ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


November 1989 /  893

provides th e  o pportunity to forge new  alliances. 
Articles about inform ation literacy are being w rit­
te n  for professional journals and a series o f video­
tapes rela ted  to inform ation literacy are being 
produced. Efforts are cu rren tly  underw ay in 
A CRL to  w ork w ith th e  A m erican Association for 
H ig h er E ducation on a program  on th e issue o f 
inform ation literacy.

Copies o f th e  Final R eport are available from th e 
ALA office in Chicago. T h e A CR L B oard has ch o ­
sen inform ation literacy as th e  th e m e  for 
1990-1991, and it will be th e topic o f my p resi­
d e n t’s program  at th e  ALA A nnual C o nference in 
1991. Inform ation literacy is an essential survival 
skill for th e Inform ation Age an d  libraries are an 
im portant p a rt o f th e inform ation universe. P re p ar­
ing college and University populations to  be effi­
cient and effective inform ation seekers and con­
sum ers is cen tral to th e mission o f academ ic and 
research libraries. This is reflected  in several places 
in th e ACRL Strategic Plan including enhancing 
th e  capability o f libraries to  serve th e  needs o f users 
an d  prom oting study, research, and publication 
relevant to academ ic and research librarianship. I t 
also builds on th e th em es o f rec en t A CR L p resi­
d en ts and provides th e o pportunity to build upon 
p ast A CR L activities.

I w ould like to h ear your ideas about how  we, as 
an association, m ight continue to w ork on projects 
an d  program s relating to  inform ation literacy 
th ro u g h  efforts in A CR L and in academ ic and 
research libraries. This is an excellent o p portunity 
to  w ork w ith o th e r units in ALA and o th e r hig h er 
education groups an d  explore an im p o rtan t topic 
cen tral to o u r functions as academ ic and research 
librarians.

Sources for inform ation an d  ideas, in addition to 
th e  Final R ep o rt o f  the A m erican L ibrary Associa­
tion Presidential Com m ittee on Inform ation L iter­
acy include:

Patricia Senn Breivik, “Libraries P rep are for an 
Inform ation Age,” E ducational Record 70 (W inter 
1989): 13-19.

Patricia Senn Breivik. “Making th e M ost o f Li­
braries Searching for Academic Excellence,” 
Change 19 (July/August 1987): 44-52.

Patricia Senn Breivik and E. G ordon G ee, Infor­
m ation Literacy: R evolution in the Library. N ew  
York: A m erican C ouncil on E ducation, 1989.

Patricia Senn Breivik and R o b ert W edgew orth, 
Libraries an d  the Search f o r  A cadem ic Excellence. 
M etuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow  Press, 1988.

Larry H ardesty, Nicholas P. Lovrich, Jr., and 
Jam es M annon, “L ibrary Use Instruction: Assess­
m en t o f th e  L ong-T erm  E ffects,” College h  R e­
search Libraries 43 (January 1982): 38-46.

Jam es A. H yatt and A urora A. Santiago, Univer­
sity  Libraries in Transition. W ashington, D.C.: 
N ational Association o f College and University 
Business Officers, 1987.

T hom as Kirk, “T eaching and Technology: T he 
Im p act o f U nlim ited Inform ation Access on Class­
room  T eaching,” L ibrary Issues: Briefings f o r  Fac­
u lty  a nd A dm inistrators 9 (July 1989): 1-4.

D avid W . Lewis, “Inventing th e  E lectronic 
University,” College & Research Libraries 49 (July 
1988): 291-304.

B arbara B. M oran. A cadem ic Libraries: The 
changing Knowledge Cen te r  o f  Colleges an d  Uni­
versities. A S H E -E R IC  H ig h er E ducation R e­
search R eport, No. 8. W ashington, D .C.: Associa­
tion for th e  Study o f H ig h er E ducation, 1984.■ ■

ACRL Statement on the Certification and Licensing o f 
Academic Librarians

At th e 1989 ALA Annual C o nference th e  A CR L 
B oard o f D irectors approved th e  following sta te­
ment:

“T h e Association o f C ollege an d  R esearch Li­
braries has affirm ed th a t th e m aster’s d egree from 
a program  accred ited  by th e  A m erican Library 
Association is th e ap p ro p riate term in al profes­
sional d eg ree for academ ic librarians. T h erefo re, it 
opposes certification o r licensing in lieu o f th at 
degree for academ ic librarians, e ith er by state 
agencies o r by state o r local professional associa­
tions.”

T h e statem ent, p re p a re d  by A CR L’s A cademic 
Status C om m ittee, does n o t oppose licensing o r 
certification o f librarians as an addition to  an al­
ready ob tain ed  M LS, b u t only opposes it w hen it is 
su b stitu ted  for earn in g  an MLS.

F o r fu rth e r inform ation, contact M ary E llen 
Davis, A CRL P rogram  Officer, ACRL/ALA, 50 E. 
H u ro n  St., Chicago, IL 6 0 6 1 1 ; (800) 545-2433.B ■