ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries December 1986 / 709 Strategic plans for ALA and ACRL: A comparison How A C R L ’s Goals and Strategic Management Directions relate to A L A ’s Priority and Organizational Areas. D u r i n g the same period when ACRL was work ing on its Strategic Plan, ALA was involved in a similar process. This has also been the case with other units of ALA—divisions, offices, and admin­ istrative units. A big question in the minds of all members and staff has been, “How will the plans of the units and the whole fit together?’ At several ses­ sions during ALA Annual Conferences and Mid­ winter Meetings, groups of members have dis­ cussed the potential problems in the overlapping planning processes, and have tried to avoid serious inconsistencies among all the plans. As an exercise, a comparison was draw n be­ tween ALA’s Strategic Long-Range Plan, which contains six Priority Areas and three Organiza­ tional Support Goals, and ACRL’s Strategic Plan, with its four Goals and seven Strategic Manage­ ment Directions. The following chart shows this comparison. On the left are the ALA Priority Areas. On the right, those parts of the ACRL Strategic Plan that relate to the ALA Plan are identified. The numbering sys­ tem in the ACRL column gives a goal number (Ro­ man numeral), a letter identifying the sub-goal, and a number for the objective involved. ACRĽs Strategic Plan will soon be available in three for­ mats: the full report is being deposited in ERIC, a brief form will be published next month in C&RL News, and a brochure on the Plan will appear by the Midwinter Meeting. ALA Priority Areas ACRL Goals Priority Area A: Access to Information 1. All individuals have equal access to libraries II.E. To strengthen libraries in institutions serv­ and information services. ing minorities. 2. Government information is widely and easily available. 3. Library collections are developed and main­ IV .C .3. Publish Choice and Books for College tained to meet the information needs of users. Libraries on a regular basis. 4. Access to information is facilitated by biblio­ graphic organization. 5. Library use is high. 710 / C &R L News ALA Priority Areas ACRL Goals Priority Area B: L egislation/Funding 1. Libraries have adequate funding from public III.B.3. Provide assistance for librarians seeking sources (local, state, federal). additional support for their libraries. 2. ALA members are well informed about op­ III.B .3 b . Cooperate w ith LAMA or another portunities for raising funds from private sources. group in presenting a fund-raising workshop. 3. Reliable and timely statistics and information II.A .4. Promote the identification, collection, about all sources of library funding are available. and dissemination of academic library statistics. 4. Congress consistently approves legislation fa­ I I .B .2. Strengthen m em bers’ efforts to affect vorable to libraries. and influence government and private sector activ­ ities, including legislation, funding, and quality higher education. 5. Local governing authorities and state legisla­ tures consistently approve ordinances and legisla­ tion favorable to libraries. Priority Area C: Intellectual Freedom 1. First Amendment rights are secure. 2. Persons whose First Amendment rights are challenged have adequate support. Priority Area D: Public Awareness 1. ALA provides information about libraries to II.A.2. Increase dissemination of ACRL stan­ all. dards and guidelines throughout the higher educa­ tion community. 2. Librarians are recognized as proactive profes­ II.B. Publicize availability of Advisory Services. sionals responsible for ensuring the free flow of in­ formation and ideas to present and future genera­ tions of library users. 3. Libraries are recognized as proactive agencies I I I . A. To enhance awareness of the role of aca­ essential to the cultural, educational and economic demic and research libraries among non-library life of society. p ro fe ssio n a ls a n d o r g a n iz a tio n s ( a c c r e d itin g bodies, higher education associations, scholarly and professional societies, etc.) and to develop ef­ fective working relationships with them. Priority Area E: Personnel Resources 1. Library and information science education I I I .D. To help shape library education programs meets the changing library and information needs in accord with the needs of academic and research of society. librarianship. 2. Master’s level programs are effectively accred­ ited. 3. Librarians are paid attractive salaries. 4. Librarians have a variety of opportunities for I. To contribute to the total professional devel­ professional development and continuing educa­ opment of academic and research librarians. tion. 5. Workshops and conferences conducted by ALA are available to librarians, trustees, and oth­ ers interested in libraries. 6. Job information, placement, and career ser­ I.C . To provide career counseling and place­ vices are readily available to librarians. m e n t in fo rm a tio n re g a rd in g academ ic and re ­ search librarianship. December 1986 / 711 ALA Priority Areas ACRL Goals 7. Effective library personnel policies are estab­ I I I .C .3. Promote the adoption of personnel poli­ lished and used. cies th at enhance the status, professional develop­ ment and working conditions of academic librari­ ans. 8. Librarianship recruits a racially and ethni­ III.C .2. Support the recruitment of members of cally diverse group of high caliber persons. underrepresented groups to academic librarian ship. 9. Librarians uphold the ALA Code of Ethics. 10. Librarians are proactive professionals who ensure the free flow of information and ideas. Priority Area F: Library Services, D evelopm ent, and Technology 1. Guidelines, standards, and codes are form u­ II.A. To develop standards and guidelines. lated and promoted to facilitate effective library service. 2. Professional resources in a variety of formats IV.C. To advance the professional knowledge of are produced by ALA. academic librarians through an effective publish­ ing program. 3. Statistics about libraries are collected regu­ II.A .4. Promote the identification, collection larly and distributed promptly. and dissemination of academic library statistics. 4. Research related to libraries and librarianship IV. A. To identify research topics and to encour­ is available from ALA in response to requests. age improvement in research skills. 5. Information and advisory services about li­ II.B. Publicize availability of Advisory Services. braries and librarianship are available from ALA in response to requests. 6. ALA encourages cooperative activities to im­ IV.B. To support research projects, report works prove service to library users. in progress and disseminate research results. 7. ALA promotes access to information via tech­ nological means. 8. Librarians are able to use technology effec­ tively. 9. Library funds are managed effectively. 10. Librarians practice effective public relations. III.A .1. Create opportunities for academic li­ brarians to interact with other professionals in the academic community. 11. Libraries are proactive agencies which meet the challenges of social, economic, and environ­ mental change. ALA Organizational Support Goals ACRL Strategic M anagement Directions Organizational Area A: ALA Roles and Relationships 1. The activities and programs of ALA are coor­ 6. W orking collaboratively w ith o th er ALA dinated. units for the good of librarianship as a whole. 2. ALA speaks with one voice for the profession. Organizational Area B: ALA Finances 1. ALA obtains a significant amount of income 2. Managing the financial resources of ACRL by from sources other than dues. relying on sound budgeting and accounting princi­ ples, including maintaining a reserve fund equal to at least 50% of the average annual expenditures over the three most recently completed years. 712 / C&R L News ALA Organizational Support Goals ACRL Strategic Management Directions 2. ALA maintains adequate cash reserves. 2. Managing the financial resources of ACRL by 3. New markets are developed for ALA’s prod­ relying on sound budgeting and accounting princi­ ucts and services. ples, including maintaining a reserve fund equal to 4. ALA has a continuously updated, multiyear at least 50% of the average annual expenditures financial plan. over the three most recently completed years. 5. ALA provides accurate and timely financial reports to members, officers and staff. Organizational Area C: Human Resources 1. ALA membership is large and stable. 4. Seeking new members through a variety of re­ cruitment techniques, while extending efforts to retain present members, including regular assess­ ments of member needs. 2. Large numbers of members are involved in the work of the association. 3. ALA leaders are effective. 5. Supporting all elected and appointed officers in fulfilling their leadership roles through carefully prepared programs of orientation and staff per­ sonal attention. 4. ALA responds to the needs and interests of members. 5. ALA staff provides a high level of expertise 3. Maintaining a dedicated and competent staff and service. by depending on sound personnel practices, in­ cluding careful selection, adequate training, p ar­ ticipative management techniques, and opportu­ nities for professional development. ■ ■ 6. Members are fully informed about ALA activ­ ities. 7. State library associations/chapters are fully in­ formed about ALA activities. 8. Appropriate and timely data about the ALA membership is available. OCLC to exchange data wit OCLC, Inc., has signed an agreement with the Deutsches Bibliotheksinstitut (the German Library Institute) to explore ways in which both organiza­ tions may reduce effort and the unit cost of catalog­ ing by sharing their respective databases. Both p a r­ ties will seek to overcome technological barriers to such efforts by arranging for access to each other’s data, software, research, and systems. During the current phase of the accord, seven re­ search libraries of the Federal Republic of Ger­ many have been selected by the Deutsches Bib­ liotheksinstitut to participate in the evaluation of the OCLC database. The participants include the State Library of Prussian Culture, the University Library of the Free University of Berlin, the Uni­ versity L ib rary of the Technical University of Berlin, the University Library of D usseldorf, the University Library of Heidelberg, the University Library of Tübingen, and the University Library of Essen. Samples from each library’s catalog will h Germany searched in the OCLC database to determine if e bibliographic data found will be useful as a sec ndary source of data for the German library and formation community. A sim ilar ev alu atio n will be co n d u cted by CLC, in association with a number of its U.S. ember libraries, accessing the serials and mono­ aphs union files m aintained at the Deutsches ibliotheksinstitut. Two national databases, one for serials and the her for monographs, are managed by the Deut es Bibliotheksinstitut. The Zeitschriftendaten­ nk, produced in cooperation with the State Li­ r a r y of th e P ru ssian C u l t u r a l F o u n d a tio n , ntains 430,000 serial titles representing over one illion holdings of more than 1,000 libraries. The w monographic database contains about 4 mil­ on titles. There are about 900,000 German-language ti­ es in O C L C ’s database of 14 million records. ■ ■ be th o in O m gr B ot ch ba b co m ne li tl