ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


April 1991 / 255

p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, 1992. A post-confer- 
ence is being planned for Wednesday, April 15, 
1992.

Information on submitting a paper, a program 
proposal or poster session proposal immediately

follows this article or call the ACRL office, 800- 
545-2433, ext. 2516 for details. The deadline is May 
1, 1991, for contributed papers, July 31, 1991, for 
program proposals and November 1, 1991, for 
poster sessions. ■  ■

Althea H. Jenkins named ACRL executive director

Althea H. Jenkins, library director at the Sara­
sota/New College Campus o f the University of 
South Florida, has been appointed executive direc­
tor o f ACRL effective July 8, 1991. In her new post, 
Jenkins will serve as head of the 11,000-member 
division, the largest of ALA’s 11 divisions. Jenkins 
succeeds JoAn S. Segal, who was appointed ALA 
associate executive director for programs in May, 
1990.

“I am delighted with Althea’s appointment,” said 
Barbara J. Ford, ACRL president. “She is emi­
nently qualified for the position with her many 
years o f academic library experience and her asso­
ciation leadership as past president o f both the 
Florida ACRL chapter and the Florida Library 
Association. Her activities on ACRL committees 
and broad record of publications and professional 
presentations make her an excellent choice.”

ALA Executive Director Linda F. Crismond 
said, “Althea’s experience and leadership abilities 
will be an asset to the ALA management team. She 
has a strong record of active commitment to the 
profession, to ACRL, to the education community 
and to her local community.”

Jenkins, commenting that she never imagined 
her career outside the walls o f an academic institu­
tion, quickly adds, "This is a great challenge that I 
am looking forward to. The opportunity to improve 
the visibility o f academic librarians and libraries 
within higher education is but one aspect o f the job 
that makes it so appealing. I am excited about 
working with the ACRL staff, board, chapters, 
sections and committees, with other ALA division 
directors and department heads, and continuing 
the outreach to other information and higher edu­
cation organizations and associations.”

Jenkins is also a guest lecturer and associate 
instructor in the School o f Library and Information 
Science at the University o f South Florida. She 
previously served as library director and professor 
at Miami-Dade Community College and supervi­
sor and teacher in the Adult Basic Education Pro­
gram at Indian River Community College, Fort 
Pierce, Fla.

Active in the profession, Jenkins currently serves 
as chair o f the ACRL Access Policy Guidelines 
Task Force. She is a member o f the ACRL Univer­
sity Libraries Section Conference Program Plan­
ning Committee; the Library Administration and

Management Association (LAMA) Governmental 
Affairs Committee; the Social Responsibilities 
Round Table; and the Black Caucus o f the ALA.

Jenkins is chair o f the 
Sarasota County His­
torical Commission and 
member o f Eckerd Col­
lege, St. Petersburg,
Fla., board o f trustees.
She is a member o f the 
Sarasota Chamber o f 
Commerce Education 
Com m ittee and the 
Committee on Higher 
Education Presbyterian 
Church USA. Jenkins is 
grant evaluator and pan­ Althea H. Jenkins
elist for Title III and 
Talent Search, Upward 
Bound, Economic Opportunity (TRIO) Programs, 
USDOE, Office Postsecondary Education. She 
also serves on site visit teams for the Southern 
Association o f Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Her community involvement includes serving as 
a board o f directors member for the Community 
Foundation o f Sarasota, United Way o f Sarasota 
and Girls Incorporated of Sarasota. Jenkins re­
ceived her bachelor’s degree in library science from 
Florida A & M University, Tallahassee, Fla.; her 
master’s degree in library and information science 
from Florida State University and her doctoral 
degree in educational administration from Nova 
University, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Both Ford and Crismond commended ACRL 
deputy director and acting executive director Cath- 
leen Bourdon for the "excellent support and leader­
ship” she has provided to ACRL and ALA. “She 
guided the division through a challenging decision 
to move the 1992 national conference from Arizona 
and filled two jobs for the last ten months,” Cris­
mond said.

ACRL members serving on the ACRL Executive 
Director Search Committee, chaired by consultant 
Maureen Sullivan, were: Hiram L. Davis, Michigan 
State University; Barbara J. Ford, Trinity Univer­
sity; W. Lee Hisle, Austin Community College; 
William A. Moffett, Huntington Library; Elizabeth 
Salzer, Santa Clara University; and Patricia Wand, 
American University. ■  ■