ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 45 Guidelines for Two-Year College Learning Resources Programs (Revised) PART T W O A p p ro v e d by the A C R L B oard o f D irectors on Ju n e 30, 1981. These guidelines su p ersed e a n d replace the previous guidelines w hich appeared in C&RL News, D ecem ber 1972. (Part O ne of th e g u id e lin e s a p p e a r e d in C & R L N e w s, J a n u a ry 1982, pp. 5-10). Association of College and Research Libraries Association for E ducational C om m unications and Technology I V . I n s t r u c t i o n a l S y s t e m C o m p o n e n t s A. S ta ff 1. The c h ie f adm inistrator o f the Learning Re­ sources Program is selected on the basis o f a c q u ire d com petencies w h ich relate to the p u r p o s e s o f th e p r o g r a m , e d u c a tio n a l achievem ent, adm inistrative ability, com m u­ nity a n d scholarly interests, professional ac­ tivities, and service orientation. The chief adm inistrator has a m anagem ent r e ­ sponsibility and is co n cern ed and involved in th e e n tire educational program of th e in stitu tio n as well as w ith th e o p eratio n of th e L earn in g R e­ sources Program . T he ch ief adm inistrator is p ro ­ fessionally know ledgeable about all types of m ate ­ rials and serv ices and is capable of m anagem ent of in stru ction al d e v elo p m en t functions. B ecause th e u ltim a te su ccess o f a L e a rn in g R e so u rc e s Program is to a large ex ten t d e p e n d e n t upon th e ability of th e chief adm inistrator to perform m ul­ tiple duties effectively, a com prehensive re c ru it­ m en t and selection process is of param o un t im ­ portance. 2. The adm inistrative (or supervisory) heads o f the separate L ea rn in g Resources Units are selected on the basis o f their expertise in a nd know ledge o f th e fu n c tio n a n d role o f the p a r tic u la r L ea rn in g R esources U nit w hich th ey will manage a nd to w hich th ey will give leadership. 3. A well-qualified, experienced s t a f f is avail­ able in sufficient num bers and areas o f spe­ cialization to carry out adequately th e p u r ­ p o ses a n d o b je c tiv e s o f th e L e a r n in g R e ­ sources Program. D e p en d in g upon th e size and program s of th e in s titu tio n , th e h o u rs o p e r a te d , th e p h y s ic a l facilities, and th e scope and n a tu re of th e services perform ed, th e n u m b er and specializations of p ro ­ fessional and supportive staff will vary from one institution to another. 4. All personnel are considered f o r em ploym ent fo llo w in g p ro ced u res as e sta b lish ed b y the institution. The effectiveness of a L earning Resources P ro ­ gram is d e te rm in e d by th e perfo rm an ce of th e staff. I t is e s s e n tia l, th e r e f o r e , t h a t all p e r ­ sonnel— professional and su p p o rt staff—b e r e c ­ om m en d ed for em ploym ent to th e ch ief adm inis­ tra to r on th e advice of th e L earn in g R esources U nit h ead who will b e involved in th e su p ervi­ sion of th e new staff m em ber. 5. Professional s ta f f m em bers should have de­ grees a n d /or experience a p p ro p ria te to the position req u irem en ts. Professional train in g is a p p ro p riate to assign­ m e n t in t h e L e a r n in g R e s o u r c e s P ro g ra m . Additional graduate study or experience in a sub­ je c t field should be recognized for all p erso nn el as appropriate to such assignm ents. Professional staff m em bers are assigned duties. T hey are acco u ntable for th e o p eratio n al effec­ tiveness of th e L earn in g R esources Program as designated by th e chief ad m inistrator and heads of units. T hey may b e supervisors as well as p ro ­ fessional consultants to th e faculty and advisors to students. 6. E very professional s ta f f m em ber has fa c u lty status, faculty benefits, a nd obligations. Professional staff benefits include such p rero g a­ tives as te n u re rights, sick leave benefits, sabbati­ cal leaves, vacation benefits, re tire m e n t and an ­ n u ity b e n e fits , p ro v isio n s for p ro fe ssio n a l d e ­ velopm ent, and com pensation at th e same level which is in effect for teaching faculty or for those at c o m p a ra b le lev els of a d m in is tra tio n . W h e n L earning Resources p e rso n n el work on a regular tw elv e-m o n th sch ed u le , salary a d ju stm e n ts will be necessary to com pensate for additional service days. W h ere academ ic ranks are recognized, such are assigned to th e professional staff based on th e sam e c rite r ia as for o th e r facu lty , an d are in ­ d e p e n d e n t o f in te rn a l a ssig n m e n ts w ith in th e Learning Resources Program . T h ere is th e obligation of faculty status to m eet all facu lty a n d p ro fe ssio n a l r e q u ir e m e n ts , a d ­ v an ced stu d y , re s e a rc h , p ro m o tio n , c o m m itte e assignm ents, m em b ership in professional organizations, 46 s p o n so rsh ip s, p u b lic a tio n in le a r n e d jo u rn als, e tc ., w hich th e in stitu tio n expects of faculty m em bers. It is expected that professional sta ff w ill a b id e by th e in s t i tu t io n a l p o lic y / p ro c e d u re s or co n tractu al arra n g em e n ts w hich could include such item s as staff evaluation, office hours, work assignm ents, and o th er defined work­ ing relationships. 7. Professional developm ent is the responsibil­ ity o f both the in stitu tio n a nd the p ro fes­ sional s ta ff member. Personal m em bership and participation in pro­ fessional activities is expected of all staff m em ­ bers. F u rth e r graduate study should be encour­ aged and rew arded. The institution is expected to encourage and support professional developm ent by providing am ong o th e r benefits: consultants for staff d ev elo p m en t sessions; travel funds for regular attendance of some staff m em bers and oc­ casional attendance for every staff m em ber at ap­ propriate state or national m eetings, workshops and seminars; and special arrangem ents for those staff m em bers who serve as officers or com m ittee m em b e rs or p a rtic ip a te on a state or national program. 8. Teaching assignments by Learning Resources s ta ff mem bers are considered dual appoint­ ments in calculating s ta ff w ork loads. W hen m em bers of Learning Resources staff are assigned regular teaching responsibilities in train­ ing technicians or o th er classroom assignm ents, the hours scheduled in the Learning Resources Program are red u ced by an equivalent tim e to allow preparation and classroom contact hours. 9. S up p o rt s ta ff members are responsible fo r assisting the professional s ta ff in providing effective services. R esponsibility for each level of su p p o rt staff will be d eterm in ed by the needs of the institution and the appropriate adm inistrative structure. The n u m b er and kind of support staff needed will be d e te rm in e d by th e size of th e college and the services p ro v id ed. The educational background and experience of such support staff should be appropriate to the tasks assigned. In many instances, graduates of four-year d e ­ gree program s and tw o-year technical program s will m eet th e training required; in other cases, o n e -y e a r p ro g ram s may b e sufficient; or skills may have b een learned through extensive work experience in a related position. The support staff may be supervisors as well as technical assistants or aides. 10. S tu d en t assistants are em ployed to supple­ m ent the w ork o f the supportive s ta ff S tudent assistants are im portant because of the variety of tasks they can perform effectively. They encourage o th er students to use the facilities and services, and they serve as significant means of recru itm en t for supportive and professional posi­ tions. T hey do not, ho w ev er, rep la ce provision of ad eq u ate full-tim e staff, nor can th e ir work be m atched on an h o u r-to -h o u r basis w ith th at of regular full-time em ploym ent. B. Facilities 1. Planning o f new or expanded facilities is ac­ com plished w ith the participation and con­ currence o f the c h ie f adm inistrator in all de­ tails and w ith w ide involvem ent o f users and staff. The chief adm inistrator and staff work with the architect and the adm inistration in every decision and have prim e responsibility in th e functional planning of the facility. E m ploym ent of a knowl­ edgeable m edia specialist or library building con­ sultant results in a m ore functional and useful building operation and should be given serious consideration. In th e case of specialized facilities, special technical consultants may be required. As a result of poor design, functions of many build­ ings fail because those persons who will be work­ ing in or using th e building have not . b e en in ­ volved in planning. Staff, faculty, stu den t re p re ­ s e n ta tiv e s , a n d o th e r s w ho w ill u tiliz e th e facilities should be consulted. 2. In the design o f classrooms and other college facilities where Learning Resources are to be used, Learning Resources specialists should be consulted. The effective use of an instructional system is d e p e n d e n t upon the availability of a suitable e n ­ vironm ent for the use of specified Learning Re­ sources. Frequently, architects and o th er college staff are not always aware of all of the technical requirem ents of such an environm ent. 3. The physical facilities devoted to Learning Resources and Learning Resources Units are p la n n e d to p r o v id e a p p r o p r ia te space to meet institutional and instructional objectives and should be sufficient to accommodate the p re se n t o p era tio n as w ell as re flec t long- range planning to p ro vid e f o r a n ticip a ted expansion, educational mission and program and technological change. The location and extent of space provided for d e v e lo p m e n t, acq u isitio n , d esig n , p ro d u c tio n , and use of learning resources is the responsibility of the chief adm inistrator of Learning Resources, and should be designed to im p lem en t explicit, well-articulated program specifications developed by the Learning Resources and instructional staff of th e college. Such a program should include flexible provisions for long-range d e v elo p m en t and phasing. The alteration, expansion, or con­ solidation of facilities also should be guided by carefully delineated program objectives which are know n and u n d e rsto o d by L earn in g R esources p erso n n el, th e in stru ctio n al and adm inistrative staff of th e college, and th e Board of T rustees. F a c to rs to b e c o n s id e r e d w h e n d e v e lo p in g facilities req u irem en ts from th e program speci­ fications include projections of th e stu d e n t e n ­ r o llm e n t, th e e x te n t o f c o m m u n ity s e rv ic e s , 47 growth in th e varieties of service, growth of ma­ terials collections, support of varying modes of in ­ struction, staff needs, and th e impact of curricular developm ent and technological advances. 4. Facilities o f Learning Resources Units should be located conveniently f o r use by both stu ­ dents and instructional s ta ff F le x ib ility is e sse n tia l to m e e t ad v an ces in technology and changes in instructional re q u ire ­ m en ts. Service areas w ith in th e L e a rn in g R e­ sources Unit are grouped to aid the user and to p erm it the staff to perform duties effectively and efficiently. Learning Resources services for adm inistration, acquisition, and cataloging should be centralized for m ore efficient operation. Planning should p ro ­ vide for convenient locations of facilities for stor­ ing and using eq uipm ent and materials close to the learning spaces or central to stu d e n t traffic flow in which they are to be used. W here exist­ ing facilities will not p erm it this arrangem ent, an effort should be m ade to reduce confusion and f r u s tr a tio n b y m a k in g c le a r to th e u s e r th e specific function of each facility. The n u m b er of users varies in all units from peak periods when crow ded conditions make ser­ vice difficult to tim es w h en few s tu d e n ts are present. Physical arrangem ents should make con­ tinued service with minimal staff possible during q u ie t tim es and at th e sam e tim e p ro v id e for augm ented service at o ther periods. Services pro v id ed are d e p e n d e n t upon staff, w h o se efficien cy is in tu r n d e p e n d e n t u p o n adequate office, workroom and storage space. The production facility should provide for consultation and dem onstration space. It should be equipped to p erm it the dem onstrating and preview ing of all com ponents of an in stru ctio n al system . A staff conference room, apart from th e adm inistrative head’s office, is desirable in all b u t the smallest institutions. 5. The physical facilities provide a wide variety o f learning and stu d y situations. Students req u ire various types of facilities for learning and study. Some re q u ire p rogram m ed learning equipm ent; others learn best by use of isolated individual study areas. In some circum ­ stances they n eed to study together as a group or relax in com fortable lounge chairs. P ro p e r a r ­ rangem ent and sufficient space for utilization of instructional equipm ent and m aterials should be provided for individualized instruction, browsing, and m edia production. 6. The physical facilities are attractive, com­ fo rta b le, and designed to encourage use by students. A ttractive and w ell-plan n ed areas encourage stud en t utilization. Air conditioning and comfort­ able heatin g, p ro p e r lighting, acoustical tr e a t­ m ent, regular custodial care, prom pt m aintenance of equipm ent, and regular and systematic repair of damages are necessary. A ttention to th e needs of th e handicapped m ust be m et in accordance with legal requirem ents. 7. Space requirem ents‚ physical arrangem ents, and construction provide f o r f ull utilization o f specialized eq u ip m en t. Specialized facilities are necessary for certain types of equipm ent. F or example, com puter ser­ vices, listening and view ing e q u ip m e n t, m edia production, and use of other types of electronic equipm ent req u ire special consideration in term s of electrical connections, cables, conduits, lights, fire protection, security, and o th er factors which affect service. C. Instructional E quipm ent 1. Necessary instructional equipm ent is avail­ able at the proper time and place to m eet in­ stitutional and instructional objectives. C entralized control of inventory J and d istrib u ­ tion of all e q u ip m e n t is necessary. A thorough and continual evaluation is d esirab le to e n su re th a t e n o u g h of th e a p p ro p r ia te e q u ip m e n t is available. 2. Classroom and Learning Resources Program use o f equipm ent is managed in the most ef­ fective m anner to minimize operational mis­ haps and insure effective utilization. A ssistance from L e a rn in g R esources staff is available as a regular service when n eed ed and for th e m ain ten an ce of e q u ip m e n t. E x cep t for m ore complex equipm ent, th e instructor and stu ­ d en t should be responsible for the operation of the equipm ent. 3. L e a r n in g R e s o u r c e s a n d in s tr u c tio n a l equipm ent are selected and purchased on the basis o f specific criteria. (See Section III.) D. Materials 1. Materials are selected, acquired, designed, or produced on the basis o f institutional and in stru c tio n a l o b jectives, d e ve lo p ed by the f a c u l t y , s tu d e n ts , a n d a d m in is tr a tio n in cooperation w ith Learning Resources. A w ritten statem en t regarding acquisition and production of learning m aterials has such an im ­ p o rta n t and pervasive effect upon th e in stru c ­ tional program and the services of th e Learning R e s o u rc e s P ro g ra m th a t all s e g m e n ts of th e academ ic com m unity should be involved in its developm ent. The sta tem e n t should be readily available in an official publication. Learning Resources Programs provide materials p resen tin g all sides of controversial issues. The position of th e American Library Association, and comparable associations, on the subject of censor­ ship is firmly ad h ered to. 2. Materials may be acquired and made avail­ able fr o m a variety o f sources. In an effort to m eet the needs of the instruc­ tional process and cultural enrichm ent, it will be necessary to acquire materials through: a. purchase of commercially available materials; b. lease or rental of materials w here purchase is n eith er possible or practical in term s of cost, 48 utilization, or type; c. loan through free loan agencies; d. acquisition of m aterials as gifts; e. d e s ig n an d p r o d u c tio n of m a te ria ls n o t readily available. 3. Materials m ust be accessible to authorized individuals. Although th e re is no uniform ly accepted sys­ tem to make all resources available, th e materials m u st b e p ro p erly organized and th e necessary staff, facilities, and h ardw are provided. H ighly sophisticated systems for retrieving, m anipulating and displaying information m ight be necessary. 4. Final m anagem ent decision as to the order in which materials are to be purchased or p ro d u ced is the resp o n sib ility o f th e c h ie f adm inistrator or delegated subordinate. W ith in th e e s ta b lis h e d fra m e w o rk o f th e w ritten statem ent on acquisition and production, and th e b ud g etary restrain ts, th e final m anage­ m en t decision and priority ju d g m en t m ust be the responsibility of th e chief adm inistrator and duly designated subordinates. 5. Representative works o f high caliber which m ig h t a rouse in te lle c tu a l c u r io s ity , c o u n ­ teract parochialism, help to develop critical thinking and cultural appreciation, or stim u­ late use o f the resources f o r continuing edu­ c a tio n a n d p e rso n a l d e v e lo p m e n t are in ­ cluded in the collection even though they do not presently m eet direct curricular needs. O ne function of higher education is to develop adult citizens intellectually capable of taking th eir places in a changing society. Provision of m ate­ rials beyond curricular needs is essential for this goal. 6. Materials reflect ages, cultural backgrounds, intellectual levels, developmental needs, and career goals represented in the stu d ent body. Two-year college students rep re se n t all strata of com m unity and national life. To m ee t th e ir needs, the collection m ust contain m aterials of all kinds and at all levels. Those students who re ­ q u ire basic rem edial m aterials, those who seek vocational and technical train in g or retrain in g , those who seek an understanding of th eir culture, and those who are utilizing th eir re tire m e n t years for personal stim ulation should each find th e m a­ terials which can serve th eir interests and solve th eir problem s. Special care is taken to include represen tativ e m aterials related to th e needs of m inorities as well as m aterials reflecting d iv er­ gent social, religious, or political viewpoints. 7. A broad policy is developed concerning gifts to a Learning Resources Program. G enerally, gifts are accepted only w hen they add strength to th e collection and im pose no sig­ nificant lim itations on housing, handling, or dis­ position of d u p licate, dam aged, or u n d esirab le item s. It is recognized th at gifts freq u en tly r e ­ quire m ore tim e to screen, organize, catalog, and process th an new m aterials. Storage space and staff tim e req u irem ents m ust be considered in ac­ c e p tin g gift m a te ria ls. In a c k n o w le d g m e n t of gifts, atten tio n should be called to governm ent recognition of such contributions for tax purposes, as well as to the im propriety of any appraisal by the recipient of a donation. 8. In local reproduction o f m aterials f o r in­ structional use, care is taken to comply with copyright regulations. Laws restrict th e copying of many item s w ith­ out perm ission. Procedures and guidelines m ust b e e s ta b lis h e d r e g a r d in g r e p r o d u c tio n of copyrighted m aterials and m ade easily accessible. 9. The re fe re n c e co llectio n in c lu d e s a w ide selection o f significant subject an d general bibliographies, authoritative lists, periodical indexes, and standard reference works in all fields o f knowledge. Every two-year college requires extensive b ib ­ liographical m aterials for use in locating and v er­ ifying item s for purchase, rental, or borrow ing, for providing for subject needs of users, and for evaluating the collection. 10. N e w sp a p e rs w ith v a rio u s g e o g ra p h ica l, political, a nd social points o f view on na­ tional and state issues are represented in the collection. N e w sp a p e rs s h o u ld re fle c t c o m m u n ity , n a ­ tional, and worldwide points of view. Back files of several new spapers are retained in p rin t or m i­ croform. 11. G o v e rn m e n t d o cu m en ts are re q u ir e d as significant sources o f information. Some tw o-year colleges w hich are d o cu m en t depositories receive governm ent publications as a m a tte r of course. All L earn in g R esources P ro ­ grams should acquire regularly such publications. 12. Files o f p a m p h lets a n d o th e r ephem eral materials are maintained. An effective and up-to-date pam phlet file is a strong resource in any college. Included are voca­ tio n a l a n d e p h e m e r a l m a te ria ls d e v e lo p e d through system atic acquisition of new m aterials, including subscriptions to pam phlet services and re q u e s ts for free m aterials. R e feren ces in th e catalog to subjects contained in pam phlet files are d esirab le in providing th e fullest access to th e m aterials. Periodic w eeding of th e collection is essential. M a n u fa c tu re rs’ an d p u b lis h e rs ’ catalogs and b r o c h u r e s w h ich d e s c rib e n e w m a te ria ls a n d eq u ip m en t are n eed ed to supp lem en t published lists and to provide up-to-date information. 13. A collection o f recorded and o th er m ate­ rials should be available fo r individual use as well as f o r meeting instructional needs. 14. Policy or procedures f o r the conservation o f materials, deletion, and weeding the col­ lection o f obsolete m aterials sho u ld be de­ veloped as p a rt o f an ongoing procedure. The m aterials in th e collection should be exam­ in ed regularly to elim in ate obsolete item s, u n necessary 49 du p licates, and w orn-out m aterials. Procedures regarding deletion need to be explicit for w eed in g and d isposing of such m aterials. Prom pt attention m ust be given to damaged ma­ terials so that repairs and replacem ent (including rebinding of printed materials or replacem ent of portions of projected or recorded materials) are handled systematically, along with prom pt action to replace im portant items, including those dis­ covered to be missing. 15. The Learning Resources Unit functions as an archive f o r historical in fo rm a tio n and documents concerning the college itse lf An effort should be made to locate, organize, and house institutional archives to the extent d e ­ fined by the administration. V . S e r v i c e s A. Users o f Learning Resources have the right to expect: 1. T hat facilities, m aterials, and services are av ailab le an d a ccessib le to m e e t d e m o n ­ strated instructional needs for their use re ­ gardless of location; 2. T h a t an a tm o s p h e re b e p ro v id e d w hich allows sensitive and responsive attention to their requirem ents; 3. That professional staff be readily available for interpretation of materials and services and for c o n su ltatio n on in stru c tio n a l d e v e lo p ­ ment; 4. T hat physical facilities be p ro p erly m ain­ tained to make use comfortable and orderly; 5. T hat req u ests for scheduling, circulation, distribution, and utilization of materials and related equipm ent be handled expeditiously; 6. That acquisition, production, and organiza­ tion of materials m eet educational, cultural, and personal needs. 7. If an institution is conducting classes in off- campus locations, careful planning and fund­ ing m ust be provided to ensure that equal services are available to those programs. V I . I n t e r a g e n c y C o o p e r a t i v e A c t i v i t i e s A. Cooperative arrangements f o r sharing o f re­ sources are developed w ith other institutions and agencies in the comm unity, region, state, and nation. To provide the best possible service to the stu­ dents and faculty in the two-year college, close relation ship s w ith o th e r local in stitu tio n s and agencies and with institutions of higher education in th e a re a are e sse n tia l. T h ro u g h c o n so rtia, m edia cooperatives, and loan arrangem ents, in­ stitutions can share resources. The college may n eed to make arrangem ents so that its students may use the area facilities and resources. W hen an undue burd en is placed on a neighboring in­ stitution, financial subsidy may be appropriate. B. The institution is willing to consider participa­ tion in cooperative projects, such as shared cataloging, com puter use, and o th er services which may he mutually beneficial to all partici­ pants. By cooperative p lan n in g m uch expense and wasteful duplication can be avoided in the com­ m unity and region. Learning Resources personnel and institutional administrators need to be alert to cooperative activities of all kinds and to be willing to explore the possibilities of participation for their own institution. C. Responsibility f o r the collection and preserva­ tion o f community history and fo r the accumu­ lation o f o th e r local and sta tistica l data is shared with other institutions and is coordi­ nated with them. ■ ■ Proposed Bylaws of the Law and Political Science Section E d ito rs Note: The following proposed bylaws will be voted on by LPSS members at the 1982 ALA Annual Conference in Philadelphia. Article I. Name The name of this organization is the Law and Political Science Section of the Association of Col­ lege and Research Libraries. Article II. Object The Section shall re p re se n t librarians in th e field of law and political science. It will act for ACRL in co o p eratio n w ith o th e r p rofessional groups in regard to those aspects of library ser­ vice that require special knowledge of law and political science. Article III. M em bership Any m em ber of ACRL may elect m em bership in the Section. Every personal m em ber has the right to vote and is eligible to hold office. Article IV. Meetings The Section shall hold an annual m eeting at the tim e and place of the Annual Conference of the American Library Association. O ther m eetings