ACRL College & Researc Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

ACRL Annual Report 1999-2000

Message from the President

Larry Hardesty

ACRL’s 61st President

I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the ACRL membership for the privilege of serving as the 61 st President of the ACRL. Although I have served the Association for more than 20 years at many levels, my experience as president further strengthened my appreciation for the hard work and ac- complishments of the ACRL members, leadership, and staff. We have much about which to be proud of our profession and our professional association, and serving as the President of ACRL has been both a pleasure and a privi- lege. The membership and leadership of ACRL accomplished many signifi- cant things this past year, and they are listed in more detail elsewhere in this report. I do want to take the opportunity to thank a few individuals (and apologize that I do not have space to thank everyone by name), and to express my appreciation for being part of a very productive year for ACRL.

My thanks to Gloriana St.Clair for chairing the task force to establish the “Excellence in Academic Libraries” Award, and my congratulations to North Carolina State University, Wellesley College, and the College of DuPage— the winners in the respective divisions this first year. I also thank Blackwell Book Services, who has generously endowed this program into perpetuity. Therefore, many more opportunities will occur to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of our colleagues and for members of their communities to express their thanks.

The ACRL President’s Program Committee, headed by Scottie Cochrane, planned an exciting and well-attended program for the ALA Annual Conference this past summer, and I appreciate their hard work and the excellent talks given by Evan Farber (“the 2000-year old librarian”), Carla Stoffle, Emily Mobley, and Rick Eckman. I could not help but notice that many of the programs sponsored by sections and other ACRL units at ALA Annual Conference this past summer were “LJ"”conference picks. This reflects a lot of hard work on the part of many program planners.

This past year I spoke at ACRL Chapter meetings of the Georgia, Iowa, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Minnesota, Washington, and Oregon chapters. Attending the chapter meetings has been a great experience, and I thank the leadership of the individual chapters for inviting me to participate.

I also had the opportunity to visit the Choice offices this past spring. I am very impressed by Irv Rockwood and his staff. Not only did they serve as most gracious hosts, but also they have a great operation that supports this important ACRL service—and they have fun doing it!

The year passed all too quickly, but that is what happens when one is having fun—and make no mistake, I had a great time! I worked with an outstanding board who worked hard to fulfill its responsibilities. Althea Jenkins and the ACRL staff demonstrated their usual dedication and hard work as they patiently guided me through the year. I had the delightful privilege of following Maureen Sullivan and preceding Betsy Wilson as ACRL president. Both are highly dedicated professionals with whom it has been a joy to work. I also enjoyed my opportunities to work and meet with ACRL members and leaders at all levels. ACRL exists for the membership, and I thank the membership for a rewarding and fun year as the President of ACRL.

Message from the Vice-President

Lizabeth Wilson

Vice-President/President-Elect

Libraries are moving into a century of change we can’t even begin to imagine. ACRL is well positioned to thrive in this millennium of change.

However, we must strengthen our collaborations and community relationships if we are to succeed in the 21st century. As a result, the theme of my presidency is “Commu- nity and Collaboration.”

A “Community and Collaboration” series will run in C&RL News throughout my presidential year. Each month, different writers share stories of successful collaborations that strengthen our communities. These articles will inspire us to move outward from our campuses into the interconnected worlds of higher education, K-12, extended communities, global partners, and those who employ our graduates.

A particular focus of my year will be to advance information literacy through community-wide collaboration. The widest range of librarians, educators, and policymakers must collaborate to build information literate communities. To this end, ACRL members Cerise Oberman and Julie Todaro are leading the ALA Information Literacy Partnerships Initiative, whose purpose is to bring together librarians, community members, and organizations to help prepare the public to use information efficiently and effectively so they can fully participate in the workplace, education, community, and family life.

The transformative work of the Institute for Information Literacy, the promulgation of the “Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education,” and the new Information Literacy Consultants are enhancing ACRL’s capacity and infrastructure to leverage membership efforts. American Association of School Librarians (AASL) President-elect Harriet Selverstone and I will be championing the recommendations from the AASL/ ACRL Task Force on the Educational Role of Librarians to strengthen cooperation between school and academic librarians.

Celebrating the diversity and creativity of ACRL, the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco will feature some 18 programs presented by ACRL sections and committees. The ACRL President’s Program will focus on “The Creative Genius of Community” and explore the library as the intellectual crossroads of the community—a house of stories preserving our memory and fostering communication and collaboration. Librarians can lead collaborations that will keep that community alive and vibrant.

ACRL is frequently looked to for descriptions of effective practices in academic libraries. I have appointed a new committee chaired by Randy Hensley that will help identify effective practices in academic librarianship and make them widely available through the ACRL Web site.

This year marks the launching of the new ACRL Strategic Plan 2005. Committees, sections, chapters, discussion groups, and the membership are working creatively to realize the vision of ACRL as the leading professional organization of choice for academic librarians.

It is an honor to follow in the footsteps of strong and innovative ACRL Presidents and to work with a talented membership and highly committed staff. This past year has been busy with chapter visits, listening to members, and planning for the coming year. Given the high level of membership involvement, I am enthusiastic about the coming year of “Community and Collaboration.”

ACRL Membership Statistics

ACRL Sections	Personal	Organizational/Special	August 2000 total	August 1999 total	%increase/decrease
ACRL	10,548	976	11,524	11,297	1.97%
AAMES	324	62	386	425	-10.10%
AFAS	230	22	252	272	-7.94%
ANSS	430	67	497	533	-7.24%
ARTS	713	80	793	849	-7.06%
CJCLS	962	209	1,171	1,153	1.53%
CLS	2,027	276	2,303	2,292	0.48%
DLS	1,249	68	1,317	1,171	11.08%
EBSS	880	164	1,044	1,145	-9.67%
IS	3,592	384	3,976	4,152	-4.43%
LES	570	13	583	604	-3.60%
LPSS	538	83	621	697	-12.23%
RBMS	1,492	162	1,654	1,739	-5.14%
SEES	187	47	234	260	-11.11%
STS	1,479	182	1,661	1,787	-7.59%
ULS	4,984	297	5,281	5,762	-9.11%
WESS	525	54	579	653	-12.78%
WSS	557	53	610	731	-19.84%

Letter from the Executive Director

Althea H. Jenkins

Executive Director

The worth of any national association can be gauged by how well it serves the interests and meets the needs of its members. Since its cre- ation in 1938, ACRL has continued to expand its programs and reinvent itself in ways that have permitted it to be responsive to the ever-changing needs of the academic library community.

As higher education continues to be reshaped, so will the focus, activities, and programs of ACRL be shaped. ACRL’s mission is to ensure that academic libraries are effective in advancing learning, teaching, and research in higher education. We are able to accomplish this through maintaining programs and activities that serve the profession well while incorporating new ones that enhance academic librarians’ ability to respond in a changing environment.

This year, as in the past, ACRL’s accomplishments were many. As you will see from the financial report, we are in a very solid financial position. ACRL’s membership continued to grow from 11,297 in the previous year to 11,524. And ACRL’s programs and activities seemed to take on a new life as they expanded in response to a changing environment for academic librarians.

During the year, ACRL also addressed a broader agenda through its implementation of three key initiatives: information literacy, Excellence in Academic Libraries Award, and collaborations and partnerships. While ACRL has been collaborating and building partnerships for a number of years, in 2000 ACRL widened its emphasis beyond the usual higher education organizations to include other activities such as Job Shadow Day, the Effective Practices Web site, A Student’s Guide to Evaluating Libraries in Colleges and Universities, “Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education,” and white papers on the “Educational Role of Librarians” and “Do We Need Academic Libraries?”

Realizing that the missions of the colleges and universities that our libraries serve are changing to respond to economic, societal, and cultural demands, ACRL reached within and outside the profession to collaborate and develop partnerships. The development of the “Information Literacy Competency Standards” was the result of collaboration among four higher education associations. ACRL partnered with AASL to study the educational role of librarians, and with the TLT Group to consider the role of libraries in Teaching, Learning, and Technology Centers on campuses. ACRL also provided leadership for the ALA Divisions’ Job Shadow Day activities, which attracted more than 125 student mentees nationwide.

There is a lot to report about ACRL’s year of activities, as you will see in the pages that follow. This report is evidence of the successful work carried out by ACRL members and staff. It illustrates the important work that ACRL contributes to learning, teaching, and research and defines its role.

ACRL is grateful to the corporate community that has been so supportive. I thank our 2000 ACRL Colleagues and corporate contributors for their commitment to ACRL and for their continuous financial support. Their sponsorship of ACRL awards, programs, and activities enables ACRL to provide its members a wide variety of programmatic choices.

I especially thank ACRL President Larry Hardesty for his support of the association and its staff, and for the guidance he gave toward completing revisions to the strategic planning process. I have enjoyed working with him and sincerely appreciate his leadership and friendship. I also thank the Board of Directors, section and committee chairs, chapter leaders, editorial board and award jury chairs for their good work and support of ACRL.

Finally, I would like to thank the ACRL staff and express my appreciation to them for the good work they do. It is because of that work that we are all able to celebrate the many successes and good fortunes that ACRL has experienced in the past year. My hat is off to an excellent staff.

I hope you will take the time to review this report of ACRL’s work in 2000 and that you will reflect on where we should focus our energies as we move into a new century.

Year in Review

Services and programs

ACRL continues as the largest division of ALA, and our membership is holding steady with a slight increase of 2%. With its strong membership, the association continues to be a vibrant and robust voice speaking out for academic librarians on important issues. The strength of ACRL’s voice can be heard in other ways, as well. The large number of members who serve on committees, sections, and discussion groups, and write articles for its publications or make presentations at conferences and meetings is what makes ACRL the dynamic organization it is.

Involving our newest members in ACRL activities was a focus this year. The New Member Mentoring Program was instituted and designed to help new members develop their careers and enhance their involvement with ACRL. Additionally, a focus group was held at Midwinter with new members to learn more about their interests and concerns.

Advisory

With accrediting agencies revising their guidelines and such occurrences as library statistics no longer a required element of IPEDS, ACRL staff and leaders are frequently contacted for consultant referrals, information on faculty status, information regarding technological advances, buildings, library systems in use, and recommendations for search committees. For example, as distance learning becomes a new standard, it is important that the higher education community recognize the information implications. To this end, ACRL’s “Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services” were distributed to library school deans, accrediting agencies, and state librarians around the country.

Many advisory questions this year were in regards to the newly revised “Standards for College Libraries,” which focuses on outcomes assessment to determine the effectiveness of the academic library program, services, and collections. To assist members in applying the standards, the College Libraries Section held a program at the ALA Annual Conference on using the standards as a tool for assessment.

Awards

Since 1923, ACRL has been committed to recognizing the best and brightest in academic librarianship. In 2000, 12 individuals and 10 institutions received ACRL awards recognizing their accomplishments. The prestigious Academic/ Research Librarian of the Year Award was presented to Sharon A. Hogan for her dynamic leadership in the academic library community. In announcing the award, the committee noted that, “her generous and broadly inclusive vision of the library’s role in higher education serves as an inspiration for all of us.”

Two ACRL awards were presented for the first time at the 2000 ALA Conference in Chicago. The Excellence in Academic Libraries Award, sponsored by Blackwell’s Book Services and established in 1999 to recognize academic libraries that have demonstrated teamwork in supporting the missions of their institutions, received an enthusiastic response from libraries. In response to ACRL’s first call for nominations and applications, 42 librarians responded and 36 completed applications were evaluated. The first winners of the award were North Carolina State University, Wellesley College, and the College of DuPage. Each institution was recognized with an award ceremony on its campus, and awarded a $3,000 cash prize. The other new ACRL award from the Women’s Studies Section was presented for achievement in women’s studies librarianship. The award was sponsored by Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. and Routledge.

Chapter affiliates

Chapter affiliates make ACRL come alive at the local level through local programming, professional development, advocacy, and networking. Offering opportunities for academic librarians to meet and share social and professional development experiences in their regions, ACRL Chapter affiliates sponsored more than 38 programs across the United States, and ACRL officers visited 9 chapters as guest speakers.

Through Initiative Fund Grants, three chapters sponsored programs in their regions. The ACRL Delaware Valley Chapter hosted the “Academic Librarianship Lecture Series,” directed to library school students. In Illinois, the chapter sponsored “Study Hall or Partner in Teaching and Learning?: The Role of the Academic Library Today,” featuring speaker Deborah Grimes. The Ohio Chapter of ACRL sponsored the “Ohio Legislative Day for Academic Librarians,” where 25 Ohio librarians meet with state legislators after receiving advocacy training from Lynne Bradley of the ALA Washington Office.

Sections

ACRL sections take responsibility for providing activities that help members individualize their ACRL experience. ACRL sections also promulgate and maintain standards and guidelines for directing the development and future nature of the profession. The “Standards for College Libraries” was updated and revised this past year, as was the “Guidelines for the Security of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Other Special Collections.” The Instruction Section is currently revising the “Model Statement of Objectives for Academic Bibliographic Instruction.”

Two sections received Initiative Fund Grants to host an ACRL presence at book fairs. Western European Studies Section sent representatives to the International Booksellers and Librarians Forum, Frankfurt Book Fair, October 13-18, 2000, and presented papers there (C&RL News, December 2000). Rare Books and Manuscripts Section hosted exhibit tables at the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of American (ABAA) National Level Book Fairs in Los Angeles (February 2000) and in New York (April 2000) (C&RL News, April 2000).

Other section activities include the Science and Technology Section’s collaboration with the ALA Washington Office to protest the planned closing of NTIS, testing an electronic version of the Community and Junior College Library Section’s newsletter, the Women’s Studies Section’s development of core lists of books and serials in Women’s Studies, and the Literatures in English Section’s (formerly the English and American Literature Section) creation of two new discussion groups: 19th-Century Materials Discussion Group and the Literaiy Reference Discussion Group.

Government relations

During 1999-2000, ACRL’s Legislative Agenda focused on several legislative and public policy areas concerning copyright and fair use that affect academic libraries. The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA), a proposed state contract law developed to regulate transactions in computer software, online databases, and other information products in digital form, was introduced in several states. ACRL opposes this law because it would restrict library use otherwise allowed under copyright law. Legislation affecting the fair use of digital materials was also introduced at the federal level. A database protection bill (H.R. 354) that was introduced in Congress is opposed by ACRL because it would not allow fair use of databases comparable to that under copyright law.

ACRL staff and members used a variety of strategies to respond to these and many other issues. These included the broadcast of Action Alerts over Legnet, ACRL’s Legislative Network electronic list. The Legislative Network includes representatives from each ACRL Chapter affiliate. The members of the network forward relevant legislative messages and calls for action to their chapter members who can consult the ACRL Washington Watch Web page, where materials are kept on the Legislative Agenda issues.

Continuing to build upon programs from previous years, ACRL sponsored its second advocacy preconference for academic librarians during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. The preconference focus was “Communicating with Congress” and “Advocating for Library Issues.” ACRL’s National Libraiy Legislative Day luncheon for academic librarians in Washington, D.C. had 45 librarians in attendance.

Standards and guidelines

The higher education community continued to look to ACRL for developing and maintaining standards and guidelines for services and resources within the library’s wall and beyond. The College Library Section revised its Standards for College Libraries and included outcomes and performance measures. This is the first ACRL Standard to focus on output measures. Recognizing the rapid growth of distance learning programs and their increasing needs and requirements, the Distance Learning Section updated the Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services to also show how output performance measures could be used to improve services. Both Standards are available on the ACRL Web site at http://www.ala.org/acrl/guides/ index.html.

Intellectual Freedom Principles

In 1999 the ACRL board approved the “Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries.” The purpose of the intellectual freedom principles is to provide an interpretation of general intellectual freedom principles for an academic library setting.

ACRL has continued to promote and distribute the principles throughout the year. At Midwinter 2000, the principles were endorsed by ALA ’s Intellectual Freedom Committee and published in the “Intellectual Freedom Manual.” In the spring, copies of the principles were mailed to every academic library dean and director and library school dean in North America. During the 2000 ALA Annual Conference, the principles were adopted by the ALA Council.

The “Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries” can be found on ACRL’s Web site at http://www.ala.org/acrl/principles.html.

Partnerships and collaborations

Academic libraries, like the colleges and universities they serve, must reach beyond their walls to engage others in accomplishing their missions. ACRL collaborated with the higher education community in a variety of ways to define and illustrate the role of libraries in learning, teaching, and research.

The ACRL Effective Practices Web site was established in partnership with the Council of Higher Education Management Association (CHEMA). The site will make readily available to university officials and others best practices in various higher education programs. The first effective practices to be recognized on the site are the Excellence in Academic Libraries 2000 Award winners—College of DuPage, North Carolina State University, and Wellesley College. ACRL is developing the best practices component for academic libraries. An advisory committee began work on determining the criteria for proposal submissions and will begin soliciting proposals in 2001.

On February 2, 2000, ACRL joined forces with the divisions of ALA and associations across America in support of Job Shadow Day, an event that partners junior high, high school, and college students with workplace mentors. This is the first time the ALA divisions participated in this initiative. More than 125 student shadows spent their day seeing first-hand what academic librarians do. Response from Job Shadow Day participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with comments such as, “The day was a smashing success at the James A. Rogers Library and was enjoyed by all. We look forward to doing it again next year!”

ACRL continued to emphasize to the higher education community the leadership roles librarians can play in accomplishing the missions of their institutions. During the past year, ACRL engaged in significant activities with several organizations while maintaining connections with several others through informal contacts and exchange of information.

The ACRL Board created an ad hoc committee to work closely with the TLT Group in clarifying the role of Virtual Teaching, Learning, and Technology Centers in the learning process, and identifying criteria for evaluating Web content for inclusion in academic portals.

ACRL members presented a program on “Using the ACRL Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services” at the “Quality Assurance in Dis- tance Education: Electronic Library Solutions” conference in Washington, D.C.

ACRL members and Middle States Commission for Higher Education staff were presenters at the ACRL New Jersey Chapter meeting in April 2000 where the program focused on the topic, “Do We Need Academic Libraries in Higher Education?”

ACRL sponsored its third Library and Information Issues Forum at the 2000 AAHE conference in Anaheim. ACRL also presented a program and poster session.

ACRL joined with the ARL/SPARC “Create Change” campaign which is designed to educate librarians and faculty about the issues surrounding the rising cost of journals. Information about the “Create Change” campaign can be found on the ACRL Web site at http://www.ala.org/acrl/ scholarlycomm.html.

As a member of the Council for Higher Education Management Associa- tions (CHEMA), ACRL participated in the CHEMA Corporate Partnership Conference in Baltimore in June, 2000, and presented a program session.

Several sections have developed and maintain liaisons with other higher education associations. Law and Political Science Section continues to work with the American Association of Law Librarians on intellectual property issues and promoting law courses in library schools. The American Anthro- pological Association (AAA) requested that Anthropology and Sociology Section appoint an ANSS member who holds membership in AAA to a newly established AAA Web site Editorial Board. An EBSS member participated in the American Psychological Association Division 2 presentation in Boston in 1999 entitled “Information Retrieval and Evaluation: Basic Competencies for Students.”

Information Literacy

ACRL’s flagship new initiative, information literacy, has five programs that reach out to the higher education community: the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, Immersion Programs, Best Practices, community partnerships, and an Institute for Museums and Library Services (IMLS) Leadership Grant. To provide an infrastructure for ACRL’s information literacy initiatives and to enhance librarians, faculty, and others capacity to leverage their efforts, information literacy consultants were contracted as staff. The Board created an advisory committee to work closely with the consultants, helping shape priorities, identifying needs, and serving as a link with the membership.

The Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education have been very well received in the higher education community within the United States and abroad. The standards were announced by the ACRL Board of Directors after its meeting in January 2000. They were endorsed by the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) Board of Directors at its meeting in May 2000. The standards have been translated into four languages, and more than 25,000 copies have been requested and distributed.

The ACRL Board of Directors agreed to partner with the ALA 2001 Presidential initiative and share its work and expertise on information literacy community partnerships. The Board also provided funds to launch its Best Practices in Information Literacy initiative, which will identify criteria for establishing quality programs.

ACRL received its first grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The grant proposal, “Assessing Student Learning Outcomes in Information Literacy Programs: Training Academic Librarians” will train approximately 30 librarians and their campus teams in structuring and implementing information literacy programs and assessing their effectiveness.

Responding to the need of students planning their college careers to understand the role of the library, a small group of members was invited to meet in Chicago to draft “A Student’s Guide to Evaluating Libraries in Colleges and Universities.” The target audience for the guidelines is non-librarians, including parents, high school juniors and seniors, high school guidance and career counselors, college and university admissions officers and presidents, and the media that provide college and university rankings. The guidelines are posted on the ACRL Web page at http://www.ala.org/acrl/ evalguide.html. A colorful brochure was produced and mailed with press releases and letters to the audiences identified above.

Professional development

“Professional development is an important manifestation of the academic librarian’s commitment to personal excellence. It is a necessary response to a rapidly changing environment… The members and staff of ACRL declare our collective intent to strive for professional excellence through rigorous programs of lifelong learning and personal growth.”

These words from the new “Statement on Professional Development,” which was approved by the ACRL Board of Directors during the 2000 ALA Annual Conference, are a clarion call for ACRL to continue to expand its programs, conferences, workshops, and institutes for academic librarians.

During 1999-2000, 3,564 individuals participated in the 9 preconferences, programs, institutes, and 20 Annual Conference programs offered by ACRL, which covered a variety of topics such as information literacy, Web-based instruction, and leadership. To broaden the participation of selected categories of librarians, ACRL provided nearly $14,000 in scholar funds to 20 participants in the ACRL Institute for Information Literacy Immersion Program and 10 participants in the ACRL Rare Books & Manuscripts Preconference.

Leadership institutes

The second ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute was held July 30-August 4, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Eighty-six individuals attended this inten- sive five-day institute, designed to help library leaders increase their ca- pacity to lead and manage. In evaluating the institute, attendees commented that: “The ACRL Leadership Institute helped me focus in a strategic way on my own leadership style so that I can be a more self-aware and effective leader.” “For me, the most significant aspect of the whole experience was the opportunity to observe master teachers in action.” Planning is cur- rently underway for a 2001 ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute.

For library leaders lacking the time to invest in a five-day program, ACRL also offered “Leading on Your Campus” as a one-day preconference to the Texas Library Association conference. Seventy-nine percent of the partici- pants gave the institute the highest rating, drawing comments such as: “A lot of extra information was value-added and can’t be gotten except in this context.” “An excellent opportunity for professional growth.” “I was im- pressed with the caliber of presenters. This program was very beneficial.”

Immersion programs

To help librarians and institutions develop and implement information lit- eracy programs on their campus; ACRL’s Institute for Information Literacy offered two Immersion programs this year. These four-and-a-half day pro- grams provided two tracks of intensive training and education. Track 1 fo- cused on individual development for new librarians or instruction librarians who are interested in enhancing, refreshing, or extending their individual instruction skills. Track.2 focused on developing, integrating, and managing campuswide information literacy programs.

This year the national program was held at the University of Washington in Seattle. Ninety participants representing four foreign countries and thirty-five states attended. The attendees were enthusiastic about the program, with 88% of them selecting the highest rating when evaluating the program. Twenty individuals were recipients of ACRL scholarships awarded to new librarians, minority librarians, and graduate students.

Sixty-six librarians from Ohio and eleven more invited from the national waiting list, participated in the regional program, held at Kent State University, and sponsored by OhioLINK, Kent State University, and ALAOhio.

National Conference

In 1999-2000, ACRL members worked with staff to finalize plans for the 10th National Conference, which will be held in Denver, March 15-18, 2001. The major planning activities, selecting speakers, calling for presenters, selecting program proposals, and launching the call for exhibitors, were successfully carried out.

ACRL updated its conference Web site features to include the ACRL Session Finder, which allows individuals to search by keyword and customize their conference schedules. Seven in-depth preconferences have been developed on topics such as assessment, information literacy, survey research, and usability. Special events and additional networking opportunities to keep attendees learning and interacting during their time in Denver were also identified.

Web CE

Staff participated in the ALA committees investigating Web CE. ALA contracted with Southern Illinois University to prepare a Web course on copyright. Development of this course is hoped to give staff experience in the multitude of issues surrounding Web CE. ACRL staff continue to explore both technological and content areas for potential Web CE courses.

Publications

ACRL continues to recognize the importance of a strong and viable publications program to promote dissemination of ideas and scholarly communication throughout the profession. Revenue from ACRL publications also helps to support member programs and services. Six new monographic titles (see sidebar) were published this year to join a backlist of more than 50 titles in a variety of key areas such as management, instruction, information access, and special collections.

CHOICE

Choicebegan 2000 on an auspicious note surviving the great Y2K crisis unscathed, thanks to a substantial investment in new hardware and software and the determined efforts of our Computer Science Manager, Steven Conforti. The remainder of the year saw progress on a variety of fronts. During the past 12 months, Choice:

• bid a fond farewell to Helen MacLam, our Social Science editor, who retired this past June after 17 years of steadfast and exceptional service to Choice and the library community;

• welcomed four new staff members: John Adams (distribution assistant), Megan Fitzgerald (copy editor), Lisa Mitten (Social Science editor), and Rita Balasco (administrative assistant, ChoiceReviews.online);

• resumed development work on ChoiceReviews.online—after successfully completing a search for a new developer in mid-April;

• celebrated the sign-up of the 10,000th ChoiceReviews.online user in mid- August;

• made plans for the launch of a site license edition of ChoiceReviews.online in early 2001, and the simultaneous release of Version 1.7 of the original (library) edition;

• entered into new licensing agreements with OCLC/WLN and Baker & Taylor. As a result, Choice’s Outstanding Academic Title records are now available to users of the OCLC/WLN Conspectus collection matching service. In addition, Choice reviews from 1998 to the present now appear in Baker & Taylor’s Title Source 2; and

• began a live production test of the new Publishing System in late October. If successful, both the February 2001 issues of Choice magazine and Reviews on Cards will be produced using output from the new system, which has been under development for the past two years.

As Choice enters the new year, we look forward to new challenges and milestones. Among the anticipated highlights of 2001 are the launch of the long-awaited site license edition of ChoiceReview.online, ACRL’s National Conference in Denver, the roll-out of the new publishing system, and, above all, the opportunity to continue doing what Choice does best—publish more quality reviews of more new titles for academic and research libraries.

C&RL News

College & Research Libraries Newscontinued its tradition of providing news about people, events, and trends and sharing practical solutions to common challenges to those in academic librarianship and higher education. “Fast Facts,” a new column dedicated to helping academic librarians keep abreast of pertinent facts and figures was established as the final page of each issue.

RBM

Volume 14, No. 1 of RBM was published under the editorship of its new coeditors. That issue was the first of a revamped editorial focus and, with the following issue, the name was changed to RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage. A totally new graphic design was produced, including a change to an 8 by 10 inch format, and the numbering was restarted with Volume 1, No. 1.

Statistics

ACRL’s first annual statistical survey, the 1998 Academic Library Trends and Statistics, was published in two volumes: one covering the Carnegie Classification Associate of Arts institutions and one covering the combined classifications of doctoral-granting, master’s, and baccalaureate institutions. The 1998 data was also published on CD-ROM and was available from a vendor. The second annual survey to gather 1999 statistics for academic libraries was launched. As was done previously, a letter inviting participation was sent to all libraries at institutions of higher learning in the United States and Canada. A URL and password were included the letter, which allow completion of the form and submission of data entirely online. An additional feature of the 1999 survey was a trends section, which collected data on prevalence of academic or faculty status for academic librarians.

Web site and electronic activities

The Web site has seen continual activity and updates throughout the year. Among the additions are:

• a new design. The look was revised to allow easier access and to better organize the growing quantity of information;

• a new page, New @ ACRL, to keep members up-to-date on the latest developments at ACRL;

• a National Conference Web site, complete with session finder to make planning attendance at the ACRL National Conference easier than ever!

• full text of the “Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Librarians”;

• full text of the “Students Guide to Evaluating Libraries in Colleges and Universities,” a brochure to assist high school students in evaluating academic libraries during the process of selecting an institution of higher learning to attend;

• Effective Practices, a page to recognize those libraries with exemplary management practices and to encourage other libraries to innovate;

• job listings in C&RL News are now made available on the Web as soon as the ads come in, rather than waiting until the print issue is sent to press;

• AFAS established its Web site on the ACRL server, making a total of five sections that are being hosted at ACRL; and

• a new president’s page has just been added to reflect the goals and experiences of the new ACRL president.

In other Web activities, a survey form created by a committee of EBSS was mounted on the ALA server and was used to collect data for a directory of curriculum materials centers. This is the fifth edition of this directory, however it will not be published in paper but in an electronic version only with capability for searching and display of the results of the database according to parameters determined by the user.

With the spring 2000 edition of the section newsletters, a pilot project was undertaken with the CJCLS section to distribute its newsletter electronically. A PDF version (which can be read by the freely available Acrobat Reader software) was sent as an attachment on e-mail to all section members. The editor is collecting feedback and comments to determine the feasibility of continuing this distribution method.

ACRL Board of Directors. 1999-00

ACRL Board 1999-2000 (I to r): (back) Larry Hardesty, Paul E. Dumont, Mary Lee Sweat, Lois Cherepon, Robert F. Rose, William E. Brown, John Popko, Maureen Sullivan; (front) Helen H. Spalding, Betsy Wilson, Barbara Baxter Jenkins, Theresa S. Byrd, Dana C. Rooks. Not pictured: Althea H. Jenkins.

Financial Report

John Popko

Budget and Finance Committee Chair

ACRL had an exceptionally strong budget perfor- mance during the 1999-2000 fiscal year and the association’s financial condition remains very healthy. At the close of the fiscal year, the ACRL Operating Fund Balance was $1,726,893. The Choice closing Operating Fund Balance was $1,171,371.

999- 2000 budget highlights

ACRL’s FY 2000 revenues (not including Choice) were $177,140 more than budgeted for the year. Classified and product advertising and book sales revenues accounted for virtually all of ACRL’s revenue growth. Total classified ad sales revenues reached a record-breaking $350,275 in FY 2000, $ 108,275 over budget. Revenues from preconferences and institutes registration fees were $28,377 more than budget, and donations for ACRL special events accounted for more than $24,000 in additional revenues. ACRL personal membership dues revenues were $12,291 more than budget. Revenues from subscription sales and organizational membership dues were slightly below budget. Because of a terminated contract with the Management Dynamics Company to produce the ACRL Academic Statistics in an electronic format, the royalty revenues budgeted, $67,500, were not realized.

As has been the case in recent years, ACRL realized cost containment in several areas. These were fairly even across all budget categories. ACRL’s total expenses (again not including Choice) were $321,049 less than budget, resulting in net revenues of $146,433, which was $498,189 better than budget. This is an especially significant accomplishment because it occurred in a year in which ACRL did not hold a national conference and so did not realize the strong revenues that typically flow from that event. (In fact, past non-conference years resulted in a slight operating deficit, which is then offset by the division’s strong fund balance and the subsequent conference year’s surplus.

Choice’sbudget performance in 1999-2000 was also strong. Total Choice revenues exceeded budget by $54,917 and expenses were $257,365 less than budget. This resulted in net revenues of $201,444, which was $312,282 better than budget. Choice’s revenue exceeded budget in all categories, except for subscription sales, which were $75,119 less than budget. Two categories, royalties and product ad sales, accounted for Choice revenue growth. Expense savings for Choice were fairly evenly distributed across the accounts.

Total royalty income for Choice reached a record-breaking $264,908 in FY 2000, some $85,000 over budget, and ad sales were $40,000 over budget in FY 2000.

ACRL asset management

ACRL’s long-term investment portfolio includes the ACRL general endowment, the Choice endowment, and three awards endowments (Oberly, Leab, and Atkinson). At the end of the 1999-2000 fiscal year, the total portfolio value of all ACRL endowment funds was $1,308,695, an increase of $295,552 or 29% above the total value at the end of 1998-1999. Values for each of the endowments as of August 31, 2000, were as follows: ACRL endowment, $706,585; Oberly award, $21,731; Leab award, $27,857; Atkinson award, $122,105; Choice endowment, $430,417.

2000- 2001 ACRL budget

The ACRL Board, following a recommendation from the Budget and Finance Committee, has approved a 2000-2001 ACRL budget, with net revenues of $27,269 and a Choice budget with net revenues of $22,367. The Denver National Conference will be held during this year, adding to the net gain. The 2000-2001 budget shows projected revenues, expenses, and fund balances as follows:

ACRL FY 2001 Budget

beginning fund balance $ 1,726,893

total revenues $2,761,562

total expenses $2,725,932

net $35,630

endowment transfers $100,000

ending fund balance $1,637,905

CHOICEFY 2001 Budget

beginning fund balance $1,171,371

total revenues $2,440,061

total expenses $2,417,694

net $22,367

endowment transfers $50,000

ending fund balance $1,143,738

Thanks

I wish to express thanks to the ACRL Budget and Finance Committee and particularly the ACRL staff for all their work in realizing such excellent budget results for the 1999-2000 year and for their continuing efforts to build ACRL’s financial resources, which are essential for carrying out the association’s objectives. Members of the Budget and Finance Committee were: Nancy H. Allen, R. Cecilia Knight, Katherine Anne Branch and Gloriana St. Clair (who both served a partial year), Erika C. Linke, William F. Louden, D.

E. Pemshek, Pamela Snelson, and Elizabeth J. Wood, as well as ex-officio members ACRL Vice-President Betsy Wilson and ACRL Executive Director Althea Jenkins.

I close this year’s financial report by restating what several Budget and Finance chairs before me have said: Everyone involved with ACRL can feel justifiably proud of our association’s financial strength, its superb budget performance, and ACRL’s increased ability to carry out its highest priorities. In this climate, the Budget and Finance Committee will continue its important work throughout 2000-2001.

Executive Summary 1999-00

SOURCES OF REVENUE	FY2000 BUDGET	FY2000 ACTUAL	LAST YEAR ACTUAL
Ending Reserve
Operating Fund (ACRL)	$1,680,460	$1,726,893	$1,680,460
Endowments (ACRL)	667,706	878,278	667,706
Operating Fund (CHOICE)	1,019,927	1,171,371	1,019,927
Endowment (CHOICE)	345,436	430,417	345,436
Subtotal	$3,713,529	$4,206,959	$3,713,529
Membership dues and other
Dues	$410,728	$423,019	$400,118
Other	500	3,790	2,917
Donations	1,500	11,630	19,060
Awards	4,700	6,160	2,250
Sec. Newsletters	0	1,650	2,250
Special Events	$11,100	20,595	$0
Subtotal	$428,528	$466,844	$426,595
Publications
CHOICE	$2,162,898	$2,217,815	$2,068,394
C&RL	155,050	174,016	173,298
C&RL News	420,492	556,800	477,986
RBM	33,733	35,870	16,236
Nonperiodical Pubs.	138,000	162,628	229,603
Library Statistics	84,330	52,934	$10
Subtotal	$2,994,503	$3,200,063	$2,965,527
Education
Leadership Institute	$30,450	$10,000	$21,070
National (99,01)	0	(15,979)	1,046,112
Pre-& Postconferences	76,570	117,845	59,542
Immersion Institutes	192,540	200,375	111,898
Subtotal	$299,560	$312,241	$1,238,622
Special Projects
Friends of ACRL	$24,500	$6,335	$7,565
Subtotal	$24,500	$6,335	$7,565
Total Revenue	$3,747,091	$3,979,148	$4,638,309
CHOICE Revenue	$2,162,898	$2,217,815	$2,068,394
Total Rev, W/O Choice	$1,584,193	$1,761,333	$2,569,915

OBJECT OF EXPENSE	FY2000 BUDGET	FY000 ACTUAL	LAST YEAR ACTUAL
Membership Activities
Membership Recruit.	$89,306	$68,214	$38,000
Exec. Comm. & Board	118,953	67,650	114,905
Advisory	14,082	(23,045)	(22,440)
Standards distrib.	7,331	10,115	5,775
Discussion Groups	3,451	3,164	2,941
Awards	16,852	19,849	13,182
Chapters	75,850	57,191	50,804
Committees	54,783	50,717	38,154
Sections	69,921	61,982	68,817
Section Newsletters	30,927	28,406	29,670
Chapter Topics	6,145	3,660	4,173
C&RL	9,291	0	0
Council of Liaisons	63,510	66,739	39,700
Scholarships	0	3,250	0
Info Lit	111,901	46,610	11,548
Section Special Events	11,100	16,061	0
Subtotal	5683,403	$480,563	$395,229
Special Projects
Friends of ACRL	$24,500	$127	$12,843
Subtotal	$24,500	$127	$12,843
Publications
CHOICE	$2,273,736	$2,016,371	$1,991,372
C&RL	155,050	159,871	159,993
C&RL News	361,242	353,888	331,186
RBM	32,145	31,750	19,638
Nonperiodical Pubs.	121,109	108,490	147,072
Library Statistics	80,341	56,922	49,083
Subtotal	S3.023.623	$2,727,292	S2.698.344
Education
Pre & Postconferences	$76,214	$99,483	$52,574
National (99,01)	179,950	135,365	693,932
Leadership Institute	29,645	3,833	12,602
Immersion Institutes	192,350	184,608	110,999
Subtotal	$478,159	$423,289	3870,107
TOTALEXPENSES	$4,209,685	$3,631,271	$3,976,523
CHOICE EXPENSES	$2,273,736	$2,016,371	$1,991,372
CHOICE Net	($110,838)	$201,444	$77,022
TOTAL EXP. W/O CHOICE	$1,935,949	$1,614,900	$1,985,151
Net w/o CHOICE	($351,756)	$146,433	$584,764

In January 1999, ACRL announced to its membership that it had undertaken an initiative that would not only strengthen our association, but also provide academic librarians with a means to make a further commitment to the future growth of our profession.

The Friends of ACRL donations support areas key to ACRL’s mission: Professional Development Scholarship Fund, Innovative New Program Fund, Best Practices in Academic Librarianship Fund, and Global Connection Fund.

Since the establishment of the Friends of ACRL, 64 ACRL members have become Friends and contributed more than $13,000. A Friends of ACRL Advisory Committee oversees the use of the funds on hand for their designated purposes.

Thanks to those listed below for joining the Friends of ACRL.

MILLENNIUM CLUB($1,000 and over) Victoria A. Montavon

Patricia Senn Breivik Claudia J. Morner

in memory of Clyde C. WaltonLinda Muroi

William Miller James Neal

Sharon J. Rogers Carol Pfeiffer

Maureen Sullivan Shelley E. Phipps

Helen H. Spalding Marion T. Reid

Dana C. Rooks

GOLD CLUB ($500-$999)Robert F. Rose

Jill Fatzer Elizabeth M. Salzer

Larry Hardesty Pamela Snelson

Meyer, Scherer, & Rockcastle, LTD Cary Sowell

Hannelore B. Rader Mary Lee Sweat

Juana R. Young Patricia A. Wand

Betsy Wilson

SILVER CLUB ($250-$499)Lee Marie Wisel Eric C. Linke

Donald E. Riggs FRIENDS ($45-$99)

Mignon Adams

CENTURY CLUB ($100-$249)Charles E. Beard

William E. Brown Sherrie S. Bergman

John M. Budd Lynn Scott Cochrane

Elaine Didier Paul E. Dumont

Ray English Bernard Fradkin

Barbara J. Ford Nicholas Gaymon

Rena Fowler Lori Goetsch

Vicki Gregory Jan Kemp

Joseph Griffin Frances Maloy

in memory of Mary Ann GriffinLawrence McCrank

W. Lee Hisle Susan Miller

Cathy Henderson John Popko

Althea H. Jenkins Mary Reichel

Barbara Baxter Jenkins Carolyn A. Sheehy

Barton Lessin Louise S. Sherby

Maija M. Lutz Keith Stetson

Laurence Miller Barbara Wittkopf

Rush Miller Mickey Zemon

Meet the ACRL Staff

Many of you have had phone and/or e-mail contact with ACRL’s staff, of which there are 12.95 ALA-approved FTE positions at headquarters. Here’s your chance to put a face with that voice or e-mail signature. On these pages, we present current ACRL staff (including two of ACRL’s Choice 22.4 FTE staff) with information about their responsibilities. Take a minute to “meet the staff!” We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

New ACRL staff in 2000 include: Shannon Cary, program officer; Louise Jessup, member services secretaiy; Meredith Parets, program assistant; and Elise Parker, classified ads manager.

SHANNON CARY,program officer. Coordinates ACRL government relations activities and Friends of ACRL activities; manages ACRL’s divisional ap- pointment activities; answers questions about the ACRL standards and guidelines; conducts envi- ronmental scan, surveys, and needs assess- ments; coordinates activities of Board of Directors. Phone: (312) 280-2510; e-mail: scary@ala.org

MELISSA CAST,director, membership services. Coordinates ACRL membership promotion and retention activities; oversees ACRL’s Annual Conference programs and activities; coordinates activities of sections, discussion lists, and chap- ters; manages section appointments and nomi- nations process; answers questions about Ini- tiative Fund proposals. Phone: (312) 280-2523; e-mail: mcast@ala.org

MARY ELLEN DAVIS,senior associate executive editor, serves as chief operating officer for ACRL. Editor of C&RL News; manages national confer- ences; coordinates ACRL’s preconferences, insti- tutes, and seminars. Phone: (312) 280-2511; e-mail: medavis@ala.org

FRANCINE GRAF,managing editor of Choice. Manages all editorial aspects of the magazine, reviews-on-cards, and electronic databases; coordinates the work of Choice’s editorial staff; plans the editorial calendar. Phone: (860) 347-6933; e-mail: fgraf@ala.org

ALTHEA JENKINS,executive director. Directs activities of the ACRL and CHOICE offices; coordinates policy implementation; prepares ACRL’s budgets; ex-officio to the ACRL executive committee and the Board of Directors; serves as official contact for higher education organizations; coordinates ACRL Colleagues and Information Literacy programs. Phone: (312) 280- 3248; e-mail: ajenkins@ala.org

LOUISE JESSUP,administrative assistant, secretary in the member services department and ACRL office support. Assists the member services director with preparation of conferences, member rosters, appointment acceptances, reimbursements, special projects and surveys. Provides oversight to other general office day-to-day operations. Phone: (312) 280- 2521; e-mail: ljessup@ala.org

DAWN MUELLER,production/design assistant. Develops and maintains ACRL’s Web site; lays out and produces C&RL; designs and produces RBM; works with section editors to produce and distribute section newsletters; designs and produces all ACRL brochures and flyers. Phone: (312) 280-2516; e-mail: dmueller@ala.org

MEREDITH PARETS,program assistant. Coordi- nates promotion for ACRL; prepares ACRL’s bal- lots for the ALA annual elections; coordinates ACRL’s Awards Program; maintains ACRL’s elec- tronic discussion lists. Phone: (312) 280-2515; e-mail: mparets@ala.org

ELISE PARKER,classified ads manager. Man- ages job ads for C&RL News and C&RL NewsNet. Phone: (312)280-2513; fax: (312) 280- 7663; e-mail: eparker@ala.org

IRVING ROCKWOOD, Choice,editor and pub- lisher. Handles magazine and other product adver- tising sales; subscription services; marketing; and promotions. Phone: (860) 347-6933; fax: (860) 346-8586; e-mail: irockwood@ala.org

MARGOT SUTTON,program officer. Coordinates ACRL’s Job Shadow Day; oversees the activi- ties of the Effective Practices Project; answers questions about registration for ACRL’s con- ferences, institutes, etc. Phone: (312) 280-2522; e-mail: msutton@ala.org

HUGH THOMPSON,director of publications. Handles all questions about ACRL’s publications; oversees production of C&RL and RBM; answers questions about ACRL’s Web site; manages ACRL’s Academic Libraries Trends and Statistics and electronic publishing program. Phone: (312) 280-2517; e-mail: hthompson@ala.org

NICOLE WHEATLEY,editorial assistant, publications and National Conference. Contact for information about subscriptions, job ads, and manuscript submissions for C&RL News. Phone: (312) 280-2514; e-mail: nwheatley® ala.org

ANN-CHRISTE YOUNG,production editor for C&RL News. Copy edits and lays out C&RL News and C&RL Newsnet; writes “People in the News” and “Grants and Acquisitions” for C&RL News. Phone: (312) 280-2524; e-mail: ayoung@ala.org

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