C&RL News December 2017 616 Are you looking for ways to expand your professional network and contribute to ACRL? Committee volunteers help shape ACRL by advancing its strategic plan and influencing the direction of academic and research librarianship. Serving on a com- mittee or editorial board is a great way to become involved and make an impact on the profession. If you’d like to become more engaged, ACRL Vice-President/President-Elect Lauren Pressley invites you to volunteer to serve on a 2018–19 division or section committee. This is an invitation for volunteers to serve on ACRL’s committees and sections. I ask you to consider volunteering with enthusiasm and with acknowledgement of the diversity of skills, perspectives, and experiences of our members. ACRL’s work is vital to the audiences we support, the librarians and libraries that make up our organization, and the communities we serve. Please consider sharing your expertise and experiences with ACRL. I hope that you will volunteer to work with ACRL and share in making a difference, supporting lifelong learners, and contributing to an informed society.—Lauren Pressley, ACRL vice-president/president-elect The rewards of volunteering Volunteering offers many benefits and op- portunities. You can: • connect with others in the profession who are passionate and committed to aca- demic librarianship, • learn from those who share similar professional concerns and interests, • network with information professionals in higher education, • become part of a community of aca- demic and research librarians, • gain insights into the profession, • enhance your leadership skills through group facilitation and project management, • discover new ways to work, • expand your awareness and under- standing of the value of academic libraries in higher education, • influence and advance the work of the association and the profession, and • promote excellence within the profes- sion. The appointment process Appointments are made at the division and section level, and through the editorial board process (see editorial board section below). Section vice-chairs are responsible for committee appointments for the year they will serve as chair. The ACRL vice-pres- ident is responsible for committee appoint- ments at the division level for the year he or she serves as president. The ACRL Appoint- ments Committee assists the vice-president in an advisory capacity. Division-level com- mittees are created to conduct the work of the Board, and each committee crafts an an- nual work plan in consultation with their Board and staff liaisons to accomplish the charged activities and responsibilities. Current committee members whose terms conclude at the 2018 ALA Annual Conference should submit a new volunteer form if they wish to be considered for reappointment. The online volunteer form closes February Make a difference: Connect, contribute, collaborate Volunteer for division and section committees and editorial boards December 2017 617 C&RL News 15, 2018, and most committee appointment offers will be sent in April and May 2018. Onsite attendance at the ALA Midwinter Meeting and the ALA Annual Conference is not a requirement of committee service. However, members of all ACRL committees, task forces, and similar bodies are expected to fully participate in the work of the group, whether it be working virtually or face-to- face. Factors influencing appointment Although the appointment process may reflect the priorities of the vice-president/ president-elect and section vice-chairs, sev- eral factors are always considered: • Evidence of interest and expertise. Have prospective volunteers attended the meetings, visited and/or posted to the committee’s ALA Connect community, and introduced themselves to the chair? Do they have knowledge and/or previous experience that relates to the work of the committee? Have they indicated their interest on the volunteer form? • Demographics and composition of committee. A balance is sought with respect to type of library (community college, col- lege, or university), geographic representa- tion, ethnic diversity, and gender. Those who have not had the opportunity to serve on an ACRL committee are encouraged to volunteer. • Recommendation of the current com- mittee chair. Current committee chairs are asked to suggest prospective members. • Willingness to participate in the work of the committee. While attendance at the ALA Annual Conference or Midwinter Meet- ing is not required to serve on a committee, volunteers should be prepared to engage in the committee work year-round. The final appointments are the prerogative of the ACRL president-elect and the section vice-chairs. How to apply 1. Identify the committees that interest you. ACRL committees and their charges are listed on the ACRL Directory of Leader- ship (www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directo- ryofleadership/committees). Check out the committee’s space in ALA Connect, where documents, discourses, and the work of the committees are posted. Attend face-to-face (or virtual) committee meetings at the ALA Midwinter Meeting and ALA Annual Confer- ence to decide if their activities interest you. Talk with committee members. Express your interest to the committee chair. Ask about current projects, and explain how you might contribute to the work of the committee. 2. Submit a volunteer form (Internet Explorer is the preferred browser for access- ing the form). Volunteer forms should be submitted by February 15, 2018. You will be asked to log in using your ALA member ID and the password you created. Be sure that you are a current ALA/ACRL member before attempting to log in. To volunteer for a division-level com- mittee, visit www.ala.org/CFApps/volunteer /form.cfm for more detailed instructions. To volunteer for a section committee, complete the online volunteer form at www. ala.org/CFApps/volunteer/form.cfm. 3. Volunteer again, and check out other opportunities. If you are not appointed, volunteer again next year. In addition, con- tinue to explore ACRL’s many opportunities to network and connect at www.ala.org /acrl/aboutacrl/getinvolved. Review the many discussion and interest groups. Each group selects a new leader in the spring outside of the volunteer process described above. If you’d like to start a new discussion or interest group, contact Mariel Colbert at mcolbert@ala.org. ACRL division-level committee appointments ACRL committees (and their charges) can be found on the ACRL website (www.acrl. org, select “Directory of Leadership” from the menu bar). Appointments to ACRL standing commit- tees are made in the spring for terms begin- ning immediately after the ALA Annual Con- http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directoryofleadership/committees http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directoryofleadership/committees http://www.ala.org/CFApps/volunteer/form.cfm http://www.ala.org/CFApps/volunteer/form.cfm http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/getinvolved http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/getinvolved mailto:mcolbert%40ala.org?subject= http://www.acrl.org http://www.acrl.org http://www.ala.org/CFApps/volunteer/form.cfm http://www.ala.org/CFApps/volunteer/form.cfm C&RL News December 2017 618 ference. The Appointments Committee sends appointment recommendations to the ACRL president-elect. The president-elect makes the final appointments for the committees. Questions about division-level appoint- ments may be directed to the chair of the Appointments Committee, Catherine B. Soehner, associate dean, Research and User Services, University of Utah, catherine. soehner@utah.edu. If you have any questions about using the volunteer form, please contact ACRL Program Officer Allison Payne for division commit- tees at apayne@ala.org or (312) 280-2519 or ACRL Senior Program Officer Megan Griffin for section committees at mgriffin@ala.org or (312) 280-2514. ACRL section appointments ACRL sections help members customize their ACRL experience through newslet- ters, electronic discussion lists, specialized programming, preconferences, recognition, and various initiatives. To learn more, visit www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directoryo- fleadership/sections. Section vice-chairs appoint members to section committees. Most appointments are made in the spring for terms beginning im- mediately after the ALA Annual Conference. If you wish to be considered for a sec- tion committee appointment, complete the ACRL volunteer form at www.ala.org/CFApps /volunteer/form.cfm by February 15, 2018. (Internet Explorer is the preferred browser for accessing the form). For more information about section appointments, please contact section vice-chairs: Anthropology and Sociology Section. Katie Elson Anderson, Rutgers University, email: katie.anderson@rutgers.edu. Arts Section. Yvette Cortes, Skidmore College, email: ycortes@skidmore.edu. College Libraries Section. Dena Hutto, Reed College Library, email: dena.hutto@ reed.edu. Community and Junior College Li- braries Section. Peter D. Hepburn, Col- lege of the Canyons, email: peter.hepburn@ canyons.edu. Digital Scholarship Section. Brianna Marshall, email: briannahmarshall@gmail. com. Distance Learning Section. Kristin Woodward, University of Wisconsin, email: kristinw@uwm.edu. Education and Behavioral Sciences Section. Jill Morningstar, Michigan State University, email: jmorning@msu.edu. European Studies Section. Lana Soglas- nova, University of Toronto, email: svetlana. soglasnova@utoronto.ca and Kristen Totle- ben, University of Rochester, email: ktotle- ben@gmail.com. Instruction Section. Meghan Sitar, Uni- versity of Michigan, email: msitar@umich.edu. Literatures in English Section. Christine Ruotolo, University of Virginia, email: cjr2q@ virginia.edu. Politics, Policy and International Re- lations Section. Brett Cloyd, University of Iowa, email: brett-cloyd@uiowa.edu. Rare Books and Manuscripts Section. Shannon K. Supple, Smith University, email: ssupple@smith.edu. Science and Technology Section. John J. Meier, Pennsylvania State University, email: meier@psu.edu. University Libraries Section. Kerry Creelman, University of Houston, email: kerry.creelman@gmail.com. Women and Gender Studies Section. Pamela M. Salela, University of Illinois, email: psale2@uis.edu. mailto:catherine.soehner%40utah.edu?subject= mailto:catherine.soehner%40utah.edu?subject= mailto:apayne%40ala.org?subject= mailto:mgriffin%40ala.org?subject= http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directoryofleadership/sections http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directoryofleadership/sections http://www.ala.org/CFApps /volunteer/form.cfm http://www.ala.org/CFApps /volunteer/form.cfm mailto:katie.anderson%40rutgers.edu?subject= mailto:ycortes%40skidmore.edu?subject= mailto:dena.hutto%40reed.edu?subject= mailto:dena.hutto%40reed.edu?subject= mailto:peter.hepburn%40canyons.edu?subject= mailto:peter.hepburn%40canyons.edu?subject= mailto:briannahmarshall%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:briannahmarshall%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:kristinw%40uwm.edu?subject= mailto:jmorning%40msu.edu?subject= mailto:svetlana.soglasnova%40utoronto.ca?subject= mailto:svetlana.soglasnova%40utoronto.ca?subject= mailto:ktotleben%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:ktotleben%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:msitar%40umich.edu?subject= mailto:cjr2q%40virginia.edu?subject= mailto:cjr2q%40virginia.edu?subject= mailto:brett-cloyd%40uiowa.edu?subject= mailto:ssupple%40smith.edu?subject= mailto:meier%40psu.edu?subject= mailto:kerry.creelman%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:psale2%40uis.edu.?subject= Editorial boards ACRL has eight editorial/advisory boards for its publications: Academic Library Trends and Statistics Survey Editorial Board; Choice Editorial Board; College & Research Libraries Editorial Board; College & Research Librar- ies News Editorial Board; New Publications Advisory Board; Publications in Librarian- ship Editorial Board; RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage Editorial Board; and Resources for College Libraries Editorial Board. Appointments to editorial boards are made after the ALA Midwinter Meeting for terms that begin immediately after the ALA Annual Con- ference. The editors recommend the names of individuals to fill vacancies. The Publications Coordinating Committee approves the rec- ommendation, and the ACRL vice-president/ president-elect makes the appointment. If you would like to be considered for ap- pointment to an editorial board, contact the editor of the editorial board or indicate your interest on the ACRL online volunteer form. Academic Library Trends and Statistics Survey Editorial Board chair: Ted Mulvey, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; phone: (920) 424-7329; email: mulveyt@uwosh.edu. CHOICE editor: Mark Cummings, Choice; phone: (800) 347-6933 x29; email: mcummings@ala.org. College & Research Libraries editor: Wendi Arant Kaspar, Texas A&M, phone: (979) 862-6310; email: warant@tamu.edu. College & Research Libraries News editor: David Free, ACRL; phone: (312) 280- 2517; email: dfree@ala.org. New Publications Advisory Board staff liaison: Erin Nevius, ACRL; phone: (312) 280-2529; email: enevius@ala.org. Publications in Librarianship staff liaison: Erin Nevius, ACRL; phone: (312) 280-2529; email: enevius@ala.org. RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manu- scripts, and Cultural Heritage editor: Rich- ard Saunders, Southern Utah University; phone: (435) 865-7947; email: rsaunders@suu.edu Resources for College Libraries chair: Neal Baker, Earlham College Lilly Library; phone: (765) 983-1355; email: bakerne@ earlham.edu. mailto:mulveyt%40uwosh.edu?subject= mailto:mcummings%40ala.org?subject= mailto:warant%40tamu.edu?subject= mailto:dfree%40ala.org?subject= mailto:enevius%40ala.org?subject= mailto:enevius%40ala.org?subject= mailto:rsaunders%40suu.edu?subject= mailto:bakerne%40earlham.edu?subject= mailto:bakerne%40earlham.edu?subject=