ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 227 Sectio n, in conjunction with the Public Library A s s o c ia tio n , o ffe r e d an a ll day c o n f e r e n c e ­ w ith in -a -co n feren ce: “C om m unity C o lleg e and P ublic Libraries: T h e Im petus toward Coopera­ tion!” T h e Rare Books and Manuscripts Section sponsored “R arities and E p hem era at the Chicago H isto rical S o cie ty L ib rary : an Illu stra te d L e c ­ tu re .” T h e Slavic and E a st European Section offered a th re e -p a rt program , which included “R e fle ctions on the History and Prospects o f Slavic B ib­ liography in the U nited Sta te s,” “Th e Automation o f Cyrillic Slavic C ataloging,” and “C u rren t D e ­ velopm ents in Romanization o f Cyrillic S c rip ts.” T rips sponsored by A C R L units included the L aw and P o lit ic a l S c ie n c e S e c t i o n ’s to u r o f Chicago City Hall, the Art Sectio n’s boat ride on Lake Michigan, and C J C L S ’s tour of four librar­ ies o f the City C olleges o f Chicago. Association of College and Research Libraries Annual R eport of the President 1 9 7 7 -7 8 This has been an active and productive year for A C R L. W e have addressed or are in the process o f addressing several major issues that are o f con­ sid erable im portance to our association and its m em bers. Plans and arrangem ents are moving along most e fficie n tly for our first nation al c o n fe re n c e . A m ajor staff appointment was made. Arrangements w e r e w o rk ed o u t for an a n n u a l aw ard for a c h ie v e m e n t by an a ca d e m ic lib ra ria n . O th e r A C R L programs produced results worthy o f re c ­ ognition. In ad dition, A C R L , during 1 9 7 7 -7 8 , addressed several ALA-wide issues that have sig­ nificant im pact on our association. Finally, we gave a tten tio n to co n cern s that we share with oth er organizations. T h e major critical issues addressed by the as­ sociation this year included the following. First, we made a beginning evaluation o f our associa­ tion’s ob jectives and the organizational structure needed to carry them out effectively, based upon th e re p o rt o f th e sp e cial A C R L Ad H o c S u b ­ co m m ittee on Goals, P riorities, and Structures. Second, we established a mechanism to assist our m em bers in addressing the com plex and difficult issues raised by the new co pyright legislation. T hird , we gave substantive review to the draft university libraries standards prepared by a jo in t A RL/A CRL c o m m itte e . F in a lly , we ad dressed the particularly com plex and critical issues re ­ lated to ownership o f public documents, as raised by the B. C. W est case. T h e Su b c o m m ittee on Goals, P rioritie s, and Structures was established in the fall of 1973 by A C R L President Norman Tanis with the follow­ ing charge: (1) to describe the changing environ­ m ent o f research and postsecondary education; (2) to identify the issues and problem s relating to in­ formation and library service in this environm ent; (3) to d eterm ine the role for an association such as A C R L in responding to these issues and prob­ lems; (4) to disregard all financial aspects or the constitutionality of its suggestions. T he com m ittee, chaired by L eM oyn e W . An­ derson, subm itted its recom m endations, which in­ c lu d e d p ro p o s a ls fo r s ig n ific a n t c h a n g e s in A C R L ’s a c tiv itie s and s tru c tu re , in th e fall o f 1977. T h e su bco m m ittee s rep ort was referred, by the A C R L board, to our Planning C om m ittee. This com m ittee is reviewing the report and will make recom m endations regarding its im plem en­ tation to the A C R L board. T h e Su bcom m ittee on G oals, P rioritie s, and Structures was discharged with an expression of th e bo ard s g rea t a p p recia tion . C e r ta in ly , th e work o f this com m ittee will facilitate A C R L ’s abil­ ity to address the major issues that lie before us. Its recom mendations may also contribu te to some significant changes in the organization and struc­ ture o f our association. Prior to the ALA M idwinter M eeting, A CRL was requested by ALA to assume responsibility for d e v e lo p in g g u id e lin e s on p h o to co p y in g o f co yrig h ted m aterials that could b e u tilized by academic libraries. A fter d iscu ssing this issu e with W illiam D. North, ALA legal counsel, who m et with us at M id w in te r , th e A C R L b o a rd c o n c lu d e d th a t A C R L should not, at this point, attem pt to de­ velop and publicize guidelines in this area. On the o th er hand, the board recognized the need fo r id e n tify in g , in d e ta il, th e p r o b le m s that academ ic libraries and librarians are encountering as a result o f the new copyright legislation. C onsequently, it was decided that an ad hoc co m m ittee on copyright questions should be ap­ pointed within A C R L, with the task o f identifying questions and issues in this area that are o f con­ cern to A C R L m em bers which req u ire legal in­ terpretation or attention. These questions would then b e forwarded to North for his review, rec­ om m endations, and appropriate legal action on the part o f ALA. This com m ittee has b e e n ap­ pointed and has set about its task. 228 At th e same tim e, C& RL News has given par­ ticu lar a tte n tio n to co p y righ t issu es, w ith th e p u b lic a tio n o f two im p o rta n t a r tic le s d u rin g 1 9 7 7 -7 8 and plans for further publication in the near future. In the spring of 1978, the Jo in t ARL/ACRL C om m ittee on University Library Standards pro­ d u ced a p rop osed standards d o cu m en t, w hich was subm itted to the Boards o f D irectors o f both organizations. T his docum ent was p u blished in the April issue o f C &R L News. I t is being r e ­ viewed by the A C R L Standards C om m ittee and the A C R L University Libraries Section Steerin g C om m ittee, each of whom sponsored a discussion session on the proposed standards, open to all A CRL m em bers, at the ALA Annual Conference. Th ese standards will com e before the A C R L board for final action at next Midwinter. As I find m yself in the peculiar position of being the chair o f this jo in t co m m ittee as well as p resid en t o f A C R L, it is difficult for me to com m ent, in any ob jective way, about the co m m ittee’s work. I will exp ress my strong ho p e, ho w ever, that e ith e r A C R L and A R L adopt th ese standards or give up, at least for the tim e being, our long-standing and perpetually unsuccessful efforts in this area. T h e final m ajo r issu e that A C R L ad dressed during the past year was the question o f owner­ ship o f state documents, as this m atter seem ed to stand following the results o f B. C. W est v. North C arolina. W illiam North reviewed this case and its im plications at some length with th e A C R L board during Midwinter. Recognizing that, as a result of this case, there are serious questions regarding legal ownership of p rerev olu tion ary U .S . pu blication s, th e A C R L board formally recom mended that the American Library Association design an appropriate form of lawsuit, perhaps as a suit to qu iet title to state papers in private collections, and institute it in a suitable local or state environm ent, with the pos­ sible further intention o f an appeal to th e U .S. Su prem e C ourt on federal issues, which would thereby b e isolated. T h e board recom m ended that ALA establish an advisory com m ittee to legal counsel in consulta­ tion with A C R L for this purpose. ALA President E r ic Moon appointed such a com m ittee, includ­ ing strong A C R L representation. T hey held their first m eeting during the 1978 Annual C onference. During 1 9 7 7 -7 8 , most o f the final plans and ar­ rangements w ere concluded for A C R L ’s first na­ tional co nferen ce, which will b e held N ovem ber 8—11 in Boston, Massachusetts. T h e C onference P la n n in g C o m m itt e e , c h a ir e d b y G e o r g e R. Parks, has done a truly outstanding job . This con­ ference, with its emphasis on program, should be a tru ly sig n al a c h ie v e m e n t fo r A C R L and its m em bers. In d eed , it does not seem an exaggera­ tion to suggest that the future o f A C R L will be significantly altered as a result o f this conference. I t gives me particular pleasu re to no te that, during 1977—78, Louis A. Sasso was appointed editor o f C hoice. I am convinced that, with his background, exp e rience, and ability, Sasso will m ake an outstanding co n trib u tion to A C R L in this capacity. I would like to take this opportu­ nity to com m end the search co m m ittee, which was chaired by B ev erly P. L ynch, for the ou t­ standing success of its efforts. D u ring this past year, successful arrangements w ere worked out with the B aker & Taylor Com ­ pany for th e establishm ent o f an annual ACRL/ Baker & Taylor Award to be given annually to an individual m em ber o f th e library profession who has “made an ou tstanding nation al or in te rn a ­ tional contribution to academic librarianship and academ ic d evelop m ent.” This award, which will carry an annual stipend o f $ 2 ,0 0 0 , is m odeled on th e A A SL/Baker & T ay lor Award. F o rm a l an­ nouncem ent o f the award was made at the recep ­ tion following the A C R L program m eeting at the 1978 Annual C onference. T h e first award will b e g iv e n at th e A C R L N a tio n a l C o n f e r e n c e in Boston. I am p articu larly p leased with this d ev elo p ­ m ent. It characterizes, I believ e, A C R L ’s long­ standing emphasis on the “librarian” in “librar­ ianship .” I also wish to express my personal ap­ preciation, as well as that of A C R L , to the Baker & Taylor Company for making this award possi­ ble. C ertainly, th eir in terest in sponsoring this award d em o nstrates th e ir own co m m itm ent to furthering academic librarianship. L ik e m ost o t h e r p r o fe s s io n a l and h ig h e r ­ ed ucation organizations, A C R L has recognized th e critica l im portance o f co ntinuing education for its m em bers. In order to address this issue most effectively, a C ontinuing Education C om ­ m ittee was established and appointed last year by A C R L P resid ent C onnie Dunlap. This com m it­ te e , under the chairmanship o f Richard W erking, has addressed its e lf vigorously and imaginatively to its task. I t is giving p articu lar a tten tio n to gatherin g m em bership opinion regarding continuing educa­ tion needs for academ ic librarians as well as pub­ lic iz in g co n tin u in g ed ucation o p p o rtu n ities to A C R L m em bers. C &R L News has provided ex­ cellen t support to the co m m ittee’s efforts in both o f these areas. In addition, th e co m m ittee pro­ v id ed v a lu a b le ad v ice to ou r a sso cia tio n w ith regard to, ALA continuing education plans, dis­ cussed below. I t is literally im possible, within the compass o f a rep ort such as this, to recognize all the sig­ nificant actions that took place within A C R L last year. L e t me only say that most o f our sections, c o m m itte e s , d is cu ss io n g ro u p s, and ch a p te r s w e r e a c tiv e and p r o d u c tiv e . P a r tic u la r n o te should be made o f the continuing A C R L activity in such areas as academ ic status, standards, and bibliographic instruction. M ention should also be made o f the following 229 developm ents. T he Asian and African Section has p roduced a d irecto ry o f Asian-African librarian specialists. T h e Supplem ental Funds C om m ittee has be en reorganized. Funding is being provided from the A C R L budget to support the travel of A C R L E x e cu tiv e C o m m itte e m em b ers to visit A C R L c h a p te r s — an effo rt to s tr e n g th e n this extrem ely important area o f A C R L activity. A C R L is, o f course, a division o f the American Library Association. C onsequently, A CRL and its m em b ers p a rticip a te heavily in ALA a ctiv ities and p ro g ram s. D u rin g th e p ast y e a r, sev e ral areas o f ALA activity w ere particularly im portant for A C R L . T h e s e inclu d ed , in addition to the copyright and B. C. W est m atters that have al­ ready been discussed, issues related to the ongo­ ing evaluation by ALA of its structure, continuing education m atters, that ALA draft policy on p re j­ u d ic e , s te r e o ty p in g , and d is c rim in a tio n , and collective bargaining. A m atter o f obvious and potentially far-ranging concern to A C R L is the work o f ALA’s Ad Hoc C om m ittee on F u tu re ALA Stru cture. T he board discussed this docum ent at M idw inter. At that tim e, th e th r e e A C R L d irecto rs-a t-la rg e, Billy W ilk in so n , J a n e F le n e r , and W illiam S tu d e r, were asked to prepare specific com m ents for dis­ cussion at the Annual C onference. This is obvi­ ously a m atter on which A C R L must make its voice heard within ALA. At Midwinter, the A C R L board also reviewed a m em orandum from ALA E x e c u tiv e D ire c to r Robert W edgeworth regarding ALA and continu­ in g e d u catio n . R ich ard W e rk in g , ch a ir o f the A C R L C o n tin u in g E d u c a tio n C o m m itte e , e x ­ p re sse d to th e A C R L b oard th at c o m m itte e ’s concerns that: (1) th e association not launch con­ tinuing education program s b e fo re studies are carried out to d eterm ine m ore precisely what the needs are in this area; and (2) that ALA give spe­ cific attention to the assistance it can provide di­ visions in developing continuing education pro­ grams that are relevant to the particular interests o f t h e ir m e m b e rsh ip . A C R L is c o n tin u in g to work with the American Library Association on this matter. A C R L has a lso e x p r e s s e d c o n c e r n s to th e American Library Association in two other areas. After reviewing the draft resolution on preju dice, stereotyping, and discrimination, which has been developed as a possible policy statem ent by the associatio n, th e A C R L board re q u e s te d th at a resolution b e achieved to a possible conflict that it sees betw een the Library B ill o f Rights and the draft resolution before A C R L undertakes any new steps to supplem ent its ongoing programs relating to th e s e issues. T h e A C R L board also reco m ­ mended certain revisions in the “C ollective B ar­ gaining Statem ent o f Policy” before it is adopted by the American Library Association. At th e M idwinter M eeting, the A C R L board, at the request o f the A C R L C om m ittee on Legislation and its chair, Susan B rynteson, passed a m otion in support o f the position of the American Association o f U niversity Professors that tenured faculty m em bers not be considered exem pt from protection under federal legislation extending the mandatory retirem ent age. In a separate action, following a rep ort from Frank Schick regarding collection and publication o f library data by the National C e n te r for Educa­ tion Statistics, the board formally expressed its concern to N C E S that this data continue to b e collected and published on an annual rather than the contem plated biennial basis. It should also be noted that the work discussed above with regard to university libraries standards is a jo in t effort of A C R L with the Association o f Research Libraries. No review o f A C R L ’s activity during this in­ teresting, exciting, and productive year would be com plete without a recognition o f the particular contributions of our headquarters staff. Ju lie A. C. Virgo, in her first full year as executive secre­ tary, has done a truly outstanding jo b . T he other m e m b e r s o f t h e s ta ff— L y n n C . D e n n is o n , Virginia W ilcox-W achsm uth, R obert M einz, and H al E s p o — n o t o n ly h a v e b e e n e x tr e m e ly efficient and productive but are invariably helpful and goodhumored, frequently beyond the call of duty and even under the most difficult circum ­ stances. It has been a pleasure to work with them. L yn n D e n n is o n , w ho re s ig n e d in F e b r u a ry after more than five years of service with our as­ sociation, left an outstanding record and many, many friends behind . S h e will b e m issed. Hal Espo, who filled the program officer position, has been on the jo b since May 1. Ju lie Virgo has not only had to learn a great deal under pressure but cope with a president who, because o f a recent change in his own position, has had to rely very heavily upon h er during his year in office. C e r­ tainly, A C R L and its m em bers should be very pleased that we have another outstanding person as executive secretary. Finally, o f course, I must express my great ap­ preciation for the help and support that I have received from our past president, C onnie D un­ lap, P resid en t-E lect Evan F arber, the m em bers o f the A C R L board, and the A C R L com m ittees, sections, chapters, and their chairpersons. They are a hardworking, devoted, and extrem ely con­ structive group. F in a lly , my than ks and a p p re cia tio n to the A C R L m em bership. W e are, without question, a vital, dynamic organization. Nothing makes this clearer than th e work that has b e en invested in planning and developing the forthcom ing national conference. I t has b e e n a great honor and a dis­ tinct pleasure for me to have the opportunity to serve this year as president. E id red R. Smith President, ACRL O N E D E C I S I O N O N E O R D E RO N E I N V O I C E for your year’s subscription of periodicals on microform To keep p a p e rw o rk dow n and the q u a lity and renew al no tice serves a d o u b le fu n c tio n as a in te g rity o f yo u r p e rio d ic a ls c o lle c tio n up, co n ve n ie n t re o rd e r form . U niversity M ic ro film s In te rn a tio n a l devised the S erials on M ic ro fo rm S u b s c rip tio n Service. A n o th e r im p o rta n t b enefit o f th is se rvice is th a t it elim in a te s the th re e to six m onths of U nder the S u b s c rip tio n Service, you … re ference tim e lost to yo u r researchers w hile p e rio d ic a ls are at the bindery. Paper issues • pla ce one m icro fo rm o rd e r fo r all cu rre n t can rem ain on yo u r shelves and in use until p e rio d ic a l s u b s c rip tio n s —at any tim e re placed by the m icro fo rm editio n. th ro u g h o u t the year Because you’re ordering microform, you get all • receive one in vo ice fo r the e n tire o rd e r soon these benefits, too—durability, cost savings, a fte r the o rd e r is placed fo r g re a te r budget unequalled file integrity and maximum use of co n tro l. available space. The p e rio d ic a ls o rd e re d w ill a u to m a tic a lly be Find out m ore abo u t the S erials S u b scrip tion sh ipped to yo u r lib ra ry as soon as they are S ervice by returning th is coupon. available. Because y o u ’ re goin g th ro u g h one source fo r all y o u r m icro fo rm s u b scrip tio n s, yo u r o rd e rin g and b illin g p a p e rw o rk is reduced. In a d d itio n , q u a rte rly status re p o rts keep you up to date on yo u r order, and the annual 300 North Zeeb Road/Ann Arbor, MI 48106 800-521-3042