ACRL College & Researc Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

ACRL Chapter Developments

Under the guidance of Norman E. Tanis, ACRL president during 1973/74, the ACRL Board of Directors established as one of ACRL’s top priorities the development of chapters of ACRL. In July 1973 Mr. Tanis appointed an ad hoc Committee on Chapter Development, chaired by George M. Bailey, associate director of libraries at the Claremont Colleges. The committee is charged with promoting the organization of chapters and with assisting chapters in program planning and development. In the past, ACRL has contributed to chapter programs through the participation of ACRL officers and committee members.

Article IV of the ACRL Bylaws provides for the organization of chapters within ACRL:

Article IV. Chapters

Sec. 1. Establishment. The Board of Directors may establish a chapter of the Association in any state, province, territory, or region on the petition of twenty-five members of the Association residing or employed within the area.

Sec. 2. Bylaws. A chapter may adopt its own bylaws provided there is no conflict between them and the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.

Sec. 3. Members. A chapter may admit members who are not members of the Association.

Sec. 4. Meetings. Each chapter shall hold at least one meeting a year unless it is affiliated with an organization that normally meets biennially.

Sec. 5. Reporting. Each chapter shall send a report of its meetings to the executive secretary of the Association within one month following the meetings.

Sec. 6. Dissolution. A chapter may be dissolved at its request by the Board of Directors of the Association and shall be so dissolved if it becomes inactive or fails to comply with the provisions of this article.

Within the past two years, the ACRL Board of Directors has approved three petitions for the establishment of new chapters: the New England College and Research Librarians, the Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries, and the Academic and Research Division of the Minnesota Library Association. The three additional ACRL chapters are: the Delaware Valley Chapter (eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware), the Tri-State Chapter (Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia), and the Missouri Association of College and Research Libraries.