ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


4 3 6  /  C&RL N ew s

In the N ew s
P reparing for an accreditation visit— al­

though stressful—can be an opportunity for the 
library to take a step back and evaluate its ser­
vices and collections. This issue contains 15 
tips for preparing for an accreditation visit com­
piled by librarians w ho are veterans of the ac­
creditation process as well as a list of experi­
enced librarians selected by ACRL’s Accred­
itation Advisers Board w ho are willing to an­
sw er your accreditation questions.

One of your questions may be just w hat is 
the role of the librarian in the accreditation 
process. I thought it w ould be interesting to 
lo o k  at th at qu estio n  from  an accrediting 
official’s point of view. So this issue includes 
an interview with Howard Simmons, executive 
director of the Middle States Association o f Col­
leges and Schools, and an opinion column 
p enned by the associate executive director of 
the Western Association of Schools and Col­
leges, Ralph Wolff.

This issue continues our coverage of ACRL’s 
Sixth National Conference with more session 
summaries to share with you some of the great

ideas w e heard in Salt Lake City. The confer­
ence proceedings (containing the full text of 
all the keynote speeches, such as Julian Bond’s, 
as well as the papers and programs) will be 
published in August so be sure to reserve your 
copy now. Call ALA’s Order Department at 1- 
(800) 545-2433, press 7.

Phillip Young conjures up that summertime 
feeling in his vivid description o f an estate sale 
on a hot and humid August afternoon. The book 
as a medium lives on! Speaking of books, we thor­
oughly enjoyed the suggestion book comments that 
were sent in and share with you some of our favor­
ites on page 467. Keep sending in those gems.

If you’ve been hearing a lot about OCLC’s 
FirstSearch and w anted more specifics, this is­
sue recounts the experiences of two universi­
ties using this service.

Congratulations to Tom Kirk, ACRL’s next 
president, and all of the newly elected section 
officers w ho are volunteering their time and 
talent to ACRL.

—Mary Ellen K. Davis 
Editor & Publisher