ACRL Board of Directors’ actions

Highlights of the Board’s 2023 ALA Annual Conference meetings

The ACRL Board of Directors met virtually on June 16, 2023, and in-person on June 24, 2023. An informal face-to-face Board Update meeting was held on June 24, 2023. The Board also held a face-to-face strategic planning meeting on June 23, 2023. The Board met with the leaders of its five goal-area committees: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; New Roles and Changing Landscapes; Research and Scholarly Environment; Student Learning and Information Literacy; and Value of Academic Libraries to assess progress on ACRL’s strategic plan, the Plan for Excellence.

The Board received updates from the ALA Treasurer and ACRL’s liaison to the ALA Executive Board, as well as representatives from the ALA Operating Agreement Work Group, ACRL Member Accommodation/Compensation Task Force, and ACRL Awards Process Implementation Task Force. The Board supported reviews and revisions for the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, Standards for Libraries in Higher Education; Guidelines for Media Resources in Academic Libraries, and six Status of Academic Librarians documents. A Bylaws Board Working Group was formed and will seek to align the ACRL Bylaws with the newly approved ALA Bylaws, clarify section appointments, and update the policy for vacancies. The Working Group will also review and consider recommendations from the ACRL Nominations and Policies Audit Task Force’s final report. The Board reviewed the FY24 budgets for ACRL and Choice and will take action prior to the ALA Executive Board on the final budgets in late summer 2023.

Board members, whose service ended on June 30, 2023—Julie Ann Garrison, Kim Copenhaver, and Cinthya Ippoliti—were recognized and thanked for their service.

The ACRL Board of Directors took the following actions during the ALA Annual Conference.

Student Learning

• Approved the Companion Document to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education: Instruction for Educators.
• Rescinded the 2011 Information Literacy Standards for Teacher Education.

Value of Academic Libraries

• Approved the Proficiencies for Assessment in Academic Libraries.

Enabling Programs and Services

Strategic goal areas will be supported by financial and operational planning and will guide the development and implementation of programs and services that target education, advocacy, and member engagement.

Advocacy

• Approved the 2023 ACRL Legislative Agenda.

Publications

• Approved the ACRL/RBMS Guidelines Regarding the Security of Special Collections Materials.
• Approved the ACRL Budget and Finance Committee’s recommendation of the shutdown of Choice’s Reviews on Cards with the February 2024 issue. Refunds or credits will be issued to subscribers for remaining issues (about $911).

Member Engagement

• Approved the creation of the Threshold Achievement Test for Information Literacy (TATIL) Editorial Board.
• Renewed for another three years the Digital Badges Interest Group and History Librarians Interest Group.
• Dissolved the Student Retention Discussion Group.
• Transitioned from an interest group to a discussion group the Library Marketing and Outreach Interest Group Transition and Asian, African, Middle Eastern Studies Interest Group.
• Approved for all Chapter Speaker Bureau visits be virtual, effective immediately.
• Approved the Board’s proceedings from meetings held during the 2023 ALA LibLearnX.
• Removed policy dictating that open microphone time be held during the final fifteen minutes of the first Board meeting. The timing will be up to the current Board moving forward.

Enabling Programs and Services: Operations

Updated policy to allow ACRL units (committees, sections, President’s Program committee, etc.) to offer honoraria to speakers regardless of the speakers’ ALA/ACRL membership status or job. For more information, see “ACRL Speaker Honoraria Policy Updates” by ACRL President Beth McNeil on ACRL Insider at https://acrl.ala.org/acrlinsider/acrl-speaker-honoraria-policy-updates/.