Group |
| Your Name | Shelby Strommer |
| Your Email | strommer@illinois.edu |
| Please select the name of the section your group belongs to (if applicable) | Preservation |
| Which report are you submitting? | May |
| How many times did your group meet or hold an activity during this reporting period? | 4-5 |
| First Activity | During Interest Group Week, we hosted a panel presentation focused on exhibits that showcase preservation and/or conservation work. The panel included four members from three institutions who spoke about their experiences planning their exhibits and provided tips and lessons learned for audience members who might want to host their own exhibits.
Session Description: Preservation on Display: Case Studies in Making Preservation-focused Library Exhibits Presenters: Whitney Baker (University of Kansas), Kimberly Kwan (Stanford), Rachel Miller-Haughton and Marco Valladares (University of Illinois) |
| Second Activity | In April, we hosted a panel webinar, Emerging Voices in Preservation: Graduate Student Showcase. We solicited proposals and selected three students from different institutions who presented about preservation-related projects they completed in their jobs and/or internships. The students had an opportunity to practice their professional presentation skills and gain something to add to their CVs. Attendees learned about our future colleagues' experiences and also received insight into how supervisors can better support our students' learning.
Session Description: Presenters: Hilary Baries (College of West Dean, London), Samara Ayvazian _Hancock (SUNY Buffalo), Hannah Conner (University of Illinois). |
| Third Activity | In the fall, we made a point of promoting Core Forum on our ALA Connect discussion group as well as other preservation groups, especially highlighting the preservation-related sessions and posters. After Core Forum, we made an additional discussion post recapping Core Forum, which included testimonial quotes from preservation-track presenters, in order to encourage more additional Forum participation in the future. |
| Fourth Activity | |
| Fifth Activity | |
| What will your group be working on for the next 6 months? | We are interested in additional virtual professional development events such as webinars, as well as hosting the annual session during IG week. I (Shelby) am interested in hosting another Graduate Student Showcase, since we received positive feedback from presenters and attendees. |
| How did your work contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, or belonging within Core or the library profession? What areas of improvement do you see for your IG or Core in these areas? | We're dedicated to providing free virtual content such as webinars and promoting them widely across Core/ALA Connect groups, as well as other professional development organizations like AIC and SAA, to make the content accessible to a broad number of attendees/institutions. By promoting events widely across organizations, and recruiting current graduate students, we hope to also introduce more people to Core and the Preservation Section to encourage future membership. |
| Is there anything Core could have provided during this time that would have helped your group with its activities? | |
| Please provide suggestions for future education topics, initiatives, publications, resources, or other activities that could be developed based on your group’s discussions or work. | |
| Please describe anything you need to bring to the Core Board for discussion or action at their next meeting. | |
| Please share any additional comments, concerns, or suggestions you have. | |
| Today’s Date | 07/07/2026 |
Collection Evaluation and Assessment Interest Group – May 2026 Report
| What is the name of your interest group? | Collection Evaluation and Assessment Interest Group |
| Your Name | Mary Aagard |
| Your Email | mary.aagard@utah.edu |
| Please select the name of the section your group belongs to (if applicable) | Metadata & Collections |
| Which report are you submitting? | May |
| How many times did your group meet or hold an activity during this reporting period? | 2-3 |
| First Activity | The IG hosts every-other-month coffee talks that are informal meetings for members to discuss various topics.
We solicit member input on topics and ideas for sharing. The past 2 meetings and the IG Week session we’ve talked about: Creative Decision-Making; Balancing promoting eresources we have versus cancellation announcements; the Title II changes and collection accessibility; and using AI in collection evaluation and when and where that might be prudent or helpful or not helpful and where to value expertise in those decisions |
| Second Activity | Hosted an Interest Group Week discussion session around AI uses in Collection Evaluation and Assessment – March 6
Open Discussion about how artificial intelligence and LLMs are impacting collection work. Potential topics include: |
| Third Activity | |
| Fourth Activity | |
| Fifth Activity | |
| What will your group be working on for the next 6 months? | Continue with our coffee talks and we hope to solicit areas of expertise from our members to feature as guest speakers/discussion leaders at the talks. |
| How did your work contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, or belonging within Core or the library profession? What areas of improvement do you see for your IG or Core in these areas? | We discussed the upcoming changes to Title II of the ADA and e-resource accessibility. Informal nature of the coffee talks allows members to be candid about their experiences and helps members feel a sense of community and belonging. |
| Is there anything Core could have provided during this time that would have helped your group with its activities? | |
| Please provide suggestions for future education topics, initiatives, publications, resources, or other activities that could be developed based on your group’s discussions or work. | |
| Please describe anything you need to bring to the Core Board for discussion or action at their next meeting. | |
| Please share any additional comments, concerns, or suggestions you have. | The group currently has three co-chairs. We've managed this inside our group and gladly take suggestions if we need to change this. Last year we asked members of the group if anyone wanted to join the group and Marion Archer volunteered. Right now the three co-chairs are: Mary Aagard, mary.aagard@utah.edu; Arthur Aguilera, Arthur.Aguilera@Colorado.EDU; and Marion Archer, archerm@uwm.edu. |
| Today’s Date | 06/23/2026 |
Preservation Leadership Team – May 2026 Report
| What is the name of your team? | Preservation Leadership Team |
| Your Name | Martha Horan |
| Your Email | mhoran@miami.edu |
| Which report are you submitting? | May |
| How many times did your team meet during the past 6 months? | 6+ |
| First Activity | |
| Please summarize work accomplished, decisions made, and follow-up actions determined during the past 6 months. Your summary can be a narrative or bullet points, see below for reporting on specific areas. |
The Preservation Section is now in its third year, and we have made significant progress. Our leadership team meets monthly, and we aim to hold quarterly all-committee meetings. Some of our accomplishments over the past 6 months include:
|
| Second Activity | |
| If your section has a specific strategic goal assigned, update any progress made on this goal. |
N/A |
| Third Activity | |
| Deliverables (Fill in bullet point and progress made) |
N/A |
| Ongoing Work (Fill in bullet point and progress made) |
N/A |
| Fourth Activity | |
| What will your team be working on for the next 6 months? Write these goals in SMART goal format. | One of our main goals is to ensure continuity within the leadership team, committees, and interest groups. We hope to move towards an election model for the incoming chair of the section. |
| Fifth Activity | |
| How did your work contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, or belonging within Core or the library profession? What areas of improvement do you see for your committee or Core in these areas? | We are committed to building a preservation community where diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging are central to our mission and work. |
| Is there anything Core could have provided during this time that would have helped your team with its work? | |
| Please provide suggestions for future education topics, initiatives, publications, resources, or other activities that could be developed based on your section’s work. | |
| Please describe anything you need to bring to the Core Board for discussion or action at their next meeting. | |
| Please share any additional comments, concerns, or suggestions you have. | |
| Today’s Date | 06/18/2026 |
Metadata Interest Group – May 2026 Report
| What is the name of your interest group? | Metadata Interest Group |
| Your Name | Elisa Naquin |
| Your Email | enaquin1@lsu.edu |
| Please select the name of the section your group belongs to (if applicable) | Metadata & Collections |
| Which report are you submitting? | May |
| How many times did your group meet or hold an activity during this reporting period? | 6+ |
| First Activity | We hosted a Core IG Week session, "AI in MarcEdit: Practical Tools for Metadata work," presented by Terry Reese. The session was well attended, with about 640 live participants. |
| Second Activity | We continued planning and secured speakers for our accepted ALA Annual program, "AI Assisted Metadata Creation: Real-World Applications, Ethical Questions, and Practical Lessons." |
| Third Activity | We have begun planning for an in-person business meeting and discussion session at ALA Annual. |
| Fourth Activity | |
| Fifth Activity | |
| What will your group be working on for the next 6 months? | Preparing for and executing our accepted program and meeting/discussion session at ALA Annual 2026. We will also hold officer elections shortly before ALA Annual. |
| How did your work contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, or belonging within Core or the library profession? What areas of improvement do you see for your IG or Core in these areas? | Over the past several years, Metadata Interest Group (MIG) member interest surveys have shown that promotion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility is of strong interest to Metadata Interest Group (MIG) members, and this topic has been frequently addressed in MIG programming. Two recent examples are our ALA Annual 2025 program, which focused on metadata assessment for DEIA, and our upcoming program at ALA Annual 2026, which will address the use of AI in making digital image collections more accessible. Future programming will continue to based on members' needs and interests. |
| Is there anything Core could have provided during this time that would have helped your group with its activities? | |
| Please provide suggestions for future education topics, initiatives, publications, resources, or other activities that could be developed based on your group’s discussions or work. | |
| Please describe anything you need to bring to the Core Board for discussion or action at their next meeting. | |
| Please share any additional comments, concerns, or suggestions you have. | |
| Today’s Date | 06/08/2026 |
Leadership and Management Leadership Team – May 2026 Report
| What is the name of your team? | Leadership and Management Leadership Team | ||||||||
| Your Name | David Schuster | ||||||||
| Your Email | dschuste@binghamton.edu | ||||||||
| Which report are you submitting? | May | ||||||||
| How many times did your team meet during the past 6 months? | 6+ | ||||||||
| First Activity | |||||||||
| Please summarize work accomplished, decisions made, and follow-up actions determined during the past 6 months. Your summary can be a narrative or bullet points, see below for reporting on specific areas. |
|
||||||||
| Second Activity | |||||||||
| If your section has a specific strategic goal assigned, update any progress made on this goal. |
We did not have a specific goal assigned. |
||||||||
| Third Activity | |||||||||
| Deliverables (Fill in bullet point and progress made) |
Develop leaders – with our Leadership Liaisons we have been able to identify and support new leaders in each of our committees. We will be welcoming the mentoring Division Committee as a committee within our Section in the fall. We are also looking at how best to support leaders especially new career librarians and fostering future leaders. |
||||||||
| Ongoing Work (Fill in bullet point and progress made) |
Continue to support the Committees within L&M and encourage more programming and resource sharing. The Competencies Task Force is really engaged and I look forward to their report next year and using that as a base for L&M to build upon. I plan to work with the L&M editorial team to review our relationship and identify ways to strengthen our connection with the section and the journal. This did not happen, but I will work with the co-chair of the L&M Section to make that happen next fall. I hope to generate interest in the Task Force’s work on competencies to spur article coverage. |
||||||||
| Fourth Activity | |||||||||
| What will your team be working on for the next 6 months? Write these goals in SMART goal format. | Continue to hone in on the role of the Leadership and Management Section within Core. Strengthen the goals and build programming within the section emerging from the committees. Work within the Section to help the Chairs succeed in maintaining activity in their groups. Revisit and plan for updates to the existing Competencies for Library Leadership and Management, ensuring that we gather input and concerns from volunteers who worked on their initial creation. The existing foundational competencies were adopted and published by LLAMA in 2017 and became part of LLAMA's content coordination activities. Planning for updates might include assessing whether the existing set of competencies continues to address the needs of library leaders and managers, adding newly relevant competencies, and adjusting descriptions and further reading suggestions to take into account the activities of the last 6 years. |
||||||||
| Fifth Activity | |||||||||
| How did your work contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, or belonging within Core or the library profession? What areas of improvement do you see for your committee or Core in these areas? | In our appointments this year I believe we brought more diversity of job types into the committees. | ||||||||
| Is there anything Core could have provided during this time that would have helped your team with its work? | The Core staff have been great, and Todd, with his weekly “what’s happening in Core,” is a tremendous asset! We just need to direct people to that page each week so they can stay abreast of Core activities. I am still finding that people are unaware of the Core classes and other professional development opportunities within Core. My 3 years on the committee have helped tremendously in putting the Section on a firmer footing and in developing a clear understanding of its purpose. | ||||||||
| Please provide suggestions for future education topics, initiatives, publications, resources, or other activities that could be developed based on your section’s work. | Lots of potential for future section work: Leadership and management development activities are happening all across ALA, but they tend to be division-specific and not necessarily aligned with one another. Core L&M could provide coordination or cross-promotion. I have also realized that many of the other Divisions lack strong professional development specifically for leadership and management. We could fill a gap. In our discussions with our chairs, we encourage them to host Section Webinars. We have great volunteers who are leaders, and we demonstrate their abilities and the community's needs to them. |
||||||||
| Please describe anything you need to bring to the Core Board for discussion or action at their next meeting. | Infrastructure is key. The challenges of using Connect and the antiquated systems can make it very cumbersome for new chairs to learn and understand the expectations. Core has a great thing, and we know it lives within a larger organization, but that organization is not responding adequately to its divisions' needs. | ||||||||
| Please share any additional comments, concerns, or suggestions you have. | The realization that L&M was LLAMA has helped reframe our purpose and direction. Knowing this was a strong group before the merger has helped us determine what we can become and how to rebuild. The nomination this spring has brought people onto committees and provided additional support to get new ideas and work done. As noted during the CALM conference, even though there is a void in our profession in leadership training and we are seeing a lot of administrative change, I plan to position L&M to help fill that void. | ||||||||
| Today’s Date | 06/08/2026 | ||||||||
Member Engagement Coordination Committee – May 2026 Report
| What is the name of your committee? | Member Engagement Coordination Committee |
| Your Name | Jacqueline Toce |
| Your Email | tocej1@southernct.edu |
| If your committee is part of a section, please select it (if applicable) | |
| Which report are you submitting? | May |
| How many times did your group meet during this reporting period? | 2-3 |
| First Activity | |
| Please summarize work accomplished, decisions made, and follow-up actions determined during the past 6 months. Your summary can be a narrative or bullet points, see below for reporting on specific areas. |
We participated in Core Interest Group Week with a trivia event. We also participated in the Core Virtual Volunteer fair in March. We had discussions about creating a survey but ultimately, we didn’t because there was already a member survey that came out of the strategic planning group. We also discussed our participation in the Annual Conference. It seems like there isn’t time for a Core 101 session this year, but we plan on attending the member reception. |
| Second Activity | |
| If your committee has a specific strategic goal assigned, update any progress made on this goal. |
We didn’t have a specific strategic goal assigned this year other than the two events that we participated in. |
| Third Activity | |
| Deliverables (Fill in bullet point and progress made) |
I think we encouraged some new members to join committees. |
| Ongoing Work (Fill in bullet point and progress made) |
n/a |
| Fourth Activity | |
| What will your group be working on for the next 6 months? Write these goals in SMART goal format. |
The group will need a new chair to determine the work for the next six months. Some possibilities are more virtual networking opportunities and plans to align with the new strategic plan. |
| Fifth Activity | |
| How did your work contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, or belonging within Core or the library profession? What areas of improvement do you see for your committee or Core in these areas? |
Our work should strive to create opportunities for more people to participate in Core. Some members are on multiple committees, and they may be strained for time. We should continue to perform outreach to members who are hesitant to join committees. |
| Is there anything Core could have provided during this time that would have helped your group with its work? | Sometimes it was difficult to get information about upcoming events or sessions that were canceled for annual. |
| Please provide suggestions for future education topics, initiatives, publications, resources, or other activities that could be developed based on your group’s work. | Maybe we can map our activities earlier in the year. |
| Please describe anything you need to bring to the Core Board or section leadership for discussion or action at their next meeting. | nothing |
| Please share any additional comments, concerns, or suggestions you have. | |
| Today’s Date | 06/02/2026 |
LIFT Awards Committee – May 2026 Report
| What is the name of your committee? | LIFT Awards Committee |
| Your Name | Robin Ewing |
| Your Email | rlewing@stcloudstate.edu |
| If your committee is part of a section, please select it (if applicable) | |
| Which report are you submitting? | May |
| How many times did your group meet during this reporting period? | 4-6 |
| First Activity | |
| Please summarize work accomplished, decisions made, and follow-up actions determined during the past 6 months. Your summary can be a narrative or bullet points, see below for reporting on specific areas. |
The LIFT award committee has completed work on selecting award winners for the 2026 LIFT awards. We received 15 applications that met the award requirements. The committee selected two winners. Each was contacted, and they accepted their award. Irina Stanishevskaya was the winner in the 10+ years of experience category, and Maddie Sharpe was the winner in the less than 10 years of experience category. Winners will be announced at the Core President’s Program at ALA on June 27, 2026. Anyone who was not selected was notified of their status. After completing the award selection, the committee met three times to review processes and documentation. We have submitted a revised committee charge to the Organization and Bylaws committee. Other revised documents were submitted to the Awards Coordination Committee for review. |
| Second Activity | |
| If your committee has a specific strategic goal assigned, update any progress made on this goal. | |
| Third Activity | |
| Deliverables (Fill in bullet point and progress made) |
We selected two winners for the LIFT Award. |
| Ongoing Work (Fill in bullet point and progress made) |
n/a |
| Fourth Activity | |
| What will your group be working on for the next 6 months? Write these goals in SMART goal format. |
|
| Fifth Activity | |
| How did your work contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, or belonging within Core or the library profession? What areas of improvement do you see for your committee or Core in these areas? |
The Core LIFT Awards contribute to Core and the library profession by supporting information professionals whose passion, actions, and everyday work warrant recognition and celebration. |
| Is there anything Core could have provided during this time that would have helped your group with its work? | n/a |
| Please provide suggestions for future education topics, initiatives, publications, resources, or other activities that could be developed based on your group’s work. | n/a |
| Please describe anything you need to bring to the Core Board or section leadership for discussion or action at their next meeting. | n/a |
| Please share any additional comments, concerns, or suggestions you have. | n/a |
| Today’s Date | 06/01/2026 |
Chief Collection Development Officers of Large Research Libraries Interest Group – May 2026 Report
| What is the name of your interest group? | Chief Collection Development Officers of Large Research Libraries Interest Group |
| Your Name | Gene Springs |
| Your Email | genersprings@gmail.com |
| Please select the name of the section your group belongs to (if applicable) | Metadata & Collections |
| Which report are you submitting? | May |
| How many times did your group meet or hold an activity during this reporting period? | 1 |
| First Activity | A task force comprised of interest group members met and made recommendations for consideration regarding membership issues. |
| Second Activity | Planned a joint virtual program with the Technical Services Directors of Large Research Libraries interest group about utilizing Artificial Intelligence for description and accessibility, which will take place on June 15, 2026. |
| Third Activity | |
| Fourth Activity | |
| Fifth Activity | |
| What will your group be working on for the next 6 months? | Considering implementation of recommendations from the membership task force. Continuing discussions via email list/Connect, and planning the December virtual members meeting. |
| How did your work contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, or belonging within Core or the library profession? What areas of improvement do you see for your IG or Core in these areas? | Membership review includes reflection on inclusion. |
| Is there anything Core could have provided during this time that would have helped your group with its activities? | N/A |
| Please provide suggestions for future education topics, initiatives, publications, resources, or other activities that could be developed based on your group’s discussions or work. | N/A |
| Please describe anything you need to bring to the Core Board for discussion or action at their next meeting. | |
| Please share any additional comments, concerns, or suggestions you have. | |
| Today’s Date | 06/01/2026 |
Imagineering Interest Group – May 2026 Report
| What is the name of your interest group? | Imagineering Interest Group |
| Your Name | Athina Livanos-Propst |
| Your Email | athinalivanos@gmail.com |
| Please select the name of the section your group belongs to (if applicable) | Technology |
| Which report are you submitting? | May |
| How many times did your group meet or hold an activity during this reporting period? | 1 |
| First Activity | Participated in Interest Group week. Held open discussion on collection development and readers advisory issues. Discussed ways to enhance member participation outside of major ALA programming. |
| Second Activity | Worked with publishers to secure speakers for panel at ALA Annual. |
| Third Activity | |
| Fourth Activity | |
| Fifth Activity | |
| What will your group be working on for the next 6 months? | -Prepping for Annual conference -Enhance membership outreach throughout the year |
| How did your work contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, or belonging within Core or the library profession? What areas of improvement do you see for your IG or Core in these areas? | Imagineering lifts up voices of underrepresented authors and creators. We also discuss alternate media, which increases accessibility for all library users. By hosting primarily open discussions, we also librarians at various career points to develop their voices in a safe and welcoming environment. Imagineering is hoping to increase our membership discussions beyond our two primary activities, as we use Fandom to reach across career level and background, we want to keep those cross cultural/career-level/ library type conversations moving throughout the year. |
| Is there anything Core could have provided during this time that would have helped your group with its activities? | I have long valued opportunities to work across Interest Groups and Round Tables. Any way that Core can help support multi-group collaboration is always appreciated. |
| Please provide suggestions for future education topics, initiatives, publications, resources, or other activities that could be developed based on your group’s discussions or work. | -Publishing reading/purchases lists -Programming ideas around SF/F materials and topics |
| Please describe anything you need to bring to the Core Board for discussion or action at their next meeting. | |
| Please share any additional comments, concerns, or suggestions you have. | |
| Today’s Date | 05/31/2026 |