ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


10 /  C&RL News

ACRL leads the w ay

B y  P a tr ic i a  S e n n  B r e iv ik

ACRL’s plan has tangible results

A s I mentioned in my vice-president’s mes­sage in the 1994– 95 ACRL Annual Report 
(C&RL News, December 1995) I feel a great sense 
of urgency this year to expedite ACRL’s progress 
in carrying out its new Strategic Plan. The plan, 
which is solidly based on ACRL membership’s 
priorities, needs all o f our attention, efforts, and 
resources to realize measurable outcomes.

A CRL’s four g o als
The plan’s four goals are: 1) to provide devel­
opm ent opportunities for academic and re­
search librarians and other library personnel 
that enhance their ability to deliver superior 
services and resources; 2) to collaborate with 
other professional organizations and associa­
tions o f higher education in order to promote 
mutual interests; 3) to maintain at the national 
level a prominent role in planning and deci­
sion making for influencing information policy; 
and 4) to ensure that ACRL’s operating envi­
ronment provides efficiency in its use o f re­
sources and effectiveness in the delivery o f ser­
vices to its members and constituent units.

Im plem enting the plan
How will ACRL work towards these goals? How 
will we measure our progress? And how will we 
obtain the resources to carry out the goals? The 
Board spent a full day this fall working out a 
way to implement the Strategic Plan. Timelines 
and responsibilities for implementing the plan 
have been established. We have begun identify­
ing criteria for assessing progress. The imple­
mentation plan is being shared with all ACRL 
units. Members may also write, call, or e-mail 
the ACRL office for copies. There are a number 
o f activities that I am writing about that answer 
these questions.

P ro g ress to date
ACRL is working to bring to your region its 
practical education programs that will help you 
do your job better. My President’s Program will 
provide a multifaceted learning opportunity for 
conference participants and will also b e pack­
aged for use by chapters library staffs and other 
groups that wish to have it locally. ACRL vice- 
president Bill Miller is already working with 
the ACRL Professional Education Committee to 
establish a mechanism to annually capture the 
best o f ACRL programming at both the national 
and chapter levels for broader distribution.

ACRL is partnering with institutions and or­
ganizations in higher education to effect change 
in the whole teaching/learning process and has 
restructured its Professional Liaison Committee 
to becom e a new Council o f Liaisons to im­
prove its links to other associations. The Coun­
cil is developing plans for a summit which ACRL 
will host annually with other national organi­
zations for the purpose o f identifying key ar­
eas of mutual concern and for future collabo­
ration.

In addition, the Membership Committee has 
b een completely restructured and has a new 
focus. A number o f other committees such as 
Research and Professional Education are rede­
fining their roles in relation to the new Strate­
gic Plan; discussion groups and section units 
are also engaged in this process.

ACRL has made a major contribution to ALA’s 
Goal 2000 to support better representation of 
academic librarians’ positions to Congress. C&RL 
News will continue to offer monthly reports from 
Washington with the latest updates from Capi­
tal Hill and how it affects libraries.

The Board o f Directors approved the estab­
lishm ent o f the “ACRL Leadership C en ter,” 
which will serve as a clearinghouse for infor­
mation on leadership and centralize and coor­
dinate activities and programs that focus on 

(ACRL cont. on p a g e 45)

Patricia Senn Breivik is ACRL president a n d  dean o f  University Libraries at Wayne State University; e-mail: 
breivik@cms.cc. wayne. edu



Ja n u a ry  1 9 9 6 /1 1



January 1996/45

order catalogs, suppliers, 
and clubs (fo r those w ild 
rubber stamp collectors), as 
well as a useful bibliogra­
phy o f books, videos, and 
m agazines. $19.95 (plu s 
$4.00 shipping). Cornuco­
pia Press, 4739 University 
Way N.E., Suite 1610-B, Se­
attle, W A  98105. ISBN 0- 
9641445-0-6.

T e m p le  o f  L i b e r t y :  
Building the Capitol for a 
New Nation, by Pam ela 
Scott (159 pages, July 1995), 
accompanied the Library o f 
Congress exhibition in 1995 
to commemorate the bicen­
tennial o f the U.S. Capitol building. Many rare 
drawings and prints held by LC were assembled 
for the occasion, along with documents and 
artifacts from other institutions that shed light 
on the design and construction o f the Capitol. 
Scott, w h o served as guest curator for the col­
lection, describes the symbology that went into 
the building, the design competition, and fea­
tures o f the dome, rotunda, porticoes, wings, 
and extension. A  bibliography and photographic 
catalog o f objects accompany the text. $21.95. 
Oxford Univ. Press, 198 Madison Ave., N ew  
York, N Y  10016. ISBN 0-19-509858-7.

W a s h in g to n  O n lin e : H o w  to  Access th e  
Government’s Electronic Bulletin Boards, 
by Bruce Maxwell (340 pages, April 1995), o f­
fers detailed information on nearly 200 federal 
bulletin board systems (BBSs). Each listing pro­
vides v o ic e  and data telep h on e numbers, 
FedWorld gateway numbers, availability o f a 
manual, time restrictions, background, and ba­
sic features and structure. Some o f the more 
interesting places are: the Environmental Pro­
tection Agency’s Online Library System, Tele­
phone Time for Computers, and the Hay Loca­
tor Service. $19.95. Congressional Quarterly 
Books, 1414 22nd St., N.W., Washington, DC 
20037. ISBN 1-56802-000-7.

A related reference is The In te rn e t G u id e  
f o r  th e  Legal R e se a rch e r, by Don MacLeod 
(306 pages, February 1995), which (after the 
obligatory Internet overview  for newbies) lists 
and describes law-related listservs, talk and chat 
servers, gophers, online state resources, W eb 
sites, and law libraries. Practical and succinct

advice. $50.00 (plus $6.00 
shipping). Infosources Pub., 
140 Norma Rd., Teaneck, NJ 
07666. ISBN 0-939486-34-2.

W h o ’ s W h o  in  R ussia 
and the CIS Republics, 
edited by Vladimir M orozov 
(328 pages, February 1995), 
p resen ts b io g ra p h ie s  o f
m ore than 1,000 political 
leaders, military command­
ers, scientists, religious fig­
ures, entrepreneurs, and 
others from the former So­
viet Union. An introduction 
explains the intricacies o f
the Commonwealth o f Inde­
pendent States, and appen­

dices offer access by profession, government 
affiliation, honors or awards, and publications. 
$60.00. Henry Holt and Co., 115 W. 18th St., 
N ew  York, N Y  10011. ISBN 0-8050-2691-6. ■

(ACRL cont. fro m  page 10)
academic librarians as leaders. An advisory 
committee has already been appointed to de­
velop the infrastructure for the center, and some 
exciting programs are in the developmental 
stages.

ACRL is engaged in a major cooperative 
project with the Middle States Association o f
Colleges and Schools, the Western Accrediting 
Commission for Senior Colleges and Universi­
ties, and the American Association o f Higher 
Education to collect data for the purpose o f
documenting practices o f schools in integrat­
ing information resources and technologies in 
higher education curricula across the United 
States. In addition to surveying the institutions 
in the six accrediting regions, a series o f “best 
case” workshops was held and others are 
planned, a journal article is being written, and 
the American Council o f Education is publish­
ing the results o f the study in book form.

S h a re  y o u r  id e a s  w it h  us
These are just the highlights o f a number o f
tangible projects in the works at ACRL. Watch 
C&RL News for updates on our progress and 
remember, the Strategic Plan is a living docu­
ment. Be sure to send us your ideas and com­
ments on how  to make ACRL an effective orga­
nization that meets your needs. ■