ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 734 /C&RL News ACRL Strategic Plan in A ction ACRL advocates for libraries By Susan Kaye Phillips The second in a series focusing on ACRL ’s strategic plan A s the com m unication possibilities o f the Internet have exploded, so has th e abil­ ity o f academ ic librarians, through ACRL, to m ake a direct im pact o n the political process. Besides the m onetary contribution that ACRL m akes to support the ALA Goal 2000 technol­ ogy initiative and legislative agenda, your or­ ganization voices sup p o rt for academ ic librar­ ies w henever individual situations arise. Recently, as a result of an Internet alert, ACRL leaders m obilized quickly to ensure that aca­ dem ic libraries w ere included in a U.S. D epart­ m ent o f E ducation docum ent, “B uilding on W hat W e’ve Learned: D eveloping Priorities for Educational R esearch.” A call w en t out from the ACRL leadership asking m em bers for let­ ters supporting this idea, along w ith a sam ple letter w hich w as sent to the agency. This is just o n e exam ple o f the ACRL Strate­ gic Plan in action. With the adoption o f this plan, the ACRL B oard has placed a priority on “m aintaining at the national level a prom inent role in planning an d decision m aking for influ­ encing information policy.” To im plem ent this initiative, a task force, chaired by Tom Kirk, generated ideas w hich led to changes in the charges of Chapters Council and the ACRL Gov­ ernm ent Relations Committee. As a result, the tw o groups are w orking together, along with the ACRL Board, executive director, an d the ALA W ashington Office to m ake a m ore effec­ tive im pact o n the political arena, especially by encouraging advocacy efforts o n the local level. As an initial step, the ACRL B oard identified four areas o f co ncern to academ ic libraries: funding for higher education, the GPO transi­ tion, intellectual property issues, an d accredi­ tation an d accountability. Advocacy efforts are not limited to these four issues, but by identify­ ing them , the organization has created focal points from w hich to work. Building α strong network W hen the task force exam ined th e charges of the tw o groups (Chapters Council and the ACRL G overnm ent Relations Committee), it w as evi­ dent that if ACRL is to be effective, a strong advocacy n etw ork m ust b e built. T he ACRL chapters represent th e “grassroots” of the orga­ nization, and several chapters already have state­ w ide netw orks in place to address political con­ cerns. T he task b eco m es o n e o f connecting w h at’s in place an d creating new structures w here there are none. As a result, Chapters Council is now resp o n ­ sible for a netw ork o f chapter representatives, with the G overnment Relations Committee help­ ing to form ulate policy an d assisting the net­ work. Because the current legislature responds especially w ell to individuals an d local efforts, mobilizing individuals w ithin the ACRL chap­ ters m akes goo d political sense for the organi­ zation an d for academ ic libraries. Each chapter is responsible for choosing an ACRL Chapter G overnm ent Relations Represen­ tative w h o will m aintain a ph o n e/fax /e-m ail com m unication tree for transmitting informa­ tion to academ ic librarians in their respective comm unities. This perso n will also k eep up- to-date o n state an d ALA legislative initiatives and information policy issues. It is expected that the netw ork representatives will subscribe to the ALA W ashington office listserv, ALAWON, a n d their state com m unications netw ork, and actively encourage others to com m unicate con­ cerns w ith m em bers o f Congress. As the co o rd in ato r for this netw ork, Lee Wisel, a past chair o f Chapters Council, will forw ard legislative alerts from the ALA W ash­ S u san K aye Phillips is c h a ir o f ACRL ’s G overnm ent Relations C om m ittee a n d library director a t Ohio University-Lancaster; e-mail: phillisl@ oak.cats.ohiou.edu mailto:phillisl@oak.cats.ohiou.edu December 19 9 6 / 735 ington Office to th e ch ap te r representatives for distribution an d m onitor their responses. Bills m ove through Congress so quickly that it is no lo n g e r p o ss ib le to g e t th e in fo rm atio n o u t thro ugh print resources in time to w rite the let­ ters o f su p p o rt that are n eed ed . This netw ork will allow ACRL to resp o n d in a timely fashion to th e concerns o f academ ic libraries. A nother im portant task o f th e netw ork will be providing stories ab o u t how p ro p o se d leg­ islation w ould im pact individual libraries and patron service. Providing “real life exam ples” to th e ALA W ashington office as it w orks to influence legislation adds vitality an d credibil­ ity to its argum ents. You can b eco m e involved as your ch ap te r’s representative to the netw ork o r as an active m em ber o f your ch ap te r’s netw ork. Contact Lee Wisel (lwisel@ cuc.edu) to volunteer. By vol­ unteering, you are supporting your profession an d your professional organization, adding your voice to others so that w e can m ake that im­ p ortant difference. W ays to communicate W hat are som e effective w ays to “ad v o cate” or com m unicate w ith legislators? The follow ing w as c o n d e n se d from a bro ch u re created by C onnie Stoner, O hio Chapter, from inform a­ tion from th e ALA W ashington office, the Cali­ fornia Library Association, an d “Lobbying 101,” a n ALA program in N ew York: 1. L etters— th e m o s t p o w e r fu l w a y to c o m m u n ic a te b y w r itin g . Write three short paragraphs, u p to o n e page, in your ow n words, presenting a definite position. Base y o u r let­ ters o n y o u r o w n p ertin en t experiences and observations, w ith concrete exam ples. D o d e­ scribe a specific bill by n u m b er o r its p o p u lar nam e b u t if you d o n ’t have that information, w rite anyway. D o n ’t send form letters an d d o n ’t sen d letters that m erely d em and a vote for or against w ithout reasons. Time letters to arrive w hile the issue is alive. Do sift for jargon. D o n ’t use university stationaiy unless sanctioned by your institution. D o n ’t se n d letters to m em bers o th er than o n es in yo u r state o r m em bers o f th e com m ittee specifically considering th e bill. Keep a stack o f envelopes, stam ps, an d p a p e r handy. Use petitions sparingly. 2. T e le p h o n e ca lls. T elep h o n e to ask for su p p o rt before a hearing o r floor vote; to ask for help w ith legislative colleagues; o r to co n ­ vey urgent local concerns. D o n ’t ask to talk w ith the legislator. Com m unicate w ith th e sec­ retary o r aid. Have y o u r m essage clearly well th o u g h t o u t before th e call. D o n ’t use univer­ sity telep h o n es unless sanctioned by your in­ stitution. 3. P e r so n a l v is its . Face-to-face discussions are the m ost effective m eans o f com m unica­ tion. Invite y o u r legislator to visit y o u r library. Legislators are usually eager to learn ab o u t new technologies an d w h at perfect place to d o this but in your library! First, brief the appropriate p e o p le (d e a n , g o v ern m en t relations officer, public relations officer) at your university about y o u r plans. Make arrangem ents for th e visit through the legislator’s district office an d get to kn o w th e local staff. Be sure to arrange for publicity, p rep are a packet of relevant h an d ­ outs a b o u t y o u r library, a n d se n d a letter of appreciation after the visit. A nother im portant oppo rtu n ity for personal contact is y o u r local candidate election forum. Be sure to ask q u es­ tions ab o u t library issues. 4. E lectr o n ic m e s sa g in g . Follow the sam e suggestions as w ith letter writing. Some offices will not resp o n d to your e-mail unless you p ro ­ vide y o u r m ailing address in the e-m ail m es­ sage as they only reply by “snail m ail.” Not all C ongressional offices have e-mail. C heck on addresses at: h ttp://thom as.loc.gov o r h ttp :// w w w .h o u se.g o v /. D o not use university e-mail systems unless sanctioned to d o so. 5. S u b scrib e to th e ALA W a sh in g to n Of­ f i c e n e w s l e t t e r , ALAWON, t o k e e p i n ­ fo r m e d . This is an excellent w ay to get timely inform ation ab o u t w h a t’s h a p p en in g w ith ap ­ propriations for libraries, hearings an d legisla (A dvocates cont. o n p a g e 780) Five basic rules for effective communication 1. B e b r ie f . A l e g i s l a t o r ’s tim e is limited. So is yours. 2. Be a p p reciative. A cknow ledge past s u p p o r t , c o n v e y t h a n k s f o r c u r r e n t action. 3. B e s p e c ific . Refer to local library and district need. 4. Be in fo rm a tiv e. Give reasons w hy a m easure sh o u ld b e supported. 5. Be co u rteo u s. Ask. D o n o t dem and o r t h r e a t e n . B e p o s i t i v e . M ost im ­ portant, BE INVOLVED! mailto:lwisel@cuc.edu http://thomas.loc.gov http://www.house.gov/ 780/C&RL News language poets are featured here— Ben Johnson, A lexander P o p e, J o h n D ryden, Percy Shelley, Elizabeth B arrett B row ning— alo n g w ith m any 20th-century poets from North America, Ireland, a n d G reat Britain. It is culturally instructive to c o m p a re th e varying treatm en ts of, say, the p o e m s o f Catullus by su ch w riters as T hom as C am pion, Leigh H unt, T hom as H ardy, R ichard L o v e la c e , W a lte r S av ag e L a n d o r, D o u g la s Young, an d Robert Clayton Casto. Original spell­ ings h av e b e e n retain ed to em p h asize histori­ cal differences. $29.95. O xford University Press, 198 M adison Ave., N ew York, NY 10016. ISBN 0-19-214209-7. For th o se w h o w ish to find o u t m ore a b o u t the G reek an d Latin authors, try C lassical Stud­ ies: A Guide to th e R eference Literature, by F red W. Jen k in s (263 pages, F ebruary 1996), a n a n n o ta te d listing o f bibliographical a n d in­ form ation resources, including th e Internet, re­ search centers, an d professional associations. $43.00. L ibraries U nlim ited, P.O . B ox 6633, E nglew ood, CO 80155. ISBN 1-56308-110-5- The Painted Photograph, 1 8 3 9 -1 9 1 4 : O rigins, T echniques, A spirations, By H einz K. H enisch an d B ridget A. H enisch (242 pages, S e p te m b e r 1996), is th e first co m p re h e n siv e history o f overp ain tin g b lack-and-w hite p h o ­ to g rap h s from th e earliest years to W orld W ar I. P h o to g rap h ers, e a g e r to p lease a public that at first co u ld n o t u n d e rsta n d w h y color im ages w ere n o t o b tain ab le, b e g a n to ap p ly h u e s an d tints using w atercolors, oil, chalk, a n d crayons. By th e m id-19th century, overp ain tin g b ecam e co m m o n p lace as an alternative to traditional portrait painting. In describing the different tech­ n iq u es in America, England, a n d o th e r c o u n ­ tries, th e au th o rs su rv ey co lo rizatio n o f d a ­ g u e rre o ty p e s , tin ty p es, im p rin te d p o rcelain , milk glass, enam el, m agic lan tern slides, a n d textiles. T h e n u m e ro u s illustrations e n h a n c e (Advocates cont. from page 735) tion o f interest to th e library com m unity, an d availability o f grants an d fellow ships. To su b ­ scribe, s e n d an e-m ail m essag e to listp ro c@ a la l.a la .o rg an d leave th e subject line blank. Use “su b scrib e” if yo u r e-m ail system requires a s u b j e c t . W r ite “SU B SC R IB E A LA -W O FirstN am e LastN am e” in the b o d y o f th e m e s­ sage. For ex am p le, P resid en t C linton w o u ld su b scrib e b y sen d in g th e follow ing m essage: SUBSCRIBE ALA-WO William Clinton. ■ u n d e rs ta n d in g o f th e s e fo rg o tte n m e th o d s. $75.00. Pennsylvania State U niversity Press, 820 N. U niversity Dr., Suite C, U niversity Park, PA 16802-1003. ISBN 0-271-01507-1. P ropag anda for W a r , b y Stew art H alsey Ross (341 p ag es, May 1996), ex am in es h o w W orld W ar I w a s “p ack ag ed , p ro m o ted , an d sold to a gullible nation as a holy crusade against evil.” T he author, a retired public relations ex ­ ecutive, describes British a n d G erm an p ro p a ­ g an d a efforts to influence A m erican o p in io n b efore 1917, as w ell as th e cen so rsh ip a n d new s m a n a g e m e n t activities o f P re sid e n t W ilso n ’s C om m ittee o n Public Inform ation (h e a d e d by p ro p a g a n d a czar G eo rg e Creel), th e first overt g o v ern m en t p ro p a g a n d a agency in A m erican history. R oss’s research is th o ro u g h , w ell-d o cu ­ m ented, a n d serves as a useful com m entary o n th e issues a n d attitudes o f th e times. $42.50. McFarland & Co., Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-7864-0111-7. Racism in C ontem porary A m erica, c o m ­ p iled by M eyer W einberg (838 pages, Jan u ary 1996), lists nearly 15,000 b o o k s, articles, d is­ sertations, reports, an d o th e r m aterials u n d e r 87 subject headings, including th o se for s p e ­ cific states. T he section o n racism in h ig h er ed u catio n has 1,121 listings. Entries are assigned b rief a n n o tatio n s w h e n th e titles are n o t self- explanatory. M ost listings d ate from th e 1980s o r 1990s, alth o u g h th ere are references from earlier eras. An a u th o r index a n d a n ethnic- racial index offer add itio n al access. B ew are the fine print! Introduction, text, a n d in d ex es are all in 7 -point type, so bring alo n g a m agnifying glass if y o u are a n ag in g B oom er. $125.00. G reen w o o d Press, 88 Post Road West, W estport, CT 06881-5007. ISBN 0-313-29659-6. ■ (Leaders cont. from page 736) seek larger cam p u sw id e roles. E x p erien ced li­ b rarians can an d sh o u ld m ak e m ajor co n trib u ­ tions by sharing inform ation a b o u t tech n iq u es to e n h a n c e cam p u s roles, m o d elin g effective b ehavior, a n d creating o r sharing o p p o rtu n i­ ties w ith th eir junior colleagues. N ew com ers m ust se e k o u t th e se kinds o f h elp a n d su p p o rt to d e v e lo p cam p u s citizenship an d ex te n d th e lib rary ’s in flu en ce. T h e c h a n g in g clim ate in h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n c a ll s f o r th is le v e l o f assertiveness from librarians to claim th e im ­ p o rtan t roles w e believe sh o u ld b e ours. ■