ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 124 / C&RL News This means, for example, th at if all library direc­ tor salaries were arrayed from lowest to highest, the salary in the middle position, the m edian, would be $38,175—the first figure shown in the top row on Table 1. Another way of looking at the same array is to note th at half of the salaries fall w ith in a range bounded by $29,660—th e first quartile (midway between the lowest salary and the median) and $49,440—the third quartile (mid­ way between the median and the highest salary). The quartiles also show th at 25 percent of aca­ demic library directors earn less than $29,660 and 25 percent earn more than $49,440. It is also im portant to know th at respondents were asked to observe the following specifications in reporting their data: •Salaries are those in effect during the fall of 1987. •Salaries are at an annualized, full-time rate; they reflect only actual cash earnings, excluding any services contributed w ithout charge. •E nrollm ent and budget figures are for the op­ erating year 1987-1988. •E nrollm ent is stated in terms of equivalent full-time students. •Budgets include amounts for current educa­ tion and general operations, including research funds. Budgets do not include amounts for student aid, auxiliary enterprises, service departm ents, construction, and similar activities. ■ ■ Chapters Council: R eflection s in a h a ll o f m irrors By Alan Ritch Assistant to the University Librarian University o f California, Santa Cruz The growth o f A C R L chapters over the past 36 years. Twice a year, representatives of every chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries gather as a Council to discuss issues of m utual con­ cern. Only a few years ago these gatherings were sufficiently modest in scale th at they could be held in small meeting rooms around a single table. At its most recent m eeting in New Orleans, C hapters Council found itself in a large m irrored ballroom, forced by its own growing membership into a set­ ting more august but less intim ate than at conven­ tions of the not too distant past. Though the regional voices and the accents from all parts of the country were made less distinct by size and shape of the aptly named Versailles Room, the reflections that surrounded us, echoing multiple images of each delegation off into apparent distance seemed an appropriate metaphor for our function and our growing importance in the national organi­ zation. Just as the regional chapters provide to every ACRL member the opportunity for small-scale, grass-roots involvement, local continuing educa­ tion, and social and professional interaction, so the Chapters Council serves as a parliament for all those local constituencies, as a forum for sharing program ideas, and as a setting which fosters new social and professional friendships. February 1989 / 125 As past president of one of the largest chapters, CARL, representing California, member of Coun­ cil for three years and its chair for the past twelve months, I have been asked to compile a brief his­ tory of ACRL chapters, less to celebrate any tidily round-numbered anniversary—the first chapters were constituted 36 years ago—than to take stock of our growth as we welcome the 39th C hapter, W estern Pennsylvania, and the 40th C h ap ter, Arkansas, to advertise our existence to those few ar­ eas not yet represented; and to reflect, like the m ir­ rors of the Versailles Room, on our several roles and accomplishments. Times and places: The spread of chapters The creation of the W estern Pennsylvania C hap­ ter nicely mirrors a pioneer event in the eastern part of the same state in the summer of 1951, when Philadelphia became the first ACRL chapter.1 The subsequent history of chapter growth is less clear cut. A brief, unpublished report by Carol Marty suggests a flurry of activity in the early fifties, and the formation by 1955 of four more chapters, in the Pittsburgh area (possibly the site of our second old­ est as well as our second newest organization!), and in New Jersey, Missouri, and Illinois.2 However, the same report gives dates a decade or two later for the “official recognition” of these chapters, and so this brief historical geography will reflect the dates which appear in the current official ACRL Guide to Policies and Procedures. For tw enty years from the formation of the earli­ est ACRL chapters in 1952, there was little further activity. The map of represented areas remains largely blank until the mid-seventies, w ith only a pioneer outpost in Missouri and an eastern sea­ board nucleus around Philadelphia and the valley of the D elaw are offering local organizations for ACRL members (see Map 1, on cover). In the next decade, the pace quickened dram ati­ cally. The m ultistate chapter of New England joined in 1972, followed by Illinois, (again?) and Michigan in the next two years. In 1975, there was further infilling in the northeast, as the state of New York yielded two Chapters, one internation­ ally w rapped around the end of Lake O ntario, and the frontier moved west into Kansas and Minne­ sota. Most of this growth during the mid-seventies was contiguous to the old nuclei, but Oregon, in 1975, became the first chapter on the Pacific (see Map 2). This period showed the effect of more formal recognition of the im portance of chapters by the national organization. An Ad Hoc Committee on A lp h o n s e F . T re z z a , “ P h ila d e lp h ia , F irs t ACRL C hapter,” College & Research Libraries, April 1954, 180-82. 2Carol M. Marty, “ACRL C hapter G row th,” [unpublished report] June 27, 1980. Chapters, chaired by George Railey, and a perm a­ nent C hapters Com m ittee, chaired by Norm an Tanis, w orked tow ards the Resolution, in June 1977, which would formally establish a Council of C hapters.3 The emergence of chapter development as a significant priority for ACRL was reflected in a new surge of colonization, during the mid and late seventies. Ry 1980, the south was well represented, first by Tennessee, then Maryland, Texas and Virginia, then Florida, North C arolina and Georgia; the Pa­ cific coast saw new chapters in California in 1979 and W ashington the following year. In the same period there was further infilling of the eastern and central states w ith the admission to chapterhood of Iowa, New Jersey (for the second time?), Indiana, and Nebraska (see Map 3). After two decades of quietude, ten years of hec­ tic activity saw the formation of twenty-seven new Chapters, and the last few years have witnessed, at an inevitably slower pace, the systematic process of chapter creation in areas less densely populated. Several new chapters have been form ed in the south (Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama); in the Midwest, plains and prairies (Ohio, South D a­ kota, Oklahoma, and North Dakota); and in the more sparsely populated hill and m ountain states (Arizona, Colorado, M ontana, Nevada, New Mex­ ico and Kentucky). Population density has become the principal limiting factor. While on the one hand, New York has found it necessary to add yet another chapter, G reater M etropolitan New York (1981), others have struggled w ith the challenge of spatial disper­ sion, small institutions and tiny rosters to create a critical mass of interest and a minimal numerical threshold to chapterhood. The current m ap shows only a few isolated blank areas scattered across the country: in the eastern half, South Carolina and W est V irg in ia; a contiguous g ro uping in th e Rockies of Idaho, Utah and Wyoming; and the re­ ally discontiguous younger states of Alaska and H a­ waii (see Map 4, on cover). The next chapter... Some of the blank areas will not rem ain so for very long. A committee of Chapters Council is spe­ cifically concerned w ith providing support to new chapters. We are developing new ways to make this support more useful: assigning individual com­ mittee members, usually from neighboring states w hich have themselves only recently achieved chapterhood, to provide specific guidance and ad­ vice to those who aspire to it. More formal assist­ ance, essential forms and financial support are pro­ vided to new chapters by ACRL headquarters, but the complementary informal support, provided by 3Memo from Norman E. Tanis, C hair, ACRL Chapters Committee, June 6, 1977. 126 / C&R L News February 1989 / 127 ACRL members w ith fresh experience in group or­ ganization, budget control and program planning, seems to have been equally valuable. We plan to supplement these activities by inviting prospective representatives of future chapters to attend meet­ ings of Chapters Council, where they can learn di­ rectly about the activities of other chapters and the m utual benefits which are derived from the recip­ rocal relationship between these groups and the parent organization. Fallow ground I recently received a printout of names of ACRL members living in areas w ithout chapters. A quick count of these names indicates the potential for these areas to achieve chapter status: District of Columbia, 115 South Carolina, 75 Utah, 55 Arkansas, 43 Hawaii, 40 Idaho, 24 Wyoming, 24 Alaska, 20 The anomalous absence of an ACRL chapter in the nation’s capital will, we trust, prom pt new or­ ganizational action, perhaps during the m idwinter meetings in the same city. The need for an ACRL chapter in W ashington was given practical weight during the planning, w ithout local support, for C hapters Council activities at the January 1989 conference. An urban area w ith over 100 ACRL members seems well poised to take advantage of the benefits of chapterhood. Lacking such demographic advantages, the pos­ sibility of all of the other areas forming chapters seems remote, certainly without creative interstate cooperation. Rut a liaison analogous to th at forged among the New England states might allow the form ation of a Rocky M ountain C h ap ter w ith Idaho and Wyoming (48 members) or Utah w ith these two northern neighbors (103). Alaska, alas, seems to be left out in the cold! However, more ambitious plans to increase the geographic range of chapters, following the inter­ national precedent set by Western New York/On- tario m ight involve some of the 175 C anadian m em bers of ACRL. And, conceivably, th e 50 ACRL members residing in Australia might wish to form a C hapter of the Antipodes! Conclusion The growth of chapters mirrors and influences the growth of ACRL itself. Not only do chapters foster membership growth, but they offer a more practical, flexible and intim ate context for profes­ sional involvement than can the national organiza­ tion. Chapters Council provides a bridge between this productive regional activity and the resources and administrative support provided by the parent group. Though the number of chapters may now be expected to remain fairly stable, the number of programs organized by the chapters continues to increase, and their role in the continuing education of the ACRL membership is more im portant than ever. ■ ■ Ten Library/Book Fellow positions open Applications are now being accepted for the 1989-1990 Library/Book Fellows Program. The joint program of the American Library Association and the United States Information Agency (USIA) will place approximately ten U.S. citizens overseas beginning in September 1989. While 14 positions are listed, funding will per­ mit approximately 10 placements. Africa-Sub-Saharan Manzini, Swaziland-. University of Swaziland. O ne year, preferably Septem ber 1989-A ugust 1990. Work w ith the special collections depart­ m ent of the university library to identify and col­ lect materials on Swaziland presently held in U.S. libraries and institutions; help develop the Swa- ziana collection as the nucleus of the departm ent by assisting in organizing and processing docu­ ments and advising on how missing items might be acquired. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: University Library, University of D ar es Salaam. Academic year, be­ ginning October 1989. New library school needs expert on library science curriculum development, staffing, and related matters; also teach library sci­ ence courses in fellow’s area of expertise. American republics Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West In ­ dies, D epartm ent of Library Studies. Academic year, 15 September 1989 to 30 June 1990. Teach online searching of U.S. databases to students from 16 English-speaking C aribbean countries; develop course outlines in this area and the more general area of information science and research method­ ology. Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), School of Library Science. Six months. Portuguese language required. Teach graduate-level course in library autom ation and 128 / C&R L News assist in planning special courses in this subject. Guatemala City, Guatemala: General Archives of C entral America. Six months to a year. Fluency in Spanish required. Instruct archives staff in resto­ ration and storage techniques and advise on needs related to the archive’s physical plant, staffing and cataloging; w ill be w orking w ith collection of Spanish Royal Documents dating from 14th cen­ tury. East Asia Beijing, People's Republic o f China: Beijing For­ eign Studies University (BFSU). Full year. Chinese language competence preferred but not required. Develop American Studies collection at BFSU and assist in establishing a model library operating on American principles, i.e., open stacks, free access to materials. T aipei, Taiw an: N atio n al C e n tra l L ib ra ry (NCL). Six months. Competence in Chinese pre­ ferred but not required. Assist the NCL in develop­ ing and organizing its U.S. government publica­ tions collection; pro v id e staff tra in in g in th e management and utilization of government publi­ cations. Quezon City, Philippines: University of the Phil­ ippines, University and Archives Records Center. Six months. T rain staff in theories, principles, and practices of archival development, organization, and management. Europe Oslo, Norway: Norwegian School of L ibrary and Information Sciences. Academic year, 1 Sep­ tem ber 1989 to 1 July 1990. T rain Norwegian li­ brarians in online searching of U.S. databases; present lectures on availability of inform ation through U.S. databases. Dublin, Ireland: University College Dublin Li­ brary. Six months to a year. Assist in organizing and prom oting use of U.S. government documents collection spanning 108 years. M adrid, Spain: Universidad Compultense de Madrid. Academic year, September 1989 to June 1990. Fluency in Spanish required. Teach full course-load in online searching of U.S. databases and use of databases as reference tools. North Africa and Southeast Asia Lahore, Pakistan: Punjab D epartm ent of E du­ cation. Nine months. Assist the departm ent in set­ ting up a major science library by advising on ac­ quisition of U.S. print and nonprint information sources and on development of networking and resource-sharing among libraries of Punjab. Damascus, Syria: Asad National Library. Full year preferred. Fluency in Arabic desired, but li­ brary will provide full-time translator if necessary. T rain 12 library employees in cataloging book and nonbook materials; if possible, advise on preserva­ tion and restoration of library materials. Hyderabad, India: American Studies Research Centre. Nine to twelve months. Assist in develop­ m ent of the social sciences collection by analyzing existing collection, selecting titles to fill gaps and advising on acquisition sources; provide staff train­ ing in use of American Studies materials as refer­ ence sources. Stipends for Library/Book Fellows are $23,690 per year. Travel expenses (fellow and one depen­ dent) to and from will be reimbursed and health and life insurance coverage are provided. Some hosts will assist w ith housing. Eligibility require­ ments: U.S. citizenship; command of the language of the host country is desired; education and experi­ ence in library or information science, publishing or other fields directly related to the interests and needs of specific projects, w ith demonstrated com­ petency as re q u ire d . Persons w ho have liv e d abroad for a ten-year period immediately preced­ ing application are not eligible. If interested, send resume w ith a cover letter briefly stating desired position, foreign-language skills, subject expertise and maximum placement service length. (No application forms are avail­ able.) Application deadline date for the 1989-1990 positions is 15 April 1989. C ontact: R obert P. Doyle, Director, Library/Book Fellows Program, American Library Association, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611; (800) 545-2433; in Illinois, (800) 545-2444. The United States Information Agency, an inde­ pendent agency w ithin the executive branch, is re­ sponsible for the U.S. government’s overseas cul­ tu ral and inform ation program s, including the Voice of America, the W O RLDNET satellite tele­ vision system and the Fulbright scholarship pro­ gram. ■ ■ Research in progress W anted: Unique or unusual library-use as­ signments from librarian-teacher teams. Kris­ tina H uber (St. Olaf College) and Thomas Kirk (Berea College) are preparing a compilation of such assignments to serve as a handbook for li­ brarians and teachers. This compilation, to be published by Greenwood Press, will include about thirty assignments draw n from a variety of undergraduate disciplines. If you w ould be interested in contributing, please write imme­ diately. By return mail you will receive instruc­ tions for submission of an abstract by which as­ signments will be selected. The first draft of the 1,200-2,000 w ord essay will be due by August 1989. Act quickly and do not lose this opportunity to share your great ideas w ith the profession! Send inquiries to Thomas Kirk, Hutchins Library, Berea Col­ lege, Berea, KY 40404. With some booksellers, a small answ er all your questions. 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