ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


104

Highlights of the Midwinter Meetings 
of the ACRL Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of the Association of Col­
lege and Research Libraries m et twice during the 
ALA Midwinter Meeting: on Sunday, February 1, 
1981, and W ednesday, February 4, 1981.

ACRL Conference Site Selection

The board adopted the “Selection C riteria for 
ACRL National Conference Sites" developed by an 
ad hoc comm ittee in response to a need to establish 
and publicize selection criteria before considering 
invitations to host ACRL conferences.

Budget and Finance Comm ittee

Richard Talbot, chair of the Budget and Finance 
C o m m itte e , gave a r e p o r t on th e  1981/82 
ACRL budget and explained that th ere was a def­
icit of $70,000 in uncovered expenditures. He 
sought the board’s guidance in either reducing basic 
m em bership services, or increasing revenue by 
adding a surcharge to conference and preconference 
registrations, increasing journal subscription prices, 
or raising ACRL divisional dues.

The board resolved that as a first step it would look 
to increasing revenues rather than reducing ex­
penses, and it endorsed a dues increase of $10 per 
year for ACRL divisional mem bership, effective 
with the 1982 calendar year. This action will require 
a majority of th e voting ACRL m em bership mail 
ballot following the ALA Annual Conference in San 
Francisco.

C hapters

The board approved th e petitions for th e estab­
lishment of a Mississippi C hapter, an Ohio Chapter, 
and a South Dakota Chapter.

The Budget and Finance C om m ittee’s recom­
mendation was endorsed that a chapter check-off be 
instituted in which mem bers will determ ine a por­
tion of his/her m em bership fee to be allotted to the 
chapter of th e area in which they reside. 

Discussion Groups

The board approved th e dissolution of the F uture 
of the Catalog in Research Libraries Discussion 
Group.

Executive Comm ittee

The board approved a revision of the ACRL Con­
stitution and Bylaws that would include the ACRL 
councilor on th e Executive C omm ittee. If the ACRL 
board gives a second affirmative vote at the ALA 
Annual Conference in San Francisco, it will be sub­
mitted to a mem bership vote.

Institute on Collection M anagem ent 
and Development

The board approved ACRL cosponsorship with

ALA’s Resources and Technical Services Division of 
a series of regional collection management and d e­
velopm ent institutes.

Journal Subscriptions

The board directed the Budget and Finance Com­
mittee to explore C &RL and C&R L  News subscrip­
tion increases for non-m em bers and increased 
advertising rates.

M em bership in NCATE

T h e b o ard  a p p ro v e d  in p rin c ip le  (p en d in g  
budgetary approval) the recom mendation of the 
EBSS section th at ACRL req u est th e status of 
associate m em bership in the National Council for 
Accreditation of Teacher Education and that, when 
appropriate, a m em ber be appointed from EBSS. 

Minneapolis C onference

Virgil Massman, chair of the Minneapolis Confer­
ence Executive C omm ittee, reported that a group of 
excellent speakers had been approved. The confer­
ence dates were adjusted to O ctober 1—4 to avoid 
conflicting with the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashan- 
nah.

B a c k  O r d e r  P r o b le m s  ?
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book or fin d  it o ut-of-p rin t. O nly upon 
your instructions do we cancel. We call 
our program “ Concerned Service”  and 
it pays o ff fo r academic librariesthrough­
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105

NEH G rant Proposal

The board approved a proposal to seek a grant 
from the National Endowment of the Humanities to 
support four workshops to assist academic libraries 
in developing public programming in the humani­
ties.

Sections

The board endorsed the policy that ACRL divi­
sion members receive two sections free, and that 
one of these be a type-of-activity section and the 
other a type-of-library section. There will be a $2 fee 
charged for each additional section membership. 

Standards and Accreditation Committee
The board voted to consolidate the responsibility 

for reviewing and recommending revisions related 
to the “Standards for College Libraries” with the 
College Standards Revision Subcommittee during

its tenure by abolishing the Ad Hoc Standards Com­
mittee and requesting that the College Libraries 
Section review the status of its Committee on Col­
lege Standards.

The board instructed the Standards and Accred­
itation C o m m ittee to consult w ith th e  CLS 
Committee on College Standards and reconsider 
the charge of the proposed committee in light of the 
survey findings just issued by that section’s ad hoc 
committee.

Student Dues Reduction
The board endorsed a resolution to rescind the 

ALA Council motion that the ALA Bylaws be re­
vised to reduce divisional memberships to $5 for 
students. The principal issue was that the Council 
should not take action that has divisional fiscal im­
plications without divisional support.

C ontinuing E d u cation

CE at Case Western Reserve
On May 27-29, Case Western Reserve University 

Libraries will celebrate their 10th Annual Seminar, 
an educational retreat that has become a tradition at 
Case. It is always held at the same time of year in a 
state lodge two hours away from the libraries in 
Cleveland, Ohio.

This year’s seminar will take a look at what the 
Case Western Reserve University Libraries will be 
like in the next 10-15 years—how the communica­
tions revolution will affect the library, the econo­
mics of information delivery, the obsolescence of the 
book, and similar topics. Edward T. O’Neill, dean of 
the School of Library Science, will coordinate the 
program.

The two and a half day event is planned as a 
learning experience and as an opportunity for those 
working in two libraries, physically separate on cam­
pus but belonging to one system, to get to know one 
another in a setting that encourages friendship and 
learning away from work. Only professional staff and 
those among the support staff who have been em­
ployed at Case for at least two years are eligible to 
attend.

James V. Jones, who has been director of the 
University Libraries for over ten years, was con­
cerned about staff development long before it had 
the strong focus in librarianship that it does today. 
Over the years the number of committees and meet­
ings at work have been kept to a minimum, while the 
summer seminars have provided the opportunity for 
staff to examine a variety of library trends together. 
They come away from the retreat better informed,

having had the opportunity to participate in deci­
sion-making, and are more knowledgeable about the 
focus of an academic library.

Jones also felt the seminars would create a cohe­
sive “family feeling” among staff. Merging of the two 
libraries into one system occurred in 1967 as a result 
of the federation of Case Institute of Technology and 
Western Reserve University. At the seminar, bar­
riers among those on different levels are eased, and 
communication among all is easy and informal.

About fifty staff members usually attend the semi­
nars (at no cost to themselves) and representatives 
from each of the other campus libraries are invited. 
Staff see it as a privilege, not a duty, and the coop­
erative spirit is extended beyond library walls for 
smoother university relations.

Each annual seminar has a special theme. If there 
is a Case faculty member whose area of expertise fits 
the subject matter, one of them is invited to speak. 
At least one outside speaker is invited to attend and 
address the group or to lead the educational pro­
gram. Outside speakers feel a comfortable part of 
the group throughout the seminar and their impres­
sions of the university library system are warm and 
positive.

One year the library staff was exposed to informa­
tion retrieval systems: now an accepted reference 
tool, at that time they were something very new and 
the staff received a complete orientation from three 
major vendors. Another year the topic, “Care and 
Control of Library Materials: Conservation for 
Librarians,” made staff aware of the types of papers