PALNI

  • About Us
    • About PALNI
    • Strategic Framework 2020-2023 (Current)
      • 2017-2020 Strategic Plan (Former)
    • Statements and Commitments ⇨
      • PALNI Statement on Supported Institution Financial Challenges
      • Commitment to Deep Collaboration
    • Reports and Whitepapers ⇨
      • PALNI Annual Reports ⇨
        • 2017 Annual Report
        • 2018 Highlights Report
      • Resource Integration Task Force Report 2020
      • Library Publishing Task Force Report 2020
      • PALNI Institutional Repository Whitepaper 2019
      • PALNI Institutional Repository Vision 2018
      • PALNI WMS Group and Local Systems Needs 2018
  • Governance & Organization
    • Governance & Leadership
    • Supported Institutions
    • PALNI Staff ⇨
      • Selected National & Global Service Leadership Roles
    • Groups & Committees ⇨
      • People of PALNI – Awards & Recognitions
    • Partnerships ⇨
      • How to Partner with PALNI
  • Services
    • Services List
    • Additional Consulting and Support Services
    • Shared Collections
  • News
    • PALNI News
    • Citations & Recognitions
  • Contact Us

PALSave Program Serves Faculty and Students amid Affordability Concerns in Private Higher Education

December 4, 2020 by PALNIDCM

To address the financial pressures on families of students attending its colleges, the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana Inc. (PALNI) created its affordable learning program (PALSave), expecting to save students over one million dollars in five years. 

PALSave combats rising textbook costs at the twenty-four PALNI supported institutions using free materials like open educational resources (OER) instead of expensive commercial textbooks. Within its first year after receiving a grant from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc., PALSave saved students $80,000 in 2019-20. Significantly more savings is expected as more faculty start using free textbooks. At this time, over 100 faculty members have enrolled in the Course Redesign Grants program to assist in the incorporation of the new learning materials. Year two savings is estimated to grow to over $305,000. 

“The PALSave program supports faculty to adopt, adapt, and create affordable learning materials,” said Kirsten Leonard, Executive Director of PALNI. “The five-year funding from the Lilly Endowment enables PALNI to make a real difference to student success and reduce debt by supporting the implementation of course materials that are free to students and customizable by faculty. The program benefits extend beyond the students of the twenty-four PALNI colleges and universities in Indiana as faculty at other institutions use our openly available materials.” 

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for access to affordable, high-quality electronic textbooks during this unprecedented time of remote learning. According to Inside Higher Ed, the pandemic and recession are driving increased interest in OER. PALSave supports this need by providing faculty the resources they need to identify and adopt zero-cost course materials. The program incentivizes faculty with stipends to write and post reviews of OER textbooks in their subject areas, and additional grants to redesign their course if the book is a good fit. 

According to US News, average tuition and fees at private colleges for 2019-2020 were $36,000 and showed a steady 3% increase.  Adding further pressure on Midwest colleges is the impending enrollment cliff, which forecasts a 15% decline in the number of college-age students by 2029, according to Nathan Grawe, an economist at Carleton College in Minnesota. One way private institutions can recruit and better serve students is to provide more affordable quality course materials. In addition to reducing costs for students, the PALSave program supports student performance and graduation success.  Preliminary survey data from PALNI institutions reveal that most students feel zero-cost resources help their studies and grades.

Amanda Hurford, PALNI’s Scholarly Communications Director and project lead, states: “PALNI is taking a proactive approach to help students save money and learn better.  We’ve been working to provide central support and lower barriers for our schools to get involved, which is important to PALNI supported institutions.  Librarians and faculty have more to manage now than ever before.”

The PALSave program will continue to grow over the next four years of the grant and beyond.  In addition to continuing key initiatives such as providing faculty workshops and providing Course Redesign Grants, PALSave will obtain licensed content and fund the creation of new textbooks to support course transformation. Other plans include building the PALSave OER repository and providing opportunities for faculty, instructional technologists, librarians, to connect.Progress and impact will be provided and updated on the PALSave website: https://palsave.palni.org/.


About Lilly Endowment Inc.Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family — J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli — through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. More information can be found at www.lillyendowment.org.

Filed Under: Affordable Education, PALSave, Uncategorized Tagged With: 2020, affordable education, PALSave, update

PALNI Recognizes Remarkable Library Leadership and Staff

October 2, 2020 by PALNIDCM

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana Inc. (PALNI) honored library leadership and staff by presenting a combined twenty-two awards during the August 7th All-staff meeting and September 24th Board meeting. Collaborative work and the library directors and their staff’s individual efforts further the organization’s mission: to collaborate to enhance the teaching and learning missions of private higher education in Indiana by optimizing resources and services while strengthening leadership and professional development.

The PALNI Executive Director Kirsten Leonard bestowed five categories of awards:

  • The “Hall of Fame” award recognizes library staff who’ve volunteered long-standing service and invested above and beyond in PALNI initiatives.
  • The “Outstanding Service 2020” award acknowledges active facilitators who drive action items and advance projects throughout the year.
  • The “Heart of PALNI Award” is given to staff who embody PALNI’s deep collaboration and supportive culture.
  • The “Outstanding Achievement Award for Leadership in Deep Collaboration” honors select library senior leaders who have led the way in working together more deliberately and effectively during the year.
  • The “Lifetime Visionary Award for Leadership in Deep Collaboration” honors those who have articulated the nature of the changing information services landscape and provided long-standing leadership to work together to meet those needs.  

PALNI Hall of Fame

  • Laura Vogler (Wabash College)
  • Erin Milanese (Goshen College)
  • Vanessa French (Butler University)
  • Jeff Siemon (Anderson University)

Outstanding Service 2020

  • Caitlin Balgeman (Marian University)
  • Jennifer Coranado (Butler University)
  • Nicholas Stanton Roark (Anderson University)
  • Karla Fribley (Earlham College)
  • Brandon Board (AMBS)
  • Suzanne Hinnefeld (Saint Mary’s College)
  • Roger Peters (Concordia Theological Seminary)
  • Vicky Mast (Franklin College) (Retired)
  • Carla Harper (University of Indianapolis)
  • Nathalie Rouamba (University of Saint Francis) 
  • Melissa Rasmussen (Manchester University)

Heart of PALNI Award

  • Sue Wiegand (Saint Mary’s College)
  • Cassaundra Bash (Ancilla College)

Outstanding Achievement Award for Leadership in Deep Collaboration – 2020

  • Karl Stutzman (AMBS)
  • Tonya Fawcett (Grace College)
  • Jessica Trinoskey (Marian University)

Lifetime Visionary Award for Leadership in Deep Collaboration

  • Janet Brewer (Anderson University)
  • Rick Provine (DePauw University)

Filed Under: Awards and Recognition Tagged With: 2020, Library staff, PALNI Awards

Our Location

PALNI staff and coordinators work out of home offices or their home institutions spread across the states of Indiana and California. However, our legal address can be found at Butler University:

Private Academic Library Network of Indiana
c/o Irwin Library
4553 Clarendon Rd.
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Internal Tools and Workspaces

Majority of collaboration occurs in our private space, PALNI Community.

PALNI uses QuestionPro for survey software. QuestionPro provides unparalleled insights and just launched enterprise features including Communities, Customer Experience, Workforce and Mobile.

Connect with Us

Want to keep up with what's going on at PALNI? Follow us across our Social Networks.
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • About Us
    • About PALNI
    • Strategic Framework 2020-2023 (Current)
      • 2017-2020 Strategic Plan (Former)
    • Statements and Commitments ⇨
      • PALNI Statement on Supported Institution Financial Challenges
      • Commitment to Deep Collaboration
    • Reports and Whitepapers ⇨
      • PALNI Annual Reports ⇨
        • 2017 Annual Report
        • 2018 Highlights Report
      • Resource Integration Task Force Report 2020
      • Library Publishing Task Force Report 2020
      • PALNI Institutional Repository Whitepaper 2019
      • PALNI Institutional Repository Vision 2018
      • PALNI WMS Group and Local Systems Needs 2018
  • Governance & Organization
    • Governance & Leadership
    • Supported Institutions
    • PALNI Staff ⇨
      • Selected National & Global Service Leadership Roles
    • Groups & Committees ⇨
      • People of PALNI – Awards & Recognitions
    • Partnerships ⇨
      • How to Partner with PALNI
  • Services
    • Services List
    • Additional Consulting and Support Services
    • Shared Collections
  • News
    • PALNI News
    • Citations & Recognitions
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2021 · Agency Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in