ACRL College & Researc Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

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 recent ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco: on Saturday, June 27, 1981, and Tuesday, June 30, 1981.

Academic Library Program

Duane Webster of the Association for Research Libraries’ Office of Management Studies reported on the Academic Library Project which is cosponsored by ACRL. He explained that the project provided self-study resources for academic libraries; that five programs are now fully operational; that a design effort on preservation was being tested in three libraries; that funding for community college projects had not yet been obtained; and that ten self studies were then being operated. Mr. Webster reported that he would explore the possibility of working with ACRL to develop courses for the continuing education program.

Activity Sections Council

The board approved wording to establish the Activity Sections Council in the ACRL Constitution and Bylaws. The proposed council will consist of the chair and vice-chair/chair-elect of each ACRL type-of-activity section. The Bylaw change will be voted on by the ACRL membership in the Spring 1982 ballot.

Budget and Finance Committee

The board approved the 1981-82 budgets submitted by the Budget and Finance Committee. (A summary of the budgets will appear in the October issue of C&RL News.)

Upon a motion by Richard Talbot, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, the board rescinded its June 1979 action to provide free copies of the cumulative index to College & Research Libraries and voted to sell copies on a cost recovery basis.

Chapters

The board approved the petition for the establishment of an Oklahoma Chapter.

The Chapters Council’s recommendation was endorsed that no further cuts be made in chapter allocations, that ways be sought to return funding to at least the $1.50 per member originally intended, and that it be continued at least at that level in the future.

The board also approved an addition to the ACRL bylaw dealing with chapters which will allow the vice-president or vice-chair of each chapter and the member of the ACRL Board of Directors elected at large based on nominations of the Chapters Council to be members (the latter ex officio) of the Chapters Council. This change will be submitted to the ACRL membership in the Spring 1982 ballot.

The board disbanded the Chapters Committee, since its functions had been absorbed by the Chapters Council.

Copyright Committee

The board endorsed the Ad Hoc Copyright Committee’s statement (see p. 288) in response to a document issued by the Association of American Publishers regarding the photocopying of materials by college and university faculty and staff. The board also directed the ACRL office to conduct before January 1982 an ACRL 100 survey on existing photocopying practices in academic libraries to gather statistical information on current practices before the issuance of the Register of Copyrights’ report in January 1983.

Discussion Groups

The board approved the petition establishing a Black Studies Discussion Group.

Divisional Dues and Interest

The board adopted a resolution that ALA make it explicit that divisions shall set their own dues subject to the vote of the division’s membership. (ALA Council subsequently voted to accept the resolution and present it to the ALA membership in the April ballot.)

Also approved was the ACRL Executive Committee resolution to COPES (ALA’s Council on Program Evaluation and Support) and the ALA Executive Board that steps be taken to permit ACRL to earn interest on all its revenue balances effective fiscal year 1981/82, especially on revenues derived from ACRL’s national conferences. COPES’ recommendation was endorsed that the ACRL Minneapolis Conference be considered a pilot study on the matter of interest on divisional national conferences.

The board endorsed the draft of the April 30, 1981, Operating Agreement for ALA and its Divisions as amended by ACRL General Comments on the draft, dated June 5, 1981. The new document will be resubmitted to COPES with the expectation that Executive Board action will take place at the Denver Midwinter Meeting.

Executive Committee

The board again approved a revision of the ACRL Constitution and Bylaws allowing the ACRL councilor on the Executive Committee. The change will be voted on by the ACRL membership in the Spring 1982 ballot.

Fourth ACRL National Conference

The board approved the Executive Committee’s recommendation that Baltimore be the site for the fourth National Conference, to be held April 9-12, 1986.

Institute for Scientific Information Award

The board accepted the offer from the Institute for Scientific Information to establish an annual award of $1000 (and $250 to ACRL for administration of the award) to a student in a Ph D. program for carrying out research in the transfer or handling of information in academic or research environments. The ACRL staff will pursue the development of criteria for evaluating applicants and the methods of administering the program.

Membership in NCATE

The board rescinded its approval of application for membership in the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education due to fiscal implications.

NCLIS

Toni Carbo Bearman, executive director of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, reported that three priorities had been established for the year: 1) develop specifications for legislation for the renewal of the Library Services and Reconstruction Act; 2) improve the dissemination of federal information to depository libraries; and 3) encourage resource sharing and networking. She explained that future focuses would be in services to rural America and senior citizens.

Nonprint Media Publications

Upon the recommendation of the Publications Committee, the board appointed Jean Farrington editor of the ACRL Nonprint Media Publications.

Royalties on ACRL Publications

The board delegated to the Executive Director the responsibility for all negotiations with ALA Publishing with regard to royalties from the ACRL Publications in Librarianship series. Standards and Accreditation Committee

The board approved the appointment of an Ad Hoc College Library Standards Committee and directed the Budget and Finance Committee to investigate the funding. The Standards Committee would examine the 1975 “Standards for College Libraries” in the areas of non-print collection and services; collections, staff and budgets; and networking and cooperative associations.

Upon the recommendation of the Standards and Accreditation Committee, the board endorsed the Revised Guidelines for Two-Year College Library Resource Programs. The substance of the revisions are: an improved definition of the term “two-year college”; an expanded definition of the term “systems approach”; removal of sexist terminology; and other clarifying editorial changes. The revised ouidelines will be printed in a future issue of C&RL News.

Subsidies to ALA Divisions

President Abell asked the board to consider the appropriateness of funding a deficit in a division such as the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) out of ALA general funds when there is a large deficit and no plans for balancing the budget. The board recognized that ASCLA’s activities are important to achieving ALA’s priorities; but the present deficit funding situation of ASCLA presented a number of issues of grave concern to all divisions, since ALA general funds were being consumed by ASCLA that might otherwise be used by ALA to support service to divisions. Therefore, the board urged the ALA Executive Board and Council to direct ASCLA to present a balanced budget without ALA subsidy by fiscal year 1982/83.

ASIS ANNUAL MEETING

Academic librarians will have an excellent continuing education opportunity to visit over 100 exhibits at the 1981 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Scientists (ASIS) in Washington, D.C., October 25-30. The theme is “The Information Community: An Alliance for Progress,” and the technical program will include invited presentations, contributed papers, idea exchanges, special interest group sessions, demonstrations, and tours of government and industrial information facilities in the Washington area.

The presidents of information professional societies will also meet to discuss the collaborative efforts among societies and their role in information policy. The fourth in a series of Information Professional Societies Presidents Forums, the gathering is scheduled for October 27, 7:00-9:00 p.m., at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Prior to the open session, the presidents will meet privately. This private meeting will include members of the Information Policy Forum, a group consisting of Washington representatives of societies actively involved in government and policy issues. The group’s activities and perceptions will be discussed during the public session.

ACRL members are invited to attend the open forum at no charge and to view the exhibits which will be open October 26-28 at the Washington Hilton. While all visitors to the meeting will be asked to register, there will be no charge to visit the exhibits area.