ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ September 1998 / 597 C O N F E R E N C E C I R C U I T Focus on the Invited Papers program Exciting programs to attend at National Conference by Betty Blackman with the assistance of Margot Sutton Ed note: Check out the conference home­ page fo r registration and additional in­ formation about the conference at http:// www.ala.org/acrl/ prendex.html. Under the direc­ tion of the chair of ACRL’s National Con­ ference Executive Committee Charles Beard (director, Univer­ sity Libraries at State University o f West Georgia), a very excit­ ing and inform ative program has been planned for ACRL’s 9th National Conference to be held April 8-11, 1999, in Detroit, Michi­ gan. We are particularly excited about the Invited Judith Hunt sharePapers Program. Various ACRL's 9th Natio subcommittees have visitor completes a been working diligently with the Executive Committee to attract an outstanding group of information special­ ists, library school educators, and college and university presidents to help us focus on critical issues and challenges we face and therefore must address as we enter the new millennium. s i nal ra Selecting the motor city of Detroit as the conference site has led to reflection about our rapidly changing environment, forcing us to move swiftly as we prepare for the 21st cen­ tury. The giant automotive industry has had to constantly shift gears to provide viable prod­ ucts for consumers; and, libraries— informa­ tion givers, providers and producers—are also rapidly shifting gears, embracing new tech­ nology, and adapting to change as we race toward the new millennium. Thus, the conference theme, “Racing Towards Tomorrow,” was chosen to focus on the challenges we face and the historic signifi­ cance of where we will meet to discuss, debate, and learn about issues that will effect community college, college, university and re­ search libraries now and into the future. The distinguished in­ nformation about vited speakers will ad­ Conference as a dress various aspects of ffle entry. the six conference sub­ themes, namely: 1) environment in flux; 2) alternate resources; 3) a new kind of learner; 4) multiple roles; 5) different players; and 6) expanding knowledge base. As you read the following information about their back­ grounds and their approach to the sub­ themes, we are sure that you will want to About the authors Betty Blackman co-chairs with Shirley Leung the Invited Papers Subcommittee and is dean o f the university library at California State University, Dominguez Hills, e-mail: bblackman@research.csudh.edu; Margo Sutton is ACRL's professional development assistant, e-mail: msutton@ala.org http://www.ala.org/acrl/ mailto:bblackman@research.csudh.edu mailto:msutton@ala.org 598 / C&RL News ■ Septem ber 1998 hear their full presentations at ACRL’s Na­ tional Conference. Are you concerned about the tools w e will need to more fully equip yourselves and your libraries for the new millennium? If so, we invite you to hear the following speakers: Leigh S. Estabrook, Malcolm Getz, Clifford Lynch, Gail McMillan, Manuel T. Pacheco, and Blenda Wilson. D ista n ce e d u ca tio n “New Forms o f Distance Education: Opportu­ nities for Students, Threats to Institutions” will be presented by Leigh Estabrook on Satur­ day, April 10, 1999, from 4:00- 5:30 p.m. Esta­ brook, dean and professor at Uni­ versity o f Illinois (UI), will discuss how the Gradu­ ate School o f Li­ brary and Infor­ mation Science at the UI used a Leigh Estabrook program called LEEP3 to o ffer master’s degrees over the Internet. Estabrook’s presentation will outline the way LEEP3 was designed to allow students in remote areas to obtain a high quality li­ brary and information science education and will discuss its implications for colleges and universities. Additionally, Estabrook will pose numerous questions for academic and research librarians as they consider the implementation o f distance education pro­ grams. Estabrook has been a dean and professor at the Graduate School of Library and Infor­ mation Science at the UI since 1986 and is currently researching the perception o f com­ munity officials and librarians and o f library effectiveness (funded by the Council on Li­ brary Resources and the Illinois State Library). A ca d e m ic p u b lis h in g Malcolm Getz, professor, Department of Eco­ nomics and Business Administration at Vanderbilt University, will present a paper on Academic Publishing: Networks and Prices” on Saturday, April 10, 1999, from 9:15-10:45 a.m. T h ro u gh o u t his discussion, Getz will explore a network’s po­ tential of allowing services remote from campus to play important roles at institu­ tions and how the use o f network Malcolm Getzdelivery for edu­ cational and infor­ mational services will change as higher edu­ cation expands. Getz feels that “putting prices in the hands o f readers will invite them to vote with their pennies for ser­ vices they value most.” Getz will discuss how prices w ill em pow er readers, will make the demand for information services more price elastic and thus, will probably low er prices. Getz has been a member o f Vanderbilt’s Economics department since 1973 and was the director o f the Jean and Alexander Heard Library from 1984-1994. His recent writing fo­ cuses on economic issues in higher educa­ tion, including libraries, computing in instruc­ tion, information storage, and electronic pub­ lishing. Getz, who has published more than 40 essays on library subjects, also advises li­ braries and others who are contemplating pub­ lishing electronically on the Internet. S c h o la r ly c o m m u n ic a tio n “The New Genres of Scholarly Communica­ tion and the Role o f the Research Library ” will be the focus of a pre­ sentation by Clifford Lynch, executive direc­ tor of the Coali­ tion for N e t­ w o rk ed In fo r­ mation (C N I). Lynch will pre­ Clifford Lynch sent his paper on Friday, April 9, 1999, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. During his presentation, Lynch will discuss the new genres o f scholarly communication for academic and research librarians. These genres include the Web, electronic C&RL News ■ Septem ber 1998 / 599 publications, digital video, and other high per­ formance networks, such as Internet 2 and Next Generation Internet. He will trace the development of these new genres, describe their components, and explore issues related to the role of the research library in managing and providing access to them. Lynch has been the director o f CNI since 1997. CNI, jointly sponsored by the ARL and EDUCAUSE includes about 200 member or­ ganizations concerned with the use o f infor­ mation and technology and networked infor­ mation to enhance scholarship and intellec­ tual productivity. Lynch, who received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Berke­ ley, is an adjunct professor at Berkeley’s School o f Information Management and Systems. D ig it a l lib rarie s Gail McMillan, director o f the Scholarly Com­ munication Project (SCP) at Virginia Polytech­ nic Institute and State University Libraries, will explore the relationship o f digital and tradi­ tional libraries during her presentation “(Digi­ tal) Libraries Support (Distributed) Education.” McMillan will present her paper from 4:00- 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 9, 1999- She will discuss why a digital library should be a “seamless extension o f the library that pro­ vides faculty and students with access to in­ formation in any format that has been evalu­ ated, organized, archived, and preserved.” In order to maximize their services, McMillan will stress, digital and traditional libraries should work cohesively in order to best serve the user community. McMillan has been head o f the Special Collections De­ partment at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University since June 1995 and direc­ tor o f the university; SCP since January 1994. H ig h e r e d u ca tion In his presentation, “The Changing Nature o f Higher Education,” Manuel Pacheco will discuss how changes in higher education reflect broad national and international changes. These changes include globalization o f the marketplace, rapidly evolving informa­ tion technologies, the shift from manufactur ing-based to information-based societies, the need for individuals to learn and change throughout their lives, and the need for indi­ viduals and societies alike to understand dif­ ferent cultures and to welcome d i v e r s i t y . Pacheco will il­ lustrate how li­ braries— “inter­ national free trade zones of in­ formation”— are one of the best equip-ped social institutions to pro- Manuel Pacheco mote such changes. Pacheco will present his paper on Friday, April 9, 1999, from 10:30-12:30 p.m. Pacheco has been the president of the four campus University o f Missouri System since 1997. Prior to this position, he served as the president of the University of Arizona and received national recognition for enacting programs designed to improve the academic experience at the university. Pacheco has received other accolades, in­ cluding the Distinguished Alumnus of the Ohio State University, Outstanding Hispanic Fam­ ily of the Year, and a Fulbright Fellowship. A p re sid e n t's v ie w Blenda J. Wilson, president of California State University (CSU), Northridge, will present her paper “Shifting Gears: A U n i v e r s i t y President’s View” on Saturday, April 10, 1999, from 12:45-3:00 p.m. during an all-con feren ce lun­ cheon. W ilson will discuss the Blenda J. Wilson many changes universities face today: the nature o f the stu­ dent body, distance learning, alternate fund­ ing, public expectations, and the impact of technology. Wilson will recommend how li­ brarians and libraries can plan for these changes— changes that, from a university president’s perspective, are necessary for the new millennium. She will also explore the role of libraries in campus life and their posi­ tive impact on student achievement and re­ tention. Lastly, Wilson will present the op- 6 0 0 / C&RL News ■ Septem ber 1998 portunity for discussion on what makes a “great library” from a university president’s view. Wilson, who began her service as presi­ dent o f CSU in 1992, has initiated a major strategic planning effort to revitalize the uni­ versity and to redefine its mission in response to the numerous challenges facing higher education. Described by Change magazine as “a visible national spokesperson for aca­ demic issues,” she also serves on several gov­ erning boards, including the board o f trust­ ees o f the Commonwealth Fund and the J. Paul Getty Trust. Wilson also chairs the CSU 22-campus system’s Commission on Learning Resources and Instructional Technology. She is past chair o f the American Association o f Higher Education and a member o f the California Business-Higher Education Forum. H ear h o w lib r a r ia n s re s p o n d to t h e s e is s u e s In addition to the presentations by the above invited speakers, there will be a three-per­ son reactor panel for each speaker. The in­ vited papers subcommittee has assembled an impressive group o f practitioners who will also seek to stimulate and provoke audience participation prior to the question and an­ swer periods for each session. Some o f the identified reactors include: Elaine Albright, University o f Maine; Camila Alire, University of Colorado; Betsy Baker, Northwestern Uni­ versity; Nancy Baker, Washington State Uni­ versity; Gladys Bell, Kent State University; Bernard Fradkin, College o f Du Page; W. Lee Hisle, Austin Community College; Maryhelen Jones, Central Michigan University; David Lewis, Purdue University; Wendy Lougee, University o f Michigan; Deborah Masters, San Francisco State University; Ryoko Toyama, Rutgers University; and Robert Wedgeworth, University o f Illinois. Finally, we must ask ourselves the crucial questions: Are we ready to provide access to in­ formation resources to our users in the new mil­ lennium? What have we done to prepare for the delivery of effective services in the 21st century? Are we ready for evolving changes now and in the future? What do we need to do to get ready? What must change? What must remain? What roles will w e play in the future and with whom? Please join us in Detroit in 1999 as we collectively seek answers that will determine our future.