ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

ACRL actions, July 1988

Highlights of the Annual Conference meetings of the ACRL Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries met twice during the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans: on July 9, 1988, and July 12, 1988.

Bibliographic instruction

The Board approved a “Model Statement of Objectives for Academic Bibliographic Instruction” developed by a Bibliographic Instruction Section task force, with the provision that the authors clarify some language in a section dealing with unrecorded information sources (see draft in C&RL News, May 1987). The revised statement will appear in a future issue of C&RL News.

Budget and finance

The Board approved a schedule for the development of the ACRL Financial Plan. There will be an open hearing on the plan next Midwinter, and a final version will be approved by the Board at Annual Conference in Dallas in 1989.

The Board also approved two revisions to the ACRL Fiscal Policy Manual—one on travel funds and the other on conference expenses.

The Board approved the 1989 ACRL budget with revenues of $1,111,875 and expenses of $1,111,080.

Bylaws

The Board approved a change in the ACRL Bylaws that would allow sections to designate their representatives to the Activity Sections Council. The representatives would be two of the three following officers: chair, vice-chair/chair-elect, or past chair.

The Board approved sample bylaws for use by ACRL sections in need of information on the writing or revision of section bylaws.

Discussion groups

The board approved petitions for the creation of two new discussion groups: the Journal Costs in Academic Libraries Discussion Group and the Popular Culture and Libraries Discussion Group.

ACRL Board, 1987-88. Back row: Bochelle Sager, Anne Beauhien, Elizabeth Salzer, Lee Hisle, Peter Malanchuk, Larry Hardesty, Mary Sue Ferrell, Patricia Wand. Front row: JoAn Segal, Hannelore Rader, Joanne Euster, Joseph Boissé, Anne Commerton. Not present: Thomas Kirk, Melvin George, Bob Carmack.

Fund raising

The Board received the final report of the Task Force on Fund Raising, discharged the Task Force with thanks, and referred the report to the Planning Committee for its review and recommendations. The report recommends the creation of a discussion group on fund raising, the publication of articles on development and fund raising, and action on the ALA fund raising clearinghouse proposal developed in cooperation with LAMA.

Microfiche conversion

The Board endorsed the resolution on the GPO microfiche conversion program. The resolution supports efforts by the U.S. Government Printing Office to develop specifications in future contracts that ensure high quality production and timely distribution of microfiche products.

Rare Books & Manuscripts Librarianship

The Board approved a policies and procedures document for RBML and approved the appointment of Alice Schreyer as editor of the journal.

School library media specialists

The Board discussed a draft of “Professional Competencies for Entry Level School Library Media Specialists,” prepared by the ALA/AASL/NCATE Guidelines Task Force. General support for the document was expressed but the Board clarified that they were taking no implied action on the issue of an MLS degree requirement.

Sections

The Rare Books and Manuscripts Section was congratulated on the occasion of its 30th anniversary (see box, p.495).

Statistics

Upon the recommendation of the Academic Library Statistics Committee, the Board voted: 1) not to expand ACRL’s statistical survey to all college and university libraries because of costs and level of interest in nationwide statistics gathering; 2) to continue to survey the non-ARL university libraries and return to using the ARL form; 3) to encourage the academic library community to complete and return the IPEDS surveys (see pp. 521-22); and 4) to encourage the federal government to gather library data every other year.

Strategic planning

The Board established their top priority for the next two years. It will be Goal III of the ACRL Strategic Plan: “to promote and speak for the interests of academic and research librarianship.” Specific focuses will be on Subgoal A, which deals with improving relationships with non-library professionals and organizations, and on Subgoal C, which deals with recruitment and retention of outstanding persons to the field of academic and research librarianship.

ACRL Board, 1988-89. Back row: Thomas Kirk, Mary Sue Ferrell, Elizabeth Salzer, Larry Hardesty, Peter Malanchuk, Linda Piele, Rochelle Sager. Front row: Anne Commerton, William A. Moffett, Joseph A. Boissé, Joanne Euster, Anne Beaubien, JoAn S. Segal. Not present: Melvin George.

Task forces

The Board extended the terms of the Task Force on Library Access and the Task Force on Librarians as Instructors until the 1989 Annual Conference. The Library Access Task Force is developing guidelines for access policy statements, and the Librarians as Instructors Task Force is surveying academic administrators on their role in support of librarians in user education. Their survey information will be used in preparing a guideline statement.

Upon a recommendation from incoming ACRL President Joe Boissé, the Board established four new task forces: Paraprofessionals in Academic Libraries; Small College Assessment Program; Recruitment of Underrepresented Minorities; and Library School Curriculum.

The Board established a task force to explore the possibility of starting a service corps of retired librarians. Evan Ira Farber, who proposed the idea, was named chair of the task force.

The Board established a task force to oversee the writing of a grant proposal to study sources of revenue in academic libraries.

Another task force was established to explore non-dues sources of revenue for ACRL.