ACRL Board of Directors’ actions, February 2018

Highlights of the Board’s Midwinter meetings

During the 2018 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver, the ACRL Board of Directors met on February 10 and February 12. The Board met with the leaders of its four goal-area committees: New Roles and Changing Landscapes, Research and Scholarly Environment, Student Learning and Information Literacy, and Value of Academic Libraries to assess progress on the Plan for Excellence.

The Board also heard updates from ALA Treasurer Susan Hildreth and ALA CFO Mark Leon, the ALA Washington Office Associate Executive Director Kathi Kromer, as well as updates from representatives from the ACRL Diversity Alliance, ACRL Libraries Transform Implementation Task Force, Joint ACRL/LLAMA Interdivisional Committee on Building Resources, and ALA Council Committee on Legislation.

The ACRL Board of Directors took the following actions:

Plan for Excellence

• The Board charged a working group to explore how ACRL could best demonstrate ACRL’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). The Board asked for the working group to develop an ACRL signature initiative supporting EDI and to develop proposed language to amend the ACRL Plan for Excellence to include and articulate the signature initiative.

Enabling Programs and Services: Education

• Approved the proposal to hold the 2023 ACRL Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 15–18, 2023, and the 2027 ACRL Conference in Portland, Oregon, April 7–10, 2027.
• Approved the 2019 ACRL Conference scholarship campaign goal of $50,000.

Enabling Programs and Services: Member Engagement

• Approved the creation of the division-level Systematic Reviews and Related Methods Interest Group.
• Received the final report from the Community College Engagement Task Force, thanked the Task Force for their work, and directed staff to create a marketing plan focused on increasing the number of community college librarians who are ACRL members and to offer assistance to CJCLS leaders in updating their communication tools and brand image.

Enabling Programs and Services: Publications

• Approved the revisions to the “Standards for Libraries in Higher Education.”
• Approved the “Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy” (which will also be reviewed and acted upon by the Society of American Archivists Council).

Enabling Programs and Services: Operations

• Confirmed the virtual votes approving the minutes of the ACRL Board meetings at ALA Annual Conference 2017 and the minutes of the virtual ACRL Board of Directors Fall Meeting held on October 26, 2017.
• Confirmed the virtual vote approving to postpone indefinitely the proposed name change of the Value of Academic Libraries Committee.
• Amended the policy that the Executive Director is authorized to approve individual unbudgeted expenditures increasing the amount from $5,000 to $10,000 not to exceed 1% of the total ACRL and CHOICE budgeted expenses in a fiscal year. The Executive Director will notify the ACRL President of such expenditures.
• Approved up to $25,000 to co-fund, with the ALA Development Office and other ALA divisions, a six-month prospect researcher.
• Approved a Statement on Vendor Relations that articulates ACRL’s aim to engage with all stakeholders in establishing best practices that preserve the integrity of the association while benefiting members and stakeholders.