ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries September 1986 / 511 Studies Bibliographer, Harold B. Lee L ibrary, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 (53). M em ber-at-Large: B a r b a r a L . W a l d e n , His­ tory Bibliographer, University of Minnesota L i­ braries, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (83); David J. ooper, Humanities Bibliographer, Eisenhower ibrary, Johns Hopkins University, Baltim ore, D 21218 (33). C L M Executive D irecto r’s rep o rt, 1 9 8 5 – 8 6 By JoAn Segal A C R L Executive D irector A C R L is in a strong position programmatically, financially, and in its staffing. E d it o r ’s n o te: This r e ­ p o rt w as given by th e A C R L Executive D irec­ tor at the A C R L B oard and M em bership M eet­ ings a t A L A A n n u a l C o n f e r e n c e in N ew York. JoA n Segal I Current goals The goals of A CRL as established by the Com­ mittee on an Activity Model (1982) were: 1. To contribute to the total professional devel­ opment of academic and research librarians. 2. To improve service capabilities of academic and research librarians. 3. To promote and speak for the interests of aca­ demic and research librarianship. 4. To promote study and research relevant to ac­ ademic and research librarianship. I I Achievements, 1985-86 During the 1985–86 year, the Association has ac­ complished a great deal in the areas of these goals. Goal by goal, the achievements have been: 1. Professional development a. Courses were offered at Midwinter, Nationa Conference, and Annual Conference. A total of 307 people took 18 courses. In addition, local courses were offered, involving 255 participants. Tw o H um anities P rogram m ing W orkshops were offered in the NEH-funded series. 42 partici­ pants attended the meeting in Colorado Springs; 27 came to Portland, Oregon. Sandy Donnelly is the Program Officer in charge of both the continuing education and NEH pro­ grams. The Fourth National A C R L Conference was held in Baltimore, April 9– 12. There were 1,502 paid registrants; a total of 2,309 persons attended. A very active Conference Executive Committee de­ signed a program with five major theme sessions stressing Energies for Transition. Most popular was Maya Angelou, whose address proved inspira­ tional. Also highly praised by attendees were ses­ sions by David McCullough and Alan Kay. There were 60 contributed papers given. Social events in- l Septem ber 1986 / 513 eluded an opening reception in the exhibits area, a party at the Enoch Pratt Library, and another at the National Aquarium. Baltim ore was a hospita­ ble city; its Convention Center lent itself nicely to this conference. A major report on the conference may be found in C ò R L News, June 1986. Cathleen Bourdon had the major staff responsi­ bility for Baltim ore; Sandy Donnelly handled all exhibit activity. b. During the year, A CRL published: • Energies f o r Transition, Proceedings o f the 4th N ational C on feren ce, A C R L , Baltim ore. • M ission S tatem en ts f o r C o lle g e L ib r a r ie s , C L IP Note #5, compiled by Larry Hardesty, Jam ie Hastreiter and David Henderson. • Special Collections in C ollege L ibraries, C L IP Note #6, compiled by Christine Erdmann for the C LS College Library Information Packet Com m it­ tee. •L ibrary Instruction Clearinghouses: A D irec­ tory, 1985. Revised edition by Joan Ariel with as­ sistance from Lynn Randall, BIS Clearinghouse Committee. • W o m en s Studies in W estern E u rope: A R e­ source G uide. Edited by Stephen Lehmann and Eva Sartori, W ESS and W om en’s Studies Discus­ sion Group. Mary Ellen Davis took over responsibility for this program in November 1985. c. C ò R L News was the major tool by which we kept A C R L members informed about develop­ ments in the profession and the Association. The magazine had a record year for both display and classified advertising, and published its largest is­ sue ever in January 1986, with a preview of the B al­ timore Conference. George M. Eberhart is C &R L News editor, and assistant editor is Gus Friedlan­ der. In addition, eleven of A C R L ’s Sections produce newsletters which are addressed to the Section members. Gus and George carry out the produc­ tion work on these as well. d. The opportunity to participate in determining the future of the Association was provided through the Strategic Planning Process, with an important step being the Open Forum at Midwinter in C hi­ cago. e. Awards give the Association a mechanism for honoring its members, thereby affording a sense of peer reinforcement. This year’s major awards are: • A cad em ic or R esearch L ibrarian o f th e Year: Margaret Beckman. • M iriam B. D udley B ibliog rap h ic Instruction L ibrarian o f the Year: Virginia T iefel. • M artinus N ijh o ff In tern a tio n a l W est E u ro ­ pean Specialist Study G rant: Frederick C. Lynden. • IS I D o cto ra l D issertation A w ard : Gem m a DeVinney. • RBMS E xhibit C atalogu e A w ards: Getty Mu­ seum ; U n iv ersity of Illin o is L ib r a r y - Urbana/Champaign; Pierpont Morgan Library; Houghton Library, Harvard. Honorable Mentions to Bryn M awr C ollege L ib ra ry ; Houghton L i­ brary, Harvard; Linda Hall Library; M cFarlin L i­ brary, University of Tulsa. The staff member involved in awards activities is Mary Ellen Davis. f. C areer opportunities have been provided through classified ads in C ò R L News, the Fast J o b Listing Service, and the A CRL Jobline, and also through the provision of a placement service at the Baltimore Conference, which was staffed by ALA’s Margaret Myers and A C R L ’s Em m a Miller. 2. Library service a. The new C ollege L ibrary Standards were de­ veloped, approved by the A CRL Standards and Accreditation Committee, and sent on to the ALA Standards Committee. Audiovisual standards were printed in draft form in the May C ò R L News and was the subject of a hearing at the New York Conference. A hearing was also held on the revised M odel Statem ent o f Criteria and Procedures f o r A ppoin t­ m ent, Prom otion in A cad em ic Rank, an d Tenure f o r C ollege and University Librarians. An Accreditation Manual is under development for publication in 1986–87. b. Advisory services are demanding increasing amounts of staff time, as librarians, journalists, vendors, and the general public learn that ques­ tions about librarianship can be asked of ALA; aca­ demic library questions are referred to A C R L. W hile all the staff provide such service, our main librarian’s librarian is Mary Ellen Davis. c. Encouraging innovation is an objective fur­ thered with regularity by the publication of articles in C &R L News. d. Supporting fiscal and legislative efforts is a part of the goal of C &R L N ews, but special m ail­ ings in conjunction with matters having an impact on academic libraries were prepared by the A CRL Legislation Committee and sent out by staff on two occasions this year in connection with the renewal of the Higher Education Act. The Executive D irec­ tor also attended briefing sessions at the D epart­ ment of Education in an effort to encourage them to keep library programs viable. 3. Advocacy a. Efforts to further recognition of librarians as full partners in the academic enterprise included participation in the AAHE National Conference and representation by Chapter officers at a re­ gional Conference sponsored by the American As­ sociation of State Colleges and Universities. b. Enhancing awareness of librarians among other groups included visits by staff and officers to the Higher Education Group of Washington, the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, the National University Continuing Edu­ cation Association, and the conference of the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education. Sandy Donnelly is a section co-chair in 514 / C& RL News the local AAACE chapter. c. Recruitment activities included the sending of posters to library schools. d. Alliances with other associations have in­ cluded appointment of Sharon Rogers to an AAHE working group which is to produce a publication on the hiring of key administrators, including li­ brary directors; cooperation in National Commu­ nity and Junior College Month; exchanging of ex­ hibit booths with SLA and with N UCEA , and plans for the joint presentation of a course with the Northern Illinois University Division of Continu­ ing Education. e. Staff has regularly responded to Washington Office memos and written to legislators. In addi­ tion, the Executive Director responded to the ques­ tion of privatization of N TIS. f . In addition, several staff members are actively participating in the American Society of Associa­ tion Executives. 4. Study and research a. Serial publications include C olleg e an d R e­ search L ibraries, edited by Charles Martell and produced by ALA’s Central Production Unit; C ol­ leg e ò R esearch L ibraries N ews, edited and pro­ duced by G eo rg e E b e r h a r t , e d ito r, and Gus Friedlander, assistant editor; and the new R are B ooks an d M anuscripts L ibrarian sh ip , for which George and Gus do the production work. A CRL also publishes C h oice, a magazine of reviews, from offices in Middletown, Connecticut, where a staff of 20 F T E is housed. b. Forums for discussion were provided at the Baltim ore Conference. c. The Research Com mittee, the Ad Hoc Re­ search Development Committee and the Research Discussion Group have worked this year on pre­ senting research as an attractive option to aca­ demic and research librarians. Through programs at Midwinter and at the Baltim ore Conference, they are encouraging newcomers to attempt re­ search. d. Two projects are under development: one for a program to seek ways to assist traditionally black institutions with their libraries; another for a guide to doing research. A new NEH grant was sought and has been funded for 1986–88. III. Finance A C R L ’s financial condition continues strong. Even the introduction of accrual accounting at ALA will find A C RL with reserves, building to­ ward the goal recommended in the planning docu­ ment. At the end of the 1984–85 fiscal year, the “fund balance” for A C RL and C h o ice was calcu­ lated at $496,524 after accruals, according to the audited report from Peat, M arwick, Mitchell. Of this, some $24,000 is (erroneously, we believe) at­ tributed to C h oice. Our projection on August 1 is that we will end the year with a contribution to re­ serves of some $90,000 from A C RL activities, and about $72,000 from C h oice. This condition is stated at the point in A C R L ’s three-year budget cycle where the Association is at its peak, just following a national conference. As we become more mature in our accounting practices, it is becoming obvious that A C RL has embarked upon a process referred to by ASAE as “unbundling,” or breaking out charges for specific ervices, especially those not used by all members. For some time, A C RL has had a policy of making its continuing education (professional develop­ ment) program self-supporting, as well as its publi­ cations, any conferences and workshops, and any special funded projects. The (perhaps unexpected) outcome of this is to identify most clearly what ser­ ices A C R L provides from dues. W h ile th e amounts of money spent on individual services vary from year to year, it is clearly possible to identify which services are being paid for out of dues mon­ ies. They are: •Membership Services (this includes recru it­ ment, production of membership brochures, proc­ essing of new memberships, keeping of member­ ship statistics, answering calls and letters about membership, tracking membership campaigns for effectiveness, mailings to those appearing in the People column in C &R L N ew s, and measuring staff tim e). •Executive Com mittee, Board and President (this includes their travel, expenses of the Presi­ dent’s Program, operating expenses such as postage and telephone, agenda preparations, and staff tim e). •Budget and Finance Committee (includes tra ­ vel, which has not been necessary for the past two years, agenda preparation, copying and mailing expenses, and staff time). • Section budgets include fin an cial requests from sections, such as newsletter and manual costs, and section committee expenses. Again, staff time is counted in. • C h ap ter budgets include sim ilar requests. Staff time is included for work with the Chapters Council and individual chapter members, and for preparation of the C h ap ter Topics newsletter. •Com m ittees also have budget requests and much staff time is spent in providing assistance to committees. •Discussion groups require little staff time. No budget requests are honored. •Advisory services are provided to members and non-members, but are included here, because staff time, copying and mailing costs, and tele­ phone costs are included. W e also include as advi­ sory serv ices th e p r e p a r a tio n of p ap ers and speeches to groups,and consulting activities, which do generate a small amount of revenue. •Statistics and research activities do not occur regularly, but when they do, they come out of the general budget. •The A C RL Jobline and the free distribution of s v September 1986 / 517 ministrative secretary for Sandy and Mary Elle for about six months, but after the Baltimore Co ference, she decided she did not want to stay wit us permanently. W e have hired two part-time e ployees, Dawn Jacobson and Margaret Lentz s that each staff member has one supervisor and eac exempt person has a dedicated support staff me ber. In filling our new office manager position w promoted Elaine Opalka, who had been Cathlee Bourdon’s administrative secretary. O f course that left her position open, but we were fortunat in being able to hire Karen Duhart, who has an e cellent secretarial background. Emma also needed a successor and we were abl to hire Vivian Hunter, who had worked for RTSD into the position of administrative assistant. Vivia is a well-educated and skilled woman who will, am sure, also be a valuable addition to the staff. W e have had two changes in the assistant edito position in C &R L News. Lorraine Dorff was wit us only six months, but left to accept a better pos tion for which she had interviewed before comin to ACRL. Luckily, Gus Friedlander was availabl when we went looking for another assistant edito and he began May 1. His previous experience i publishing and journalism has been helpful. Thus we are at our full complement of 11 F T staff members (12 persons) in our Chicago hea quarters. We hope you had an opportunity to me our new staff members, as well as old staff me bers in new hats in New York or back in Chicago At C hoice, the major personnel changes hav been related to staffing the operation of the Thir Edition of Books f o r C ollege Libraries. Virgini Clark has been serving as the project editor unde the management of Pat Sabosik. Virginia’s positio n n­ h m­ o h m­ e n , e x­ e , n I r h i­ g e r, n E d­ et m­ . e d a r n at C hoice was therefore left vacant; we have been fortunate in being able to fill it by hiring Robert Balay, longtime head of reference services at Yale University. T hroughout this rep ort, I have referred to ACRL staff members to indicate their areas of re­ sponsibility and expertise. As a division, ACRL has been very fortunate in being able to hire competent professionals to staff its operations in Chicago and Middletown, Connecticut. W e also use regular staff meetings and informal communication means to ensure that all staff members have— in addition to th e ir know ledge of th eir own area of specialization— an understanding of the salient as­ pects of their colleagues’ areas. Therefore, ACRL members may expect to be able to receive accurate inform ation about division m atters from staff members, even if the question involved is not ex­ actly in that person’s bailiwick. At worst, the re­ quest for information will have to be transferred only once to the proper person; at best, an answer may be immediately available. VII. Summary ACRL is in a very strong position programmati­ cally, financially, and in its staffing. W e move into an exciting year, in which the new Strategic Plan will be implemented, Books f o r C ollege Libraries editing will be completed, a new series of NEH workshops will be carried out, and there will be new initiatives in the area of continuing education and professional development. I look forward to meeting more ACRL members, and to working with a new team of leaders. Thank you for all the volunteer work, which is what really keeps the As­ sociation of College and Research Libraries go­ ing. Letters Carpeting the stacks To the Editor: The cover photo on the C& RL News July/Au­ gust issue really got my attention. Since publishing “Moving Steel Stacks with a Special Dolly” in L i­ brary Acquisitions, Practice and Theory in 1982 I have received a number of requests for copies of the drawings of the dolly, but until I read James Seges­ ta’s article, “Pulling the Rug out from under the Stacks,” I ’ve never read any reports from people who have actually built and used the device. From the information Mr. Segesta has gathered it is easy to see that the dolly provides a cost-effective ap­ proach to moving steel bookstacks and is rapidly becoming an accepted procedure in the bookstack moving process. Dave Roberts and fellow Miami University Physical Plant employees deserve spe­ cial recognition for their inventive genius in creat­ ing this “low tech” solution to a library dilemma of long standing. Using the dollies to move lo a d ed bookstacks, however, is a potentially dangerous practice. In or­ der to be sure that loaded stacks can be moved safely, the equipment and procedures used should be examined and approved by a trained safety en­ gineer. A situation involving tremendous weights, uneven floors, unskilled personnel and a center of gravity that may be much higher than advisable, can only lead to disaster. As tempting as the con­ cept may be, moving the stacks with books in place is something to avoid at least until some technical expertise has been applied to the need for examin­ ing all of the relevant safety considerations.— Brian Alley, Dean o f Library Services, Sangamon State University.