ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 194 /C & R L News Kirk and W ittkopf share their visions for ACRL B y T h o m a s G. K ir k College Librarian and Professor o f Library Science Berea College a n d B a r b a r a W i t t k o p f Reference Librarian Louisiana State University A C R L ’s 1992 presidential candidates’ statements. Thomas G. Kirk Barbara W ittkopf E d. Note: C&RL News offered ACRL can­ didates for vice-president/president-elect, Thomas Kirk and Barbara Wittkopf, this op nity to share their views with the ACRL m em ber­ ship. Although many of the issues and concerns facing ACRL are discussed informally at meetings, this does not provide a national forum available to all members. We hope that providing this forum will assist you in making an informed choice when you receive your ballot from ALA next month. Thomas G. Kirk Twenty-three years of experience in ACRL, SOLINET, and other professional associations has demonstrated to me the value of work in library organizations. The work has been rewarding to me personally and the value to the profession of coop­ erative work done through such organizations is very evident to me. Election to the position of ACRL vice-president/ president-elect will give me the opportunity to act on three challenges which I believe ACRL should address. They include more sustained and intensive networking with higher education and professional associations, more in­ tentional coordination of our work with ALA and the other divisions, and strengthening our planning and communication efforts within ACRL. I wel­ come the opportunity to work with the many volun­ teers who serve on committees, boards, and task forces of ACRL and its sections. I t is through their efforts that ACRL achieves the goals in its Strategic Plan. This introduction provides a brief overview of the directions I will take as president of ACRL. In ptohret us­pace below I spell out the rationale for these directions and elaborate on the three elements of my platform. B a c k g r o u n d W hen most librarians see the term “networking” what probably comes first to their minds are OCLC, NREN, SOLINET, or whatever is the acronym of their particular interlibrary organization, an organi­ zation which has resource sharing, usually through application of technology, as its central goal. But networking is also a social term—individuals con­ necting to share their hum an resources in order to solve a particular problem or search for a solution to March 1992 /1 9 5 a special challenge. I like to think of ACRL as a networkfor academic and research librarians through which they can connect with each other and with the larger library and academic community. In my 23 years o f m em bership in ACRL and ALA I have seen how netw orking has h e lped us pass im portant milestones in th e developm ent o f the association. O ne m ilestone that im m ediately comes to m ind is the creation first o f the Task F orce on Bibliographic Instruction and later o f th e Biblio­ graphic Instruction Section. I and o ther active bibliographic instruction librarians, through exten­ sive communication and consultation with the m em ­ bers, encouraged ACRL to provide an organiza­ tional base forthis em erging library service. Through this section academ ic librarians have continued to address im portant issues as bibliographic instruc­ tion has developed into a basic service o f academic and research libraries. Today, BIS is one o f ACRL’s m ost active sections and, along with oth er sections, has extended ACRL’s program in support o f aca­ dem ic libraries and librarians. N etworking was also responsible for gaining b e t­ t e r relationships am ong th e divisions o f ALA. Through com m unication among the leaders o f the various divisions conflict among divisions has been reduced and thus perm itte d the divisions to have a stronger voice within ALA. As President of ACRL I would like to address three areas in which netw orking can strengthen ACRL and ou r ability to achieve ACRL’s mission. C o m m u n i c a t i o n w i t h i n A C R L First, I see a n eed to improve ou r own connec­ tions w ithin ACRL. As a large division w ith the diversity o f interests reflective of academ ic and research librarianship generally it is easy for us to becom e fragm ented and lose sight of o ur overall goals. N ow here is this m ore evident than in conflicts th at em erge over budget and areas of responsibility. I am com m itted to finding ways in which parts of the organization can be b e tte r inform ed about th e work of the entire association. T he connections betw een th e ACRL Board of Directors and the com m ittees and sections of ACRL particularly n eed strengthening. W hile I was a m em ber o f the Board o f D irectors in 1979-81 and again from 1986-1990, the Board experim ented with various ways o f improving com m unication with ACRL units. Building on th at experience I w ant to develop m ore effective mechanisms for demystifying the work of the Board and sharpen the Board’s understanding o f the w ork o f the sections and com m ittees o f ACRL. Some tim e ago I w rote to various m em bers of the ACRL leadership asking for suggestions about how to strengthen th e ACRL network. H e re are a few of th e suggestions I received: com m unicate ACRL activities through Chapter Topics, th e new sletter of the Chapters Council; solicit input from m em ber­ ship through a colum n in C &R L News-, use BIT N E T to improve communication among comm ittee m em ­ bers; have an open forum for ACRL Board and ACRL m em bership at Annual C onference. T hese suggestions among others from the m em bership will be explored as p a rt o f my effort to stimulate the ACRL network. C o n n e c t i n g w it h o t h e r p a r t s o f t h e w h o l e Second, we n e ed to foster ou r connections with ALA in general and with its divisions. As a division of ALA our ability to address m ajor issues effecting academ ic and research librarians and libraries is intertw ined with the work of ALA generally and its o ther divisions. As I sat on ALA Council and partici­ p ated in deliberations about ALA’s program s in the areas o f legislation, literacy, intellectual freedom and censorship, public attitudes towards libraries, and access to governm ent information, I becam e m ore aware o f th e value o f these program s to academ ic and research libraries. I am also aware that o th er divisions address such professional con­ cerns as reference services, collection develop­ m ent, library autom ation, and library adm inistra­ tion which are im portant to academ ic and research libraries. O ur challenge as m em bers of ACRL is to connect ou r work to that of ALA and its other divisions. I will be looking for ways in which ACRL and ALA and its oth er divisions can be b e tte r inform ed about one another’s program s and m u tu ­ ally supportive. C o n n e c t i n g w i t h t h e r e s t o f h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n Third, we should enhance our connections with higher education and professional associations. I want to affirm and continue the program area o f this fundam ental goal. T he ACRL Professional Associa­ tion Liaison C om m ittee is exploring ways to en­ hance our ability to connect with o th er associations. W hile th ere has b een no lack o f effort in the past (see JoAn S. Segal a nd Sandra W hiteley in C&R L News, July/August 1990), effective netw orking with o ther associations will not occur unless we can find the m echanism s to integrate the netw orking into the organizational fabric of ACRL. I have firsthand experience as one o f two ACRL representatives to th e Coalition for N etw orked Inform ation, and with this experience I have learned som ething o f the challenges and benefits of ACRL’s netw orking with o ther organizations. Because th e challenge is so great I do n ’t expect a simple solution, b ut we should look to take further steps th at will develop continu­ ing relationships with higher education and profes­ sional associations. OUR VISION OF THE FUTURE OF LIBR A RIES HAS HELPED US ACHIEVE GEOMETRIC GROWTH. We’re proud to have been selected in the past year as the auto­ mation system o f more than 30 academic and research libraries worldwide. Stop by booth 227 at the ACRL conference to fin d out why. 1276 N orth Warson P.O. Box 8495 St. Louis, M O 63132 Internet: Sales@ dranet.dra. com March 1992 /1 9 7 F in a l t h o u g h t s In their article "Com m unication in a ‘Network’ organization” (Organizational Dynamics, Autum n 1991), John B. Bush and Alan L. Frohm an note that the traditional hierarchal m odes o f com m unication are not sufficient if an organization is to be innova­ tive and prom ote change. T hey call for a networking structure th at allows, I would say, encourages, lateral comm unication and prom otes creativity. I believe we can improve the Association and our m em bers by exploring how to create a “netw orked organization.” T hese areas of concern— how to improve n e t­ working among ACRL m em bers, betw een ACRL and o ther ALA divisions, and with higher education and professional associations outside ALA—can be addressed individually and collectively. Collectively, ACRL needs to give attention to the dynamics o f its organizational structure and search for m echa­ nisms which will enhance, even reward, efforts to connect w ith o th er groups. Individually, we n eed to explore the dynamics of networking as a personal and professional style o f work. Through a focus on networking and the mechanisms for building the connections am ong ACRL, its constituent parts, and th e larger world o f librarianship, higher educa­ tion, and research, ACRL will b e b e tte r able to achieve the goals which support ACRL’s mission. The priorities I have outlined above are intended to advance ACRL’s focus on its stated mission and goals. I support the ACRL Strategic Plan and believe it should inform and direct the work o f the associa­ tion. T he Strategic Plan is an important tool of organizational developm ent and it m ust continually be renew ed and inform ed by our experience. I want to see the planning process strengthened so that we are more unified in our vision of what ACRL can be. I also know that certain unplanned ideas and events arise during a president’s term . I believe that the president o f ACRL m ust actively m eet those challenges. My style will be to consult widely with the Executive Com m ittee, Board o f D irectors, and/ or the appropriate ACRL com m ittees, councils, or sections. ACRL’s strength lies in the wealth of knowledge, ingenuity, and com m itm ent o f its vol­ u n tee r m em bers who serve on these association bodies. In making decisions for th e association, I want to prom ote a m ore unified vision o f the goals of the Association and improve th e effectiveness of our program s in m eeting those goals. Barbara W ittkopf T he mission o f ACRL is twofold: 1) It exists to enhance th e ability of academ ic and research libraries to effectively serve the library and information needs of th eir users—c u rrent and p o ­ tential, and 2) It fosters the profession of academic and research librarianship. ACRL is th e largest division of ALA with 11,000 m em bers, 255 com m ittees and discussion groups, three type-of-library sections, 13 type-of-activity sections, 22 liaison comm ittees, and 41 chapters. T hese groups work with the ACRL staff, Execu­ tive Board, and Board of Directors to accomplish this task. I have chaired the Bibliographic Instruction Section and Activities Section Council and am cur­ rently on the Board of Directors. I would like to serve as president o f ACRL to help it achieve its mission. Increasing restraints on human, financial, and political resources dem and that more information be shared, that duplication of efforts be kept to a mini­ mum, that activities be prioritized, and that “m od­ els”—large and small—b e created to disseminate the strategies and programs that are developed. This approach is cost and tim e efficient and provides a service to all ACRL m em bers, in all types o f academ ic and research libraries w hether o r not m em bers are able to a ttend national meetings. All ACRL activities, programs, and publications should be perceived by m em bers as relevant and significant to their job responsibilities or to their role as academ ic or research librarians. U s in g W H C L I S t o a d v a n t a g e In the afterm ath o f the W hite H ouse Confer­ ence, national attention is focused on library and information services. ACRL can use this climate to advantage. O ne of ACRL’s four goals is “to prom ote and speak for the interests o f academ ic and research librarianship.” It is th e division within ALA charged with th e responsibility for addressing issues related to higher education. E n h a n c i n g c o m m u n i c a t i o n I n s titu tio n a l a c c r e d ita tio n . How effectively are academ ic and research libraries m eeting the needs o f th e ir users? All academ ic and research librarians n eed to address this question at their institutions. Colleges and universities are assessing th eir ef­ fectiveness in qualitative as well as quantitative term s. Librarians should be eager partners and participants in this process. In addition to consulting th e perform ance evalu­ ation m anual comm issioned by ACRL, librarians n eed to fu rth er identify ways of m easuring success. Goal 2 of the ACRL Strategic Plan is to “enhance the capability o f academ ic and research librarians to serve th e needs of users.” Two years ago the three ACRL type-of-library sections held a com bined conference program on perform ance evaluation. T he m anual was discussed 1 9 8 1 C &R L News and a discussion group was form ed. At th e ACRL Standards and A ccreditation C om m ittee program in A tlanta representatives from accrediting agen­ cies em phasized th e n e ed for m ore qualitative data. Inform ation from th ese and o th e r ALA activities should b e b ro u g h t to g eth e r and sh ared through ACRL com m ittee work, publications, program s, and workshops. This evaluative process will result in im proved service to users and will assist institutions— large a nd small— w ho are participating in one o f th e six regional accreditation review program s. L ib r a r y s c h o o ls . R e ce n t editorials suggest th at librarians “stop bashing library education.” Aca­ dem ic librarians are m ost physically linked to li­ brary schools a nd should be am ong th e ir m ost a rd en t supporters. AC R L sends representatives to th e ALA Stand- in g C o m m itte e on L ibrary E ducation. AC R L m em ­ bers n e e d to be m ore aware o f th e policies and recom m endations m ade re garding th e educational pre p ara tio n o f all library personnel. L ibrary schools, too, are debating c riteria for accreditation. This year’s A C R L presidential them e is re cru itm e n t. A cadem ic librarians w ho hire the graduates these program s p ro d u c e should b e con­ c ern e d w ith th e outcom e o f th e ir decisions: to have accreditation criteria o r not; to b e a ccred ited o r not. ACRL and its inform ed personal m em bers should com m unicate th e ir opinions to library school deans and th e ir faculties. W H C L I S r e c o m m e n d a t io n s . L ibrarians may b e overw helm ed by th e 97 recom m endations and six petitions a d o p te d by th e 697 voting delegates to th e 1991 W hite H ouse C onference o n L ibrary and Inform ation Services. A C R L should identify and sup p o rt W H C L IS recom m endations relating to h ig h er education. T hese include sup p o rt for: N R E N , th e electronic superhighway; th e H igher E ducation Act; th e Li­ b rary Services and C onstruction Act, especially regarding L ibrary Literacy; College L ibrary T ec h ­ nology D em onstration G rants; inform ation p re se r­ vation; m ulticultural/m ultilingual program s; copy­ right re la te d to n ew technologies; and freedom of access. A C R L m ust c o ntinue working w ith th e ALA W ashington Office to assure th a t sufficient funds are provided so th a t libraries can acquire, preserve, and d issem inate inform ation resources n e e d e d for education and research. C o lle g e i r R e s e a r c h L ib r a r i e s N e w s . A CRL leaders a nd com m ittees can continue to com m uni­ cate w ith m em bers th rough th e division’s official news publication, C irR L N ews. Key issues can b e highlighted and explained. T he status o f legislation can be listed in th e “W ashington H otline.” C h a p te r representatives can com m uni­ cate to th e ir constituencies so th e y will be knowl­ edgeable in effectively com m unicating w ith th eir legislators. A CRL should have a goal o f establishing a ch ap ­ t e r in all 50 states. L e g is la t io n a n d p r o g r a m s . T he n e ed for legis­ lative support can b e tie d to A C R L sponsored or co ­ sponsored program s on effective statew ide e lec­ tronic netw orking, preservation strategies, m ulti­ lingual database construction, and th e like. ACRL should d e te rm in e how m uch association activity and tim e should be devoted to legislative m atters. P r o f e s s io n a l lia is o n s . M any AC R L m em bers are unaw are th at ACRL has representatives to the American Association for H igher Education, Am eri­ can Association for th e A dvancem ent o f Science, A m erican Association o f University Professors, A m erican C hem ical Society, Am erican C ouncil on E d u ca tio n , A ssociation o f A m erican Colleges, M odern L anguage Association, and N ational F o ­ rum on Inform ation Literacy, to n am e a few. Personal m em bers are also active in o th e r pro fes­ sional associations as well as A L ISE , ASIS, SAA, and E D U C O M . ACRL is the only group within ALA with m em ber­ ship in the Coalition for Networked Information. Ben­ efits andresponsibilities from these affiliations should be made more widely known to ACRL members. A m e r ic a 2 0 0 0 . Last year’s ACRL th e m e was literacy. T he A m erica 2000 Excellence in E d u ca ­ tion Act, while prim arily re la te d to e lem entary and secondary school environm ents, also provides an opportunity for h igher education institutions— and th eir libraries— to help Am erica attain th e N ational E d u cation Goals. ACRL can draw attention to th e role o f libraries in reducing illiteracy in the lifelong education process; forward th e inform ation on literacy accum ulated last year to th e Regional Literacy Resources C enters established by this act; collaborate w ith teaching faculty in training program s for the G overnors’ Acad­ emies in prom oting critical thinking skills across the curriculum ; and forward m em bers’ nam es to the task forces and advisory groups th e W H C L IS delegates recom m ended to the president. S e c t io n s a n d c h a p te r s . Sections, chapters, and discussion groups a ttract m any m em bers to ACRL. Sections. A C R L is responsive to group requests to form or change to m e e t m em b e rs’ c u rre n t needs. T he new est sections have in cluded E x te n d ed C am ­ pus L ibrary Services, W om ens’ Studies, a nd Sci­ e nce a nd Technology. T he m ore long-standing R are Books and M anu­ scripts Section continues to provide successful an­ nual p re co n fe ren c es and activities. T h e Biblio­ graphic In struction Section has c rea te d new com ­ m ittees th at reflect em erging new technologies and diverse u se r population groups. ACRL, likewise, has established division com m ittees and task forces to respond to social issues, cultural diversity, etc. March 1992 /1 9 9 News o f section activities is prim arily re p o rte d in the section newsletters. Chapters. C hapters are celebrating th eir 20th anniversary this year. News about th eir activities is shared prim arily at C h a p te r Council m eetings at ALA and in th e ir publication, C hapter Topics. Most of this inform ation reaches only th e eyes and ears of chapter officers. To enhance com m unication with one another chapters sum m arized th e content o f th eir program s this year in addition to listing them es and speakers. F u r th e r in te r n a l c o m m u n ic a t io n . Activities Section Council (com prised o f officers from each section) and C hapters Council (representing the greatest grassroots contacts within th e division) should b e encouraged to re p o rt to the Board each conference to provide feedback and to share rec­ om m endations o r concerns. In addition to noting th e m ore form al standards and publications, C &R L News can be used to com m unicate th e existence, availability, or status of the m ore informal checklists, bibliographies, and surveys, etc., p re p are d at all levels w ithin ACRL. This information will ultimately need to be combined at the ALA level to provide a “corporate memory” across time and across division and round table lines. “U n ity T h ro u g h D iversity.” This slogan was em­ braced by die divisions a year ago to emphasize the unique contributions of each division within ALA. All A CRL com m ittees and discussion groups should: identify o th er ALA groups with comm on interests or agendas, cosponsoring program s w here appropriate; assess th e n e ed to m eet m ore than one tim e, especially at annual conference, w here these program s are presented; and incorporate ways to package and m arket th eir program s to make the m aterials m ore transferrable to local institutions or chapters. ALA. ACRL is responsive to ALA, its mission, priorities, a nd agendas. ACRL presidents m eet with o th er division leaders and ACRL has a re p re ­ sentative on ALA Council w ho reports to th e Board. P e r s o n n e l n a r r a t i v e ACRL is well-organized. It has strong leaders, a com petent, responsive staff, and is guided by a Strategic Plan. In addition to m y m em bership in ACRL, I am a m em ber of B eta Phi Mu, RASD, LAMA, and LIRT. Since 1989 I have b e e n editor of Research Strate­ gies. My articles have appeared in C &R L News, JA L , and R Q. I have worked in two ARL libraries with positions as head of general reference in a social sciences/humanities library and director of an agriculture library. I w ould like to apply my years of experience in ACRL by serving as its president. ■ ■