ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries Association of College & Research Libraries ACRL President’s Report, 1981—82 Since its founding in 1938, ACRL has been a major component of the American Library Association. Its current Statement of Responsi­ bility makes the following commitment: “The mission of ACRL is to represent academic and research librarians and librar­ ies. This includes all types of academic libraries— community and junior colleges, college, and university—as well as compre­ hensive and specialized research libraries and their professional staffs. ACRL also has as its mission the enhancement of library service, in the broadest sense, to the academic and research communities.” There are many activities in pursuit of this mission, and The ALA Yearbook 1982 pro­ David C . W eber vides a summary on ACRL chapters, insti­ ACRL’s 43d tutes and workshops, continuing education, Presidentpublications, committee work, and the vari­ ety of ACRL section projects and programs. This report will not repeat that information, but will provide current information on a few aspects. In an association of the size and vigor of ACRL, only the highlights can be provided here. For any association sound planning is of primary, importance. This year a program activity model was developed for the coming decade. A committee chaired by David Kaser drafted this conceptual structure and a set of program activities designed to guide the Association toward the end of this decade. This model is designed to help shape the direction of efforts in the years immediately ahead, to raise thereby the sights of ACRL members and officers for achievement of the Association, and to stimulate membership interest and involve­ ment in the advancement of the Association toward these goals. The report is in the May 1982 issue of C&RL News and is a matter of action 230 In this issue: ACRL President’s Report . . . . 229 A Conversation with Carla Stoffle .......................... 232 Bibliographic Instruction: Extending Library Services to a Field-Based Program . . 235 News from the Field ............... 238 P eop le........................................... 240 Washington H o tlin e ................. 245 New Technology........................247 Publications................................ 248 Calendar .....................................250 Classified Advertising ............. 251 at the Philadelphia Conference. The program activities relate directly to the financial condition of the Association. On fin an cial planning I would make four points. F irst, expenditures including the Min­ neapolis C o n fe re n ce will this year be over $750,000, in addition to which C h oice magazine is a $900,000 enterprise. As summarized in the Decem ber 1981 Cí?R L News, the budget is tight yet balanced. No new positions were funded. The Budget and F in a n ce C om m ittee b eliev es the budget is prudent and the Board of Directors concurs. Second, the dues increase was passed by vote last summer, making it the first increase in six years. It was an important step in assuring contin­ ued fiscal health; for without the increase support for 1982-83 programs would have had to be cut. T h ird , th e re w ere in 1 9 8 1 -8 2 reserv es of $30,000 assigned for the first time, 5.8% of the base budget. This is regarded as an inadequate reserve considering income and expense shifts that could happen and must not be allowed to endanger the Association, especially since there is concern for the financial health of ALA as a whole. Fourth, the “operating agreem ent” between ALA and its divisions has experienced many vi­ cissitudes over the past two years. The current version of the agreem ent seems a reasonable compromise and should serve effectively as the necessary guide for the years immediately ahead. In considering ACRL s finances as affected by ALA action, the Executive Committee in April gave special consideration to the current financial status of the ALA as it impacts ACRL staff and op erational program s. T he A C R L E x e cu tiv e Committee concluded that: The first p rin cip le in responding to cu rren t budgetary conditions must be to maintain the quality of programs. This, in our judgment, re­ quires a primary emphasis on the quality of ACRL staff, which in turn mandates competitive salaries and good benefits and other working con­ ditions. As a consequence, we urge there be no reduc­ tion in the benefit package, including vacations and insurance, as a means to resolve fiscal dif­ ficulties in any measure whatsoever. We support cost of living increases for 1982-83 to the extent feasible and have budgeted five per cent in order that ACRL could meet any ALA program to that extent. M erit increases are of extrem e impor­ tance. Thus, we are preferring a reduction of staff rather than a weakening of the salary and benefit program in the conviction that the latter course will be much more harmful to ACRL and ALA in the years to come. W e urge the Executive Board to explore in depth the current ALA budgetary condition and to involve division officers and executive directors so that there can be a strong and informed con­ sensus as to the best means for maintaining ALA strength. We are deeply concerned that the qual­ ity and the strength of ALA be maintained for the College & Research Libraries News (ISSN 0099-0086) is published by the Association of College and Research Librar­ ies, a d ivision of the A m e ric a n L ib ra ry Associa tion , as 11 m onthly (co m b in in g Ju ly -A u g u s t) issues, at 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. An nual subscription: $10. Single copies and back issues, $3.50 each. Second-class postage paid for at Chicago, Illinois, and at additional m ailing offices. Editor: G eorge M. Eberhart, A C R L /A L A , 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611; (312) 944-6780. President AC R L: David C. W eber. Executive Director, A C R L : Julie Carroll Virgo. Production and circulation office: 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Display advertising should be sent to Leona Swiech, Advertising Traffic Coordinator, A L A , at above address. Send classified ads to A C R L . Change of address and subscription orders should be addressed to College & Research Libraries News, for receipt at the above address at least two months be­ fore the publication date of the effective issue. Inclusion of an article or advertisem ent in C & R L N ew s does not constitute official endorsem ent by A C R L or ALA . A partial list of the services indexing or abstracting the con ­ tents of C& R L News includes: Current Contents: Social & B e ­ havior Sciences; Current Index to Journals in Education; In ­ formation S cien ce Abstracts; Library & Inform ation Science Abstracts; Library Literature; and Social Sciences Citation In­ dex. T o the postm aster: Please send un d elivera ble copies to A C R L , 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. © A m e ric a n Library Association 1982. All material in this journal subject to copyright by the Am erican Library Associa­ tion m ay be photocopied for the noncom m ercial purpose of scientific or educational advancem ent. 231 sake of libraries at large and specifically for the academic and research community for which ACRL has a particular responsibility of service.” There are a number of exceptional activities of the year that should also be mentioned. One is the exceedingly strong start to an ACRL program in continuing education that was provided by courses offered at the San Francisco Conference, and that were also provided at the Minneapolis Conference and are planned for the Philadelphia Conference. This is a response to needs of the ACRL members, and it is hoped that this will become an important self-financing part of ACRL activities. The second ACRL National Conference was held last October in Minneapolis with the theme “Options for the 80s.” Designed by con­ ference chair Virgil Massman and a strong com­ mittee, the Conference recognized this period of substantial and far-reaching change and took as its focus an assessment of the options that lie before us in this next critical decade. Committee appointments this year resulted in 75% of the vacancies being given to members who were new appointees. And 44% of those whose names had been received by recommenda­ tion or by personal application were used on one or another committee. This included 24 individu­ als who were appointed as committee interns for a one-year period with the intent to provide some newer or younger members of ACRL with the experience of sharing in discussion, preparing working papers, contributing solutions, learning from the process, and dem onstrating their capacities for further service to ACRL. Given the long-standing major in terest of ACRL in academic status and other personnel and career issues, a Study Group has been formed of members most of whom have recently served on ACRL committees or discussion groups concerned with one or another aspect of person­ nel management and career planning and staff development. Chaired by Page Ackerman, the Study Group will review the adequacy of Associa­ tion activities and provide guidance for commit­ tee structure and charge or program activities that would provide a suitable and comprehensive coverage of these important matters. As a conse­ quence ACRL may renew its effectiveness in this critical aspect of the profession. Examples of committee work abound. A few products may be mentioned as indicative. C&RL News has published revised “ Guidelines for Two-Year College Resources Program s,” “Guidelines for Extended Campus Library Ser­ vices,” “Guidelines for the Security of Rare Book, Manuscript, and Other Special Collections” in draft form, an “ACRL Legislative Policy and General Guide to Legislative Action,” and an ar­ ticle by Meredith A. Butler as chair of the ACRL Ad Hoc Committee on Copyright treating the matter of “Copyright and Academic Library Photocopying,” following which was a “Model Policy Concerning College and University Photo­ copying for Classroom, Research and Library Re­ serve Use” as prepared by ALA’s legal counsel. A membership association is an opportunity for its members to achieve selected advances for the profession by a collective effort, as well as an op­ portunity for members to share experiences and learn from one another. I was impressed this year by the great number of academic and research li­ brarians who have given so unstintingly of their time and thoughts. Individuals whom I have met at the three conferences provide me with great optimism about the future of our profession. I thank them all for their interest and their con­ tributions. I am particularly grateful to Penny Abell for helping the Board of Directors with the important “operating agreement,” Richard Talbot for exceptional leadership with his committee in the budgeting process, Keith Cottam and his committee for superior support in the appoint­ ments and nominations work, Richard Johnson for his willingness to serve the latter half of this year as acting editor and executive officer of Ch oice magazine, David Kaser for chairing the commit­ tee that developed the ACRL Activity Model, Jo Harrar as chair with respect to the “Research Agenda for the 80s,” Evan F arber for his particu­ larly v/ise counsel to ACRL in many ways, Carla Stoffle who has already shown that she will be an exceptional leader and fine ACRL president for 1982-83, and Deputy Executive Director Hal Espo who has made so many ACRL processes ef­ ficient and pleasant during his years at Headquar­ ters from May 1978 to May 1982. In her fifth year of service to this Association, I have been particularly impressed by the excep­ tional commitment and competence of Executive Director Julie Carroll Virgo. She has been wise, assertive, and judicious— even while pursuing a business management degree program at the University of Chicago, a commitment of time dur­ ing 1981-83 that was understood and encouraged by ALA and by the ACRL Executive Committee. It is appropriate to conclude this report by quot­ ing from the report of the Committee to Evaluate the Executive Director, chaired by Mary Frances Collins: “The response from the membership re­ flects a strongly positive assessment and en­ dorsement of Ms. Virgo’s performance as an Executive Director. The membership response indicates strong approval of her managerial and organizational skills and talent. She is perceived as being highly task-oriented, hard-working, effi­ cient, and effective in her management of the As­ sociation.” Since an ACRL president is part-time and fleeting in his or her service, and committee members and section officers have rather little time to spare from their position of gainful em­ ployment, it is critical that the ACRL staff pro­ vide the continuity and dynamic full-time effort that helps a membership association succeed. I 232 use this opportunity to thank the entire staff. And I recognize the five years of Julie Virgo’s excep­ tional contributions and, on behalf of the mem­ bership, offer her our deep appreciation for her helping ACRL to be a major force in our profes­ sion. D avid C. W eb er P resident‚ ACRL A Conversation with C arla Stoffle E d it o r ’s Note: In Ju n e I h a d the opportunity to s p e a k w ith C a r la S t o ff le , v ic e - p r e s id e n t / p residen t-elect o f ACRL, abou t the im m ediate f u ­ tu re o f A C R L a n d its activities. S to ffle h as b e e n a s ­ s is ta n t c h a n c e l l o r f o r e d u c a t io n a l s e r v ic e s a t th e U n iv ersity o f W is c o n s in -P a r k s id e since 1978. She begins h e r te r m o f o f f i c e a s 44th presiden t o f ACRL at th e en d o f the ALA a n n u a l c o n f e r e n c e in Philadelphia. C arla Stoffle E d .: W h a t ty p e o f UW-ParksideA C R L a c t iv it ie s o r a r e a s o f lib r a r ia n s h ip will you b e em p h a sizin g du rin g y o u r term as ACRL p resid en t? Stoffle: I will be trying to encourage a response to the ACRL Activity Model for 1990. Much time and many resources were put into its develop­ ment, and I hope that ACRL members will exam­ ine the proposal’s recommendations closely. In order to ensure that ACRL remains a strong, via­ ble organization in the fu tu re, the m odel’s priorities will have to be continually examined. I would like to see the ACRL Planning Committee constantly identifying priorities and the ACRL Board using the Activity Model as a framework to judge the Association’s activities. Next year my p resid en tial them e will be “Building Bridges.” I would like to build bridges to other divisions and offices in ALA and improve the lines of communication with library schools. The Bibliographic Instruction Liaison Project will allow ACRL to build bridges with other profes­ sional associations, not only in terms of B I, but for the benefit of academic librarianship as a whole. I am also looking into a task force or dis­ cussion group on the role of academic libraries in higher education agencies and organizations. E d .: You have been a college adm inistrator f o r f o u r y ea rs now. F rom y ou r p e r s p e c tiv e , w hat must a ca d em ic lib r a r ia n s do to show ad m in is­ tra to rs how vital th e ir lib r a r ie s a r e to h ig h er edu cation ? Stoffle: They need to take well-planned risks. I prefer an environment where people take the in­ itiative and tell me as an administrator what di­ rection they should be going in and how they should fit into the long-range goals of the institu­ tion. I think that librarians do not adequately communicate their victories and philosophies of librarianship to the senior administration. Nor do we communicate the potential the library has to assist many institutional programs. We should stimulate the faculty to examine their curriculum and teaching methods periodically simply by ex­ posing them to library materials and services. Academic librarians can bring many research tools to their attention or enable them to shift their research focus by being involved in their subject areas and finding new information for them. Very few libraries will be able to buy every­ thing that someone on campus might want them to have. Collection development has become a major problem in the 80s— libraries not only must investigate resource-sharing, but they also need to offer alternative services to their parent institution to be active and effective on campus. E d .: Your publishing reco rd and your association with the B ibliographic Instruction Section show you to b e a m ost active p ro p on en t o f BI. How does bibliog rap h ic instruction f i t into A CRL s f u ­ ture? S to ffle: Bibliographic instruction librarians are concerned about the educational mission of the academic library in the broad sense as well as in specific programs. B IS members may become more involved in ACRL or ALA-wide programs. ACRL has played a critical role in the growth of instruction programs and in the acceptance of in­ struction by the profession in the last 25 years. The Association has and will continue to recog­ nize the importance of BI, provide a framework for people with ideas who need to share those ideas with o th ers, and provide training and legitimacy for user instruction professionals.