ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

CALL FOR IDEAS

The Planning Committee of the Resources and Technical Services Division is interested in hearing of new needs and problems within the responsibilities of the division. The committee is inviting librarians with ideas for studies or projects which can best be handled through cooperative action within the RTSD framework to present their ideas at a meeting during the Kansas City Conference.

This is an experiment launched in an optimistic effort to enlarge participation in RTSD’s goals, to give an opportunity for participation to all who wish to work in the division’s program, to involve in projects those most interested in them, to coordinate activities and avoid wasteful repetition, and to gain the advantages of discussion. The experiment grew out of an observation that a good idea has sometimes faded and disappeared without full exploration simply because a committee chairman appointed to carry it out has lacked interest and understanding to give the necessary energy to push it forward. The outcome might have been productive, if the originator of the idea had carried it out.

In order to structure the meeting, the Planning Committee is requiring a not-more-thanone-page description of the proposal, stating (1) the name and address of the person (or persons) presenting the idea, (2) the problem to be solved by the proposal, and (3) the general plan of procedure. Anyone is invited to present a proposal. The only restriction is that it must lie within the division’s areas of responsibility; acquisitions, cataloging, classification, serials, reproduction, and resources.

Projects will be presented and discussed at a meeting of the Planning Committee during the ALA Conference in Kansas City. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, 1968 at 4:30 p.m. The place will be listed in the Conference Program and will also be reported to those sending in proposals. Available at the meeting for consultation will be members of the Policy and Research Committees of the RTSD sections—Acquisitions, Cataloging and Classification, Serials, and Reproduction of Library Materials—as well as a representative of the Resources Committee.

When a proposal is accepted, action to set it in motion will be taken. If it falls within a section’s responsibilities, it will be referred to the appropriate Policy and Research Committee. It might go to one of the divisional committees. It might warrant a recommendation to the RTSD Board that an ad hoc committee be created. In every case, the intention is that the person making the proposal be a central figure in the implementation of his idea.

To be included in the Kansas City meeting, the proposal must be received by May 15, 1968. Descriptive sheets should be addressed to: Helen M. Welch, Chairman of the RTSD Planning Committee, University of Illinois Library, Urbana, Illinois 61801.