ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 266 / C&RL News W e h a v e a lre a d y seen enco u ra g in g a n d positive results from o u r p a rtn e rsh ip a p p ro a c h to serving those young lib ra ry users w h o m a y b e o u r fu tu re students. T h e a u th o r w ishes to ac kn o w led g e the co n trib u ­ tions to this article m a d e b y th e fifth -g ra d e students a n d the a d m in istra tio n o f S w e e tw a te r School in G lendale, A rizona. ■ ■ ALA c a n d id a t e s o n ACRL The fo u r candidates fo r A L A president share their views on academic and research librarianship. R ebecca T. B in g h a m Richard M. Dougherty Ire n e B. H o adley H a nnelore B. R ader R e c e n t l y th e ALA pre sid en tial can d id ate s w ere asked to give som e th o u g h t to A L A /A C R L relations a nd aca d em ic lib ra ria n sh ip in ge n era l for this spe­ cial C ir R L N e w s fe atu re. T h e ir sta te m en ts m ay a id you w h e n you vote for ALA officers on this spring"s b allot. Rebecca T. Bingham: I h a v e lo n g a d m i r e d th e l e a d e r s h ip ro le of A C R L , ALA’s largest, fin an c ia lly strongest u n it. I believe t h a t th e goal of any professional association is to e n h an c e th e profession i t represents a n d th e tale n ts a n d abilities of its m em bers. By th is m ea ­ sure, A C R L ’s re co rd is o u tstan d in g . I t has n o t only p ro v id ed a m odel of sta n d a rd s , long-range p la n ­ n in g a n d effective use of th e c h a p te r system for ALA, b u t A C R L has p layed a stro n g leadership role in ALA th ro u g h th e service of its m em bers a nd officers on C o uncil, in th e units, o n th e c o m m it­ tees, a n d o n th e ro u n d tables. At th e risk of so u n d in g d ra m a tic , I c an say th a t I h ave a lo n g-standing love a ffa ir a n d id en tification w ith a cadem ic libraries. I a ttrib u te m y b e ing a li­ April 1989 / 267 b ra ria n to day to th e rich a n d challenging experi­ ences I w as privileged to enjoy as an u n d e rg ra d u a te stu d e n t w o rking m y w ay th ro u g h college as a page in th e C ircu la tio n D e p a rtm e n t o f th e stately, vine- c lad original lib ra ry beside th e m ain e n tra n ce to In d ia n a U niversity. I began w o rk in g th e re for the 32 hours p e r w eek t h a t I n eeded to stretch m y m ea ­ ger resources to cover m y college expenses w h e n I w as a freshm an. By th e tim e I w as a ju n io r, I w as freq u e n tly assigned to be “in c h arg e ” of th e C ircu­ lation D e p a rtm e n t o n S a tu rd ay a n d Sunday a fte r­ noons. O ne d ay I realized th e re w a rd s I felt on this fringe of lib ra rian sh ip a nd suspected I m ight enjoy b e ing a lib ra ria n m ore th a n th e c a re e r in psychiat­ ric social w ork for w h ic h I w as p re p a rin g . In re­ sponse to m y question re g ard in g m y em ploym ent prospects should I c hange fields, M a rg are t Rufs- vo ld of th e G ra d u a te L ib ra ry School (its n am e th en ) inform ed m e th a t lib ra ry schools w ere p re ­ p a rin g only a b o u t 10% of th e lib ra rian s a ntici­ p a te d to b e n eeded for th e next te n years, a n d th a t fo r m in o rity lib ra rian s, less th a n on e -te n th of one p ercent. I m a d e m y decision o n th e spot, a n d have never looked back! I am c u rre n tly serving on th e off-cam pus p ro ­ gram facu lty of th e U niversity of K entucky School of L ib ra ry a n d In fo rm atio n Science a n d have been a w orkshop leader a n d guest le c tu re r in th e lib ra ry a n d in fo rm a tio n science schools a t a n u m b e r of in­ stitutions. W hile serving on P resident C a rte r’s A d­ visory C om m ittee fo r th e 1979 W h ite H ouse C on­ ference on L ib ra ry a n d In fo rm atio n Services I w as p riv ile g ed to focus on th e p a rtic ip a tio n of aca- dem ic/research lib ra rian s a n d lib ra ria n s serving c h ildren a n d young people in a u n iq u e w ay. W hile serving in th e ALA C o uncil (I am n ow in m y second te rm ), on th e ALA E xecutive B oard, as President of th e K entucky L ib ra ry Association, a nd as President of th e Southeastern L ib ra ry Associa­ tio n I have m a in ta in e d an u p -to -d a te know ledge of th e issues a n d concerns facing academ ic lib ra rian - ship a n d I have a trac k record of addressing them th ro u g h com m ittee ap p o in tm en ts, task forces, a p ­ peals to legislators a n d o th er a p p ro p ria te m eans as th e specific circum stances have w a rra n te d . My interest in fostering access to inform ation ex­ tends to all of librarianship, a n d certainly to aca­ dem ic and research libraries. Academ ic freedom , an openness th a t precludes m isinform ation, is basic to th e excellence w hich is the AC R L goal for academ ic libraries, research and other specialized libraries. I am concerned th a t any m ove to w a rd the privatiza­ tion of governm ent publishing poses a th re a t to the availability of inform ation by and about our govern­ m e n t a t the precise tim e w hen w e so desperately need b etter inform ation and a good supply of quality re so u rc e s in th e te a c h in g a n d le a r n in g of n ew decision-m aking skills. I am aw are th a t changing college a nd university student populations, w hich now range from older adults w ho are enrolling to high school students using academ ic libraries, are re­ q u iring changed realities of outreach a nd service for th e libraries in these institutions. A cadem ic a n d research libraries are as m uch af­ fected by th e d ra m a tic changes in th e racial, e thnic a n d c u ltu ra l dem ographics of ou r po p u latio n as are all types of libraries a n d th e w hole field of lib ra ri­ anship. M inority re cru itm e n t, th e re tention of m i­ n o rity lib ra rian s, a n d u p w a rd m obility of m in o ri­ ties in th e profession a re m usts if our cam pus a nd research libraries are to re m a in re levant to a n d re p ­ re sentative of th e institutions a n d com m unities of w h ic h they are a p a rt. I h ave a deep concern fo r th e Association itself a n d I am pleased t h a t it is now seriously review ing its election process. I have long felt t h a t election to ALA leadership positions should b e w ith in th e fi­ n a n cial reach of anyone able to p a y th e m em ber­ ship dues. W h en w e a re striving fo r th e im proved financial sta bility of th e Association, w h e n strong professional leadership is so necessary fo r th e c h al­ lenges w e face, a n d w h e n w e a re a profession his­ torically ty pified by m odest salaries, it is re g re tta ­ b l e t h a t t h e c o sts o f b e in g a c a n d i d a t e h a v e escalated to th e p o in t of d e te rrin g m an y w ith o u t­ s ta n d in g p o te n tia l, in te re s t, a n d w illingness to serve. T his u n fo rtu n a te occurrence is n ot only af­ fecting ALA, it is filtering d o w n to th e Divisions a n d R ound T ables. I see it as a serious th re a t to th e fu tu re h e alth of th e Association. I am h a p p y th a t ALA has ap p o in te d a Special C o m m itte e on the E lection Process; I h o p e it addresses this critical as­ p ect of th e p roblem ; a n d I hope to h a v e th e o p p o r­ tu n ity to act to rectify th e situ atio n from th e v a n ­ tage p o in t of th e ALA presidency. T h e p ro fe s s io n o f l i b r a r i a n s h i p , A L A a n d A C R L , w ill c o n tin u e to m eet challenges. ALA a nd its divisions a re alread y engaged in dialogue re la t­ ing to th e n ew o p e ratin g a greem ent as it becom es a reality. C oncerns will c o ntinue to arise. N ew issues w ill c o ntinue to em erge. W e w ill c o ntinue to be challenged to fin d n ew directions a n d revise our goals to respond to th e n ew conditions as w e come to u n d e rsta n d th em . As P resident of ALA, I assure you th a t I h ave a history t h a t reflects u n d e rsta n d ­ ing of th e problem s a n d concerns of A C R L . I do not prom ise solutions to all problem s o r th e resolution of all issues. I do pledge a vigorous p u rsu it of solu­ tions a n d resolutions, a n d I prom ise y our involve­ m e n t in t h a t p u rsu it. I pledge to speak o u t responsi­ bly, on all m atters re la te d to ALA a n d its goals of h e lp in g th e lib r a r ia n , in a ca d e m ic /re se a rc h li­ b ra rie s as well as in all o ther libraries, to succeed. I pledge m y support! I encourage your active p a rtic ip a tio n in d e v eloping a p p ro p ria te p lan s, a c tio n s, a n d responses! I so lic it y o u r vote!! — Rebecca T. B ingham , D irector o f L ibrary M edia Services, Jefferson C o u n ty P ublic Schools, D u rre tt E d u cation C enter, 4409 Preston H ig h w a y , L ouis­ ville, K Y 40213. 268 / C& RL News Richard M. Dougherty: T h ere a re a host o f issues of in te rest a n d concern to academ ic lib ra ria n s. Som e a re long-standing, such as b ib lio g ra p h ic instru ctio n , fa cu lty status, sta n d a rd s, a n d pre serv a tio n of collections, w hile oth ers a re of m ore re ce n t vin ta g e , such as utiliza ­ tio n of in fo rm a tio n technologies, de p lo y m e n t of e lectronic a n d resource-sharing netw orks, p riv a t­ iza tio n of g o vernm ent in fo rm a tio n a n d th e c h a n g ­ in g eco n o m ics of p u b lis h in g . I u n d e r s ta n d th e view s of a cadem ic lib ra ria n s on these m atters. I h a v e been personally involved w ith m ost of these issues, a n d a t o ne tim e or a n o th e r I h ave w ritte n a b o u t all of th em . As ALA P re sid e n t I w o u ld re­ m a in sensitive to th e wishes a n d p rio rities of th e ac­ adem ic lib ra ry c o m m unity. M any people have asked m e w h y I d e cided to ru n for th e Presidency. T h e tone in w h ic h th e y ask infers, “W h y b o th er? ” T h e question th e y a re really asking is, “C a n a n ALA P resident m ak e a differ­ ence?” M any ALA m em b ers ev id e n tly d o n ’t th in k so because so few b o th e re d to v o te in last y e a r’s election. F e w e r th a n 28% re tu rn e d ballots. T h a t, colleagues, is sym p to m a tic of a severe case o f a p a ­ thy. I t doesn’t reflect w ell on th e perceived rele­ vance of o u r A ssociation to th e ra n k a n d file. B u t I believe w e, as lib ra ria n s, a n d ALA, as o u r profes­ sional association, h a v e m a d e m a n y c o n tributions to society, a n d I believe t h a t I as P resident could help m ak e a difference. C a n lib ra ria n s m ake a difference? Yes. • L ib ra ria n s have com piled a n e n viable record fighting censorship a n d e n su rin g citizen access to in fo rm a tio n — th e FB I aw areness p ro g ra m is only th e latest in cident. • L ib r a r ia n s can p lay a significant role in the b a ttle against illiteracy. • L ib ra ria n s c an influence th e sh a p e of na tio n a l in form ation policies. C a n ALA m ake a difference? Yes. •A L A is synonym ous w ith lib ra ria n sh ip in th e m inds of m ost citizens. •A L A is m ost effective w h e n it speaks o u t on is­ sues th a t tra n sc e n d th e interests of ind iv id u a l units. • A L A speaks w ith a u th o r i t y to o fficials in W ashington. •A L A is o u r m ost effective vehicle for im p ro v ­ ing th e profession’s visibility. •A L A c a n h e lp to a ttra c t th e best possible re­ cruits to th e profession. C a n D o u g h e rty m ak e a difference? Yes. • D o u g h e rty is a n experienced le a d e r. I h a v e d i­ rected university lib ra ries a t C alifornia-B erkeley a nd M ichigan for th e last 16 years. I h ave also been elected to positions of responsibility a n d leadership in ALA, A RL, R L G , a n d IFL A . • D o u g h e rty is a n acknow ledged in n o v ato r. I established c am pus d o c u m e n t delivery services a t C olorado, B erkeley, a n d M ichigan. T h e first ser­ vice w as established 20 years ago. I fu n d e d a full- service pre serv a tio n u n it a t M ichigan a t th e b e g in ­ n in g of th e 1980s; fu n d e d a specialized in fo rm a tio n a n d d o c u m e n t delivery service to business a n d in­ d u stry (M ITS); conceived th e R esearch Residency p ro g ram for n ew lib ra ry school g ra d u ates a t M ichi­ gan (th e p ro g ra m p ro v id es a d v a n c e d e d u c a tio n a n d tra in in g for professionals w h o aspire to careers in research libraries); fo u n d e d M o u ntainside P u b ­ lishing a n d lau n c h ed th e Journal o f A ca d e m ic L i ­ brarianship, L ib ra ry Issues, B riefings f o r F aculty a n d A d m inistrators, a n d Research Strategies: A Journal o f L ib ra ry C oncepts a n d Instruction. • D o u g h e rty is a risk-taker. I h a v e a history of being th e “m essenger of b a d tid in g s,” speaking o ut on issues b e fo re th ey a re generally recognized as c ritical issues. T h is does n o t m e a n I h ave infallible foresight a n d vision, ju st a c e rta in m easure o f fo rti­ tu d e, a n d a w illingness to b e w ro n g on occasion. Being rig h t is n o t alw ays fu n e ith e r. R aising th e a la rm a b o u t sp ira lin g serials prices in 1984 m e a n t I w as n o t alw ays w elcom e in som e q u a rte rs. I t w as a m essage t h a t m an y d id n ’t w a n t to h e a r. C a n you m ak e a difference? Yes, by vo tin g for D ick D o u g h e rty for ALA P resident a n d becom ing actively involved in sta te a n d n a tio n a l professional organizations. M y m a jo r objectives a re to b u ild: 1) stronger co­ alitions: to im prove th e a b ility of ALA to u n ite on issues of general c oncern a n d speak w ith a single voice; 2) b e tte r c om m unications; to im prove ALA ’s a b ility to c o m m u n ica te w ith citizens a n d p u b lic of­ ficials; a n d 3) g re a te r visibility: to increase th e p ro ­ fession’s visibility a n d re cognition as a n a g en t of positive social change. Stronger coalitions. T o c o m m u n ica te messages t h a t a re h e a rd m o re clearly a n d w ith g re a te r a u ­ th o rity by p u b lic officials, w e m ust sta n d to gether. W e som etim es seem to forget t h a t o utside th e p ro ­ fession, ALA is a b le to re p re se n t our interests best. I w ill w o rk to e m u la te those successful politicians w h o a re a ble to b u ild coalitions of special interest groups w illing to speak as a single voice on key is­ sues. B e tte r co m m u n ica tio n . O u r im age in W ash in g ­ to n is a lre a d y stro n g e r th a n m a n y o f us realize. W e c o u ld send e v en m o re p e rsu a s iv e m essages b y s tre n g th e n in g o u r grassroots S ta te A ssociation/ C h a p te r-o rie n te d c o m m unications n etw ork. T his requires ALA to re d o u b le its efforts to w o rk w ith each a n d every C h a p te r. I t also requires th e c h a p ­ ters to becom e m o re active in th e co m m u n ica tio n process. A nd, m ost im p o rta n tly , it requires th a t m o re in d iv id u a l m em b ers c o n ta c t sta te a n d U.S. re p re se n ta tiv e s on issues of p rofessional im p o r­ ta n c e . T h ere is n o th in g like c o m m u n ica tio n s from constituents to g ra b th e a tte n tio n of rep re se n ta ­ tives. L o b bying is t h e w a y business is c o n d u cted in o u r society. If w e a re n ’t w illing to p a rtic ip a te , w e sho u ld n ’t co m p la in a b o u t b e in g overlooked as a profession. G reater visib ility . W e n eed g re a te r professional visibility. T h e re a re too m a n y people w h o d o n ’t k now w h o w e a re, w h a t w e do, o r ho w w e c a n con­ April 1989 / 269 trib u te to the solution of societal problem s. W e are know n as cham pions in th e cause of intellectual freedom , b u t too often w e as a profession are over­ looked. T he b a ttle against illiteracy affords us a special op p o rtu n ity to d e m onstrate th e im portance of libraries a n d librarians. L ite rac y is already a grave concern. W h en alm ost h a lf th e high school students in areas such as C hicago, D etroit, and N ew York d rop o u t of school, a n d m any of those w ho rem ain g ra d u ate w ith o u t passing a reading proficiency test, society has a problem . O r w hen A T & T m ust interview over 50,000 candidates to find 2,100 w ho are qualified to fill entry-level jobs, again society has a problem . I t is becom ing ex­ trem ely difficult for officials to ignore th e fact th a t o u r country is educationally a t risk. H ow can li­ b ra ria n s contribute? Research dem onstrates th a t reading to children decreases the likelihood th a t a child w ill grow up illiterate. W hy n ot th e n expand a n d intensify w h a t w e already do w ell—reading to children? A future slo g a n m ig h t be: “ R e a d in g a n d L ib r a r ia n s — G iving Youth an E dge for L ife .” ALA is best suited to provide professional leadership in this effort. ALA is cu rren tly concerned a b o u t im proving the in fo rm a tio n lite rac y of stu d e n ts a n d citizens. I hope m ore academ ic lib rarian s becom e directly in ­ volved in this effort. If w e are u n a b le to a tta ck the p ro b lem of illite rac y d u rin g th e pre-school a nd early elem entary school years, th e re is little hope th a t m any students will ever c are or be able to be­ com e in form ation literate by th e tim e th ey com ­ p lete high school. As academ ic librarians, w e too have a stake in this b attle. ALA c an m ake a difference in cham pioning the causes th a t excite and concern librarians. I decided to ru n for th e Presidency because I’m com m itted to th e profession a n d presum ptuous enough to believe I can m ake a difference. I w ill need your support in o rder to w in .—R ichard M . D ougherty, Professor, School o f L ibrary ir Info rm a tio n Studies, Univer­ sity o f M ichigan, 500 E. University, A n n A rbor, M I 48109-1092. Irene B. Hoadley: As an academ ic lib ra ria n , I find m any issues th a t are im p o rta n t for today’s libraries and librarians. My platform for th e office of ALA President centers on several of these key areas. T he dissem ination of governm ent inform ation is a pressing issue today. T here is a m ovem ent to have governm ent in form ation dissem inated by th e p ri­ v ate sector, a n d th e profession has chosen to fight th a t stance. G overnm ent inform ation should con­ tin u e to be distrib u te d w ith o u t cost to depository li­ braries. H ow ever, I am enough of a realist to know th a t w e are p ro b a b ly fighting a losing ba ttle to have all governm ent inform ation a t no cost to li­ braries. If governm ent in form ation is separated into tw o categories— one w hich is d istributed by t h e g o v e rn m e n t a n d th e o th e r b y th e p r iv a te sector— th en th ere a re tw o courses of action. W h at is issued by th e g o vernm ent sh ould be w ith o u t charge. W h a t th e governm ent will not produce should be h a n d le d by th e p riv ate sector. Statistics a re a good exam ple. I t w ould b e b e tte r for the fed­ eral governm ent to c o n tra ct o u t those publications so th e d a ta w o uld be available. T he federal govern­ m en t w ill never have th e funds to publish every­ th in g they have. If th e p rivate sector does n ot p ro ­ vide it, th e inform ation is n ot available. I t is b e tte r to have the in form ation available a t a price th a n n ot to have it available a t all. As an academ ic lib ra ria n , I have a long-standing com m itm ent to the profession as a strong propo­ n e n t of faculty status. L ib rarian s w ho are actively engaged in scholarly research and in professional activities often c o n trib u te m ore to th e ir institutions a n d to librarianship. W hile facu lty status is im por­ ta n t to som e academ ic libraries, for others th e re are oth er types of status w hich m ake them p a rtn e rs in th e organizations in w hich th e y w ork. This is an a re a w h e re A C R L has tak e n a stro n g role a nd should continue to exercise leadership a nd guid­ ance. In th e e nd it is really th e recognition of and respect for th e role of lib rarian s w h ich is im p o r­ tan t. Perhaps w h a t I believe in m ost is the future. T he present is stim ulating because th e re a re so m any new things ha p p en in g w hich have been m ade pos­ sible because of technology. L ibraries have become a w orld of m agic w h e re a n y thing is possible. Ahead lies th e task of im plem enting these advances and reshaping th e im age o f libraries to dynam ic, excit­ ing o rganizations w hich change to m eet th e infor­ m ation needs of th e various publics they serve. T he fu tu re can be w h a t w e let it be or it can be w h a t we m ake it. I w a n t to help shape th e fu tu re of libraries by being one step ahead and t h a t m eans m oving in th e fast lane. I w o uld like to see ALA m ove faster too. ALA m ust be in th e forefront m aking th e fu­ tu re happen. T o accomplish this end, strong lead­ ership will be needed. A critical issue for academ ic libraries is funding. As cam pus com petition for financial resources in­ creases, it is essential th a t th e lib ra ry be p re p are d to sup p o rt its needs in a n effective w ay. F u n d in g will n ot com e a u to m atically because libraries are “good th in g s.” A nd as m an y institutions becom e m ore “ sta te assisted” r a th e r t h a n “ s ta te s u p p o rte d ,” th e re is a n in c re a s in g n e ed fo r s u p p le m e n ta ry sources of funding. L ibrarians w ill need to b e hus­ tlin g for th e dollars. T here w ill be m ore emphasis on fund-raising to build endow m ents, to fu n d non- t r a d i t io n a l services a n d to b u ild c o lle c tio n s . Sources of gifts w ill also becom e m ore diverse from football bow l proceeds to class gifts to gifts from M others Clubs. Successful program s will provide a n ew visibility for libraries w h ich in tu rn should en­ h ance funding. Technology has b ro u g h t great changes to most academ ic libraries. W ith technology has come en­ h a nced access to lib ra ry m aterials in all form ats 270 / C& RL News a n d subjects a n d a n e w im a g e in t h e eyes of m a n y users of a n u pscale, m o d e rn e n v iro n m e n t. T ec h ­ nology is also p ro v id in g th e basis fo r n e tw o rk in g a n d b u ild in g c o o p era tio n a n d c o o rd in a tio n a m o n g lib ra rie s b e c a u se o f th e a cc essib ility of s h a rin g d a ta . T his is b o th a blessing a n d a cross; a b lessing in t h a t sh a rin g o f resources is in cre asin g a n d a cross because of th e cost of sh a rin g resources. A cadem ic lib ra ria n s h a v e a n o p p o rtu n ity n o w to influence a n d sh a p e lib ra rie s o f th e fu tu re . W e h a d a sim ila r o p p o rtu n ity a b o u t 25 years ago w ith th e in tro d u c tio n o f a u to m a tio n , b u t w e d id n o t seize t h a t o p p o rtu n ity . W e to o k a u to m a tio n a n d su p e r­ im posed it on o u r m a n u a l system s assum ing t h a t w h a t w e d id w as goo d a n d rig h t. As a re su lt w e have sim ply a u to m a te d w h a t w e d id r a th e r th a n looking a t h o w tec h n o lo g y m ig h t h a v e h e lp e d li­ b ra rie s to ch an g e . W e sh o u ld n o t re p e a t th is a sec­ o nd tim e . A cadem ic lib ra rie s a n d th e re fo re A C R L d o h a v e som e special p ro b le m s t h a t w e m u st address, b u t eq u ally im p o rta n t a re th e issues t h a t a ffe c t a ll types of lib ra ries. T hese a re th e sim ila rities t h a t b in d us to g eth e r to p ro v id e th e d isse m in a tio n of a c c u ra te a n d tim e ly in fo rm a tio n in th e p u rsu it of k n o w l­ edge. ALA allow s us to seek c o m m o n goals, solve co m m o n p ro b le m s a n d p u rs u e c o m m o n a s p ir a ­ tions. I w a n t th e o p p o rtu n ity to in flu e n ce th ese is­ sues by serving as P re sid e n t of A LA . T o do th is I need y o u r v ote a n d y o u r s u p p o rt. B u t ALA also needs you, so it is especially i m p o r ta n t t h a t every m e m b e r exercise h is /h e r rig h t to h e lp select th e next P re sid e n t of A L A .— Ire n e B. H o a d le y, D irector, E vans L ib ra r y , Texas A‹LrM U n iversity, C ollege S tation, T X 77843. Hannelore B. Rader: D u rin g its F ifth N a tio n a l C o n fe ren c e h e ld in C in c in n a ti th is m o n th , A C R L celeb ra tes a c e n tu ry of acco m p lish m en ts, le a d e rs h ip , progress a n d co­ o p e ratio n r e la te d to a ca d em ic a n d re sea rc h lib ra ri- anship. T h ro u g h o u t 100 years o f g ro w th a n d d evel­ o p m e n t, A C R L h a s s u p p o r t e d a c a d e m i c a n d re sea rc h l ib r a r ia n s in p ro b le m -so lv in g , t r a in in g a n d c o n tin u in g e d u c a tio n , a n d in a d d re ssin g c h a l­ lenges, especially d u rin g tim es o f c h an g e . As th e professional association for a c a d e m ic lib ra ria n s, A C R L has successfully dev elo p ed a m o d el o rg a n i­ z a tio n , w h ic h is fisc ally so u n d , f e a tu re s s tro n g leadership a n d h a s th e larg e st m e m b e rs h ip fo r a n ALA D ivision. A c ad e m ic a n d re sea rc h lib ra ria n s also receive s u p p o r t a n d g u id a n c e fro m A C R L th ro u g h a n o u tsta n d in g n a tio n a l a n d in te rn a tio n a l p u b lic a tio n p ro g ra m , w h ic h has h a d a n im m ense im p a c t on h ig h e r e d u c a tio n a n d scholarly activities th ro u g h C h o ice a n d B ooks f o r C ollege L ibraries. A C R L ’s list of acc o m p lish m en ts is lo n g a n d d istin ­ guished. I am in d e e d p ro u d to h a v e b e en a m e m b e r for m ore th a n 20 years a n d h o n o re d to h a v e b een AC R L P re sid e n t in 1986/87. As w e e m b a rk u p o n A C R L ’s second c e n tu ry , w e as a c a d e m ic lib ra ria n s w ill c o n tin u e to fa ce m a jo r challenges. A m o n g th ese c h allenges are: 1) a d e q u a te fu n d in g for c ollections a n d services; 2) en su rin g access to in fo rm a tio n ; 3) en su rin g a n in fo rm a tio n lite r a te c itizenry; 4) b u ild in g co alitio n s w ith o th e r agencies a n d o r­ g an iz atio n s to h e lp solve p ro b lem s w ith in h ig h e r e d u c a tio n ; 5) b e co m in g m o re visible in t h e c o m m u n ity by im p ro v in g th e im a g e of lib ra ria n s; 6) q u a lity lib ra ry staff; 7) p e rfo rm a n c e sta n d a rd s fo r lib ra ries a n d li­ b ra ria n s; 8) in c re a s in g th e n u m b e r o f m in o rity lib r a r y professionals; 9) in te g ra tin g n e w tec hnology a n d n e w in fo rm a ­ tio n fo rm a ts in to lib ra ries; 10) c o o p e ra tio n b e tw e e n lib ra rie s a n d c o m p u te r centers; a n d 11) c o p y rig h t as r e la te d to re so u rce sh a rin g a n d e le ctro n ic in fo rm a tio n fo rm ats. T h e re a re m a n y o th e r challenges I co u ld a d d to th is list. T h e p o in t I w ish to m ak e , h o w e v e r, is t h a t it is obvious t h a t w e m u st w o rk to g e th e r to a ddress a ll o f th e m . G iv e n A C R L m em b e rs’ excellent tra c k re c o rd , I am c o n fid e n t t h a t so lu tio n s w ill be fo u n d . T h e q u e stio n th e n becom es: h o w c a n I as Vice- P re s id e n t/P re s id e n t-E le c t h e lp A C R L , a n d u lti­ m a te ly A LA , ad d ress these challenges? I w ill w o rk f o r c o n tin u e d access to lib ra rie s a n d in fo rm a tio n b y a ll citizens, regardless of econom ic sta tu s, ra c e , sex a n d age. I w ill w o rk on p ro v id in g m o re o p p o rtu n itie s f o r m in o ritie s to e n te r o u r p ro ­ fession a n d for th e m , a n d o th e r y o u n g p rofession­ als, to b ecom e m o re involved in A C R L a n d ALA. A bove a ll, I w ill tr y to form n e w , a n d stre n g th e n o ld , c o alitions w ith social a n d p u b lic agencies a n d gro u p s to im p ro v e le a rn in g e n v iro n m e n ts o n all levels, a n d p a r tic u la r ly in u rb a n areas. T h e c h allenges w e m u st fa ce as a ca d em ic l ib r a r i­ an s a re n o t isolated; on th e c o n tra ry , a ll lib ra ria n s w ill h a v e to fa ce th e m in a v a rie ty of w ays, a n d it is th ro u g h c o o p era tiv e efforts a m o n g all lib ra rie s t h a t w e w ill b e a b le to m e e t th e m . A C R L ’s re la tio n w ith A LA , th e re fo re , m u st c o n tin u e to b e stro n g a n d v ita l. A C R L m u st c o n tin u e its excellent le a d e r­ ship a n d sh a rin g role w ith in A LA . I th in k t h a t m y 20 y ears o f A C R L /A L A le a d e r­ ship experience qu alifies m e to p ro v id e th e c ru c ia l g u id a n c e to ad d ress o u r m a n y challenges. I offer th e m e m b e rs h ip a re c o rd of h a r d a n d successful w o rk , a n d c re a tiv ity a n d vision, fo r lib ra rie s in th e 21st c e n tu r y .— H a n n e lo re B. R a d er, D ire c to r o f L ibraries, C le v e la n d S ta te U niversity, 1860 E . 22d S t ., C lev ela n d , O H 44115-2403. ■ ■