The June 2026 issue of College & Research Libraries News (C&RL News) is now freely available online both as a full issue PDF and as individual articles.

C&RL News moved to an online-only publishing model beginning with the January 2022 issue.

C&RL News Seeks Cover Art

C&RL News is looking for images from library collections to feature on upcoming covers. If you have items in your collections that you think would make attractive C&RL News covers, we would love to see them. To submit images (or image collections), send URLs for web-based images or images directly as attachments to David Free at dfree@ala.org. Please include a brief description of the item and your collection. Images selected to appear as C&RL News covers will require a high-resolution electronic image (300 dpi or higher) to be submitted prior to the publication date. Complete guidelines for the submission of cover illustrations are available on the C&RL News website.

Features

ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee. “2026 Top Trends in Academic Libraries: A Review of the Trends and Issues.”

Russell Michalak, Trevor A. Dawes, and Ava Wallace. “Envisioning AI’s Role in Libraries: Perspectives on Innovation, Equity, and Responsibility Across Career Stages.”

Kimberly Shotick. “PEACEful Use of AI: A Tool for AI Education.”

“And the Winners are… : The Official Results of the 2026 ACRL Election.”

ACRL TechConnect
Rumadi, Ambar Yoganingrum, Abdurrakhman Prasetyadi, Aria Bisri, and Stevry Yushady. “From Research to Impact: Mapping BRIN Publications to SDGs Using Topic Modeling.”

Perspectives on the Framework
Chereeka Garner. “Information as Currency: The Social and Cultural Value of Knowledge in the Algorithmic Age.”

Academic Library Workers in Conversation
Rose Beranis and Justine Cotton. “Wellness and Intentionality: A Year of Exploring Why We Choose Librarianship.”

The Way I See It
Taylor Baugher and Emily Blumenthal. “Beyond the Cardigan: Why Asking ‘What Do You Think a Librarian Does?’ Transforms Instruction.”

Departments

David Free. “News from the Field.”

David Free. “People in the News.”

Describe yourself in three words: Versatile, curious, genuine.

What are you reading (or listening to on your mobile device)? I am reading The History of EC Comics by Grant Geissman. 

Describe ACRL in three words: Cross-disciplinary, learn, credibility.

What do you value about ACRL? It’s a resource for many things but one of the really valuable things is it helps define who academic librarians are and what we do and allows us to more easily work with academic colleagues outside of libraries. Explaining who we are and what we do for education isn’t always easy but when I say “We have ACRL, it’s just like your (acronym for an academic wing of a professional organization)” that’s something they understand, answers a lot of questions and puts us on a more equal footing very quickly and easily.

What do you as an academic librarian contribute to your campus? I run a Dentistry Library which is, at the same time, both an anachronistic “School” library straight out of the 19th century with collections to match, and (hopefully) a modern health science library that supports cutting-edge education, research and clinical care. We’re almost 150 years old and I try to unearth and highlight historical and special collections to get others excited about their own history. In meetings I sometimes meet staff, oral health professionals who have never been to the library and probably never will who recognize me and some of what I do because I send out the “history emails” that they like so much. I also spend a lot of time teaching as course co-coordinator of two DDS courses and other one-shots and workshops throughout the curricula of six other programs which allows me a lot of time to work directly with students. I help faculty and staff with whatever they need from promotion and tenure metrics to literature searches to historical trivia. If I’m doing my job well, I and the library are a visible and memorable part of the life and fabric of the school, as integral and important as any department or unit.

In your own words: I like what I do. I like the School I’m a part of and all the people I get to work with. What I do is fun and I could work here for five lifetimes and never run out of something interesting to do. Fun librarianship should allow you to build something while at the same time never becoming too stagnant or boring, always changing or adding enough to be interesting. Plus, I don’t have to feel guilty for liking my job because I can legitimately say that our graduates improve the lives of folks in the community and have a positive impact on the world. I don’t have a lot to do with that, just a little bit, but it still makes me at least a tiny bit proud of what I do.

Editor’s Note: Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch!

Advance Registration Rates for the 2026 ALA Annual Conference, coming up June 25–29 in Chicago, end on June 19! Make sure to join us for this is a milestone year as American Library Association marks 150 years. This is a defining moment for libraries and a chance to connect, learn, and move our work and our profession forward.

We’re offering more than 20 ACRL-sponsored sessions specifically geared for academic librarians that we know you’ll want to check out. Here are some of the highlights:

– ACRL President’s Program: Leading Academic Libraries through VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) in Higher Education (Saturday, June 27): In this year’s ACRL President’s Program, hosted by ACRL President Brad Warren, panelists Steven M. Adams of the Northwestern University Libraries, Maurini Strub of the University of Rochester River Campus Libraries, and Seangill Peter Bae of the IFLA RSCVD Initiative will explore how libraries are responding to rapid shifts in policy, technology, enrollment, funding, and research expectations. The discussion will highlight adaptive leadership approaches grounded in systems thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and organizational curiosity. Our panelists will examine how libraries are evolving from repositories of information to centers for knowledge application, research support, and community engagement. Don’t miss this chance to learn ways to position your library effectively to navigate change!

– Half a Brain and a Party Hat: Using Object-Based Learning to Jumpstart First Year Research (Saturday, June 27): This session presents an object-based learning strategy developed for a First Year Experience seminar to address the pinch point of getting students started with research. Drawing inspiration from museum and archival studies, social constructivism, and gamified learning, the activity promotes information literacy instruction that is active, adaptive, and collaborative.

– Digital Accessibility in Action: Collaborating for Inclusive Libraries (Sunday, June 28): This session focuses on practical strategies and shared approaches that libraries can put into practice. You’ll leave with actionable strategies, an Accessibility Index worksheet, and practical tips to guide your approach.

– Wellbeing Happens Here: Libraries as Catalysts for Campus Care (Sunday, June 28): In this session, two academic librarians will talk about establishing a Wellbeing Book Collection in their academic library, and how that became the catalyst for centering the library in the campus-wide conversation about, and support of, mental wellness and wellbeing initiatives.

– Instructional Methods to Reach Neurodiverse Students (Monday, June 29): Join the Dyslexic Positive Libraries Initiative (DPLI) for a practical session on how you can use high-quality, research-informed instructional strategies to support all college students.

– The Early-Career Resilience Toolkit: Collective Strategies for Thriving in Academic Libraries (Monday, June 29): Drawing on the perspectives of three recent MLIS graduates beginning their careers in academic libraries––one in access services , one as a special collections librarian, and one as a subject librarian––this session will examine strategies for navigating entering academia, potential setbacks, and opportunities for growth.

You’ll find hundreds more programs, discussions, and opportunities to connect with peers facing the same challenges. Explore the Preliminary Scheduler and start planning at the ALA Annual Conference website. You’ll leave with ideas you can put into action right away.

Registration for ACRL’s annual Fostering Change for Academic Library Leaders cohort, a nine-week, virtual program that aims to build a community of inclusive leaders and change agents in academic libraries, closes at 5:00pm Central on Friday, May 29. The 2026 cohort will run from June 1 through July 31, 2026.

Fostering Change for Academic Library Leaders gives participants the tools to spark, lead, and sustain change no matter your organizational position. Facilitators Cinthya Ippoliti, University Library Dean at Cal State San Marcos, and Brianna Marshall, Dean of the Library at Northern Kentucky University, help you build practical strategies for working with change stakeholders inside and outside the library and cultivate leadership capacity to address the challenges facing academic libraries.

The cohort is for you if:

• You are in or want to move into formal leadership or management roles.
• You want to grow professionally and expand your leadership capacity.
• You are or work for an interim leader.
• You are a library worker seeking effective strategies for and community in meeting the evolving needs of our campuses.

You will leave the cohort with a toolkit of change leadership practices that will help you take your library from where it is today to a new imagined future. Through a mix of facilitator-led presentations and candid cohort conversations, you will examine your organization’s cultural readiness for change, create inclusive change processes, and develop skills to lead effective change. Participants receive the content from all facilitator presentations, a change leadership toolkit, readings to complement the openly available Fostering Change, and a certificate of completion.

Register today!

Describe yourself in three words: Curious, enthusiastic, creative.

What are you reading (or listening to on your mobile device)? I’ve been enjoying audio books lately and I am currently listening to The Man Who Died Twice, which is the second book in the Thursday Murder Club Series. If you enjoy British cozy mysteries I’d recommend it! 

Describe ACRL in three words: Collaborative, supportive, inspiring.

What do you value about ACRL? I really value the community that ACRL fosters. I first got involved with ACRL as a graduate student, thanks to a recommendation from my supervisor at the time. I’ve met so many fantastic and inspiring people from my involvement with ACRL, and the passion, dedication, and enthusiasm that librarians bring to their work makes me proud to be part of this profession. I also greatly appreciate the platforms and opportunities that ACRL provides for members of this community to share and learn from one another. I can’t tell you how many webinars or events I’ve attended where I’ve left with new ideas. 

What do you as an academic librarian contribute to your campus? I coordinate instructional services at my library. While I’m not teaching as much myself in my role, I support librarians who are offering one-shot instruction sessions, workshops, consultations, and outreach events for undergraduate and graduate students. In my role, I strive to support the entire campus by supporting the librarians in my department and equipping them with what they need, from resources to training, to serve our broader campus community with instructional programming and services. Increasingly, we are focusing on topics like AI literacy in our work and our instructional programming, and we try to be responsive to needs or concerns that are arising among students and faculty. 

In your own words: I feel that librarians and the work we do is more vital now than ever. We are facing so many challenges with our information environments, from generative AI to misinformation to concerns around privacy and digital ethics. I feel like the work we do as librarians and our expertise in areas like information literacy is critical, and I’m passionate about advocating for our profession and the work we do. I’ll always be happy that I found my way into this profession. I had every intention of becoming a history professor or a museum curator, and I sort of wandered into library school without a clear plan. Something clicked once I started my program and I never looked back. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of such a passionate, dynamic, and supportive community and to get to do work that continually challenges and inspires me. 

Editor’s Note: Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch!