October 2024

Note from the Coordinator

Hello friends! Another month has gone by, and the semester is almost halfway over.  I hope you have some sort of mid-semester or Fall Break coming up.  

This month’s update is brief, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss out on an exciting opportunity. Our annual EBSCO eBook offer is back, and it’s as popular as ever! It’s a fantastic deal that brings great value to both small and large institutions alike. Be sure to register for the webinar with Robin Coder below if you are interested in learning more about the ordering process.

After hearing of your interest, the CLC team is excited to present you with a new discount opportunity on ACRL Benchmark. Keep reading for more details.

Wishing you all the best as we head into the second half of the semester!

Beth Purtee
CLC Team Coordinator

SAVE UP TO 30% OFF

Our annual offer is now open with 4 new collections in Biblical Studies, Pastoral Ministry/Missions, Leadership, and Mental Health.  Save 30% on these collections, on any of the four 2023 collections, or on consortia-eligible a la carte titles of your choosing ($1000 minimum order).  A 10% discount is available on selected Zondervan/HarperCollins titles.  Please see the ACL website for title lists and all the details. 

For pricing questions or to place an order, please reach out to our rep, Robin Corder.

WEBINAR OPPORTUNITY

Robin Corder will present a webinar this October on how to use ECM for eBook selection and ordering. This session is ideal for those interested in this popular eBook offer and will cover searching the ECM catalog, selecting titles, and placing orders.

Tuesday, October 22  |  2 PM Eastern  |  Zoom

Please register by clicking the button below and the Zoom participation details will be sent soon. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about the EBSCO eBook money-saving offer for your library.

The ACRL Benchmark tool provides U.S. libraries with an invaluable resource for making data-driven decisions through custom peer comparisons. Subscribers gain access to interactive data dashboards with visualizations and filters, as well as a custom report builder that includes longitudinal data dating back to 1998. This tool can be especially useful if academic library data is no longer collected by IPEDS.

The pricing for group subscriptions offers significant savings. For up to 10 libraries, the annual cost is $3,150, with each additional library costing $210. (To compare, individual subscriptions are $630 per year.) If six libraries participate, there’s a 15% savings, and with 10 libraries, the discount increases to 50%. The more libraries that join, the greater the discount, making it a cost-effective option for groups.

Additional Offer Details:

  • A group subscription can start at any time and is valid for one year from the purchase date.
  • A minimum of 6 libraries must participate to activate group savings.
  • ACRL can bill each institution individually.
  • New schools can join at any time during the subscription period, but they will be billed at the original price and will share the same expiration date as the rest of the group.
  • At renewal, pricing will be based on the number of renewing subscribers and any new members.

If you’re interested in joining this group subscription to ACRL Benchmark, please fill out this form by October 31. We’ll confirm participation and see if we have enough libraries to start the group subscription.

SAVE 15%

The Christian Periodical Index® (CPI®) (ISSN 2572-1933) is the comprehensive electronic index to journal articles and book reviews from across the evangelical Christian perspective. CPI, first released in 1957, is updated quarterly by ACL volunteers and produced and distributed by EBSCO.

  • Contains titles from a wide variety of disciplines that present a Christian viewpoint — education, history, literature, medicine, music, nursing, philosophy, science, and sociology
  • 103 titles indexed in CPI are not found in other major religion databases and 70 titles are found ONLY in CPI
  • Indexing done by ACL members
  • New in 2022! Users can limit search results to linked full text or peer-reviewed journals, and search by scripture citation

CLC members are eligible for a 15% discount on CPI available through EBSCO. Contact EBSCO to get a price quote or a trial version. Be sure to mention you are a CLC member to get the 15% savings!

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9/2024 – Addison Lucchi

Addison is a Instructional & Research Librarian / Professor at MidAmerica Nazarene University (1500 FTE) in Olathe, KS. Addison has been a member of ACL for six years.

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September 2024

Note from the Coordinator

Greetings! I imagine most of us are in the thick of all that happens at the beginning of a new semester. May God give us all the strength and wisdom to navigate the challenges that may come, but also the grace and spiritual eyes to see His hand at work.  

Thank you to everyone who has already responded! We have one final request: please review the vendors and products listed to the right. If any of these catch your interest, kindly send a quick email to [email protected] to let us know. Your input will be invaluable as we prepare for an upcoming planning meeting. The more we understand member interests, the better we can serve you. As always, feel free to submit additional suggestions through the Suggestion Form on our website.

Beth Purtee
CLC Team Coordinator

Act Now: SEPTEMBER Key Offers and Webinar Opportunity

SAVE 10%

Affordable Resource for Small Institutions

Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) provides access to over 25,000 theological thesis/dissertation titles. Our partnership with TREN offers CLC members a 10% discount (possibly higher based on participation) on an annual subscription. Those who already subscribe to TREN through the CLC offer will receive a notification of continuance. To participate as a new subscriber, please fill out the order form. Deadline for participation is September 11.

SAVE 10%

Affordable Resource for Small Institutions

Did you know that CLC members receive a 10% discount on a subscription to Galaxie’s Theological Journal Library (TJL)? The deadline to take advantage of this year’s offer is September 11. Whether you’re a new or renewing subscriber through CLC, be sure to fill out the order form to update your FTE and secure your discount. If you’re a current TJL subscriber (not through CLC) and would like to transition to the ACL/CLC billing cycle to benefit from the cost savings, please contact Hampton Keathley and fill out the order form as soon as possible.

SAVE 10%

Save 10% on an annual Meescan license! Also, libraries new to Meescan that purchase before March 31, 2025 will receive a $200 equipment credit toward the costs of kiosks or security stations. Want more information about Meescan? A demo is scheduled for Monday, September 16, at 2 pm EST. Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkcu6spjspE9NF5W97-mISVAkmHP7yopys

SAVE 30%

Save up to 30% on eBooks from EBSCO! The CLC annual offer will open mid-September and run through mid-December. We are working to finalize the collections that will be offered. Details, including title lists, will be posted on the website when they are available.

Save $100 off the registration price to the Internet Librarian Conference!

Link to register: https://site.pheedloop.com/event/ILC24/register#category
Program: https://site.pheedloop.com/event/ILC24/conference/agenda

Please email [email protected] to receive the group discount code.

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Tending the Weeds & Needs: A Steadfast Faith

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4 ESV)

In the late days of summer, I am often preoccupied by two thoughts: the prospect of a new academic year, and the condition of my garden. The first is a perennial condition of the academic library vocation, and the latter is a personal antidote to the condition of the former. As a gardener and librarian, I find that steadfast endurance is a requisite commitment I make to any hope of ever seeing the fruit of my labor. Just as weeds of the garden inevitably crop up and crowd for space, so too are the unexpected needs of the patron on the well-crafted academic schedule. Each requires tending. James (1:2-3) reminds us that our faith is no different. We will “encounter trials of various kinds” and the “testing of our faith produces steadfastness”. It’s a reminder that the greatest return on our service investment, regardless of occupation, is not in the lofty or grand moments, but in the mundane, everyday obligation of tending the weeds and needs. Truly, in moments of great trial, a resilient faith is required, but the measure of our resilience comes only with the sharpened practice of steadfast endurance in everyday adversity. The daily grind, it turns out, has purpose far beyond the paycheck or of vocational awe.

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8/2024 – Leslie Starasta

Leslie is the Associate Director of Library Services at Illinois State Library (2,000+ card holders) in Springfield, IL. Leslie has been an ACL member for 24 years.

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August 2024

Note from the Coordinator

Greetings! I trust your summer is going well. Maybe you have had a chance to work on those ubiquitous summer projects. But I hope you have also had (or will have) a chance to renew and recharge before the busyness of a new school year begins. 

We want to welcome David Purdy as our newest CLC team member-at-large! David is the University Librarian at Crandall University in New Brunswick. He will be working with Scott in reaching out to and negotiating with new vendor partners as we continue to explore new discount opportunities.

Speaking of which, please take a look at the vendors/products listed below. If any of these are of specific interest to you, we would request that you just send a quick email to [email protected] letting us know.  As we plan and talk to vendors, it will be helpful to know the areas of greatest interest to you. Proquest has already asked us about member interest.   

You may always submit other suggestions to us via the Suggestion Form.

Beth Purtee
CLC Team Coordinator

SAVE 20%

We have just received updated CLC discount pricing for ThirdIron’s LibKey product. Libraries at all FTE levels receive a minimum of 20% off list price, with a greater discount for our smallest members. For more information about LibKey, click here: https://thirdiron.com/#products. To find out your library’s exact discount price, or to start or renew a subscription using the CLC discount, contact Ted Tyson at: [email protected]. You can also view these details on the website.

The enrollment and renewal period is NOW open through September 11.

SAVE 10%

Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) provides access to over 25,000 theological thesis/dissertation titles. Our partnership with TREN offers CLC members a 10% discount (possibly higher based on participation) on an annual subscription. Those who already subscribe to TREN through the CLC offer will receive a notification of continuance. To participate as a new subscriber, please fill out the order form. Deadline for participation is September 11.

SAVE 10%

Did you know that CLC members get a 10% discount on a subscription to Galaxie’s Theological Journal Library (TJL)? The deadline to participate in this year’s offer is September 11. Please fill out the order form. Current TJL subscribers can transition to the ACL/CLC billing cycle to take advantage of the cost savings. Please contact Hampton Keathley and fill out the order form as soon as possible if you are interested in making this switch.

SAVE 10%

Save 10% on an annual Meescan license! Also, libraries new to Meescan that purchase before March 31, 2025 will receive a $200 equipment credit toward the costs of kiosks or security stations. Want more information about Meescan? A demo is scheduled for Monday, September 16, at 2 pm EST.  Please register via the link below:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkcu6spjspE9NF5W97-mISVAkmHP7yopys

SAVE 30%

Make plans to participate in the CLC EBSCO Fall 2024 eBook offer, which will run mid-September through mid-December! We will provide more details as they become available

Save $100 off the registration price to the Internet Librarian Conference!

Link to register: https://site.pheedloop.com/event/ILC24/register#category
Program: https://site.pheedloop.com/event/ILC24/conference/agenda

Please email [email protected] to receive the group discount code.

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July 2024

Note from the Coordinator

Greetings! I want to thank each one of you for renewing your CLC membership for 2024-2025! I trust that your membership will continue to be of benefit to your library. 

This format is our new mode of communication that will be distributed to the primary and secondary contact of your CLC record. You can come back to the CLC Update portion of our website at anytime to view these updates.

To all who were able to attend either the CLC Membership Meeting at the in-person conference or the Lunch with CLC during the virtual portion (or both), we were glad to see you! We appreciated your interaction and feedback. For those who couldn’t make it, a short recap of the information shared is below.

Looking forward to another great year together,

Beth Purtee
CLC Team Coordinator

CLC Meeting Summary

The CLC team was introduced, including Beth Purtee as the CLC Team Coordinator, along with Pam Greenlee, Rebekah Leidenfrost, and Scott Lloyd as members-at-large. The goals for 2023-2025 were discussed, with the 2023-2024 objectives focusing on recruiting an additional member-at-large, expanding consortial vendor options, and investigating the expansion of the Reciprocal Borrowing Program to include virtual libraries. For 2024-2025, the goals include recruiting another member-at-large to assist with vendor partnerships, continuing to expand vendor options, and collaborating with the ACL Home office to make changes to the CLC newsletter.

Time-sensitive offers were highlighted, including deals from Perlego (June 21), EBSCO Spring Offer (June 21), World Trade Press (July 1), and Bloomsbury (July 14). Updates on the ACL Interlibrary Loan (ILL) and Reciprocal Borrowing Programs (RBP) were provided. The ACL ILL continues to support smaller schools and make unique collections available, with thanks extended to lenders. The ACL RBP is being reviewed to potentially include virtual-only libraries and to clarify policies for lenders.

Current conversations about new discounts are ongoing or forthcoming with several potential partners, including AM Digital, Docuseek, Grammarly, Loeb Digital Library, ACRL Benchmark, and Proquest. Members are encouraged to express interest in these possibilities by contacting [email protected] or submitting additional suggestions via the Suggestion Form.

During the Q&A session, discussions covered the timeline for new offers, with survey results indicating a bi-annual release to capture a broader audience. The CLC leadership confirmed that CLC members receive a 15% discount on CPI and reviewed details on products such as Third Iron and Perlego. Questions were raised as to whether ACRL Benchmark’s offer applies only to the US and if the offer from Demco would return; these were noted for further investigation. Suggestions included exploring consortial discounts for Bible software like Accordance and direct physical purchase offers from publishers (i.e. Baylor UP, B&H Academic, Lexham).

Below are a few pictures from the CLC Meeting and Poster at the 2024 ACL Annual Conference.

There is still time to take advantage of our Bloomsbury consortial discount, but the open enrollment period closes July 14.  In addition to the minimum 15% consortial discount available to CLC members, Bloomsbury is currently providing a special discount on some of their religion resources – deadline also July 14.

An additional 10% discount is available for the following products:

ABC-CLIO World Religions

Theology & Religion Online:

For the Bloomsbury ebook collections linked below, there is a 20-35% discount available:

Bloomsbury Collections

  • Take 20% off Frontlist Collections (2022, 2023, 2024) 
  • 35% off Backlist Collections (2021 and earlier/Archive) 

Please contact Katie Bennett, our Bloomsbury rep, for quotes/pricing information.

Did you know that CLC members get a 10% discount on a subscription to Galaxie’s Theological Journal Library (TJL)? The deadline to participate in this year’s offer is September 11. Please fill out the order form on the website. Current TJL subscribers can transition to the ACL/CLC billing cycle to take advantage of the cost savings. Please contact Hampton Keathley and fill out the order form as soon as possible if you are interested in making this switch.

Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) provides access to over 25,000 theological thesis/dissertation titles. Our partnership with TREN offers CLC members a 10% discount (possibly higher based on participation) on an annual subscription. Those who already subscribe to TREN through the CLC offer will receive a notification of continuance. To participate as a new subscriber, please fill out the order form on the website. Deadline for participation is September 11.

Make plans to participate in the CLC EBSCO Fall 2024 eBook offer, which will run mid-September through mid-December! We will provide more details as they become available

Interested in a self-checkout option for your library?  Meescan offers CLC members a 10% discount on an annual license.  A webinar/demo of their product, including an additional equipment discount, will be coming soon. Watch for details. 

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Fruitful Work

Along the front of my house are two rows of shrubs. Some years they get trimmed a lot. Some years they do not. Recently, I was trimming some branches that had been damaged by the unusual cold we had last winter. When I took a break, I saw an open space that looked a bit awkward. Some might even say ugly. I looked at my pile of trimmings and saw a lot of dead leaves, but there were also some healthy leaves in there. They just had been growing in the wrong spot, too far from the base.

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May 2024

The spring season is funny in New England. We tend to have long, gray, winters that are quite dreary. Then in April, we start to see little crocuses bravely pop their heads out of the ground and hear cardinals whistling for their families and sometimes we can even have the windows open during the day to air out the house—but we can’t put away the flannel sheets because snow has happened in April before! But within one week of 50-degree weather and sunshine, the daffodils, dogwoods, and songbirds erupt into full springtime mode. It’s very sudden, and doesn’t last long, but is always worth the wait.

CILA has been in a similar pattern—there have been seeds planted and germinating and now sprouting and coming to fruition. You’ll see in this update that a new CILA team has solidified their roles, an interest group has formed for international librarians and allies, and the Global Library Investment Grant continues to support work around the world. The seasonal nature of our work has never been more evident to me, and I am grateful for the prayers of the ACL members, an active group of global librarians who are eager to connect, and the support of the Home Office in managing the unique issues that arise with the variety of inquiries we receive. I hope you are encouraged as you read a summary of our global activities.

Peace and blessings to you all,
Erin McCoy
CILA Coordinator

New! International Librarians Special Interest Group

The goal of this new 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.

Koha is a fully featured, scalable open source library management system. Development is sponsored by libraries of varying types and sizes, volunteers, and support companies worldwide. You can find several SQL reports wiki, Jquery wiki, HTML & CSS wiki, and XSLT Library wiki which as code you can copy to make improvements you can add to your installation.

Koha-US promotes the ongoing communication, collaboration, and education of Koha users in the United States and beyond, partnering with the global community and supporting organizations. They have monthly Special Interest Group meetings as well as several resources to help you learn more about Koha. Reach out to Lauren Denny if you have questions or visit the KohaUS Learn Page for more Koha tools: https://koha-us.org/learn/.

Meet the CILA Team!

NameTeam RoleDescription
Robert Danielson, Asbury Theological SeminaryResource Promoterreaches out to new international members who receive the International Membership Scholarship and connects them with all the benefits ACL membership and CILA provides
Daniel Baek, Vancouver School of TheologyResource DeveloperPrimarily manages the CILA Libguide, which is currently under construction. If you have resources that would help our global members, please send them Daniel’s way!
Lauren Denny, Teamwork Library ConsortiumACL Member LiaisonPrimarily the author of the bi-annual CILA updates and convener of the new International Librarian’s Interest Group
Gary Flokstra, 4 the World Resource DistributorsGrant DeveloperAssists with managing grant paperwork, applications, and assessment of projects
Erin McCoy, Massasoit Community CollegeCILA CoordinatorManages CILA’s team goals, keeps the team on track with deadlines, and investigates new opportunities for overseas involvement.

There will be another volunteer opportunity with the CILA Team posted soon. Be on the lookout for information!

2023 Global Library Investment Grant Recipients

  1. Saint Andrew’s Theological Seminary – Charlotte S. Tad-awan
    Quezon City, Philippines
    Technology support: Upgrading of Library Management System to Cloud-Based
  2. Institute of Bible and Theology – Le Hoang Anh Vu and Tran Thanh Trang
    Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
    Library Training Workshop (pictured below) Note: This is the first-ever theological library training workshop in Vietnam, and it will help the development of theological education in the country immensely. Facilitated by ACL member Katherina Penner.
  3. Mortenson Center for International Library Programs (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)  – Peggy Nzomo
    Matching grant for international librarians to attend a unique professional development opportunity offered through the center.
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When the Hits Keep Coming

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19 NIV)

I was driving to work the other day, thinking about all of the trials I’ve been through in the last 4 years. It’s been a very difficult season of life. Just as the thought, “How did I get here? How am I still standing?” went through my mind, Cory Asbury’s Song “Egypt” came on the radio. As I listened to this familiar song, God gently reminded me of who is in control. We know that we face troubles in this world.

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