ACRL College & Researc Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Guidelines for ACRL Chapters

Approved by the ACRL Board of Directors, January 23, 1975.

Background

The following statement appeared in the 1956 ACRL Organization Manual:

The ACRL chapter is an important means of connecting a local or regional group of college . . . librarians with the national organization and its headquarters. The chapter charts its own course. The only requirement is that it hold annual or biennial meetings and report annually. Members of chapters are not even required to be members of the national association (officers are expected to be).

Although the Constitution has always made provision for chapters, none was established until a group in the Philadelphia area organized and obtained approval from the Board of Directors late in 1951. . . . Chapters have already proved to be far more useful than was originally anticipated. It was expected that some chapters would wither on the vine, but so far all seem to have had healthy growth. They provide a device for all members who so wish to participate in the ACRL program locally if not nationally. The chapter is a handy framework within which librarians can meet for social purposes and consider professional problems of local importance.

In some cases, chapters undertake studies or perform cooperative services. The chapters help to draw people into ACRL membership and participation in the national organization.

Organization

Article VI, Section 4 (c), of the ALA Bylaws states: “A division may affiliate with itself regional, state, or local groups interested in the same field of library service or librarianship. Such groups may admit members who are not members of the division or of the Association.”

The ACRL Bylaws provide for chapters as follows:

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 meeting.

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.

Petition

The petition for chapter status should read as follows: “The following persons hereby petition for chapter status in the Association of College and Research Libraries, under the name [name of proposed chapter] and covering the geographic area [location and/or geographic coverage]. The purpose and objectives of the chapter will be as follows: [state briefly].” List the name, address, and telephone number of the individual acting as chairperson. Include the signatures of at least twenty-five ACRL members and a typed alphabetical list, with complete addresses, of those signing the petition.

Approval

Forward the petition to the Executive Secretary, Association of College and Research Libraries, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. The petition for chapter status will be considered at the next meeting of the ACRL Board of Directors, if received one month prior to that meeting. Notification of the board’s action will be sent to the acting chairperson as soon as possible after the board meeting.

Status and Obligations

ACRL chapters are completely autonomous except as provided by the ACRL Constitution and Bylaws. They may (1) adopt bylaws governing officers, membership meetings, committees, and other matters; (2) develop and implement their own programs, requesting assistance from the ACRL Executive Secretary; (3) establish criteria for dues and membership; or (4) develop a newsletter or engage in other activity in order to improve communication within the membership.

ACRL chapters must (I) hold at least one meeting a year, unless affiliated with an organization that normally meets biennially; (2) send to the ACRL executive secretary, within one month following a meeting of the chapter, a written report including a summary of the meeting and a list of the chapter’s officers, with addresses and telephone numbers; and (3) provide funds to support the activities of the chapter.

Assistance

The ACRL executive secretary is available to assist chapters in developing programs and planning activities, as well as to provide other advice as needed.

The ACRL Chapters Committee, constituted from the ACRL membership in active chapters, is responsible for providing assistance in the formation of chapters; improving the relationship between the chapters and ACRL and thus between academic librarians and the national organization; conducting an annual survey of chapters and compiling information for the benefit of all chapters in order to promote the exchange of information; and developing programs for encouraging membership in ACRL.

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Reprints of these guidelines are available from the ACRL office, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611.