CLAWS History

CLAWS History

In early 2019, CLAMS (College Librarians and Media Specialists of Washington) voted to dissolve and join WLA. They formed the following WLA Section: College Libraries Across Washington State (CLAWS). CLAWS now serves as a hub for library professionals in the Community and Technical Colleges (CTC) system of Washington State. During 2019, the first (partial) year of CLAWS, a steering committee led the transition. 2020 saw the first voted-in officers lead CLAWS, Greg Bem (Chair) and Katie Hart (Secretary/Communications).

In early 2020, the CLAWS logo was voted on and selected. Many thanks to Corinna Whitehurst of Walla Walla Community College for this contribution.

The 2021-2022 CLAWS leadership team includes Katie Hart (Chair), Angi Anderson (Vice-Chair), and Estee Reed (Secretary/Communications).

The original goals of CLAWS, identified by the founding steering committee, included:

Increasing quality of library services, as well as information literacy development and practices in instruction;
Promoting inter-library cooperation, idea sharing, professional development opportunities, and best practices directly benefiting student success;
Amplifying system-wide concerns to Library Leadership Council (LLC) and promoting integration and cooperation of library services into college programs;
Advocating for equity in higher education and the workforce while emphasizing the diverse and ever-evolving needs of our campus communities;
Seeking out innovative and sustainable initiatives that are open and equitable in developing quality library services, collection development, and user experience.