News & Professional Development

Hello CCL Community and Welcome to the 2025-2026 Academic Year!

As the new academic year begins, I hope the Fall semester is bringing you energy and connection with your campus community. We, here at CCL, have much to share in our efforts to support your work as the librarians, classified professionals and administrators of our 116 California community college libraries. 

First and foremost, I would like to invite you to peruse our new and improved website. You may have noticed that the Library Services Platform was recently updated and we are overjoyed to present our new look and feel as well. We designed these updates with you in mind, making navigation easier and ensuring information is more readily accessible to support your daily work Please understand that we are still working through some of the kinks however, your feedback is always greatly appreciated. 

The Annual Library Data Survey (ALDS) has been launched and will be due October 31st, 2025. We have been working hard to make the survey data more useful to our community. To that end, we have taken over responsibility for managing the survey from the state in order to make it better responsive to your needs. All data will be recorded and available on our new website. If you have questions regarding how to gather data to complete the survey, the Library Services Platform (LSP) Analytics Work Group has a web page dedicated to providing ALDS guidance and support.. 

In an effort to help you get to know your CCL board your CCL Regional Representative will be sending you an email in October. Their role is to keep your interests at the forefront of board conversations, and their message will highlight both their work and how CCL represents your college at the state level. In this month’s CCL Outlook you will also see an article from Gregg Atkins, your CCL Executive Director, on our membership, your dues are hard at work and we look forward to hearing from you on the issues that are important to you. 

Finally, please mark your calendars for these upcoming events (more information to come):

• Fall Workshop (online): November 7th, 2025 from 9am -12pm. Topic:  Discovery/Primo ND
• Spring Workshop (in person): May 7th (West Valley College) & May 8th (Long Beach Community College). Topic: New insights on AI and our Libraries.
• CCL Annual Meeting in Sacramento:
  • Day 1: March 12, 2025
  • Day 2: March 13, 2025

With Appreciation, 
Dr. Alison Gurganus, CCL President

Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC)

By Dan Crump, Liaison, Academic Senate for California Community Colleges

Wow, it has been a long time (September 2024) since I have reported on ASCCC activities.  I try to forward as many announcements as possible about the ASCCC on the CCL-Librarians listserv and hope you don’t groan every time you see my name on an email!

And I will start off my report with a confession.  I have taken most of the text of my report from the ASCCC President’s Updates that are emailed out on a regular basis (and which I try to remember to forward).
 

Plenary Session

The 2025 Spring ASCCC Plenary Session was held April 24-26 at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. Plenary Session is a venue for submitting, debating, and voting on resolutions around statewide academic and professional matters; educating local senate leaders on statewide academic and professional matters by providing professional development opportunities; sharing information about ASCCC and its work; and networking with other faculty and colleague leaders from across the state.

In addition to breakout sessions and general sessions during the first two days, faculty had opportunities in area meetings to discuss proposed resolutions and amendments and to propose additional amendments. Different from past resolution processes was that attendees could only submit amendments and urgent resolutions during the plenary session; all other resolutions had to be submitted in advance. This change was piloted in response to delegate interest in having more time to review proposed resolutions with local senates before plenary sessions. ASCCC will continue to pilot and evaluate this process throughout the next academic year. 

On the Saturday of the Plenary Session, April 20th, delegates voted for elections and resolutions. Thank you to all who stepped forward to be considered for a position on the ASCCC Executive Committee. Congratulations to the 2025-2026 Executive Committee, led by Dr. LaTonya Parker-Parnell. 

• President LaTonya Parker-Parnell (Moreno Valley College)
• Vice President Robert L. Stewart, Jr. (Los Angeles Southwest College)
• Secretary Eric Wada (Folsom Lake College)
• Treasurer Erik Reese (Moorpark College)
• At Large Representatives Mitra Sapienza (City College of San Francisco) and Karen Chow (De Anza College)
• North Representatives Erik Woodbury (De Anza College) and Stephanie Curry (Librarian!!! Reedley College)
• South Representatives Carlos Guerrero (Los Angeles City College) and Luke Lara (MiraCosta College)
• Area A Representative Christopher J. Howerton (Woodland College)
• Area B Representative Mark Edward Osea (Mendocino College)
• Area C Representative Edgar Perez (Los Angeles Valley College)
• Area D Representative Bethany Tasaka (San Bernardino Valley College)

Delegates passed 29 resolutions during a spirited debate session. You can view the final Approved Resolutions Packet on the ASCCC Resolutions Process page or visit the ASCCC Adopted Resolutions page).

For those who inquired about the video honoring Dr. John Stanskas that was shown during the first general session is now available for viewing.
The 2025 Fall Plenary Session will be completely in-person, taking place in San Diego from November 6–8. While hybrid participation will be available on Saturday for resolution debate and voting, we encourage you to make plans to join us in person for the entire session. The hallway conversations, shared meals, and collaborative sessions are where much of the connection and collaboration happen; we would love for you to be part of it.
 

Exemplary Program Award and Hayward Award Winners

The ASCCC facilitates the norming, scoring, and selection process for multiple awards, two of which were created by the Board of Governors awards and are sponsored by the Foundation for California Community Colleges.

The first, the Exemplary Program Award, was established by the Board of Governors in 1991 to recognize outstanding community college programs. This year’s theme, “Integrating, Advancing, and Sustaining Open Educational Resources for Access and Equity,” recognized programs that serve as a sustainable and comprehensive model for other colleges' Open Educational Resources (OER) efforts in one or more of the following areas:

• Broadening access and awareness of OER among faculty
• Making OER accessible using Universal Design for Learning principles 
• Developing OER with culturally-relevant content grounded in inclusive, diversity-focused, equitable, and anti-racist principles
• Developing resources to support professional development that broadens the creation and use of OER content
• Finding ongoing support for reviewing OER content
• Winners of the 2025 Exemplary Program Awards are Coalinga College for their OER efforts coordinated through the Coalinga College Library (led by librarian Heather M. Evans) and Diablo Valley College for their OER@DVC program (co-led by Librarian Lindsay Shively)  which has been instrumental in transforming the culture of curriculum development at DVC by promoting Open Educational Resources (OER) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) section. Two colleges earned honorable mention: Lemoore College’s #OERevolution (led by OER Librarian Kelsey Smith) and MiraCosta College’s Sociology Department ZTC/OER Program. The four programs were honored by Chancellor Christian, Board of Governors President Hildegarde B. Aguinaldo, and ASCCC President Cheryl Aschenbach at the January Board of Governors (BoG) meeting. More information about the winning programs can be found in the BoG agenda item and in a February Rostrum article.

The second award is the Hayward Award, which honors community college full-time and part-time faculty who demonstrate the highest level of commitment to their students, college, and profession. Award recipients, nominated by their college academic senates, must have a record of outstanding performance of professional activities as well as a record of active participation on campus. The 2025 Hayward Award winners were recognized at the May Board of Governors meeting. The winners are:

• Stacey Marie Svilich, Feather River College
• Dr. Leila Safalarian, MiraCosta College
• Diane Bushnell, Sierra College

For more information, see the ASCCC Press Release Announcing Hayward Award Winners or visit the ASCCC Hayward Award webpage.
 

Stanback Stroud Diversity Award

The ASCCC facilitates the annual selection process for the Regina Stanback Stroud Diversity Award, established to recognize faculty who have made exceptional contributions toward addressing issues related to diversity, equity, and social justice on their campuses. Named in honor of Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud, this award uplifts those who lead with heart and vision in advancing inclusion across the California community colleges.
We are thrilled to celebrate this year’s award recipient Shella Muzelle Cervantes, Women’s Resource Center Faculty Adviser from City College of San Francisco. Shella’s leadership, advocacy, and unwavering commitment to creating affirming spaces for historically marginalized students exemplifies the spirit of this award. Her work continues to inspire colleagues and students alike.
 

Norbert Bischof Faculty Freedom Fighter Award

In every corner of our system, there are faculty who persistently and courageously advocate for academic freedom, shared governance, and institutional integrity, even when it is not easy. With the Norbert Bischof Faculty Freedom Fighter Award, the ASCCC honors those individuals who rise to these challenges with clarity, purpose, and resolve.

This year’s honoree selected by the Executive Committee is Angela Echeverri from the Los Angeles Community College District. Angela exemplifies what it means to uphold the core values of our profession; from championing equity in Title IX, defending faculty voice, or navigating complex institutional landscapes. Her leadership reflects a deep commitment to principled action and community service.

We thank Angela for her tireless advocacy and celebrate her as this year’s Norbert Bischof Faculty Freedom Fighter.
 

Generative Artificial Intelligence 

Independently and in collaboration with the Chancellor’s Office AI Council, the ASCCC continues to support faculty exploration of generative artificial intelligence. 

• Through the AI Council, ASCCC contributed to drafting the AI Literacy Guidelines --- Generative AI and the Future of Learning
• The ASCCC Educational Policy Committee worked on a resource, Evaluating Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools in an Academic Setting
• The November 2024 ASCCC Rostrum, which was entirely focused on generative artificial intelligence, including an article by Alison Gurganus, librarian at San Diego Mesa College and CCL President, on “A Case for AI Literacy in California Community Colleges.“ 
• The ASCCC resource, Academic Integrity Policies in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Resource Document,  and the Chancellor’s Office Human-Centered Principles for Adopting Generative AI that were approved by the Board of Governors. While these resources are not exhaustive, they provide a foundation for thinking about the potential of generative AI as well as for using AI in ethical ways in the classroom and across campus.
• The ASCCC AI-focused Academic Academy: Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow event took place in San Diego from February 20-22, 2025. Together, ASCCC, thought leaders, and the Chancellor’s Office explored AI in teaching and learning. If you were registered, we hope you had a great time. If you were unable to attend, be sure to look for more AI-focused articles in the February Rostrum and future ASCCC webinars.
• Speaking of webinars, on February 12, the ASCCC held a webinar titled “Empowering Educators: Navigating AI in the Community College Classroom” in collaboration with the Council of Chief Librarians. 
• On March 13, from 12:00–1:30 pm., the ASCCC Educational Policies Committee hosted a webinar titled “Teaching and Learning with AI Bots.”
   

New ASCCC Position Paper

The ASCCC’s most recent paper, Part-Time Faculty: Equity, Rights, and Roles in Governance, was developed by the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 ASCCC Part-Time Committees, approved by delegates at Fall Plenary, and published in April. The paper is divided into several sections, starting with history, marginalization, and myths of part-time faculty in California community colleges, moving to inequities experienced by part-time faculty members, then a review of data on part-time faculty from Datamart and the ASCCC part-time faculty survey, and then two academic senate-specific sections: the role of the ASCCC and local senates in supporting part-time faculty and what local senates can do to support part-time faculty. The paper closes with recommendations for local senates and the Chancellor’s Office.

ICAS: Cal-GETC

California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) as the singular lower division general education transfer pathway to CSU and UC mandated by AB 928 (Berman, 2021) goes into effect Fall 2025, replacing the IGETC and CSU GE Breadth general education patterns. Students who hold catalog rights to IGETC or CSU GE Breadth can continue to use those patterns.

The Intersegmental Committee of Academic Senate (ICAS) Cal-GETC Standards Subcommittee, comprised of faculty academic senate representatives from the California Community Colleges, California State University, and University of California met regularly during 2024-2025 to update the Cal-GETC Standards, Policies, and Procedures Manual. The committee had much to consider, largely guided by ASCCC resolutions and input from articulation officers. As ICAS actions require the support of a majority of each segment’s academic senate representatives, some of the requested and necessary revisions to the standards, including flexibility for Area 5, Cal-GETC for STEM, and partial certification, were not approved. The Cal-GETC Standards 1.3 do include clarifications in Area 2 and clarification on applicability of courses previously approved for IGETC. Final ICAS action was taken on May 22, so the approved document is being formatted for publishing and it, along with a document summarizing changes from version 1.2 to 1.3, will be released soon. Information about Cal-GETC, including the Standards 1.3, can be found at the ICAS Cal-GETC webpage.
 

ASCCC Curriculum Institute 

The Curriculum Institute was held July 9–12 at the Ontario Convention Center, brought together faculty, students, classified professionals, and administrators for a dynamic and timely exploration of curriculum through the theme To Boldly Explore: Equitable Curriculum in an AI Universe. This year’s hybrid event featured in-person and virtual participation, offering attendees access to pre-sessions, five general sessions, and eight breakout sessions. The program was intentionally designed to promote equity-minded, student-centered curriculum and governance practices, with sessions organized into thematic pathways reflecting varying levels of experience, from foundational to advanced. The institute spotlighted critical topics including the role of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning, trauma-informed curriculum design, student engagement, and inclusive governance. Attendees were invited to consider tools to strengthen Career and Technical Education (CTE) programming, advance practices centered in IDEAA and support student voice in curriculum processes. One standout session explored healing-centered approaches that foster belonging, while another featured strategy for building agile CTE pathways aligned with Vision 2030. The institute also provided important updates related to Title 5 regulations for Community College Baccalaureate Degree Programs, including admissions criteria, unit caps, and local equivalency practices.

This year’s Curriculum Institute emphasized collaborative dialogue, featuring interactive breakout formats and faculty-driven discussions to foster meaningful engagement. From artificial intelligence to legislative shifts, participants explored the future of curriculum with a clear focus on equity, access, and innovation. The ASCCC Curriculum Committee, which led the development and planning of the program, ensured a timely and forward-thinking experience aligned with systemwide priorities.

This event, and others, reflect the field’s unwavering dedication to shared governance, equity-minded practices, and student-centered innovation.

In this forthcoming academic year, the ASCCC renews its commitment to academic excellence, equity-driven governance, and meaningful collaboration across all segments of higher education. 

Raising Awareness: Canvas and OpenAI Partnership and Implications for CCC Faculty

On July 23, 2025, Instructure (Canvas LMS) announced a global partnership with OpenAI , unveiling a new integration that embeds advanced artificial intelligence capabilities directly into the Canvas learning management system. This development has significant implications for teaching and learning across higher education, including California’s community colleges.

While the ASCCC supports innovation that enhances student learning and safeguards educational integrity, we are increasingly hearing concerns from faculty statewide about the lack of transparency and communication surrounding this rollout. The integration of AI tools into platforms that directly shape instruction, assessment, and course design raises critical questions regarding academic freedom, pedagogical autonomy, data privacy, and the responsibilities defined in Title 5 around academic and professional matters.

As faculty leaders, we must ensure that these kinds of developments are not only acknowledged but also thoughtfully discussed within the framework of participatory governance. To that end, the ASCCC has formally reached out to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

As this technology continues to evolve, the ASCCC emphasizes the need for meaningful collaboration and inclusive dialogue to support faculty and students alike. We stand ready to engage with system partners, technology providers, and local leaders to ensure that innovation in AI serves not supplants the educational values and the role of faculty in shaping learning environments.

Faculty across the state are encouraged to stay informed and connected as this conversation unfolds. The ASCCC will continue to advocate for transparency, accountability, and faculty voice in all technology decisions that impact teaching and learning in our colleges.

From the CCL Executive Director Fall 2025

By Gregg Atkins, CCL Executive Director

Ah, October – the signs and scents of Fall, Halloween decorations (and Christmas items already crowding into Home Depot!), and the pending arrival of the FY2025-26 CCL membership invoices.

What does your college get from that $150 CCL membership payment? (Which, by the way, hasn’t changed for many years!) 

Here are some but not all of the benefits:

• Workshops (fall via zoom, spring in-person) and the annual meeting
• The Outlook
• a new website!
• The work of CCL-EAR, the Library Consortium purchasing arrangement, and the free CountryWatch database
• The listservs
• The management by CCL of the LSP Program, and the ongoing operation of the governance & organizational structure
• The seats which CCL has at the Chancellor’s Office – Library Advisory Committee, Telecommunications and Technology Committee, Distance Education and Ed Tech Committee – and sustained visibility at the system level
• The statewide participation CCL has in AI efforts and now the burden-free instructional resources initiative planning
• The liaison position with the ASCCC Executive Committee
• General work and effort to make the world safe for the CCC libraries!

CCL is again paying the 2026 ELUNA membership for every library. ELUNA helps direct the ongoing improvements and upgrades to Alma and Primo. And the 110 CCC libraries – with about 20% of the total vote – have a big impact on ELUNA!

Plug in where you can – your local Academic Senate, one of the LSP workgroups, as a presenter on a webinar or in a workshop. You help make a difference!

Regards -- Gregg Atkins, Executive Director, CCL

Consortium Director’s Report

By Amy Beadle, Senior Director of Library & Technology

Hello and welcome back to another exciting academic year. I hope that you all had enjoyable summers and were able to enjoy some time away from work.
 

Consortia Manager & Fall Renewals
 

Calendar Year Renewals/New Resources

A few important important upcoming deadlines for your attention:

The default invoice date will be December 5, 2025 and those invoices will be generated and sent with a due date of February 15th unless you request something different prior to that. To request an alternative date, please email Marissa. 

Please remember to use the drop-down options under “Billing Cycles” to request any invoice groupings. You MUST click the checkmark to have your selection entered. Invoices may not be changed after they are issued and the ONLY way for us to see your request is via the dropdown as shown below:

Pricing Requests

Please use the “Request Price” Button in Consortia Manager for new resources that you are seeking a quote for, not a general email. Please use the correct subscription term that you desire … CY 2026 for a full 12-month term beginning in January or FY 2025-26 if you’re trying to prorate for 6-months to get onto a Fiscal Year Term.

Use the “Additional details” field in the pop-up box to tell us anything else we might need to know.

Potential New Resources and Trial Offers

You may have heard about a new Turnitin add-on, Clarity. We have not yet made a decision as to if we will offer it, given the newness of the product and short-time frame between development and planned launch. That said, if your campus is interested in requesting a trial, please contact our Turnitin contact, Adam Conner at aconner@turnitin.com
 

New Position Alert

We’re excited to announce that the League is hiring a Program Manager for the Library and Technology Resources program. I expect that the position will be posted within the next 10 days and I will share it out widely once it is. A couple of areas to note: this is a full-time position that will support the Library & Technology Consortium work. It is fully remote, but the applicant must reside in California due to CalPERS requirements.

Here are some focus areas of this newly created position (draft):

• Procurement System Expertise
  • Serve as the internal expert and primary administrator for the Consortia Manager platform.
  • Set up products, manage subscription cycles, input pricing, and maintain accurate college participation data.
  • Work with the fiscal and communications staff to ensure smooth ordering and billing workflows via Consortia Manager.
• Vendor and Member College Support
  • Act as liaison between colleges and vendors for inquiries, issues, and onboarding.
  • Help libraries understand product offerings, pricing structures, and ordering timelines.
  • Coordinate and track trial access and college feedback on potential resources.
• Documentation and Communication
  • Maintain updated resource descriptions and order details on consortium webpages.
  • Assist with developing guides and documentation to support librarian use of the consortium’s offerings.
• Accessibility and Equity Considerations
  • Assess products for accessibility (508 compliance) and communicate issues or recommendations.
  • Support efforts to expand access to relevant, inclusive, and equity-focused resources across all colleges.
     

New LibGuide Alert

Look for the Library & Technology website to be published and shared out before the next Outlook is published. More details to come!
 

Wednesday Webinars Return for the 6th Year

All current California Community Colleges Library personnel are invited to attend Wednesday Webinars (WW), sponsored by the CCLC’s Library & Technology Consortium.

When: Wednesdays during the Academic Year
Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Zoom Information: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/82892533560

• Wednesday Webinar recordings are posted to the LibGuide within 24 hours.
• Upcoming Wednesday Webinars are listed on the CCC Events Calendar.
• Want to request a Wednesday Webinar Topic? Fill out the WW Topics Form.

LSP News

Pawel and Cathy are kicking off the Calbright Alma/Primo NDE implementation, with the expectation that they will be live on the system by the end of 2025. This is the first time that we’ve added to our LSP program since the original implementation occurred in 2019/2020 and we are excited to welcome them.

LSP Interest Groups will start meeting this month, including two new groups: including two new groups: Resource Sharing and New Employees groups. LSP Interest Groups provide an opportunity for members of the LSP community to discuss issues and share solutions applicable to a subset of LSP institutions. These groups usually meet online once a semester and are hosted by the LSP Program. 

Sign up for interest groups and receive emails and information related to the specific interest group(s). Current groups include:

• Alma Digital - Colleges that are using or are interested in using Alma Digital (also known as Alma-D) discuss challenges and collaboratively develop and maintain documentation and resources for resolving issues related to Alma Digital.
• Multi-College Alma Institutions - Multi-College districts that use one Alma Institution collaborate on solutions to issues unique to this type of Alma institution.
• Small Colleges - College whose FTE is less than 2,650 or colleges where staffing, resources and specific expertise may be in short supply are welcome to come and discuss strategies, resources and give feedback on how the LSP Program can improve support.
• Coming Soon! New Employees - Any CCC Library employees who are new to the LSP Program or Ex Libris products are invited to discuss how the LSP can help support onboarding to Alma and Primo.

And with that, I hope to see you all soon!

CCL-EAR Chair Report

By Megan Kinney, CCL-EAR Chair
Electronic Collections Librarian, City College of San Francisco

The school year just began, but if your start has been anything like mine, you may also be having a hard time catching your breath. Things are moving quickly, and it’s no different in the work of electronic resources. 

Since my last note, we 

• shared Quick Looks on Gale in Context: Science and NexisUni. 
• have been considering Accessibility Conformance Reports (what most of us call VPATs) for 13 database platforms to think through the Title II updates.
• met with Leigh Mosley, the Accessibility Coordinator for Acquisitions and Continuing Resources from the University of Kentucky libraries. She shared her process for reviewing VPATs and communicating with vendors to make platforms more accessible. (You might be interested in checking out an earlier presentation about how accessibility can be a key part of the academic library’s process from Mosely and her colleague Elyssa Gould at the Accessing Higher Ground conference.)
• hosted a Wednesday Webinar to gather feedback in regional breakout rooms. This feedback informs our discussions throughout the year: to set priorities and communicate needs to vendors. We really appreciate your time and engagement, as the information you share makes it possible to do what we do. 
• updated our review criteria to include AI implications throughout (such as how AI tools impact the database in general, as well as with respect to accessibility and privacy). 

At SCELCapalooza last March, I met with EBSCO to ask about a recent privacy concern shared with me by Jeff Karlsen at Sacramento City College regarding the cookies pop-up present throughout the new user interface. The pop-up says “This website utilizes technologies such as cookies to enable essential site functionality, as well as for analytics, personalization, and targeted advertising.” While cookies are pervasive throughout the web, the targeted advertising part of that message is especially concerning. EBSCO has told me they do not use targeted marketing cookies and that it was added mistakenly. I was given a loose timeline for removal between April and July, but it is still present in the UI today. When I followed up, EBSCO said they understand this is important to us, and they are still working to get it removed. Hopefully that happens soon! (Pop-ups like these became more ubiquitous when California voters supported CCPA and CPRA. Important stuff to consider in light of our library privacy statement!) Alas, EBSCO has let me know this week that they will be unable to remove “targeted marketing” from the pop-up, but that they do not use targeted marketing. I’m sharing their memorandum with permission.

More reviews are coming, and we hope to share accessibility updates soon. As always, feel free to contact me with any concerns or ideas that you would like to share with the committee, or contact your regional rep directly.

Take good care!

Megan Kinney, CCL-EAR Chair
Electronic Collections Librarian, City College of San Francisco

AI-generated Authors and Books: Impacts to Libraries and Librarians

By Althea Christensen, Humboldt County Library
Susan Gehr, College of the Redwoods
Ryan Keller, College of the Redwoods

This Book Seems Odd...

While preparing to give a workshop for College of the Redwoods (CR) faculty, administration, and staff titled “AI Literacy and Research Strategies,” CR librarians Susan Gehr and Ryan Keller discussed a reference book that had recently been purchased for the collection, a dictionary of social work.  Upon review of the book, some things about it didn’t feel quite right. The book’s entries were all about the same size, had the same structure, and they seemed overly generic, not referring to the social work laws or policies of any country.  Even more concerning, information about the credentials of the author could not be found. It was eventually concluded that the book could not be added to the collection. The vendor issued a refund.

When Susan shared this with Ryan, she recalled a similar experience purchasing a book for the Humboldt County Library earlier this year. The book, an independently published local travel guide that at first glance seemed to promise a strong local appeal, did not have an index or even a single map. Even more puzzling was the complete lack of information about the author to be found anywhere online. Around the same time her colleague, Senior Library Assistant of Acquisitions and Technical Services Althea Christensen, began sharing with public library staff the results of her intensive research into the proliferating world of AI-generated books. This thoughtful effort grew into a now-circulating guide for library staff called “Tips for Spotting AI Books.”  We invited Althea to lend her expertise and co-present at the CR workshop, in which we barely scratched the surface on this massive topic. Since the start of the academic year, we’ve also seen a few curriculum proposals naming AI-generated books on textbook lists. Given the value we professionally place on the authorship of library resources, we wanted to share what we’ve seen so far.

Following is a sampling of some of the signs you might have purchased an AI-generated book for your library.  Keep in mind that the presence of one or a few of these characteristics doesn’t definitively identify the book as AI-generated, but seeing many factors might have collection development librarians looking at a book more closely.
 

AI Book-Spotting: Some of What to Look For

Author

The author seems also to have been generated by AI – the author has no online presence or evidence of academic or professional experience. Any name, image, or biography seems vague or cannot be fact-checked.

Appearance

No title or poorly formatted title on spine, wide line spacing, repetitive format of text, illustrations are stock photos, AI generated, or clip art.

Publication

Starting in 2021 or later, many of the AI generated books are self-published, and are either digital or print-on-demand. The book might have fewer pages than conventionally published books on the same subject.

Content

The titles might be unusually wordy or specific with excessive adjectives.

The content is generic, lacking specific examples and author voice.  The content may sound plausible but be incorrect or inconsistent.  No other sources are cited, or the sources are nonexistent or unsuitable for college-level research.  

Reviews

Fake user reviews and fake editorial reviews are generic and glowing.  Read the low-star reviews for concerns about generic, common sense, or vague content.  

While we are covering only a few of the red flags to be on alert when assessing the origin and quality of a book, we recommend Althea’s AI Book-spotting guide for a more in-depth discussion of the issue.

Why it Matters

The proliferation of AI-generated texts significantly impacts our work as librarians, both as collection managers and as information literacy specialists on our campuses. The materials we purchase and recommend to students and faculty should be high quality and consistent with our institutional values around academic integrity. 
 

Quality

Carefully drafted collection development policies invariably guide our selection decisions to focus on materials that are of the highest quality. This is especially crucial for libraries stretching small budgets to maintain current and representative collections. Our markers for assessing a text’s quality might include expertise of authors and publishers, writing style, availability of citations and references, text navigability and, of course, accuracy of information. It is well demonstrated (at this moment in time) that AI-generated texts frequently fail at some or all these categories. And because self-published books don’t pass through any traditional editing or vetting process, this creates more labor for librarians who must do the vetting themselves. Perhaps most troublesome, AI-generated content from widely used Large Language Models (LLMs) have been shown to perpetuate biases from the vast universe of online data they are trained on. Without careful vetting of AI-generated books, we run the risk of incorporating materials in our libraries and courses that are not only low quality, but in some cases do outright harm.

Academic Integrity

Most college campuses define some student code of conduct elevating “academic integrity.” Here at College of the Redwoods, our policy states:

“Students are expected to demonstrate qualities of morality, integrity, honesty, civility, honor, and respect...” and

“Generative AI is not a substitute for original work by students and will not be used as a substitute for it.”

If we require students to demonstrate integrity in part by producing original work, it seems antithetical to allow AI-generated books into the curriculum with fake or no real authorship. Reputable experts might use AI tools to support their writing work, but they will still claim authorship and therefore take responsibility for and lend their credibility to the arguments they make.  When the book’s author is also AI-generated, it’s as if no one is taking responsibility for the content of the book.  There are even sellers of courses on creating AI-generated books that recommend using AI to produce the “author’s” biography and name.   

Researching the author(s) of a text and the credentials and expertise they bring to the subject are foundational information literacy skills we explicitly teach in academic libraries, and we should hold our collections to the same standard.

Final Thoughts

The publishing world is rapidly changing before our very eyes, and as information professionals we should keep ourselves abreast of technological trends that affect our students, our library faculty, and our instructional faculty colleagues. Perhaps one day Artificial Intelligence text generators might overcome the barriers to quality we have noted here, but we are not there now. In this time of seemingly limitless proliferation and ubiquity of unverified AI-generated content, our patrons rely on us to maintain high standards in our materials to support their learning in college and beyond.

We are interested in hearing about whether or how other libraries have been affected by AI-generated texts or authors.

Unseen Leaders and Missed Opportunities

By Linda Parker, MLIS, Doctoral Candidate, Systems Librarian/Chair, Antelope Valley College | CCL Scholarship Recipient

“They typically don’t include us in those spaces”, said a colleague of mine when I advised that I had received a scholarship to attend the Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA) Admin 101 series in the summer of 2024. But how many times have we heard that phrase as it relates to virtually anything in life? Maybe you often feel marginalized because of how you identify, racially, gender-wise, politically, or because of your faith. As librarians, however, we have often seen and felt the impact of these words professionally and in the spaces we occupy at our institutions. We collectively wonder why there are few, if any, library leaders in the upper echelon of administration. Often, Library Deans come without a library degree or specific library experience. Yes, we do see Library Department Chairs and Associate Deans, or Deans of the Library with those credentials, but most often those with a library degree in those spaces do not translate their skills into administration including Vice Presidents, Vice-Chancellors, or even college Presidents. Why not?

One may choose not to advance due to the status or rank of one’s faculty position. If a librarian is recognized as a tenured faculty member, there may be a degree of sacrifice or trade-off in setting aside one’s tenure to move into administration. An increased salary is nice but is not always a motivator to give up select working hours or extended time off. The perception of a lack of leadership development opportunities could also be a culprit. Are librarians developing themselves to enhance their marketability into administrative roles? Are we as professionals looking for those growth opportunities? Maciel, Kaspar, and VanDuinkerken (2018) note that “the root of this crisis rests with the lack of attention librarians are paying to develop potential library leaders” (21).1

Case in point is my experience in applying for and receiving a Leadership Scholarship from the California Community Colleges Council of Chief Librarians (CCL). I submitted my documentation and waited with anticipation the results of my packet review. I had chosen to attend the ACCCA Admin 101 since I was new to being a Library Department Chair and was desirous of gaining administrative knowledge. I received notice that I was chosen as a scholarship recipient but was saddened to learn that the ACCCA cohort was full. I replied to the scholarship committee that I had to turn it down since the training of my choosing was unavailable and to please release my funds for another candidate. CCL Executive Director, Gregg Atkins was very encouraging and assuring that I could consider another program as there was no need to divert my scholarship support. Amid this back and forth, the ACCCA had a cancellation, and I was confirmed to attend. It was a wonderful experience! I was able to connect with varied leaders from across all of California and glean from the experience of experts who have been in leadership positions for many years. Out of the approximately 72 participants, I met two library deans, only one of whom had a library degree and library experience.

Post this leadership development in 2024, an opportunity arose to be considered as a Board Member of the CCL. I would like to think that being a CCL Leadership Scholarship recipient and my experience at the ACCCA were factors in my being approved to serve on the board. At the first meeting, however, I learned that out of those CCL participants across 116 California Community Colleges, I was the ONLY scholarship applicant. I was stunned. I certainly expected that there had been a competitive process and that folks were lining up to claim scholarship funding. Mind you, these scholarships are for an amount of up to $4,000 each!

The core of librarianship is in service to others, but how often do we consider opportunities in service to ourselves? Do we feel confident our supervisors would support our development? A supervisor who is committed to their staff and faculty’s professional development cannot be understated as this demonstrates value and contributes to morale (Glusker et al. 2022, 156).2   In contrast, if you are the supervisor or in a leadership role (Dept. Chair, Dean), are you looking for opportunities to advance your colleagues and staff? Either way, let this be a clarion call to action. 

What to do? You can A.C.T.:

• Assertively look for opportunities to advance yourself and colleagues at your institution and beyond.
• Complete scholarship applications through organizations like the Chief Council of Librarians (they will be accepting applications soon!).
• Transfer your experience and what you learn to others at department meetings, conferences, professional development activities, or other messaging to encourage and spread the word.

Taking the initiative to A.C.T., will keep you from becoming an unseen leader, help you avoid missed opportunities, and will ultimately lead to serving others, the heart of what we do!

1. Glusker, A., C. Emmelhainz, N. Estrada, and B. Dyess. "“Viewed as equals”: The impacts of library organizational cultures and management on library staff morale." Journal of Library Administration 62, no. 2 (2022), 153-189. doi:10.1080/01930826.2022.2026119. 

2. Maciel, M. L., W. A. Kaspar, and W. VanDuinkerken. "(Desperately) seeking service leadership in academic libraries: An analysis of dean and director position advertisements." Journal of Library Administration 58, no. 1 (2018), 18-53. doi:10.1080/01930826.2017.1399711.

Impressions from ELUNA 2025 - Atlanta

By Jeff Karlsen, Technical Services Librarian, Sacramento City College | CCL Scholarship Recipient

I attended the ELUNA Developers Day+ (DD+) and Annual Meeting in June 2025, supported by the Council of Chief Librarians and Sacramento City College. This year’s event took place under a cloud. Attendance by North American library personnel was depressed by a combination of less-than-ideal scheduling (the conference took place just one week before ALA) and the acute pressures American institutions of higher education have faced since January 2025. The war that flared up between Israel and Iran the week preceding the conference, and resulting closure of Israeli airspace, prevented most Israeli Ex Libris (ExL) employees from attending. Nevertheless, the conference proved rewarding in ways I’ll try to convey below. I’m including links to the conference site for sessions I mention; presentation slides are available there if you want more info.

Developers Day+

This was my third straight year attending both DD+ and the Annual Meeting. Though many DD+ presentations are aimed at people who are engaged in library technology at a more specialized level than I am, they have always included at least one major idea that I brought back to my institution to work on. This year’s highlights:

• A report on an “extensibility task force” at the CUNY libraries. This presentation provided an inspiring vision of how one consortium surfaces and develops technical opportunities in a way that encourages collaboration. The task force teams up a few library personnel who have an interest in coding with central-office employees. The presentation raised questions for me about how we strategize on technical issues in our own consortium. Do our work groups already cover this ground? Have we identified people who are equipped to contribute in this way, and do we encourage system-wide technical innovation?
• Not one, but two presentations on alternative approaches to Alma’s built-in “shelf reporting” functionality for inventory. One presenter showed how his team built a cloud app, which is now available as a Super Shelf Inventory Cloud App User Guide
  for the larger community to use. (The focus of the presentation was on the advantages cloud apps offer over custom-built server-based applications.) The other walked through a Python-script-based approach that, when customized and compiled to an executable application, allows use within a particular library. Both of these solutions appear to be worlds better than the out-of-the-box Alma process my library used a couple summers ago.
•  A presentation showing how using the new Alma add-on Library Open Workflows has improved one library’s metadata-correction processes. This presentation was of particular interest to me since my institution was a development partner for this tool, and will be adopting it for ongoing use. Currently for this sort of metadata work we rely on reviewing Analytics dashboards. The presentation showed alternative approaches that demand less proactive checking.
• A session on customizing the Next Discovery Environment (NDE). This was, unfortunately, delivered as a pre-recorded screencast because the presenter could not get out of Israel, and was essentially unwatchable. It was however clear that the NDE’s Angular 7-based customizations will be far more flexible than in Primo VE. I’m hoping that getting up-to-speed in the new framework (which is quite different from AngularJS) won’t be too big a lift. I wonder, who else in our consortium intends to make the effort?

I was a co-presenter in a couple DD+ sessions on Library Open Workflows. I thought these sessions suffered somewhat from the unplanned absence of the product’s lead, who was in Israel, but it seemed that at least some participants got a glimpse of how this tool might help them move projects along.
 

Annual Meeting

The main conference featured dozens (hundreds?) of sessions. Following are the most notable ones I attended.

Librarians from San Francisco State University reported on their efforts to make their Alma letters more friendly. This effort involved user testing and careful review of their language conventions. My institution went through a thorough revision process for our letters, but that was three or four years ago; it’s probably time for us to do it again, and this presentation might help us move forward.

Kathryn Lybarger from University of Kentucky presented on Analytics reports she has compiled to catch data flaws. She also took some time to justify the work it takes to detect and clean these up; in many cases data flaws impede access and even cost money (if we e.g. replace items that we think are gone because of a data problem). The reports are excellent; she maintains a website that lays out the logic of these various reports, which are all available in the Community area of Analytics. What a contribution this one person has made to the Alma community! I highly recommend checking out her presentation slides, which have links to and identifying information for all of this.

I served as moderator (which essentially means taking the mike around during questions) for a session on understanding Analytics error messages. This was a very practical session on an area that has long puzzled me. I encourage those who design reports in Analytics to check out the slides.

I attended a session from Kirsti Thomas of the Seattle Colleges on how their libraries negotiate situations where a non-library entity is using Alma to circulate materials. My library has these sorts of relationships, but the Seattle Colleges have thought through many of the points in far more detail than my library has done, implementing memoranda of understanding with these outside areas. This was an inspiring session, and I intend to model our process on Kirsti’s going forward.

Librarians from Florida Gulf Coast University presented a totalizing approach to course reserves (note: while Leganto was mentioned in the session description, the processes they presented did not require Leganto). They use their bookstore list as a basis for automatically creating Alma reading lists and citations, so that in the end their owned books are properly mapped to courses and they can also view reports on which assigned texts they do not own. The most innovative and tricky piece here is a custom database they maintain of ISBNs, since, as we know, ISBNs listed by college bookstores are a very imperfect match point for catalog titles. I was intrigued by this session because my district has managed to automate parts of our reserves process, but clearly not enough, since maintaining them still takes a lot of time and never actually seems to get completed. So I am open to thoroughly revising the approach, and this presentation provided a very different model, though it is not clear to me that it would be practical or effective for us.

I personally have had bizarre experiences the few times I’ve tried the AI Metadata Assistant, which promises to speed up cumbersome aspects of cataloging by enlisting generative AI in the process, so was interested to hear the report from a group of institutions that served as development partners for the tool. The takeaway was… it falls short in many ways. I was taken by a comment that it is mostly recommended for expert catalogers, not novices. (The tool’s success in adding LC subjects and classifications was highest-praised by people who were least familiar with LC conventions.) In other words, any notion that it could replace skilled catalogers would be misguided. One institution noted that even if it produced better results, it wouldn’t really fit their workflow, since they do their cataloging in WorldCat—as do we.

I was a co-presenter for a demonstration session on Library Open Workflows (LibOW). (As I mentioned above, my district participated as a “development partner” for this new product.) This was a bit of an odd position for me to be in for a few reasons. First, this product is a paid add-on, so the session was unavoidably a promotional effort in addition to informational. The oddest moment came in the period preceding the session, when ExL staff wheeled in a hanger rack providing souvenir Open Library Workflows t-shirts! I have no interest in doing marketing work for any vendor, so all that is a bit uncomfortable. In addition to this concern, most LibOW development partners were from large state, national, or private institutions, and if we’re looking at the situation honestly, ExL would probably prefer these institutions represent the impact of its products over a community college district. Let’s face it: CCC libraries do important work, but we don’t tend to operate at the bleeding edge of technology; our collections are relatively small and straightforward, our number of personnel is small, we don’t support a lot of faculty research, etc. For this reason, when a call went out soliciting co-presenters for this session, I only volunteered to co-present when it was clear nobody else was stepping up.

My aim in the session was to provide a fair demonstration of how the tool works and to communicate use cases for which we are finding it valuable (which so far do not include the AI-hyped scenarios the vendor is touting). I pushed back against the vendor’s suggestion that this tool can be effectively used “without writing any code”; I do find it a realistically low-code solution, but I am skeptical that it can be implemented satisfactorily without at least a basic command of JavaScript.
 

Tidbits about coming system features gleaned from sessions / plenaries

• NDE looks good! I see a lot of incremental, user-focused improvements. ExL is using data to figure out where current pain points are. I’m seeing good changes in, for instance, filters, full display, advanced search, and collection discovery.
• They have a vision of adding AI chatbots to the Alma interface to help us retrieve data quickly. They are beginning with funds and ledgers. I am skeptical of this effort, given how much context is needed to understand what much of our data means. If you have ideas about what conversational AI would help with in Alma, send them to Dana Moshkovits, Dana.Moshkovits@clarivate.com
• They are branching out into new AI-powered products such as a “Faculty course-design assistant” and a “Personalized AI student coach”. This revelation tested my gag reflex.
• ExL claims that they can see via analytic tools that the new title search / circ desk UI speeds up common tasks. They will continue to spread this UI to new areas e.g. physical item search and CZ update task list.
• Specto terminology: the update to Alma-D is Specto Essentials. It will have the same price and functionality as Alma-D. The full version of Specto is called Alma Specto.
• Fill out those Support surveys! Every survey that comes back less than positive is reviewed. It helps if you leave comments.
• The low attendance at this year’s conference may lead to a reduction in capacity at future ones.

Finally: not all time at a conference is spent in sessions. I shared meals (some of the dinners were very tasty! Good showing, Atlanta) and outings (a music venue, the King Center) with colleagues from around California and further afield. Not many CCC folks came this year, but I was happy to make new connections and deepen existing ones. I’m always gratified to spend extended, unmediated time with people who seem dedicated to the work of their libraries. It’s inspiring to spend a few concentrated days taking in the contributions so many people are making to their libraries and being reminded of the human goodwill behind library systems. I’ll certainly look to continue to attend ELUNA, though it does require resources; as my college was only willing to contribute about 20% of the cost, I was extremely grateful to receive CCL’s generous support.

Adapting, Advancing, and Advocating: Lessons from ELUNA 2025

By Dulce Gangani, Library Technician, MiraCosta College | CCL Scholarship Recipient

I was honored to be invited to attend the 2025 ELUNA (Ex Libris Users of North America) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, in anticipation of my upcoming role as a co-lead of the LSP Circulation Work Group. I arrived on Tuesday evening and participated in meeting sessions from Wednesday morning through Friday at noon.

This year’s ELUNA theme, Adapting, Advancing, & Advocating for All was focused mainly on user experience guided by AI, which is especially relevant to my role in circulation services, where I assist students, manage workflows, and help implement library systems that impact daily operations. Throughout the sessions, I explored how artificial intelligence, analytics, and platform integrations are reshaping library services, not only at the systems level, but also in ways that directly enhance front-line services and user satisfaction.

I attended multiple sessions that focused on using Alma Analytics to identify cataloging errors, improve reporting accuracy, and support staff through dashboards and troubleshooting tools. These insights are directly applicable to our ongoing efforts to maintain inventory integrity and support collection management at MiraCosta College.

Sessions such as “Empower Your Research with Primo and Summon Research Assistant” and “From Vision to Reality” highlighted AI-driven tools that streamline search and discovery. These innovations could make our library resources more accessible and intuitive for community college students.

In “Adapting and Advancing with Alma Releases,” I learned how institutions of various sizes manage system updates. Best practices include forming review teams, assigning leads to share updates, and hosting regular discussions and strategies that could help strengthen communication around Alma changes in our own library.

The “Springshare Integration with Ex Libris Tools” session introduced opportunities to more closely link tools we already use (such as LibGuides and LibCal) with Alma and Primo. These integrations could improve our public-facing systems by offering seamless access to account information, library hours, and resource recommendations, enhancing both student engagement and circulation desk efficiency.

I also attended “Creating a Library of Things in an Academic Library,” which described how another campus expanded their collection to include sensory items, toys, and games. This aligns with our own interest in supporting student wellness and could inform future initiatives at MiraCosta.

Overall, attending ELUNA was a valuable professional development experience. It allowed me to gain technical knowledge and exchange ideas with peers. I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to contributing to the LSP Circulation Work Group with this experience in mind.

Attending Harvard's Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians (LIAL): Many institutions, similar challenges

By Leann Mulholland, Cataloging Librarian, San Diego City College | CCL Scholarship Recipient

This summer I was given the opportunity through CCL’s scholarship program to attend the Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians (LIAL) hosted through Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. For 5 days in the sweltering Boston summer, I had the privilege of collaborating with academic librarians both around the country and around the globe. This years’ cohort included 82 academic librarians and library leaders from institutions scattered across the United States and from institutions in Singapore, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. My decision to attend this institute came out of a desire to become a better leader. In the last four years that I have been with San Diego City College, nearly all colleagues I have worked with since I started have retired, leaving me the longest tenured librarian with only 6 years of working in academic libraries. I had hoped that this institute would give me the knowledge I needed as a leader to better serve my library; It did deliver on that hope.

The content covered in this institute was wide-ranging, including topics such as authentic leadership, building team cohesion, managing disruptions, identifying structures within your organization, and strategic planning. To be clear, this is not an institute where you can show up and passively listen to the lectures being presented; you are encouraged to actively participate, and it is intentionally designed to foster discussion amongst the participants. This was apparent immediately after being accepted into the institute, when I was promptly given a list of nearly 100 pages worth of articles to read, reflect upon, and write several brief essay assignments… all before day one of the institute. The work was worth it, however, in that I walked into the room ready to engage with my colleagues on the many topics that I had just read about. The lectures were engaging and balanced the need to deliver content and work in groups to facilitate conversation on the lecture’s topic. Lastly, the content discussed was useful and there was always a new idea, concept, or nugget of wisdom that I could take back to my library.

While the lectures alone would be enough for me to recommend this institute, the icing on the cake is the sense of community baked into the institute. Yes, a little pun intended there. Though I was one of only two community college librarians in attendance, that didn’t inhibit the conversations I had with my fellow cohort members. During lunch each day, every table had a card with a topic listed. The topics were determined by participants of the institute on the first day and ranged from library-centered topics like OER and instruction to broader topics like budgets, space planning, and stress management. As someone who is not the type to walk up to a group of unknown people and chat at lunch, this really helped break the ice for me. It became very easy to pick a table based on your interests and jump right into a conversation. Another way this institute fostered community is by assigning participants into groups to review their case studies. Prior to the first day, all participants were asked to create a case study with a problem or issue they are experiencing at their own institutions. Over the course of 5 days, as a group we all learned about the struggles and challenges being faced by our peers at other institutions. As it turns out, we all have a lot of issues in common. Through collective brainstorming, some commiserating, and a lot of humor, we were all able to walk away with actionable items to address our problems. From this group, I now have a built-in support group with already scheduled zoom sessions to catch up and check-in on each other.  Perhaps though, the most personally powerful part of the institute was an activity where we were asked anonymously what held us back as leaders. It was powerful to watch the responses flood in, sharing the same concerns and fears that I had, and to realize librarians across institutions are sharing the same struggle. 

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention all the takeaways and projects I am exploring from this program. From attending this institute, I now have a clear plan for strategic planning in my own library and I’m currently in the early stages of a project on investigating how the library fits into the larger campus organization. I appreciated that they encouraged us to pace ourselves with implementing ideas from the institute after returning back to our home institutions. The desire to implement what you have learned after coming back fresh and revived can be overwhelming for not only you as the participant, but colleagues as well. Self-care was also brought up in many discussions during the institute. 

I am truly grateful to CCL for their support in attendance. This institute was challenging, refreshing, and a wonderful way to build community. By the end of the 5 days, I came to realize, no matter the institution, we all are struggling with the same issues of budgets, imposter syndrome, institutional pressure, staffing shortages, and more. We really were many institutions with similar challenges. I highly recommend this institute to anyone looking to advance their leadership skills in libraries and beyond.

I am happy to discuss this experience with anyone considering this institute. Please feel free to reach out at lmulholland@sdccd.edu.
 

2024-2025 CCL Professional Development Program: Recent Feedback and Future Plans

By Elizabeth Bowman, CCL Programs Manager

Hearing From You

We use (and welcome!) recommendations and feedback on this project throughout the calendar year and evaluate the program. When we asked for your feedback in spring 2025, we got 77 responses, from people working in 58 different colleges across the California community college system (NOTE: Once college names are noted, the survey results are stripped of college name and job title to protect anonymity),

Some highlights from the multiple choice sections:

• 86% of respondents indicated they had attended professional development options because of the emails.
• Respondents are still spending hours monthly on professional development (see right) despite barriers that exist in our CCC sphere which limit or compromise time, travel, and budget.
• Respondents described the emails as informative and/or interesting, often introducing readers to opportunities previously unknown; only 7% of respondents reported “rare” or “never” as an answer about learning about opportunities through the emails.

Narrative comments were full and thoughtful, and they offered:

• Various and specific ways the project was valuable and useful.
• Specific needs and new interests. Alma and Primo issues identified have been shared with the LSP Program Manager and broader professional development needs were shared with the CCL Leadership and Professional Development Committee which creates programs for north/south workshops and plans the Annual Meeting of CCL.

Nearly all written answers were positive, complimentary, and describing it as a useful service of CCL. Some written answers demonstrate the impact of the emails beyond mere listing of PD opportunities, such as being informed about the range of topics in libraries. One respondent suggested more direct support for CCL members instead of weekly emails. If there are specific needs that CCL is not meeting, don’t hesitate to share with CCL staff: admin@cclibrarians.org.
 

Future Steps

Weekly emails will continue through the 2025-2026 academic year. With the launch of the new CCL website, we will be exploring new distribution methods, with trackable user engagement. We will be keeping abreast of any impact of funding changes affecting training and professional
development offerings across the U.S. We will also continue to create unique guides, such as Generative AI for CCC Libraries.

Thank you for your comments and be in touch! pd@cclibrarians.org

CCL Library Leadership Development Scholarships for Spring 2026 Available

By Elizabeth Bowman, CCL Programs Manager

CCL Library Leadership Development Scholarship Applications for spring 2026 programs are due December 31, 2025  The CCL Library Leadership Development Scholarship provides funding support for the attendance of a library professional to be an active participant in a leadership training, institute, or seminar. Up to two scholarships can be awarded per cycle (May for fall and summer, December for spring).  Applicants must currently be a CCC library dean, director, department chair, head librarian, coordinator, a full-time librarian, or a classified professional.

Apply for the CCL Library Leadership Development Scholarship

San Bernardino Valley College Hires Two Full-Time Librarians

San Bernardino Valley College hired two full-time, tenure-track faculty librarians in spring 2025.

• Norma Durian has over 16 years of experience as a librarian with her most recent position as the social sciences librarian at University of La Verne.
• Brandy Major worked in the Redlands School District as the high school librarian for over 11 years and has experience teaching English.

Tamar Kirschner Joins Diablo Valley College as Full-Time Faculty Librarian

Diablo Valley College is delighted to welcome Tamar Kirschner as our new full-time, tenure-track faculty librarian specializing in Collection Development. Tamar brings more than two decades of experience across public and academic libraries, paired with a deep commitment to supporting students, faculty, and the broader library profession. Tamar possesses a Bachelor of Arts in World Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Master of Library and Information Science from San José State University. From 2000 to 2017, she served in public libraries, including the Oakland Public Library and Solano County Library, where she honed her skills in outreach, programming, and resource development. In 2017, Tamar transitioned into academic librarianship as an Adjunct Librarian at Diablo Valley College. She also served as an instructor and lead for DVC’s Library Technology Program, teaching and preparing the next generation of library professionals.

Beyond her campus work, Tamar has been a leader in statewide professional development, serving from 2022 to 2025 as the Continuing Education Coordinator for California Libraries Learn (CALL). In that role, she supported training and growth opportunities for library staff, strengthening the profession’s collective capacity. In her new role at DVC, Tamar is enthusiastic about creating a collection that is both practical and inspiring. As she explains: “I’m looking forward to developing a collection that feels welcoming, useful, and reflective of the voices and experiences of our campus community. I especially enjoy working with students and faculty to connect them with resources that support their coursework and personal growth.” The DVC Library is thrilled to have Tamar join us in this important role and look forward to her continued contributions to our students and to the profession.