ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


73

ASERL Midwinter Meeting
At the meeting of ASERL at Tulane Univer­
sity on Jan. 10 delegates from two new ASERL 
members were introduced by David Kaser 
(JU L), chairman: Merrill Berthrong from 
Wake Forest, and Elliott Hardaway from the 
University of South Florida.

Porter Kellam (Georgia) moved the correc­
tion of the minutes of the October 26 meeting 
to indicate that he was to continue to collect 
and distribute members’ “budget and” salary 
figures annually, rather than salary figures alone. 
Mr. McMullan (LSU) seconded, and the mo­
tion carried. The minutes of the previous meet­
ing were then approved as amended.

Ruth Ringo (Tennessee) reported for Mr. 
Abel of her institution, chairman of the For­
eign Newspaper Microfilm Committee. He in­
dicated that several member institutions had 
not yet responded to his recent circular query 
regarding their interest in participating in the 
project. He was instructed to seek early replies 
from the nonrespondents, and he and Dr. Kaser 
were directed to attempt articulation and co­
ordination of the project with somewhat sim­
ilar ones now being proposed by ARL and the 
Southern Historical Association. Dr. Kaser will 
contact Mr. Abel in the matter.

Mr. McMullan moved the appointment of an 
ad hoc committee to determine the state of the 
association’s earlier project to have each state 
list and publish location bibliographies of news­
papers published within its boundaries. John 
Gribbin (Tulane) seconded, and the motion 
carried. The association chairman then ap­
pointed Mr. McMullan a committee of one to 
accomplish the investigation and to report to 
membership either orally at the next meeting 
or in writing before that time.

Mr. McMullan then made two announce­
ments. The first was a progress report on a 
three-state telefacsimile network proposed, 
among others, by LSU. He reported that partial 
funding was now assured and that as soon as 
complete funding was made the network would 
become operational. The second was that the 
first volume of the Louisiana State University 
Library Lectures, containing the first four lec­
tures in the series, was about to be published. 
Copies will be distributed to members.

In the absence of committee chairman Ray 
Hummel (Virginia State Library), Dr. Kaser 
announced that the work of the Southern 
Broadsides Committee is now underway with 
subcommittee chairmen having accepted as­
signments in all southeastern states. The com­
mittee aspires to complete its work by the end 
of 1967.

Guy Lyle (Emory), chairman of the Com­
mittee on Distinguished Collections, announced 
that the association had received a grant of (Kentucky) Secretary pro-tem . ■■

$12,000 from the Mary Reynolds Babcock 
Foundation to carry out its work. The com­
mittee has contracted with Thomas English, 
professor emeritus of English at Emory, to di­
rect and conduct the project under the general 
supervision of an association Steering Com­
mittee. He explained that Dr. Kaser had already 
appointed the committee and that it included 
Messrs. Kellam, Jerrold Orne (U N C), B. E. 
Powell (Duke), Stanley West (Florida), and 
himself, as chairman.

Mr. Lyle then introduced Dr. English who 
led a discussion of the purpose and intent of 
the project. Dr. English requested members to 
consider as “distinguished” any collections in 
their institutions that might rank among the 
nation’s best ten on the subject and to send 
him written material on them at as early a date 
as possible following their receipt of a ques­
tionnaire he will circulate. It would be his in­
tention then to visit and review the collections 
and to write descriptions for the projected 
Guide. He also requested members to inform 
him if there are any likely distinguished col­
lections in nonmember libraries in the region, 
although final determination on the inclusion 
or exclusion of nonmember holdings has not 
yet been made. Collections of state material 
will probably be excluded.

Mr. Kellam then moved the following resolu­
tion:

Whereas, the Mary Reynolds Babcock 
Foundation has made a grant to the Associa­
tion of Southeastern Research Libraries for the 
preparation of a guide to the region’s distin­
guished library collections so that their value 
to scholars can be made more widely known 
and their utilization facilitated; be it now 
therefore

Resolved, That the great appreciation of the 
Association be recorded in its minutes and con­
veyed in a formal manner to the Foundation.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Hardaway 
and carried unanimously.

In response to a request from the Chairman, 
Mr. Lyle moved, and Mr. Kellam seconded—
That the Chairman be formally authorized to 
handle all Association funds, including estab­
lishing and drawing upon checking and sav­
ings bank accounts, in whatever manner he 
feels is consistent with the purposes and best 
interests of the Association.
The motion carried.

There being no further business, the chair­
man expressed appreciation to Tulane Univer­
sity for its hospitality in hosting the session, 
and the meeting adjourned.—Harold Gordon,