ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


and cost a good million dollars, knowledgeable 
construction people say.

And what about all the hope and effort o
the part of the library staff who have reconcile
themselves to yet another year of labor in thei
cramped quarters with the promise that th
bright fabrics and new desks pictured in th
interior designer’s mock-up will someday b
theirs in the new building going up across th
street.

And what about the American public, the 
people all across the country who depend on 

n their libraries and who count on the Library of 
d Congress as a primary national cultural re­
r source. How will they feel if Congress, while 
e hailing openness in government, tunnels its 
e way into the best space in the Madison Build­
e ing to avoid facing the people with the bill for 
e a new office of its own.

ACRL Chapter Developments
Under the guidance of Norman E. Tanis, 

ACRL president during 1973/74, the ACRL 
Board of Directors established as one of 
ACRL’s top priorities the development of 
chapters of ACRL. In July 1973 Mr. Tanis ap­
pointed an ad hoc Committee on Chapter De­
velopment, chaired by George M. Bailey, asso­
ciate director of libraries at the Claremont 
Colleges. The committee is charged with pro­
moting the organization of chapters and with 
assisting chapters in program planning and 
development. In the past, ACRL has con­

tributed to chapter programs through the par­
ticipation of ACRL officers and committee 
members.

Article IV of the ACRL Bylaws provides for 
the organization of chapters within ACRL:

Article IV. Chapters
Sec. 1. Establishment. The Board of Direc­

tors may establish a chapter of the Association 
in any state, province, territory, or region on 
the petition of twenty-five members of the As­
sociation residing or employed within the area.

Sec. 2. Bylaws. A chapter may adopt its own 
bylaws provided there is no conflict between 
them and the Constitution and Bylaws of the 
Association.

Sec. 3. Members. A chapter may admit 
members who are not members of the Associa­
tion.

Sec. 4. Meetings. Each chapter shall hold 
at least one meeting a year unless it is affiliated 
with an organization that normally meets bien­
nially.

Sec. 5. Reporting. Each chapter shall send 
a report of its meetings to the executive secre­
tary of the Association within one month fol­
lowing the meetings.

Sec. 6. Dissolution. A chapter may be dis­
solved at its request by the Board of Directors 
of the Association and shall be so dissolved if 
it becomes inactive or fails to comply with the 
provisions of this article.

Within the past two years, the ACRL Board 
of Directors has approved three petitions for 
the establishment of new chapters: the New 
England College and Research Librarians, the 
Illinois Association of College and Research 
Libraries, and the Academic and Research Di­
vision of the Minnesota Library Association. 
The three additional ACRL chapters are: the 
Delaware Valley Chapter (eastern Pennsyl­
vania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware), 
the Tri-State Chapter ( Ohio, Pennsylvania, and 
West Virginia), and the Missouri Association 
of College and Research Libraries.

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