ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries January 1987 / 21 ACRL’s Strategic Plan The mission, goals, and objectives of the Association of College and Research Libraries. At the 1986 ALA Annual Conference in New York, the ACRL Strategic Planning Task Force presented the Strategic Plan to the ACRL Roard of Directors, who then adopted it. The final report of the Task Force has been deposited in the ERIC sys­ tem . This abbreviated version is presented here for the information of all ACRL members. All units who might have responsibility for implementing the plan have received a request from ACRL Presi­ dent Hannelore Rader about their work. This version of the plan includes the goals, sub­ goals, objectives, strategic management directives, and the environmental analysis upon which the work of the Task Force was based. Mission The mission of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is to foster the profes­ sion of academic and research librarianship and to enhance the ability of academic and research li­ braries to serve effectively the library and informa­ tion needs of current and potential library users. The Plan The Plan consists of four goals, each of which has a varying number of subgoals and objectives. The full plan includes strategies for each objective, and indicators of responsibility, resources needed, and year of implementation. The following are the goals, subgoals, and objectives. Goal I. To contribute to the total professional development of academic and research librarians. Subgoal A. To sponsor and encourage opportu­ nities for academic and research librarians to up­ date existing competencies, learn requisite new skills, and gain awareness of the state of the art. Objective 1. Lower the cost to participate in ACRL professional development activities (as com­ pared with 1984-85 levels). Objective 2. Expand the number of opportuni­ ties for academic and research librarians to partici­ pate in professional development activities, espe­ cially at regional locations. Objective 3. Increase financial support for sec­ tion programs and projects. Objective 4. Create an ongoing process for as­ sessing educational needs and evaluating the suc­ cess of ACRL professional development activities. Objective 5. Coordinate ACRL CE program with those of related organizations. Subgoal B. To promote a sense of professional identity and peer reinforcement among academic and research librarians. Objective 1. Review the policies for establishing and administering awards within ACRL. Objective 2. Review the procedure for adminis­ tering awards to ensure they are effectively provid­ ing a sense of professional identity and peer rein­ forcement. Subgoal C. To provide career counseling and placement information regarding academic and research librarianship. Objective 1. Promote timely and comprehensive information about professional positions available. Goal II. To enhance the capability of academic and research libraries to serve the needs of users. Subgoal A. To develop standards and guidelines. Objective 1. Develop guidelines for evaluating the performance and output of academic libraries. Objective 2. Increase dissemination of ACRL standards and guidelines throughout the higher ed­ ucation community. Objective 3. Increase librarians’ understanding 22 / C &RL News of the accreditation process and the role of the li­ brary in institutional accreditation. Objective 4. Promote the identification, collec­ tion and dissemination of academic library statis­ tics. Subgoal B. To provide advisory services con­ cerning academic and research libraries and librar- ianship. Objective 1. Publicize availability of advisory- services. Subgoal C. To identify, explore, and act on problems and issues facing academic and research libraries. Objective 1. Use ACRL programs and publica­ tions to identify and explore key issues and prob­ lems. Subgoal D. To encourage and evaluate innova­ tion in library operations and services. Objective 1 . Increase publicity about innovative activities. Subgoal E. To strengthen libraries in institutions serving minorities. Objective 1. Assess the most effective way ACRL can assist these libraries. Objective 2. Im plem ent an ongoing program based on above assessment. Goal III. To promote and speak for the interests of academic and research librarianship. Subgoal A. To enhance awareness of the role of acad em ic an d research lib ra rie s am ong n o n ­ library professionals and organizations (accredit­ ing bodies, higher education associations, scholarly and professional societies, etc.) and to develop ef­ fective working relationships w ith them. Objective 1. C reate opportunities for academic librarians to interact w ith other professionals in the academic community. Objective 2. Develop new alliances w ith other professional organizations. Objective 3. Develop m aterials library staff can use to enhance adm inistrators’ understanding of academic libraries. Subgoal B. To m onitor and speak out on govern­ m ent and private sector activities likely to affect ac­ ademic and research librarianship, including legis­ lation and fiscal and political support at all levels. Objective 1 . Establish ACRL as the association w ith the authority to speak for the academic li­ brary profession on issues of im portance to higher education and academic libraries. Objective 2. Strengthen membership efforts to affect and influence government and private sector activities, including legislation, funding, and qual­ ity higher education. O bjective 3. Provide assistance for librarians seeking additional fiscal support for their libraries. Subgoal C. To support and participate in the re­ cruitm ent and retention of outstanding persons to the field of academic and research librarianship. Objective 1 . Develop mechanisms to attract can­ didates of high quality. Objective 2. Support the recruitm ent of m em ­ bers of underrepresented groups to academic li­ brarianship. Ob jective 3. Promote the adoption of personnel policies th a t enhance the status, professional devel­ opm ent, and working conditions of academic li­ brarians. Subgoal D. To help shape library education pro­ grams in accord w ith the needs of academic and re­ search librarianship. Objective 1. Develop an action plan describing how library schools m ight address the changing needs of academic and research libraries and li­ brarians. Goal IV. To prom ote study, research and publi­ cation relevant to academic and research librarian- ship. Subgoal A. To identify research topics and to en­ courage improvement in research skills. Objective 1 . Develop research priorities related to academic libraries and their role in higher edu­ cation. Objective 2. Develop incentives or programs to encourage librarians to engage in research. Subgoal B. To support research projects, report w orks in p ro g re ss, an d d isse m in a te re se a rc h results. Objective 1. Seek out grant funds for the crea­ tion of research grants and for carrying out re­ search projects. Subgoal C. To advance the professional knowl­ edge of academic librarians through an effective publishing program . Objective 1. Explore electronic publishing possi­ bilities for ACRL publications. Objective 2. Review the ACRL publications program to ensure th a t it supports association mis­ sion, goals, and objectives. Objective 3. Publish Choice and Books fo r Col­ lege Libraries on a regular basis. Strategic M anagement Directions 1. Positioning ACRL as the most significant American association of academic and research li­ braries, librarians, and librarianship: the associa­ tion which represents them , speaks for them , as­ serts their interests, and assists them in reaching their goals. 2. M anaging the financial resources of ACRL by relying on sound budgeting and accounting princi­ ples; including m aintaining a reserve fund equal to at least 50% of the average annual expenditures over the three most recently completed years. 3. M aintaining a dedicated and com petent staff by depending on sound personnel practices, in­ cluding careful selection, adequate training, p a r­ ticipative m anagem ent techniques, and opportu­ nities for professional development. 4. Seeking new members through a variety of re­ cruitm ent techniques, while extending efforts to retain present members, including regular assess­ January 1987 / 23 ments of member needs. 5. Supporting all elected and appointed officers in fulfilling their leadership roles, through care­ fully prepared programs of orientation and staff personal attention. 6. W orking collaboratively w ith other ALA units for the good of librarianship as a whole. 7. Providing a headquarters office as a commun­ ications center, information resource, and central meeting and work place. Environmental analysis ACRL is a professional association whose poten­ tial for providing effective products and services depends on an understanding of its environment. The external environment Economics •Inform ation as commodity •Declining purchase power •Rising or declining costs •Competition for clientele •Increased productivity Politics •Inform ation as political tool •Ownership of information •Laissez-faire attitudes •State control centralized •National consortia weakened •Network development •Bibliographical standardization Society •Equality of opportunity elusive •Illiteracy rampant •Intellectual freedom challenged •Privacy threatened •Academic research sluggish •Demographics changing •M ore non-print/micromedia •D ollar accountability Technology •Technological proliferation •Advances in storage technology •New information services •Speedier document delivery •M ore technology in the home •Decentralized information access •Preservation more effective People •Better students •Scholarly communication flourishes •New mix of library staff/skills •Competition for staff •Training for online information •Inform ation professionals more costly The internal environment Members Characteristics: Sex: women (62.5%), men (37.5%). Age: 20-30 (8%), 31-40 (36%), 41-50 (20%), 51-60 (25%), 61+ (10%). Degrees: MLS plus (other graduate degrees 39%, Ph.D., 15%). Place of employment: 2-year institutions (6%), 4-year institutions (26%), research/doctoral insti­ tutions (51%), other (17%). Type of work: public service (29 %), administra­ tion (28%), technical services (11%), combina­ tions (16 %), library education (2 %), other (14 %). Years of membership: 0-5 (46%), 6-10 (23%), 11-15 (11%), 16-20 (9%), 20+ (12%). Geographical region: North Atlantic (43%), Great Lakes (23%), Southeast (7%), West/South- west (27 %). Needs and priorities: A random sample of members was surveyed in the winter of 1984-85 to identify activities ACRL should pursue. Results of the survey were used at the President’s Program at the 1985 ALA Annual Conference to elicit rankings of member priorities. The top five priorities emerging were: •Publications •Continuing Education •Standards •Liaisons •Chapters Members also brainstormed ideas about imple­ menting those priorities; staff analyzed the results of that activity for use by the Strategic Planning Task Force in developing strategies. Activities Conferences and professional development: National conference every 3 years Courses at ALA Annual Conference Local/regional continuing education courses RBMS Preconference Programming at ALA conferences Membership: Recruitment Member support Executive Committee and Board Sections Chapters Committees Discussion Groups Advisory services Research and statistics Jobline Serial Publications: College & Research Libraries College & Research Libraries News Rare Books and Manuscripts Librarianship Fast Job Listing Service Choice Other Publications: Reports of committee and section projects Publications in Librarianship Statistics reports CLIP Notes