News from the Field

David Free

GPO Releases New Congressional Serial Set Volumes

The US Government Publishing Office (GPO) has added more than 3,000 volumes of the Congressional Serial Set (commonly referred to as the Serial Set) containing more than 45,000 individual documents and reports to GPO’s GovInfo, the one-stop site for authentic, published information for all three branches of the Federal Government. This comes as part of a multi-year effort with the Library of Congress to digitize and make accessible the Serial Set back to the first volume, which was published in 1817. Highlights from the newly added volumes include annual reports of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum, reports from May and June of 1874 relating to Susan B. Anthony’s criminal trial for illegally voting in elections in Rochester, New York; hearings on the construction of the Panama Canal; and compilations of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies during the American Civil War. The Serial Set is a compilation of all numbered House and Senate reports and documents, including executive reports and treaty documents, issued for each session of Congress. GPO is uploading volumes of the official Serial Set in phases for free public access on GovInfo.

Nominations Sought for ACRL Board of Directors

Don’t be shy! Your participation matters and we invite you to be a part of shaping the future of ACRL. The ACRL Leadership Recruitment and Nomination Committee (LRNC) strongly encourages members to nominate themselves or others to run for the position of ACRL vice president/president elect and director-at-large in the 2026 elections. We seek Board members who can offer visionary leadership and a broad perspective of librarianship. It is not a requirement that members of the Board be library directors or deans to be eligible to serve on the Board. The deadline for nominations is February 15, 2025.

The LRNC will request a curriculum vita and/or a statement of interest from selected individuals prior to developing a slate of candidates. If you have any questions about the nominating or election process, please feel free to contact LRNC Chair Pat Hawthorne at hawthorne@uthscsa.edu. Additional information about the ACRL Board of Directors is available on the ACRL website at https://www.ala.org/acrl/resources/policies/chapter2.

ACRL Releases The Small to Mid-Size Academic Library: Collaborations and Outreach

ACRL announces the publication of The Small to Mid-Size Academic Library: Collaborations and Outreach, edited by Camille Abdeljawad and Danielle Theiss. This book—the first in a new series from ACRL, The Small to Mid-Size Academic Library—captures how academic library workers at these institutions are providing engagement and outreach opportunities for students by partnering with other entities across their campuses.

Small to mid-size academic libraries often operate with reduced staffing, smaller budgets, and competing priorities. These limitations reduce the resources that can be allocated to programming and outreach efforts.

In three parts, The Small to Mid-Size Academic Library: Collaborations and Outreach provides easy-to-implement ideas and strategies for course, campus, and community outreach.

• Part 1: Collaborations
  • Cross-Campus Initiatives
  • External Collaborations
• Part 2: Academic Success Initiatives
  • Writing and Composition
  • Orientation and Programming
• Part 3: Evolving Roles of Libraries in Student Success
  • Student Wellness
  • Emerging Roles for Librarians

Increased student engagement with cocurricular library and cross-departmental activities can lead to higher student retention and persistence rates. Academic libraries have an important role to play in providing these opportunities, and the volume provides effective practices for supporting student success.

The Small to Mid-Size Academic Library: Collaborations and Outreach is available for purchase in print and as an ebook through the ALA Online Store; in print through Amazon.com; and by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the US or (770) 442-8633 for international customers.

Texas Exes iSchool Alumni Scholarship for BIPOC Students Recipient Named

Carlie Ruelas Herrera was awarded the Texas Exes iSchool Alumni Scholarship for BIPOC Students in May 2024. The scholarship fund was established and funded by iSchool alumni in 2022 in response to a need to support BIPOC students at the UT iSchool. An independent panel of reviewers selected Ruelas Herrara as the second awardee for the new scholarship. Ruelas Herrara anticipates completing her studies at the iSchool in May 2025.

Ruelas Herrara notes, “Thank you for your support in helping me pursue my goal of designing and enhancing products/tools for diverse needs. This scholarship has opened doors I never imagined, and I am deeply grateful. Your belief in me motivates my commitment to work hard and give back. I look forward to supporting others, just as you have supported me.”

The Texas Exes iSchool BIPOC Scholarship Team continues to meet to oversee the existing scholarship, increase publicity about the opportunity, and raise funds to award additional scholarships in the future. Current and former members of the committee can be found on the scholarship committee’s website https://fundutischoolbipoc.wordpress.com/.

Clarivate Unveils Framework to Evaluate the Societal Impact of Research

Clarivate has announced the development of a comprehensive framework for evaluating the societal impact of research. The approach has been outlined in a new report published today by the Institute for Scientific Information to address the growing demand for demonstrating the benefits of research and development investments across various sectors of society. The report, “A Responsible Framework for Evaluating the Societal Impact of Research,” outlines a responsible and robust foundation for evaluation that goes beyond traditional scholarly output and includes a wide range of data sources. Each of the eight facets in the framework contains multiple individual metrics, allowing for a detailed and customizable evaluation. The new framework will be incorporated into the forthcoming Web of Science Research Intelligence platform. Learn more at https://clarivate.com/lp/a-responsible-framework-for-evaluating-the-societal-impact-of-research/.

New from ACRL—Closing a College Library

ACRL announces the publication of Closing a College Library, edited by Amber Hunt, Elizabeth Ruane, and Stephanie Sopka, offering checklists, sample documents, and effective practices for the immediate needs that arise when a library is facing a merger or closure.

There are a growing number of college closures and mergers in the United States. The reasons vary—sharply declining enrollment numbers, unsustainable endowment drawdowns, accreditation issues—as does the amount of notice stakeholders receive before the closure and the fate of the campus and its resources.

Closing a College Library offers firsthand accounts of closing a library from different institutions of higher education, with practical tips, questions to ask yourself as you move through the process, and lessons learned. It covers strategies for preparing the building to rehoming special collections and archives to transferring electronic resources.

There is much unfamiliar work that comes with a closure or merger, work that can happen concurrently with your regular duties and while you’re handling the emotions of your team, students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Closing a College Library offers tools and support in making difficult decisions.

Closing a College Library is available for purchase in print and as an ebook through the ALA Online Store; in print through Amazon.com; and by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the US or (770) 442-8633 for international customers.

Penn State Launches Open Access Arts, Culture and Development Journal

Penn State University Libraries Open Publishing has launched Arts, Culture and Development, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal about the role of arts and culture in development and social transformation. The goals of the journal are twofold: to explore and share arts and cultural practices that focus on relationships, amplifying marginalized voices and fostering an impact that honors the lived experiences of people and communities; and to provide a space for dialogue about the work and ideas within this field, especially practices and conversations that may be isolated from one another. Arts, Culture and Development is co-managed by Holt and Cindy Maguire, professor of art and design education and new media at Adelphi University, who co-founded ArtsAction Group with editorial board member Rob McCallum. Learn more at https://journals.psu.edu/artsculturedevelopment/index.

Taylor & Francis Announces Subscribe to Open Journals Pilot

Taylor & Francis recently announced its first Subscribe to Open (S2O) pilot, one of several innovative options it is trialing to accelerate open access (OA) publishing. S2O enables a journal’s subscribers to support its conversion to OA, making new articles available to readers everywhere. The pilot aims to pave a path to open for three journals: Technical Services Quarterly, Legal Reference Services Quarterly, and LGBT Issues in Counseling.

Taylor & Francis is inviting existing subscribers of the participating journals to renew their subscriptions for next year by March. If enough institutions support S2O in this way, all articles published in the 2025 volume will be open access. This process can then be repeated, one volume at a time, for the following years. If the required level of support is not achieved for any of the pilot titles, they will remain as subscription journals (with a hybrid OA option). Learn more about S2O at https://librarianresources.taylorandfrancis.com/open-research/choose-open-access/subscribe-to-open/.

Cite Them Right Launches

Bloomsbury has launched Cite Them Right, a global online platform designed to advise students on how to reference correctly across eight referencing styles. Based on the best-selling book in its 12th edition by Richard Pears and Graham Shields, this program is trusted by institutions globally and accessed by thousands of students daily. Cite Them Right offers a range of referencing styles, including Chicago, Harvard, APA, IEEE, MLA; as well as teaching the user how to reference just about any source. The platform contains useful articles and videos which help to guide students into common queries around referencing, including how to avoid plagiarism and understanding the differences between secondary and primary sources. Complete details are available at https://www.citethemrightonline.com/home.