ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Reactions Needed!

The following memorandum was transmitted to Mr. David Clift, Executive Director of the American Library Association, to express the views of the Association of College and Research Libraries regarding the American Library Association Activities Committee on New Directions.

ACRL will draw up its final position paper at Detroit. Your views on the reorganization are needed. Would you please send your reactions to Anne Edmonds, Librarian, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts 01075; Philip McNiff, Director, Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts 02117; David Kaser, Director of Libraries, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850; or J. Donald Thomas, Executive Secretary, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, Illinois.

MEMORANDUM

March 19, 1970

To: David Clift

From: J. Donald Thomas

Re: Work of the ALA Activities Committee on New Directions

I have been requested by the ACRL Executive Committee to inform you that although the Association of College and Research Libraries has not previously reacted to the work of the ALA Activities Committee on New Directions, the division has great concern regarding the findings and recommendations of the committee.

The following lists only the major points to be contained in an official statement which will be issued by ACRL during or shortly after the Detroit Meeting. In the meantime, it is hoped that the Activities Committee will, in its deliberations, give consideration to these recommendations.

1. ALA should remain a strong centralized organization.

2. The present divisions should be reduced to a federation of four types of library divisions representing (a) academic and research libraries, (b) public libraries, (c) school libraries, and (d) special libraries.

3. The present programs of the type of activity divisions and round tables should be absorbed by the four divisions or become the function of various headquarters offices. For example, technical processing and administration are felt to be activities generally handled best by permanent headquarters personnel, and if committees should be needed by such offices, the committees would be appointed by the divisions.

4. The officers of the four divisions would form an advisory committee to the ALA Executive Staff. Meetings would be frequent, and task forces (with terminal dates) would be appointed by such an advisory body to study interdivisional problems.

5. A stronger executive staff for each division is needed with adequate staffing and funding.

6. The divisions should have more freedom of action in planning and carrying out their primary responsibility to constituents.

The Executive Committee of ACRL hopes that no precipitate action is taken by the Committee on New Directions until after the Detroit Meeting.

cc: ACRL Executive Committee Planning Committee

Board of Directors