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1 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Illinois has a vested interest in ensuring that
3 students enrolled in public, state-assisted universities have
4 unfettered access to state-funded academic library resources
5 and the services provided by professional librarian faculty;
6 and
7 WHEREAS, Illinois is currently restructuring how millions
8 of dollars of higher education funds are distributed, and
9 those funds need to be appropriately, transparently
10 distributed to academic libraries in support of student
11 retention and academic success; and
12 WHEREAS, The Illinois Library Association and other
13 statewide organizations have endorsed the Statement on the
14 Importance of Librarians in Academic Libraries issued by the
15 Consortium of Academic & Research Libraries in Illinois
16 (CARLI); and
17 WHEREAS, Professional librarian faculty possess the
18 requisite expertise to select authoritative, diverse
19 curricular resources, instruct users how to navigate an array
20 of complex and evolving information data and formats, and
21 provide an indispensable role in ensuring that state-purchased
22 library materials and resources are properly organized,
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1 indexed, preserved and made fully accessible to foster student
2 retention and academic success; therefore, be it
3 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL
4 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF
5 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that the University Library &
6 Professional Librarian Access & Transparency Task Force is
7 created to study the following:
8 (1) The role and impact of faculty librarians in the
9 retention, persistence, and graduation of undergraduate
10 students with a particular focus on students at risk,
11 low-income students, first generation students, students
12 of color, and marginalized students;
13 (2) The role faculty librarians play in the
14 development of university curriculum, which should include
15 support of teaching faculty in the creation of course
16 content and requirements as well as resource collections
17 to aid students;
18 (3) The role of faculty librarians in the creation of
19 student and community makers spaces, study and student
20 support spaces, and safe spaces;
21 (4) The assistance librarians provide to students,
22 community, faculty, and staff in appropriately evaluating
23 sources of information including emerging AI technology
24 and creations;
25 (5) The role of faculty librarians in research and
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1 development;
2 (6) Academic libraries' collection processing
3 decisions, including collection creation, collection
4 weeding, repositories, and archives (university,
5 legislative, historical, and cultural);
6 (7) The role faculty librarians serve to communities,
7 including local economic development, entrepreneurial
8 ventures, and innovation centers;
9 (8) Fiduciary roles faculty librarians provide in
10 maintaining adequate and relevant library collections and
11 databases;
12 (9) The impact of libraries on student fees/tuition,
13 including cost saving services for student in the
14 development of open access textbooks and resources;
15 (10) Description of the formats, types, and funding
16 levels of state-appropriated library materials and
17 e-resources budgeted by each of the Illinois Public
18 Universities in relation to undergraduate/graduate student
19 FTE enrollment;
20 (11) The types, titles, and number of library
21 personnel employed at each Public University, including
22 employees holding an MLS/MLIS (i.e. an ALA-accredited
23 program library degree), the number of professional
24 librarian faculty in tenure/tenure-track (and
25 non-tenurable) positions, and the number of library
26 workers (para-professionals &/or civil service employees,
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1 also noting the number holding the MLS/MLIS degree); and
2 (12) The ratio of tenure/tenure-track (vs.
3 non-tenurable position) professional librarian faculty to
4 undergraduate/graduate student enrollment (FTE) per each
5 Illinois Public University; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of the
7 following members, who shall serve without compensation:
8 (1) One member of the Illinois Senate appointed by the
9 Senate President, who shall serve as co-chair;
10 (2) One member of the Illinois House appointed by the
11 Speaker of the House, who shall serve as co-chair;
12 (3) One member of the Illinois Senate appointed by the
13 Senate Minority Leader;
14 (4) One member of the Illinois House appointed by the
15 House Minority Leader;
16 (5) The Illinois State Librarian, or his or her
17 designee;
18 (6) The Chair of the Illinois Board of Higher
19 Education, or his or her designee;
20 (7) The Chair of the Illinois Community College Board,
21 or his or her designee;
22 (8) The Executive Director of the Consortium of
23 Academic & Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI), or his
24 or her designee, appointed by the Governor;
25 (9) The Chair of the Council of Directors of State
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1 University Libraries in Illinois (CODSULI), or his or her
2 designee, appointed by the Governor;
3 (10) Eight members from organizations representing
4 various facets of an academic library, including
5 tenure/tenured track and adjunct faculty (they should be
6 evenly divided between community colleges and public
7 universities), appointed by the Governor;
8 (11) Two full-time students representing public
9 university students, appointed by the Chair of the
10 Illinois Board of Higher Education;
11 (12) Two full-time students representing community
12 college students (one from a rural area and one from an
13 urban/suburban community college), appointed by the Chair
14 of the Illinois Board of Higher Education;
15 (13) Two part-time students from public universities
16 and community colleges, appointed by the Chair of the
17 Illinois Board of Higher Education;
18 (14) A public university president or his or her
19 designee, appointed by the Chair of the Illinois Board of
20 Higher Education;
21 (15) A community college president or his or her
22 designee, appointed by Chair of the Illinois Community
23 College Board; and
24 (16) A president or representative from a private,
25 non-profit college or university, appointed by the Chair
26 of the Illinois Board of Higher Education; and be it
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1 further
2 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Board of Higher Education and
3 Illinois Community College Board shall provide administrative
4 support for the Task Force; and be it further
5 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall conduct a minimum of
6 two public hearings in at least two different counties within
7 the State at the call of the co-chairs; and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall convene a wide array
9 of stakeholders to examine the current state of libraries and
10 professional librarianship on Illinois public university
11 campuses and present a recommendation to the General Assembly
12 to ensure that public academic libraries and the educational
13 services provided by professional librarian faculty remains a
14 viable and healthy benefit to Illinois students; and be it
15 further
16 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall submit its final
17 report to the General Assembly no later than June 30, 2026, and
18 upon the filing of its final report, is dissolved; and be it
19 further
20 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
21 delivered to the Senate President, the Speaker of the House,
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