ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


193

T h e A C R L  Subcom m ittee on  Goals, Pri­
orities, and Structures, chaired b y  L e  M oyne 
W . Anderson, director o f  libraries, C olorad o 
State University, is com pleting a m onumental 
three-year study w h ich  has attempted to d e ­
v e lo p  an organizational structure for A C R L  that 
can respond b oth  to the w elfare o f  the profes­
sion and to the issues o f library services in the 
changing environm ent o f academ ic libraries. 
T h e subcom m ittee’s semifinal draft report pro­
poses a radical restructuring o f the association, 
better to m eet changing needs. D uring the co m ­
ing year, the report w ill b e  given careful study. 
Implementation o f  any or all o f the report’s 
recom m endations will b e  subject to A C R L  
Board approval.

In  an attempt to increase m em bership in the 
association, the chairperson o f  A C R L ’s M em ­
bership Com m ittee, Thom as H. Cahalan, as­
sistant librarian for acquisitions, Northeastern 
University, has d e v elop ed  a prom otional net­
w ork com prising regional and state representa­
tives throughout the U nited States and Can­
ada. It is h o p e d  that w orkin g through regional 
groups and chapters will stimulate increased in­

terest in A C R L  and its programs. Special b ro ­
chures have been  dev eloped for use in state and 
regional meetings, and their effectiveness w ill 
b e evaluated to determine the best ways to 
reach potential members.

T h e specialized interests o f  A C R L ’s com m it­
tees and sections are so diverse and w ide-ran g­
ing that space does not permit adequate report­
ing o f  all o f  them. A ll have served their 
constituencies w ell and have con tin ued to make 
im portant contributions to their areas o f special 
interest as w ell as to the association. T h e suc­
cess o f  A C R L ’s programs and their im pact on 
the profession are directly attributable to the 
com bin ed  energy, talent, and dedication o f 
A C R L  officers and com m ittee members.

Th e association m ourned the tragic loss o f 
its im m ediate past president, Louise Giles. She 
had been an unusually active and productive 
participant in A C R L  and A L A  affairs, and her 
absence w ill b e  keenly felt fo r m any years.

C on n ie R. Dunlap 
President, A C R L  

■ ■

Yale Center for British Art Opened
A  n ew  museum and study center— the Yale 

C enter fo r British Art— was officially open ed 
to the pu b lic A pril 19 in N ew  Haven.

T h e gift o f  Paul M ellon  (Y a le class o f  1 9 2 9 ), 
the center w ill house M ellon ’s unrivaled co lle c­
tion o f British paintings, drawings, prints, and 
rare books. T h e center w ill offer reference m a­
terial for advan ced research in the field o f  Brit­
ish art; classrooms; and other facilities fo r  a 
broad program  o f  activities in British studies.

T h e addition o f the M ellon collection  to the 
university’s already extensive holdings o f  E n g ­
lish books and autograph letters makes Yale a 
leading institution fo r the study o f British art 
and culture outside o f  England.

T h e center is the final b uildin g designed b y  
the late Louis I. Kahn ( 1 9 0 1 - 7 4 ) , internation­
ally distinguished architect, w h o also designed 
the Yale University Art Gallery ( 1 9 5 1 - 5 3 )  and 
the Kimbell M useum  in Fort W orth, Texas

T h e r e feren ce library is 
located  on  th e secon d  
floor, w ith a p h oto­
graphic archive and 
storage stacks housed on 
th e  m ezzanine above.



194

(1 9 6 9 -7 2 ). The four-story structure, noted for 
its innovative system o f lighting, brings natural 
light into the exhibition spaces through the 
unique combination of filtered skylights, plate 
glass windows, and two interior courts.

Mellon’s gift of the British art center con­
tinues his long record o f support to Yale since 
his graduation in 1929. Gifts from Mellon and 
the Old Dominion Foundation, o f which he was 
chairperson, have made possible the restoration 
o f Connecticut Hall, the construction and en­
dowment o f Morse and Ezra Stiles Colleges, the 
purchase o f the Boswell papers and other books 
for the Yale Library, as well as the underwrit­
ing o f numerous academic programs.

W hen this gift was announced in 1966, M el­
lon emphasized his belief that the university, 
with its already recognized pre-eminence in 
British literary and social studies, was the log­
ical choice as the recipient o f his British collec­

tions. “ It seems to me,”  he said, “ that Yale, with 
its great holdings in British literary and social 
research material, such as the W alpole and Bos­
well papers, can make the best use of the re­
sources o f my collections for educational and 
historical purposes. . . .  In addition, it was at 
Yale as an undergraduate that my personal in­
terest in English literature and art began in 
earnest, and I have always been deeply grate­
ful to the university for this fact.”

Long a leader in eighteenth-century studies, 
Yale now possesses the visual resources for 
thorough study o f the interrelationships o f Brit­
ish art, literature, and history, according to Yale 
President Kingman Brewster, Jr., who stated 
that “ Mr. Mellon’s gift makes a major contribu­
tion to the cultural vitality o f the city and to 
Yale University, and in a broader sense, to the 
cultural resources o f the nation.”  ■ ■

Letters
Dear Editor:

The following opinion may have grown be­
yond an appropriate length for a “ letter to the 
editor,”  but it is a point o f view  which should 
be given wider consideration. The question 
which prompts the commentary has significance 
for more people than simply those to whom the 
response is immediately directed.

What are the major issues confronting under­
graduate librarians today?

The answers will vary, o f course, since an is­
sue which looms as significant in one situation 
may be insignificant in another. Or an issue in 
one setting may be perceived in another as a 
mere need to exchange ideas and information. 
On the other hand, there are factors which dis­
tinguish real issues from matters more efficient­
ly resolved at a personal level of information 
exchange and decision making. For example, 
issues are always preceded by inquiries and the 
identification o f problems or matters o f concern 
which are not easily resolved. These becom e is­
sues as they are addressed as points o f debate 
or controversy, and the desirable outcome of 
the dialogue is to achieve an acceptable resolu­
tion or new course o f action.

Even though an “ issue”  in one environment 
cannot be construed as universal, there are cur­
rently legitimate matters o f general concern 
which undergraduate librarians cannot ignore. 
They are emerging, not only as library systems 
and programs develop, but also as w e experi­
ence change in institutional expectations and 
constraints.

At the 1977 A LA  Midwinter Convention 
meeting of the AC R L Undergraduate Librari­

ans Discussion Group, some of the significant 
problems were identified and the issues were 
skirted— even pushed by a few  o f the partici­
pants toward an open forum— but the discus­
sion was notable in that the debatable and con­
troversial issues were not clearly engaged. 
There were some impressive labels applied to 
describe the drift o f the meeting ( “ needs of 
users”  and “ the role o f the U G L” ), but these 
were never developed beyond being convenient 
semantic hooks. What emerged was a preoccu­
pation with the uncertainties and apprehensions 
produced by the function o f local library man­
agement and with the need to exchange how ­
to information on specific systems and services. 
(In  all fairness, the meeting was intended as 
a planning session for the Detroit Conference. 
Further, some o f the more vocal at the meeting 
were not “ undergraduate”  librarians, but four- 
year undergraduate institution librarians. They 
were welcome, but their outspoken views 
skewed the group’s purpose and compromised 
its effectiveness.)

Discussions on the internal operations and 
procedures of undergraduate libraries are ap­
propriate and should be encouraged, but it is 
impossible to realize the potential o f an under­
graduate library— or any library, for that mat­
ter— through a continuous examination o f such 
topics. Undergraduate libraries are too often 
characterized in terms o f effective reserve pro­
cedures, automated circulation systems, security 
controls, and response-based library instruction 
programs; but these alone will be self-defeat- 
ing. They are merely tools or elements in a 
much larger programmatic arena which has far-