Meet CARLI
The Consortium of Academic Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) is a membership organization celebrating its 20th year of providing products, services, and programs for Illinois academic and research libraries. CARLI member libraries serve over 90% of Illinois higher education students, faculty members and staff. CARLI counts among its 124 members all 13 public universities; 64 private colleges and universities; all 39 Illinois community colleges; and 8 special research libraries including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, the Illinois State Library and the Newberry Library.
CARLI Collaboration with UIP Journals
In 2023, CARLI and UIP announced a partnership to provide member libraries access to more than 40 scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences. The initiative, funded by the University of Illinois System, Office of the Executive Vice President/Vice President for Academic Affairs, ensures that all CARLI libraries will have access to electronic formats of all of UIP journals for the 5-year period of the pilot. This initiative grants nearly 3,000 library subscriptions to complete coverage of UIP journals throughout the CARLI system.
Pilot Program Progress
“Access to a broad spectrum of content benefits research and learning by providing a rich, diverse body of resources,” says CARLI Director Anne Craig. “Without the access that CARLI and the UIP provide, discovery would be much more difficult and may never be possible for some students and faculty.”
In July 2025 the second full year of this pilot program wrapped up, making this fall a good time to review how the program is going, both for CARLI, UIP, and libraries across Illinois and their readers. We are pleased to report a more than 200% increase in journal usage by CARLI members since the beginning of the program.
“Innovation is central to our mission at the University of Illinois Press, and this unique partnership helps us reach more readers across the state,” says UIP Director Michelle Sybert. “Libraries are essential to university presses and the scholarly ecosystem, and we want to support them as much as they support us.”
UIP Journals Manager Jeff McArdle adds, “With the support of the University of Illinois System, we’re able to share the rich scholarly conversations in our journals more widely and give back to our local academic community.”
Access Across Illinois
Across Illinois, members at 93 libraries have taken advantage of all of the new journal content now available to CARLI libraries. Frequent readers include those from the University of Illinois, Northwestern University, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Chicago, and DePaul University.
Craig notes, “Members genuinely appreciate the access to the Press’ content that they would otherwise not have had access to without a paid subscription which was out of reach for many because of budget concerns.”
Article Highlights
CARLI members have access to new and many volumes and issues of previously published articles. Some popular articles include:
- “Asian American Disability: A History and Its Archives” by Naoko Wake. Journal of American Ethnic History (2024) 43 (3): 5–33.
- “Introduction: Finland in Imperial Context” by Alex Snellman and Kristiina Kalleinen. Journal of Finnish Studies (2022) 25 (2): 143–153.
- “Maslow and the Motivation Hierarchy: Measuring Satisfaction of the Needs” by Robert J. Taormina and Jennifer H. Gao. The American Journal of Psychology (2013) 126 (2): 155–177.
- “The Battle of Nauvoo” by David L. Herron. Journal of Mormon History (2024) 50 (1): 45–78.
- “Bernice Johnson Reagon—In Celebration of Her Eightieth Birthday (October 4, 1942): A Preliminary Inquiry and Invitation to New Generations of Activist Scholars for Further Research” by James Counts Early and Amy Horowitz. Journal of American Folklore (2023) 136 (539): 75–95.
Popular Journals
Over the first two years of the pilot program, CARLI library patrons have accessed content from all UIP journals. Which journals rose to the top during this period? Here are a few notable contenders:
Ethnomusicology: As the official journal of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Ethnomusicology is the premier publication in the field. It features peer-reviewed articles that reflect current theoretical perspectives and research in ethnomusicology and related disciplines. Published three times a year since the 1950s, the journal plays a vital role in advancing the field both in the U.S. and internationally. Its diverse readership includes musicologists, anthropologists, folklorists, cultural studies scholars, musicians, and others engaged in the study of music and culture.
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought: An independent quarterly, Dialogue was established to express Mormon culture and to examine the relevance of religion to secular life. It is published by the Dialogue Foundation and edited by Latter-day Saints who wish to bring their faith into dialogue with the larger stream of world religious thought and with human experience as a whole and to foster artistic and scholarly achievement based on their cultural heritage. The journal encourages a variety of viewpoints; although every effort is made to ensure accurate scholarship and responsible judgment, the views expressed are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or of the editors.
Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society: The Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, established in 1908, is the scholarly publication of the Illinois State Historical Society, a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and publishing the latest research about the Prairie State. The peer-reviewed Journal welcomes articles, essays, and documents about history, literature, art, technology, law, and other subjects related to Illinois and the Midwest.
The Polish Review: A multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed scholarly quarterly devoted to Polish topics, The Polish Review is the official journal of The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America. Launched in 1956, The Polish Review has established itself as one of the most distinguished journals in the various fields of Polish studies, a publication that encourages lively scholarly exchange and cutting-edge innovation. The Review publishes research articles on Polish history, literature, art, architecture, sociology, political science, and other related topics, along with review essays, book reviews, and annotated translations of documents and literary works.
American Philosophical Quarterly: Since its inauguration in 1964, the American Philosophical Quarterly (APQ) has established itself as one of the principal English vehicles for the publication of scholarly work in philosophy. The whole of each issue—printed in a large-page, double-column format—is given to substantial articles; from time to time there are also “state of the art” surveys of recent work on particular topics. The editorial policy is to publish work of high quality, regardless of the school of thought from which it derives.
These are just a quick preview of the content that has caught the attention of CARLI readers.