What is an Interest Group?

An interest group is a subset of CARL formed to address either the interests of a particular group of CARL members, for example, community college librarians, or to address interest in a certain area of librarianship, for example, collection development.

Interest groups hold business meetings and put on programs of various kinds. Many interest groups have both north and south chapters.

2024 Active CARL Interest Groups (IGs)

• Academic Librarians’ Interest Group North (ALIGN)
• California Academic Reference Librarians Discussion Interest Group (CARLDIG) South
• Diversity in Academic Libraries (DIAL): 86 members (mainly in the South) who advocate for equality and diversity within the library profession and academic libraries.
• Southern California Instruction Librarians (SCIL): 219 members sharing professional development and discussion opportunities focused on information literacy and instruction. 

Who May Join?

Any CARL member may join any interest group and also may join more than one. There are no additional dues or fees.

Is Your Interest Group Planning a Program?

Please consult the CARL Interest Group Program Planning Manual for details. And also consult these documents: Interest Group Reimbursement, Tips on Program Planning for CARL Interest Groups, and Interest Group Guidelines on this page.

After reading the guidelines, feel free to contact the Interest Group Coordinator for your region (North or South) or other CARL Board members with specific questions. Also, other Interest Group chairs are valuable resources for information on program planning strategies and logistics. Direct any questions on program finances to the Treasurer.

Need a list of Interest Group Members?

Interest Group Chairs may self-generate customized membership lists from the CARL Membership Directory or obtain them from the Membership Director.

Interest Group Leadership Changes

Please contact the Interest Group Coordinator when the leadership of your Interest Group changes, and they will notify the CARL Board of Directors (including the Web Site Coordinator and Membership Director) of the changeover.

Communication Among IG Members

The CARLALL listserv, CARL Web site, and the CARL Newsletter are the official means by which information about CARL (including programming) is communicated to members.

Some Interest Groups also have separate listservs and Web sites to facilitate communication among their members. However, Interest Groups are encouraged to use CARLALL for program announcements as members who are not affiliated with a particular Interest Group might wish to participate. At this time, Interest Groups are solely responsible for establishing, maintaining, sponsoring, and continuing the administration of separate Interest Group listservs or Web sites. The CARL Web Coordinator can give you access to the Listserv account for your group and can give you FTP access to your IG space on the server.

For more info about administering an Interest Group, please see these documents: Interest Group Guidelines, Interest Group Reimbursement, Program Planning Manual, and Tips on Program Planning for CARL Interest Groups on this page.

Want to Propose a New Interest Group?

It's easier than you might think. See Article XIII Section 1 of our Bylaws.

For further information, contact either the North or South Interest Group Coordinator.