ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries June 1 9 9 0 / 543 is a good sign. The H aw thorne bibliography was produced in this way at St. Lawrence— almost as an antidote to the rigors of automation, providing a benefit I h ad n ’t foreseen. The bibliography was an in-house effort, com piled and produced in tandem with the autom ation project, and served to rem ind us of other things. In some sense the H aw thorne bibliography proves we w eren’t swallowed whole by the project. The point, o f course, is that an extended concen­ tration on autom ation can cause us to be perceived as single-m inded when, in fact, we continue to pursue various objectives, have ongoing responsi­ bilities, and carry out m ultiple functions. Autom a­ tion planning and im plem entation is som ething else w e’ve elected to do. No b e tte r tim e to dem on­ strate the multiplicity o f our concerns, and particu­ larly our values and intentions with regard to prin ted materials, than at the very m om ent an autom ated system is dedicated. Everyone’s watching. ■ ■ Global librarianship: The role of American academic librarianship and ACRL B y JoA n S. Segal Executive Director, A C R L Active participation in IFLA is encouraged. W hat are American academic librarians doing w andering around the globe a t­ tending meetings and m eddling in library affairs in oth er countries? W hy should ACRL, a division of th e American Library Association, be involved in IFLA and other international organizations? History Interest in librarianship beyond the borders of th e U.S. has been growing. ALA has had as one of its tenets since earliest days, a responsibility to provide leadership in world library matters. In fact, ALA was am ong th e founders o f the International F ederation o f Library Associations in 1929 and its m em bers have participated actively in the form a­ tion and developm ent o f international associations of many kinds. Academic librarians have played an active role in such organizations as well. The contributions o f academic librarians T he nature of th e contributions m ade by aca­ dem ic librarians from institutions in th e U.S. fall into twelve major areas: leadership, publications, meetings, educational activities, resource provi­ 5 4 4 / C&RL News sion, exchanges and visits, standards, philosophy of librarianship, interlibrary loan, politics, and asso­ ciation developm ent. As a type-oſ-library division of ALA, ACRL’s interests overlap with those o f ALCTS in the area of standards, with G O D O R T in governm ent docu­ m ents, with RASD in interlibrary loan. ACRL m em bers have been active in IFLA in these over­ lapping areas, as individuals and as m em bers of oth er ALA units. Leadership. Several academic librarians from the U nited States hold and have held positions of leadership in international associations, from serv­ ing as officers, being instrum ental in the founding o f international organizations in th eir specialized fields, to serving on directors boards, working hard with those from other countries to steer th eir o r­ ganizations in a forward-looking and intelligent direction. Publications. Academic librarians from th e U.S. have edited IFLA periodical publications or have served on editorial boards. In these capacities they have som etim es had a very im portant effect on the publications in question. They also edit non-serial publications, such as international directories. Publications enable the study o f com parative li­ brarianship and elucidate the commonalities o f the profession as well as th e variety o f possible m ethods for practicing it. They often provide librarians in developing countries with precious inform ation th eir isolation has kept from them . Meetings and continuing professional education. T he opportunity to share concerns with o th er li­ brarians is one o f th e major motives th at sends academic librarians around the world to m eet with those from o th er countries. T he contributions of academic librarians from th e U nited States to these m eetings has taken several forms. Many give p a ­ pers, seminars, courses, or oth er presentations. Several others have spearheaded third-w orld p a r­ ticipation by suggesting major seminars or m e et­ ings directed tow ard th at constituency or located in third-w orld countries and by following through as th e idea was developed and the events took place. Resource provision. Librarians from U.S. aca­ dem ic institutions have generously contributed to th e financing o f international association activities through personal contributions, through th e dona­ tion o f in-kind services by th e ir in stitu tio n s, through support from ALA divisions, and through successfully seeking grant support from philan­ thropic and governm ental funding agencies in the U.S. If a m em ber can supply the w herewithal for the event, it is likely to take place. Academic librari­ ans give not only through th e personal support of th e ir own participation, b u t literally in dollars out o f th eir pockets, out o f th eir institutional or associa­ tion budgets, and from th eir own fundraising ef­ forts. Some contributions are not in funds, b u t in other kinds o f donations, such as equipm ent and books, and arise as a secondary product o f the participa­ tion o f academ ic librarians from the U nited States. Having visited a third-w orld country, or having m et a colleague from one through IFLA, many librari­ ans have becom e involved in book donation p ro ­ grams, for instance. Exchanges and visits. This type of contribution is extrem ely valuable and im portant. However, it seems th at th e less institutionalized the process is, th e b e tte r it works. T he best exchanges seem to com e about most easily in an informal m anner, based on collegiality set up through joint work in an association, rath er than through a formal program o f th eir association. In one such type o f exchange, a librarian from one country approaches a colleague from another (m et at IFLA, for instance) about the possibility of such an arrangem ent. They eith er exchange visits themselves, or facilitate th e exchange or visit of o th er m em bers o f th e ir staffs. A nother involves a sister institution type o f exchange. This relationship betw een institutions may itself arise out o f collegial association in an international organization such as IFLA, or may predispose the two institutions to participate in th e same organization. W hatever the genesis, visits or exchanges o f individuals or team s betw een institutions are com mon and may involve th e participation o f one or m ore librarians. A nother interesting type o f visit is that of a faculty m em ber who arrives with a le tter o f introduction to the librarian, a colleague o f the librarian in th e faculty m em ber’s institution, who can facilitate th e visi­ to r’s research project. Standards. Librarians from the U.S. have been played an extremely significant role in the develop­ m ent of standards. Among standards developed or u n d er developm ent with the help of academic librarians from the U.S., working through IFLA and oth er associations, and as representatives from various divisions o f ALA are: an international inter- library loan form; an international statem ent on access to governm ent information; an international standard for bibliographic inform ation interchange and interlibrary loan; standards for university li­ braries; a standard for a com m on com m and lan­ guage; the International Standard Book D escrip­ tion (ISBD) and N um ber (ISBN); a copyright agreem ent; and AACR2. The significance o f such international standards is very great. New stan­ dards are n eed ed to address the concern for b arri­ ers to transborder data flow. Philosophy o f librarianship. As any researcher who has used libraries abroad will recognize, th ere are great differences in philosophy o f librarianship betw een research libraries in the U nited States and those in o th er countries. F o r example, interlibrary lending was until fairly recently not considered a June 1990 / 545 function o f academ ic and research libraries in Europe. The developm ent o f standards, publica­ tions, and—perhaps most im portantly— a philoso­ phy of librarianship th at includes lending to and borrowing from oth er libraries has been a collec­ tive contribution o f U.S. participants in IFLA and other international associations. A nother philosophical difference is in the o p en ­ ness of libraries and th e attitude tow ard the user. E uropean librarians and those from o th er coun­ tries who have been educated on th e continent are trained to be “conservators,” or preservers oſbooks and other physical traces o f th e culture. However, an emphasis on service underlies librarianship as practiced on this side o f th e Atlantic Ocean, as well as in G reat Britain and Scandinavia. T he im pact of this service philosophy is definitely being felt in Europe, as can be seen in recen t developm ents and in the increased sensitivity on th e p art o f directors o f major E uropean libraries to a n eed for m ore consideration for users. Those who have partici­ pated for longer periods o f tim e in international activities believe some o f this im pact comes from the constant interaction with librarians from the U nited States. Political. T here is some feeling it is im portant for us to support U.S. candidates for office in in tern a­ tional associations. T he decisions made are ex­ trem ely im portant and it is necessary to have a p art in them . E uropean librarians in particular view international associations as a coming together of friends who have w orked well together for many years, rath er than as organizations with dem ocratic representation from a variety o f nations and con­ stituencies. O f particular concern are areas, such as technology, w here th e re is special expertise in the U.S., for which our participation is of extra im por­ tance. In these areas, support for U.S. nom inees is seen as strongly needed. Participation by U.S. librarians may have an im portant im pact within our own country, in that IFLA may provide a powerful interest group to ex­ press concerns and effect significant dom estic ac­ tion, when requests for action com ing only from U.S. librarians goes unheard. Association. T he role o f library associations as a means to offset the isolation cited earlier is very great. Prom oting m em bership in international as­ sociations on th e part o f librarians from all over the world is in itself a goal to achieve. Individuals with a broad international perspective are m ore valu­ able in our profession at hom e and abroad, w hether hom e is an urban cen ter in a highly developed nation or a rural enclave in th e third world. IFLA Representation Although academic librarians have been active in all these areas, th e re has been a gap in our rep resentation on th e Standing C om m ittee on University and G eneral Research Libraries, the IFLA unit most closely corresponding to ACRL. T he ACRL Board has recently becom e more aware o f th e IFLA structure and o f the work carried out by this Standing Com m ittee, and is eager to play a m ore deliberate role in th e C om m ittee’s work and in th e selection o f American representatives to it. Some recent issues addressed by the Standing C o m m ittee are directly linked to activities in ACRL. F o r instance, at the 1989 IFLA C onfer­ ence, th e Standing C om m ittee held a workshop on perform ance measures. T he ACRL executive di­ rector participated and noted great similarities in th e m easures desired across a wide spectrum of countries. Subsequently ACRL has been invited to p resen t a p ap er on the subject at th e Standing C om m ittee’s 1990 O pen M eeting (Barbara J. F ord and JoAn S. Segal will make the presentation). ACRL will use this opportunity to disseminate its recent work on m easuring academic library perform ance. A second example is the Standing C o m m itte e ’s w ork on lib rary security. H ere, ACRL’s Rare Books and M anuscripts Section has developed guidelines that might be o f use to the Standing C om m ittee, bu t we do not yet have access to th e m em bers to present th e material to them in a graceful fashion. ACRL policy on IFLA participation ACRL’s interest has now extended to the devel­ opm ent o f a policy on ACRL participation in in ter­ national m eetings which was reviewed by the Ex­ ecutive C om m ittee at its Spring M eeting. T he staff will bring a revised version to the Board at Annual C onference. T he revised policy, to be reviewed by the Board, is as follows: Nominating ACRL members FOR IFLA COMMITTEES This policy is designed to aid the ACRL Board of D irectors and section executive com m ittees in se­ lecting ACRL m em bers as nom inees for appoint­ m ent by the ALA Executive Board to C om m ittees o f th e International F ederation of Library Associa­ tions and Institutions. A. W ho m ay initiate recommendations 1. The ACRL Board may either identify quali­ fied individuals and approve a ranked list o f pos­ sible representatives or delegate responsibility for these actions to an ACRL subunit. In contacting possible nom inees, the ACRL Board or its desig­ nate will approach individuals in ranked o rd er until agreem ent to serve is secured. 5 4 6 / C&RL News 2. Sections and C om m ittees may recom m end nom inees to th e ACRL Board. B. Funding Funding is solely the prerogative o f the ACRL Board o f Directors. It may partially fund th e ex­ penses o f an ACRL representative to an IFLA meeting. C. Application and criteria T he application consists o f th e individual’s res­ um e and a rationale from the nom inating body. T he following criteria will be used to select the ACRL representative: • ALA and ACRL m em bership; • Knowledge o f ACRL’s goals and objectives and its program s and services; • D em onstrated leadership in ACRL and its units; • D em o n strated expertise in th e area co n ­ cerned; • Excellent com m unication skills; • Ability to attend meetings o f th e IFLA C om ­ m ittee without cost to ALA, ACRL, or IFLA. T he ACRL Board of D irectors reviews the re ­ quests, makes its final decision, and notifies the appropriate section executive com m ittee, and the candidate. The Board’s recom m endations are then forw arded to the ALA International Relations C om m ittee and thence to the ALA Board. Conclusion Assuming the adoption o f this policy, ACRL will play a m ore clearly defined role in IFLA than it has in th e past. The efforts o f individual academic librarians can be channeled in these useful ways, ACRL m em bers will receive timely inform ation about IFLA developments, and an exchange of expertise can take place betw een academic librari­ ans in th e U nited States and those in oth er coun­ tries. ■ ■ Finding a replacement for a missing national library In contrast to France with its Bibliothèque N a­ tionale and England with its British National Li­ brary, G erm any does not have a national library that has grown historically— a consequence of the territorial fragm entation of the old G erm an E m ­ pire. The Sam mlung deutscher Drucke 1450 bis 1945 (Collection o f G erm an P rinted Works from 1450 to 1945), for which the Volkswagen F ounda­ tion in H annover has now donated 25 million marks, should make these 500 years o f G erm an literature available in a unified though decentral­ ized form. T he Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (M unich), the H erzog August B ibliothek (W olfenbüttel), th e Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbiblio­ thek (Göttingen), the Stadt- und Universitätsbib­ liothek (Frankfurt am Main), the Senckenbergis- che Bibliothek, and the Staatsbibliothek Preussi- cher K ulturbesitz (Berlin) have all cooperated on this project. Each institution will assume responsi­ bility for one 100-year period. After the five-year initial period funded by the Volkswagen F o u n d a­ tion, the individual libraries’ sponsors will ensure the continuation of this long-range project. All o f the participating libraries have access to rich collections, bu t th ere are still considerable gaps due to the fact that in the past th ere were n either uniform rules regarding obligatory copies nor agreem ents on acquisitions. Therefore, the first task will be to collect the material for each respective period as com prehensively as possible. This can be done either by purchasing old works in p rin t from booksellers or by obtaining microfiche copies. Holdings will also be reflected in library cata­ logues, and this process has already begun. H ere, a com m on standard is to be m aintained to ensure th at records are en tered into the existing database at the D eutsches Bibliotheks-Institut in Berlin. A nother task of the libraries is to preserve these historical materials at the same tim e as th eir acces­ sibility to the public is maintained. F o r further information, contact: W erner Boder, Pressereferat d er Volkswagen Stiftung, Kastanienallee 35, Post­ fach 81 05 09, D-3000 H annover 81, F ederal R epublic o f G erm any.— From Special Science R eports, G erm an Research Service, F ebruary 1990. ■ ■ Series, not journal M eckler Publishing’s Advances in Library Resource Sharing, announced in C & RL News, M arch 1990, p. 220, is not a journal, but actually a monographic series that will be published ap­ proximately every 12-18 months. To Stay Ahead in Science and Technology... You Need Bowker’s A A / Journals. Comprehensive, W orldwide Coverage o f Today’s Crucial SciTech Issuesl In today's world, up-to-date and accurate infor­ mation on science and technology is vital. Each week, hundreds of science and technology peri­ odicals publish thousands of important articles that can make a significant difference in your work. Where can you turn for help in finding that information? Bowker's A& l Journals! 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