ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


180

Mary F. Hicks, S acram ento, C alifornia.
Jane E. H ukill, d irector, W id en er U niversity L i­

b ra ry , W ilm in g to n , D elaw are.
Richard D . Johnson, d irecto r of libraries, State 

U niversity C ollege, O n eo n ta, N ew  York.
Sheila M. L aidlaw , university lib ra ria n , H a rrie t 

Irv in g  L ib ra ry , U niversity of N ew  B ru nsw ick, 
F red ericto n .

Lois P. Mills, docum ents an d  legal reference li­
b ra ria n , W estern Illinois U niversity, M acom b.

O rthella Polk M om an, h ea d  of te c h n ic a l ser­
vices, Jackson S tate U niversity L ib ra ry , Missis­
sippi.

Joan N eum ann, executive directo r, N ew  York 
M e tro p o lita n  R e fe ren ce a n d  R esea rch  L ib r a r y  
Agency, Brooklyn, N ew  York.

Ruth J. Person, associate d ean , C ath o lic U niver­
sity of A m erica, W ashingto n, D .C .

Sandra K. Peterson, G overnm ent D ocum ents 
C en ter, Yale U niversity, N ew  H aven, C o n n ecti­
cut.

Lelia G. Rhodes, d ean of libraries, Jackson S tate

U niversity, Mississippi.
Carlton Rochell, d ean of libraries, N ew  York 

U niversity.
Joseph A. Rosenthal, university lib ra ria n , U n i­

versity of C alifo rn ia, Berkeley.
Marvin H. Scilken, d irecto r, O ran g e P ublic L i­

b ra ry , N ew  Jersey.
Judith A. Sessions, university lib ra ria n , C alifo r­

nia S tate U niversity, Chico.
Marilyn J. Sharrow, chief lib ra ria n , U niversity 

of T o ro n to , O n tario .
Carol A. Turner, chief lib ra ria n , Jonsson L i­

b ra ry  of G o v ern m en t D ocum ents, S tanford U ni­
versity, C alifornia.

Susan J. Vaughn, associate lib ra ria n  for collec­
tion developm ent, Brooklyn C ollege L ib ra ry , N ew  
York.

Robert A. W alter, governm ent docum ents li­
b ra ria n , P ittsb u rg  S tate U niversity, Kansas.

Louella V. W etherbee, executive d irecto r, A m i­
gos B ibliographic C ouncil, D allas, Texas. ■  ■

RESEARCH FORUM

Stimulating quality research: Starting with the basics

By D oroth y J. A nderson

Chair, A C R L  Research D ev elo p m en t C o m m itte e

A C R L ’s new  R esearch D evelopm ent C o m m ittee 
is la u n c h in g  a p la n  to stim u late superior research 
am ong academ ic lib rarian s. T h e p lan  is based on 
th re e  beliefs.

1) M any a stu te  lib ra ry  d irec to rs recognize re ­
search as an o p p o rtu n ity  to:

•  en h an ce th e lib ra ry ’s status in th e university 
an d  in th e profession;

•  lift staff m orale; and
•  investigate persistent problem s scientifically.

2) M any b rig h t academ ic lib rarian s w ould enjoy 
doing research if they had:

•a d m in is tra tiv e  su p p o rt (tim e, m oney, recog­
nition);

•  confidence in th e ir ability;
•  help and train in g ;

3)As an incentive to do q u ality  research, p o te n ­
tial researchers need tra in in g  designed to diffuse 
fears, build confidence an d  to develop a research­
e r’s m indset an d  ability.

T h e Research D evelopm ent C o m m ittee th e re ­
fore proposes a m echanism  to link lib ra ry  directors, 
new  researchers, an d  basic train in g . These fo u n d a ­
tion blocks form  th e necessary base for an invisible 
college— a netw o rk  of new  researchers a ro u n d  the 
c o u n try — w ho can p ro d u ce research of superior 
q u ality  in an encouraging atm osphere.



181

Step I. Research clinics

W e invite academ ic lib rary  directors to nom i­
n ate and support one or tw o “potential research­
ers” on their staffs to a tten d  A C R L’s first national 
Research C linic in Chicago on July 8, 1985.

T he C linic will:

•d e m o n stra te  the diagnosis and tre a tm e n t of a 
researchable problem ;

•s tim u la te  a positive a ttitu d e  to w ard  research; 
and

•suggest ways to team  up w ith  academ ic col­
leagues.

Use th e Research C linic form  below:

Step II. An Idea Bank
W e invite each of you to send us your best re­

search idea: th in k  of a professional p ro b lem  or 
question th a t concerns you (20 w ords or less). T he 
idea can be phrased as a question, a problem , or an 
issue. F o r ex a m p le, “ W h ic h  s tu d e n ts m u tila te  
books?” or “Book m u tilatio n  is a p ro b le m ,” etc. W e 
will show how  to tu rn  ideas into researchable ques­
tions at Research Clinic I; th en  w e will p u t your 
ideas into an Id ea Bank available to all researchers 
th ro u g h  A C R L an d  th e  O ffice for L ib ra ry  Re­
search. (We are w orking now  on the possibility of 
an E le c tro n ic  Id e a  B ank th ro u g h  A L A N E T — 
w atch  for an announcem ent.) M eanw hile, use the 
Id ea form  on page 183.

Step III. Consultants

After w e identify a core of new  researchers w ho 
begin to investigate new  questions, an o th er im p o r­

ta n t elem ent can be added. V olunteer Research 
C onsultants from  each lib rary  school could cri­
tiq u e proposals and (w ithout a com m itm ent to the 
project) assist w ith  research design and review first 
drafts.

Research C linic II in N ew York in 1986 will te n ­
tatively present model research partnerships be­
tw een  lib raries an d  lib ra ry  e d u c a to rs—such as 
those su p p o rted  by th e  C ouncil on L ib ra ry  R e­
sources.

Everyone can get into this a c t—directors, p o ten ­
tial researchers, seasoned researchers, idea people, 
o ther research units at ALA, and lib rary  educators.

T he Research D evelopm ent C om m ittee is eager 
to h ear from  you. W e are: D orothy J. Anderson 
(chair), Assistant Professor, G ra d u a te  School of L i­
b ra ry  a nd In form ation Science, University of C ali­
fo rn ia , 405 H ilg a rd  A venue, Los A ngeles, CA 
90024; Sara Fine, Associate Professor, School of L i­
b ra ry  and In form ation Science, 606 LIS Building,



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183

U niversity of P ittsb u rg h , P ittsb u rg h , PA 15260
M ary George, H ead of G eneral Reference D ivi
sion, P rinceton U niversity L ib rary , P rinceton, N
08544; Jam es M ay, D ean  of In fo rm atio n  Services,

Folger Theater 
to remain open

T he Folger Shakespeare T h ea te r in W ash ­
in g to n ’s F olger S hakespeare L ib ra ry  w ill be 
kept open for at least th e  next tw o years. In  J a n ­
u ary  its trustees h a d  announced plans to close 
th e  th e a te r at th e end of its c u rre n t season, b u t 
protests by m em bers of Congress a n d  civic le a d ­
ers led to reconsideration.

T he T h e a te r will be provided w ith  $150,000 
a n n u a l l y  fo r tw o  y e a rs  b y  th e  t r u s te e s  of 
A m herst College, M assachusetts, w ho adm inis­
te r funds from  th e H enry C lay an d  E m ily J o r­
d a n  Folger estates for th e L ib rary . To this will 
be ad d ed  $130,000 from  th e L ib ra ry  each year 
for overhead costs, and $50,000 a year from  an 
anonym ous donor.

P rivate supporters from  the com m unity will 
th en  o p erate an in d ep en d en t b o ard  to ru n  the 
th e a te r’s five plays p er season and  raise m oney 
for fu tu re deficits.

T he Folger Shakespeare L ib rary  houses the 
largest collection of first folios in existence. In 
1970 th e  T h ea te r was ad d ed  to present stage 
productions of Shakespeare plays.

; 
­
J 

C alifo rn ia State University L ib rary , C hico, CA 
95929-0290; Steve Stoan, H ead of R eference, W i­
ch ita S tate U niversity L ibraries, Box 68, W ich ita, 
KS 67208. ■ ■

Conference paper 
deadlines extended

D eadlines for su b m ittin g  research  p ap e rs, 
position papers, or idea briefs for th e B altim ore 
C onference have been extended. T he new  dates 
are:

June 1—N otice of In ten tio n  to S ubm it a P a ­
p er or Brief due.

July 8— C om pleted m an u scrip t due.
C am era -rea d y  copy of accepted papers is still 

due N ovem ber 15.
T he focus of th e 1986 A C R L N ational C o n ­

ference will be to explore th e them e, “Energies 
for T ra n sitio n .” T he C onference aim s to id en ­
tify th e n a tu re  of th e transitions facing lib ra ri­
ans and to suggest energies to m eet th em , both 
th ro u g h  th e  inform al g ath erin g  of colleagues 
an d  form al program s.

F or m ore in fo rm atio n , see C & R L  N ew s, J a n ­
u ary  1985, p.17.

Notices of In ten tio n  should be sent to: ACRL 
C o n trib u te d  P ap ers, c/o D a n u ta  A. N itecki, 
Office of P ublic Services, M cK eldin L ib rary  
2124, U niversity of M aryland, College P ark, 
M D 20742.