C&RL News February 2015 102 C & R L S p o t l i g h tScott Walter Scott Walter is C&RL editor and university librarian at DePaul University, email: swalte11@depaul.edu It is a busy time around the C&RL virtual office as we complete preparations for the journal’s major contributions to the ACRL 75th Anniver- sary celebration. As I write this, the final drafts are coming in for the 75th anniversary special issue, which will be published in March. In addition to re-publishing the seven “landmark” articles selected for inclusion in the collection by our readers during last year’s online voting, this special issue will include new commentary and essays reflecting on the enduring value of these essays and their place in the library literature. In “Libraries and the Digital University,” CNI’s Joan K. Lippincott considers the predic- tions about the future of libraries and higher education presented in David Lewis’s “Invent- ing the Electronic University” (1988). While recognizing that there were many aspects of technology development that Lewis could never have predicted in the late 1980s, Lippincott notes that Lewis was prescient in his effort to shift the discussion of technology in our field from the specifics of the use of technology in libraries to the fundamental changes that tech- nology would bring to higher education. As she writes: “This was perhaps the most important contribution of Lewis’s article: to prompt the academic library community to think strate- gically about their role in the context of the mission-critical aspects—research, teaching, and learning—of their institutions.” In “The McDonaldization of Academic Libraries and the Values of Transformational Change,” Karen Nicholson (University of Guelph) argues that the idea of “McDonaldiza- tion,” as applied to academic libraries by Brian Quinn in 2000, continues to shape the language of library research and practice. Looking back over 15 years during which concerns over “the growing influence of corporate aims and val- ues” in higher education have only increased, Nicholson concludes that the trends identified by Quinn continue to shape academic library practice and that his critique of library leader- ship “largely foreshadows the current state of academic libraries,” including their focus on accountability; return-on-investment; learning analytics; and the standards, guidelines, out- comes, and performance indicators that “[make] libraries increasingly predictable.” Finally, in “Scholarly Societies and Scholarly Communication: A Look Ahead,” Roger C. Schonfeld (Ithaka S&R) considers the ongo- ing place of the scholarly journal within an increasingly crowded and complex environ- ment for scholarly communication. When new technologies allow scholars and practitioners to disseminate their work in a variety of ways, what is the role of the scholarly journal and what is the role of the scholarly or professional society that not only publishes that journal, but also has a broader commitment to supporting the professional development of its members as researchers? “C&RL has made a valuable contribution to the profession over the last 75 years,” Schonfeld concludes, “[but] like all established institutions, [it] must be continually re-imagined to take full advantage of broader trends to meet evolving needs.” These essays, along with those written by James Neal (Columbia University), Megan Oakleaf (Syracuse University), Jill Gremmels (Davidson College), Anne Kenney (Cornell University), and David Tyckoson (CSU-Fresno), allow us not only to honor the extraordinary work that has been published in C&RL over the past 75 years, but also to consider how the journal may continue to play a leading role in identifying, disseminating, and preserving the best research in our field in the future. And the future will be the focus of our other major “anniversary” project in March, the “research forum” scheduled for presentation at the ACRL 2015 conference in Portland. I hope you’ll join C&RL anniversary issue authors James Neal and Megan Oakleaf, as well as John Budd (University of Missouri), Denise Koufogiannakis (University of Alberta), and me for a wide- (continues on page 103) February 2015 103 C&RL News Jazzy Wright is press officer of the ALA Washington Office, email: jwright@alawash.org W a s h i n g t o n H o t l i n eJazzy Wright OITP releases 3-D printer policy report In January 2015, ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy released “Progress in the Making: 3D Printing Policy Considerations Through the Library Lens,” a new report that encourages libraries, as vanguards of the digital learning and 3-D printing movement, to take a proactive role in developing institutional policies that address the social, technological, and politi- cal complexities that will result from the rise of 3-D printing. In the report, Charlie Wapner, who serves as the Information Policy Analyst of the Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy, outlines the role 3-D printing now plays in libraries and formal centers for learning, and analyzes a number of policy issues, including copyright, trademark, trade dress, and product liability, which may arise from 3-D printing in public, school, and academic libraries. Afterschool funding available through states In late December 2014, Congress passed its massive $1.01 trillion CROmnibus bill provid- ing FY15 funding for much of the federal government. For FY15 programs of interest to the library community, the CROmnibus pack- age provided level funding for most programs while a small number of programs received slight increases or decreases. One example of a library program receiving a slight increase is the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which received an increase of $2.3 million (0.2 percent of its budget). E-rate order approved In December 2014, the Federal Communica- tions Commission (FCC) approved a landmark e-rate modernization order that addresses the broadband capacity gap facing many public libraries and schools (and therefore school libraries). FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler called Keith Michael Fiels to thank ALA for our efforts and for Marijke Visser’s contributions on behalf of libraries during the past 18 months. Following the Order vote, Susan Hildreth, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Wheeler held a conference call, which was both a recognition of the hard work of the ALA and a call to action to provide as much information to applicants and library leaders as possible. GPO is now the Government Publishing Office In December 2014, Congress passed an appro- priations bill that funds the federal government, as well as changes the name of the Government Printing Office, the federal agency that helps to ensure a more transparent government. Language in Section 1301 of the funding bill renames the Government Printing Office to the Government Publishing Office. ALA looks forward to continuing to work with the newly renamed agency. ALA leadership visits New York City In December 2014, an ALA leadership delega- tion met with executives from Penguin Random House, Macmillan Publishers, and Hachette Book Group to discuss library ebook issues. Additionally, the delegation met with leaders of the New York Public Library and Metropolitan New York Library Council about digital content and other issues. The delegation was led by ALA President Courtney Young and the cochairs of the Digital Content Working Group, Carolyn Anthony and Erika Linke. Also participating in the delegation were Sari Feldman, Barbara Strip- ling, Keith Michael Fiels, and Alan S. Inouye. Upcoming ACRL e-Learning ACRL is offering a variety of online semi- nars and webcasts this winter. Upcoming topics include: Rethinking the Book Container: Advanc- ing the Role of the Library as Publisher (Webcast: January 21, 2015) Action Research to Bridge Academic Scholarship and Everyday Practice (Webcast: February 5, 2015) Virtual Reference 101 (Webcast: Febru- ary 19, 2015) Visit the ACRL e-Learning website at www.ala.org/acrl/onlinelearning for details. ranging discussion of the role of the ACRL in promoting research and practice in academic librarianship. “Putting the ‘Research’ in the Association of College & Research Libraries: 75 Years of College & Research Libraries and other ACRL Research Programs” is scheduled for Friday, March 27, 8:30–9:30 a.m., in the Oregon Convention Center, Room C123-124 (but check your program for any updates to the location). “C&RL Spotlight” (continued from page 102)