The 53^rd RBMS Preconference will explore a multiplicity of futures for the rare book, manuscript and special collections community. How are special collections materials being discovered and used today? How will they be discovered and used tomorrow? Who will our users be and what will they need? What forms will special collections materials take? Join your colleagues to learn, discuss, share and contemplate, because the future is now.

Preconference plenary sessions will focus on three components of special collections and archives work – use, object and discovery. Sessions will explore the ways in which special collections materials are used in the digital humanities, the future of discovery and access to collections made possible with linked open data and the potential future forms the book as object might take. The programming also features smaller and more interactive sessions, including 10 seminars, four panels of short papers and seven discussion sessions. The 2012 preconference also includes three workshops held Tuesday, June 19, at the Westin San Diego. All three workshops require an additional registration fee.

Attendees will also enjoy a Booksellers’ Showcase featuring 40 Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America member exhibitors; a Book Arts Fair featuring 24 book artists; have an opportunity to try the latest in electronic tools and software applications at the first-ever RBMS Preconference Technology Petting Zoo; and celebrate the submissions and winners of the Katharine Kyes Leab & Daniel J. Leab American Book Prices Current Exhibition Awards, with displays during breaks and the evening reception.

Complete program details and housing information are available on the RBMS website. Contact ACRL Conference Supervisor Tory Ondrla at (312) 280-2515 or tondrla@ala.org with questions about the preconference.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Passionate. Values-driven. Leader.

2. What are you reading right now? The Book of Negroes (Lawrence Hill), How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School (National Research Council), and The Leadership Challenge (Kouzes and Posner, 4th edition.)

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Advocate. Educational. Engaging.

4. Why do you value most about ACRL? The research and publication program to explore the many and varied aspects of academic and research librarianship. The advocacy role played to support the vital role that research libraries play in the teaching, learning and research mission of our respective institutions. The conference and program offerings for professional development and intellectual stimulation.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? The almost infinite range of initiatives and activities in which libraries can participate, collaborate and lead in the academy to support students, faculty and staff, and to add value to the academic mission. Increasingly we are integrating into the fabric of the academy, working in partnership to support student success and faculty research.

6. In your own words: Life as an academic librarian administrator is multifaceted, exciting, rich with learning, fast-paced, humbling, rewarding and full of opportunities. The most rewarding aspect is to lead and support a talented library team who continue to astound me with their creativity and innovation.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

The interview was recorded at the IMLS grant-funded Value of Academic Libraries Summits in Chicago.

About the Music:
The music in ACRL Podcasts is “Don’t you,” mixed by stefsax and available on ccMixter. The music is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license.

Anyone who remembers Schoolhouse Rock’s “How a Bill Becomes a Law”  knows that the process is long, arduous and frustrating.  That’s the bad  news.  The good news is that library advocates have opportunities to  make a difference at every step of the way.  In this webinar Stephanie  Vance will give you the insider secrets on using the legislative process  to your advantage.  She’ll show you how to be engaged at every point —  from introduction and referral to conference committee — as well as the  key things you should know about any legislative arena before diving  in.  Participants will come away from the session with a checklist and  work plan to implement these ideas right away – and make a positive  difference for libraries!

Title: The Legislative Process and You: How it Works and How to Make a Difference
 Date: February 27, 2012
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST

Space is limited, sign up today! There is no charge, so reserve your webinar seat now.

Assessment: Demonstrating the Educational Value of the Academic Library Track – This track will approach assessment from a learning-centered perspective; participants will emerge with a broader understanding of assessment and how to use assessment as an important tool to guide evidence-based classroom, curriculum and program development.

Intentional Teaching: Reflective Teaching to Improve Student Learning Track – This track is aimed at the experienced academic librarian (5+ years teaching experience, in a library or other setting) who wants to become more self-aware and self-directed as a teacher.  This program facilitates the process of critical reflection through peer discussion, readings and personal reflection as a pathway to professional growth and renewal.

Visit the Immersion website for complete details about the program, including curriculum, learning outcomes and application instructions.  Questions concerning the program or application process should be directed to Margot Conahan at (312) 280-2522 or mconahan@ala.org.

Comprised of four sections, Outlining Current Boundaries, Frontiers of Self, Fortifying Institutional Partnerships and Charting Next Steps, Transforming Information Literacy Programs offers fresh perspectives on the present and future of information literacy instruction from diverse points of view. The twelve in-depth chapters include “Ethnographic Study of Information Literacy Librarians’ Work Experience” by Celene Seymour, ”Hitching Your Wagon to Institutional Goals” by Anne E. Zald and Michelle Millet, “Crossing the Instructional Divide: Supporting K-20 Information Literacy Initiatives” by Jo Ann Carr and “Settling Uncharted Territory: Documenting & Rewarding Librarians’ Teaching Role in the Academy” by April D. Cunningham and Carrie Donovan. The work brings together information on a broad array of issues and themes that academic instruction librarians must navigate in today’s higher education environment.

Armed with the new understanding of the complex frontiers of self, library culture and community presented in Transforming Information Literacy Programs, instruction librarians can engage in deeper campus conversations about the issues they face as well as begin vital and exciting new initiatives to shape the future of their programs. The work is essential reading for all practicing information literacy librarians and program coordinators as well as library school students.

Transforming Information Literacy Programs is available for purchase in print, as an e-book, and as a print/ e-book bundle through the ALA Online Store; in print and for Kindle through Amazon.com; and by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the U.S. or (770) 442-8633 for international customers.

Details for accessing the online forum will be available on the ACRL Insider blog  in early March. An archive of the forum will be also available on ACRL Insider following the conclusion of the event.

More information on the 2012 ACRL election, including links to candidate statements from C&RL News and a full slate of candidates for ACRL section offices, is available on the ACRL website. Contact ACRL Program Officer Megan Griffin at mgriffin@ala.org or (312) 280-2514 with questions about the forum or the ACRL elections.

The ACRL Board acknowledges that it is always difficult to eliminate long-standing committees and wishes to thank all of its members who volunteered their time and energy to serve on ACRL committees.  We are in debt to their service on behalf of the Board and the ACRL membership.

Joyce L. Ogburn
2011-12 ACRL President

The 2012 ACRL Spring Virtual Institute seeks to unite all types of librarians around the mutual cause of reaching out to our constituencies. Whether they support faculty scholarship and student learning, facilitate connectedness and foster literacy in a town, or reach out online, all libraries operate in the context of a community. The institute will examine how libraries are capitalizing on community collaborations.

Keynote speaker John G. Palfrey Jr., Henry N. Ess III professor of law and vice dean for library and information resources at the Harvard Law School, will open the institute with a discussion on the Digital Public Library of America, an innovative and broad example of collaboration among many stakeholders and libraries. The institute also features live, interactive webcasts allowing for real-time interactions. The webcast schedule and program descriptions are online. Lightning talks are 5-8 minute asynchronous narrated presentations.

Registration materials, along with information on group rates, are on the ACRL website. Contact Margot Conahan at mconahan@ala.org or call 312-280-2522 with questions about the institute.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Connector, marketer, discoverer.

2. What are you reading right now? I’m reading College Libraries and Student Culture: What We Now Know by Lynda M. Duke and Andrew D. Asher.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Central, necessary, friends.

4. Why do you value most about ACRL? ACRL’s conferences are the place where I get to connect with “my people,” rejuvenate, learn, brainstorm, step outside my boundaries, bring fresh ideas home. I look forward to these conferences so much. I also rely on ACRL’s publications to keep me informed and fresh on topics of importance to my job and profession.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? The chance to always be exploring new topics and to work collaboratively with others.

6. In your own words: My life is busy! One hour I’m helping a student find primary sources for her thesis, the next I’m in a website redesign meeting, the next I’m having lunch with my student advisory group, then updating our Facebook page, then teaching a class on library resources for Chemical Engineering design, then editing newsletter content for our faculty newsletter, then meeting with a student advisee, then teaching a RefWorks workshop, and on and on. I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

Since transitioning into my role as ACRL vice-president/president-elect I’ve received some interesting questions from colleagues. The “So when do you actually start doing something” question was easy to answer: “Months ago.” Another common question reveals a misunderstanding about the role of ACRL president. I’ve been asked multiple times about my big initiative as president.  Let’s clear this one up. The ACRL president no longer initiates a big new venture for the association or champions a self-selected cause. The ACRL president doesn’t even choose a theme for his or her term. That is an anachronism from days of old when presidents were encouraged to take on some sort of individualized project that would define his or her presidency (which, by the way, is still the case for the ALA president). For example, when Larry Hardesty was ACRL President a major initiative was the Excellence in Academic Libraries award. It was an innovative project that turned into a great, sustainable program.

Today’s ACRL president needs to be focused on the ACRL strategic plan (PDF) and leading the Board of Directors in implementing the plan, fulfilling its goals and engaging the committees and membership in doing so – that is the highest priority for my term. Have no doubt that there are some interesting projects I’d like to explore, but starting some completely new endeavor that may not synch with the Plan for Excellence – and which may leave a program with no leadership when my time with ACRL’s Board is over – that’s unacceptable – and that’s not even considering the potential economic implications of embarking on a new program. The Value of Academic Libraries report laid the groundwork for a whole range of new possibilities, and there is much work to do to help ACRL members communicate about value to their communities.

A strategic plan-focused president still has plenty of opportunities for new possibilities, a challenging program or a creative way to engage members. For one thing, ACRL presidents continue to have at their disposal a forum in C&RL News for sharing new ideas and inviting guest columnists to focus on a theme related to the topic of a President’s Program. I’m eagerly looking forward to ACRL president Joyce Ogburn’s 2012 President’s Program. As a believer in the power of design, I’m a fan of IDEO, one of the world’s premier design firms. The keynote speaker for the program is Duane Bray, an IDEO partner who heads up their Global Digital Business. Bray will offer some great inspiration to encourage innovation at our libraries, and I am looking forward to hearing his presentation. This program is being jointly planned by ACRL and ALCTS. If you are planning to head to Anaheim for ALA Annual, I hope to see you at the 2012 ACRL President’s Program.

Work to begin the planning for a President’s Program for ALA 2013 is already underway. Yes, there is plenty of time between now and June 2013 but a successful program benefits from sufficient advance planning. For now I can tell you that it will be a joint President’s Program with LLAMA, and the focus will be on leadership. I’ll be sharing more details with you in future posts.

• Education and Behavioral Sciences Section (EBSS) Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award – Scott Walter
• Instruction Section (IS) Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award – Barbara J. Mann
• Law and Political Science Section (LPSS) Marta Lange/CQ Press Award – John Eaton
• Routledge Distance Learning Librarianship Conference Sponsorship Award – Johanna Ruth Tuñón
• Western European Studies Section (WESS) De Gruyter European Librarianship Study Grant – Liladhar R. Pendse

Watch ACRL Insider, social media, and ACRL Update for more award announcements in the coming weeks.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Caring, Confident, Diplomatic.

2. What are you reading right now? Switch: How to Change When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath.  It was a suggested book from the Women’s Leadership Institute.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: The Coolest Librarians.

4. Why do you value most about ACRL? ACRL gives me the ability to connect with other people who are as excited about their jobs as I am about mine.  Enthusiasm is contagious!

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? I love that I’m in a helping profession that challenges me intellectually.  I love to learn, and in this job, I learn every day.

6. In your own words: I simply have the best job in the world.  There is a photo on my desk of me and two dear colleagues in Philadelphia for the last ACRL Conference.  We are outside the Mutter Museum under a large banner that says “Disturbingly Informative.”  I love that I have the power to be disturbingly informative – and I have promised to only use that power for good!

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

The increase in digital items such as archival photographs can mean a boon for special collections departments. But making items searchable for users can be a major undertaking. In their article “MetaWHAT?” Kristy L. Dixon and Lisa T. Nickel of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte describe a collaborative project to train access services staff in the creation of metadata for special collections materials. Archival images and collections can play a role in improving physical spaces, as well. The University of the Pacific used their unique collections to improve library aesthetics, as Shan C. Sutton and Robin Imhof outline in their article “John Muir in the study commons.”

In this months’ Scholarly Communication column, Heather Joseph of SPARC provides reflections on the recent Berlin 9 Open Access Conference and examines “The impact of open access on research and scholarship.” With voting in the ALA/ACRL elections scheduled to begin March 19, Trevor A. Dawes and Debbie Malone, the candidates for ACRL vice-president/president-elect, share their plans for the association to help you cast an informed ballot.

Make sure to check out the other features and columns this month, including Internet Resources on financial literacy, an essay on the connections between working as a reference librarian and in a 911 call center, and the new ACRL Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.

Please note: ACRL Vice President Steven Bell and the Appointments Committee oversee divisional committee appointments and section Vice -Chairs are in charge of section appointments.

Volunteer for ACRL committees and contribute to your association and profession!

The workshop “Scholarly Communication: From Understanding to Engagement,” has evolved from a central goal of building awareness to action that accelerates the transformation of the scholarly communication system. The program now supports in-depth training as institutions are developing scholarly communications programming. Applicants must explain what they will do to maintain momentum, engagement, and education on their campuses after the workshop.

WHAT YOU CAN WIN: 1 free hotel night at an official ACRL hotel during your stay at ACRL 2013.

EASY TO ENTER: Submit your email address to receive occasional conference updates on the ACRL 2013 homepage (see “Get Conference Updates” in the lower left corner). Then either select ACRL 2013 from the list on the next page, or confirm your profile update in the subsequent email you will receive if you are already receiving ACRL-related notices like the ACRL Update newsletter.

DEADLINE: Enter by Kickoff time (6:30p.m. ET) on Sunday, February 5 for a chance to win.

Best of luck and we look forward to your participation at ACRL 2013 in Indianapolis!

- The ACRL 2013 Conference Team

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Funny, ambitious, creative.

2. What are you reading right now? Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman by Gail Evans.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Professional, network, opportunity.

4. Why do you value most about ACRL? Career support through peer mentors.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? The shared goal of helping students.

6. In your own words: I have been reflecting on how libraries can become more visible to academic communities.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

Registration for all online seminars and Webcasts qualifies for the ACRL Frequent Learner Program. Register for three ACRL e-Learning events and receive one free registration. Visit the ACRL e-Learning website for more information on the Frequent Learner Program.

ACRL online seminars are asynchronous, multi-week courses delivered through Moodle. Online seminars scheduled for winter 2012 include:

Developing a Comprehensive Critical Thinking Curriculum: From Goal-Setting to Assessment (February 6 – March 2, 2012): Even professional educators have a tough time designing learning experiences that help students develop authentic critical thinking skills. Learn to do more than just pay lip service to critical thinking by planning, developing, implementing and assessing a library instructional unit that fosters higher-order thinking.

Deciding with Data (February 13 – March 9, 2012): Learn about the lifecycle of library data from setting up its collection to making decisions using this information. Topics covered include plotting commonly-gathered statistics over time and on the same chart in order to visualize trends; an introduction to e-resources use statistics; in introduction to using Google Analytics in libraries; and an introduction to the analysis of library collections using ILS data.

Fundamentals of Management: Practical Approaches for Successful Managers (March 5-23, 2012): This course provides a practical approach to becoming a successful library manager, including strategies for planning, organizing, staffing and evaluating library departments and programs. Through a series of readings, discussions and exercises, gain real-world tools for improving your management skills and develop confidence in your ability to supervise and manage.

Humanities on the Map: Discovering Spatial Humanities (March 12 – 30, 2012): Because Humanities librarians are beginning to encounter students and faculty who want to include such geographic components to their papers and research they need to be aware of the different approaches to introducing geography and the study of space into other disciplines. Through a variety of readings, resource assignments, and project evaluations this course will provide an overview/awareness of, discussions on the role of the librarian in and useful resources for assisting students and faculty in the Spatial Humanities

ACRL also offers a variety of timely live Webcasts addressing hot topics in academic librarianship. Webcasts last from an hour and a half to two hours and take place in an interactive online classroom. Group discounts are available for all ACRL e-Learning Webcasts. Winter 2012 Webcasts include:

Say What You Mean: Professional Communication Skills for Librarians (January 31, 2012): Learn how to use different communication styles to interact effectively with people across several library settings.

From Idea to Publication Part One: Understanding the Research Question (February 7, 2012): Learn to formulate and define good research questions, select appropriate research methodologies and design the research study. Specific topics will include developing useful questionnaires, techniques used in conducting telephone interviews, working with focus groups and constructing surveys to get the information you need.

From Idea to Publication Part Two: Analysis and Writing (March 7, 2012): Quantitative methods necessitate certain kinds of analyses, while qualitative methods operate on different assumptions and different kinds of data.  It is essential to have an understanding of the appropriate forms of analyses (along with their possibilities and limitations).  Learn to express research in publishable form in the second part of this three part series.

The Library’s Role in Ensuring the Success of International Efforts on Campus (March 13, 2012): Libraries can play a critical role in connecting these foreign students, not only to our universities and colleges, but also to the information literacy skills they will need to succeed.  This webcast will explore who are international students and what makes them unique learners; best practices for outreach, orientation, and information literacy instruction to all international students and specifically to graduate students; and how can the library get international students themselves involved as partners in services, resources and peer mentors?

Shifting Sands: How Small Changes in Policy, Culture and Technology are Determining the Future of Libraries (March 27, 2012): Discover how changes in national and international policy, the growth of the free culture movement, and the rapid evolution of technology are having big impacts on libraries, and what you can do to help turn the tide.

Complete details and registration information for all winter 2012 e-Learning opportunities are available online. Contact Margot Conahan at mconahan@ala.org or (312) 280-2522 for more information.

“This year’s award recipients exemplify the commitment of today’s academic and research librarians to providing quality, innovative student learning experiences,” said ACRL Executive Director Mary Ellen K. Davis. “Receiving an Excellence in Academic Libraries Award is a national tribute to each library and its staff for outstanding services, programs and leadership.”

The Seattle Central Community College Library, winner in the community college category, was chosen for its team support for student learning through innovative information literacy offerings.

“The award committee was impressed with SCCC’s online course, Research for the 21st Century, which is now part of the state’s online learning consortium, Washington Online,” said Lori Goetsch chair of the 2012 Excellence in Academic Libraries Committee and dean of libraries at Kansas State University. “Recognizing that community college students are often juggling busy schedules between school and work, they are making innovative use of the campus courseware system to provide ‘Info in Action’ one-credit courses that allow students to take advantage of information literacy instruction in smaller segments.”

“SCCC librarians have employed creative marketing and communication techniques such as posters and bookmarks that reflect their ‘Reflect-Learn-Connect’ research model that has been used by other libraries locally and nationally,” Goetsch continued.  “Through these initiatives and others, they have built a shared, collaborative culture with teaching faculty for student learning.”

“We are surprised and thrilled to receive this honor,” said Wai-Fong Lee, executive dean for instructional resources at SCCC. “Our library is a key resource to the college and our staff is passionate about providing the best library possible. Although we don’t have an excellent library facility, we make up for it with quality service, strong support for innovative teaching and learning and promotion of information literacy across the curriculum. We’ve also benefited from working closely with other libraries in the Washington state community and technical college system. We are humbled to share company with the great academic libraries that have received this award.”

The Champlain College Library, winner of this year’s award in the college category, impressed the selection committee with its nontraditional approach to instruction and positive student-driven environment.

“The library’s small but mighty staff  have a big impact on campus, and they have fun as well, fostering community through inventive social and cultural events,” Goetsch noted. “The campus has adopted technology and information literacy as a core competency, and the library provides leadership through an information literacy program that is incremental, inquiry-based, embedded in the core curriculum and assessed through established rubrics. Surveys indicate that students have come to recognize the technology and information literacy core competency as most important to their academic success. It is clear that these librarians love what they do and spark creativity by working as team.”

“The Champlain College Library is deeply honored to receive this award,” said Janet Cottrell, director of the library at Champlain College. “This recognition from ACRL is a tribute to the enthusiasm, creativity and hard work of everyone in the library, and to the collaborative spirit of our campus. Our work is — and will remain — challenging, and this honor is a testament to what a small group of people can accomplish through innovation and dedication as we aspire to embody Champlain College’s motto:  ‘Audeamus  — Let us dare!’ We are deeply grateful to ACRL and YBP.”

Grand Valley State University Libraries, winner in the university category, was selected for the collaborative and effective approach taken to restructuring the library organization and build an innovative, agile and flexible team-based organization that is responsive to changing user needs.

“Rather than succumbing to the very difficult economic conditions in Michigan, this ‘reinvented’ library has been successful in garnering the strong support of university administration for a $70 million project to build a new library and information commons that will open in 2013,” Goetsch noted. “Reorganization has also enabled librarians to focus on information literacy initiatives that have led to the development of core competencies and scalable rubrics for assessment. One of these rubrics, ‘Research Guidance Rubric,’ is directed at faculty to assist them in developing effective research assignments for their students. Based in its success at GVSU, this rubric has been adopted by other libraries.”

“When we first began to talk about applying for the ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award, we considered whether to wait until our new building opens in 2013,” said Lee VanOrsdel, GVSU dean of university libraries. “But we didn’t want our application to be about a building—as fabulous as that is going to be. We wanted it to be about our organization and our staff and the ways we have learned to work together to serve our university in exceptional ways. We are honored to be recognized by our academic library colleagues for the work we are doing here at GVSU. We are proud to bring this award to the university that gave us the support and resources to dream big.”

Each winning library will receive $3,000 and a plaque, to be presented at an award ceremony held on each recipient’s campus.

Additional information on the award, along with a list of past winners, is available online at http://www.ala.org/acrl/awards/achievementawards/excellenceacademic.

About ACRL
ACRL is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), representing more than 12,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments. ACRL is on the Web at http://www.acrl.org/, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ala.acrl and Twitter at @ala_acrl.

About YBP Library Services
YBP Library Services, a Baker & Taylor company, provides books and supporting collection management and technical services to academic, research and special libraries in the Americas, Asia, Middle East, Australia and the Pacific Rim. GOBI, YBP Library Services’ online, interactive bibliographic information service, provides access to 4 million titles in an English language database. YBP is located in Contoocook, NH, USA. For more on the company, visit http://www.ybp.com.

Are students learning? Colleges and universities should expect to hear this question more often and more forcefully. They must act to ensure that their college degrees reflect a high level of student achievement — and to reaffirm the quality of these credentials. They can do so by gathering, using, and publicly reporting evidence of student learning. Committing to Quality: Guidelines for Assessment and Accountability gives colleges strategies they can use to take these critical steps. It has been endorsed by endorsed by 27 national higher education organizations, including ACRL.

The New Leadership Alliance, an advocacy-focused organization, has a mission of leading and supporting voluntary and cooperative efforts to move the higher education community towards gathering, reporting on, and using evidence to improve student learning in American undergraduate education.

Previously, ACRL was invited by the New Leadership Alliance to author an article for their December e-newsletter. The article “Exploring the Contributions of the Academic Library to Student Learning” highlights ACRL’s initiatives in this area.

Kaufman will receive a $5,000 award at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, June 25, 2012, during the joint ACRL/ALCTS President’s Program at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim.

“Paula Kaufman’s record of accomplishments is exemplary in many ways,” said John M. Budd, chair of the ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year Award Committee and professor

in the University of Missouri School of Information Science and Learning Technologies. “She has been a distinct leader at several organizations and has been influential in every venue in which she has worked. Nominees and supporters uniformly extol her abilities to build consensus, to develop multi-institutional groups and to work with diverse and sometimes opposing bodies. She also has an outstanding record of publications and presentations through which she clearly communicated managerial, organizational and development topics.”

“News of having won this award came as a total surprise,” said Kaufman. “Being recognized by my colleagues is the greatest honor I can imagine. In turn, I must recognize that any success I have achieved is due to the privilege I’ve had to work with talented and caring people. I am very humbled to be joining the list of my many outstanding colleagues who have received this prestigious award in the past.”

Over the course of her career, Kaufman has made a significant impact on the profession through her extraordinary leadership abilities, vision and strategic thinking for the future of libraries, along with the generosity with which she shares her inspirations and insights. Her leadership of some of the largest academic research libraries in the United States has positioned her to engage directly with a wide range of issues facing libraries of all sizes and missions. Her positive and energetic approach to problem solving has benefited not only the libraries in which she has worked, but also the larger library community.

Kaufman’s distinguished record of service to the profession includes serving as a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Board of Directors from 1997-2003, including a term as president from 2001-02; a founding board member of the Consortium of Academic Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) since 2005; a member of the Center for Research Libraries Board of Directors from 1994-2000, including a term as chair in 1996; and as a member of the HATHI Trust executive committee since 2008. She has additionally been honored with the Illinois Library Association Illinois Academic Librarian of the Year Award (2011) and the Hugh C. Atkinson Award (2010), which is jointly sponsored by ACRL/ALCTS/LLAMA/LITA.

Her publications include seminal articles such as  “Library Value (Return on Investment, ROI) and the Challenge of Placing a Value on Public Services” in Reference Services Review (with Sarah Watstein, 2008); “The Library as Strategic Investment: Results of the Illinois Return on Investment Study” in LIBER Quarterly (2008); “It’s Not Your Parent’s Library Anymore: Challenges and Opportunities in the New Webs of Complexity” in the Journal of Library Administration (2007) and “Professional Diversity in Libraries” in Library Trends (1992). She has served on the Journal of Library Administration editorial board since 1995. Kaufman has additionally presented on topics including management, scholarly communication and library value at library and higher education conferences around the world.

Prior to joining Illinois as university librarian in 1999, Kaufman served as dean of libraries at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1988-99) and in a variety of positions including director of the Academic Information Services Group, acting head of the East Asian Library and business and economics librarian at Columbia University from 1979 to 1988.

Kaufman received her A.B. in Economics from Smith College in 1968, her M.S. in Library Science from Columbia University in 1969 and an M.B.A. in management from the University of New Haven in 1979.

The award dates back to 1978, and recent award winners include Janice Welburn (2011); Maureen Sullivan (2010); Gloriana St. Clair (2009); Peter Hernon (2008); Lizabeth (Betsy) Wilson (2007); Ray English (2006); Ravindra Nath (R. N.) Sharma (2005); Tom Kirk (2004); Ross Atkinson, (2003); Shelley Phipps, (2002) and Larry Hardesty (2001).

For more information regarding the ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year award, or a complete list of past recipients, please visit http://www.ala.org/acrl/awards/achievementawards/acrllibrarian.

About ACRL
ACRL is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), representing more than 12,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments. ACRL is on the Web at http://www.acrl.org/, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ala.acrl and Twitter at @ala_acrl.

About YBP Library Services
YBP Library Services, a Baker & Taylor company, provides books and supporting collection management and technical services to academic, research and special libraries in the Americas, Asia, Middle East, Australia and the Pacific Rim. GOBI, YBP Library Services’ online, interactive bibliographic information service, provides access to 4 million titles in an English language database. YBP is located in Contoocook, NH, USA. For more on the company, visit http://www.ybp.com.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Learning, connecting, appreciating.

2. What are you reading right now? As a participant in the APSU Faculty Leadership Program this fall, I read Seth Godin‘s Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? and Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. For fun, I just finished Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks and Anne Patchett‘s State of Wonder.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Librarians, scholarship, service.

4. Why do you value most about ACRL? The professional development opportunities such as the Women’s Leadership Institute that I just attended, as well as the many opportunities to network with other academic librarians that ACRL sponsors are greatly valued.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? Making connections with faculty and students that enhance the teaching and learning process is what it’s all about.

6. In your own words: Working on a university campus affords me a myriad of opportunities to learn something new every day as I strive to contribute to the teaching and learning process. I enjoy being a part of shared governance on my campus, serving on Faculty Senate and various university committees. There are many ways that librarians can and should step up and lead.

Becoming knowledgeable about what’s going on around campus helps me to make connections which enable the library to play a larger role in various campus initiatives.  I can’t imagine any other career bringing me greater joy and I’m very appreciative of the Duke University reference and law librarians who first mentored me in pursuing this profession.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

What’s Involved?
Mentors will serve as role models in academic librarianship and provide career guidance as well as helping mentees find opportunities for leadership in the profession. Because many of the Spectrum Scholars are part-time library school students, a mentor must make a commitment for a minimum of one year beyond the degree, or a maximum of three years.  Mentors must be academic librarians, have a minimum of ten years of professional library experience, and be active in ACRL.

Mentors will receive Web-based training from ACRL to assist them in building a successful mentoring relationship. Mentor responsibilities include:

• Agreeing to contact the mentee monthly or on a regular basis.
• Agreeing to attend a Dutch-treat lunch or dinner meeting with other Spectrum Scholars and mentors to promote networking when at ALA/ACRL conferences.
• Agreeing to spend time with the scholar at library conferences when both are in attendance.
• Submitting brief status reports and an annual report (one page form).

How to Apply
If you are interested in becoming a mentor for an ALA Spectrum Scholar through the ACRL Dr. E.J. Josey Spectrum Scholar Mentor program, please complete the application (PDF).

What Happens Next?
The ACRL Dr. E.J. Josey Spectrum Scholar Mentor Committee is developing a pool of ready and trained mentors, so that the best possible matches can quickly be made as Spectrum Scholars express their interest in participating in the program. If we are unable to assign you a scholar immediately, you will be notified and your paperwork will be kept on file.

Please apply today (PDF) to be an ACRL Spectrum Scholar Mentor! The profession needs you.

If you have additional questions about the ACRL Dr. E. J. Josey Spectrum Scholar Mentor Program please contact Committee Chair Nancy Allen at nancy.allen@du.edu or ACRL staff member Kathryn Deiss at kdeiss@ala.org.

We encourage ACRL members to attend a free webcast, offered by ARL, to learn more about the code on Thursday, January 26, 3:00–4:00 p.m. Eastern time. The Code facilitators—Patricia Aufderheide of the Center for Social Media at American University, Brandon Butler of ARL, and Peter Jaszi of the American University Law School—will deliver a brief presentation on the contents of the code, followed by a question-and-answer session. Find out more and register online in advance.

Capturing the evolution of the education collections and services integral to teacher preparation, initial chapters focus on the foundations of place CMCs within theoretical and historical contexts—their original goals, purposes and services. Succeeding chapters discuss how curriculum centers are evolving to meet current and future changes in teacher preparation. Among the notable contributors are Nancy O’Brien, Penny Beile and JoAnn Carr, all recipients of the ACRL/EBSS Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award. Carr is also editor of the ACRL publication A Guide to the Management of Curriculum Materials Centers for the 21st Century. Additional chapters are written by other distinguished practitioners and leaders in the fields of education and curriculum centers librarianship. This volume is essential reading for education liaison librarians, curriculum materials center collections and librarians, library schools and general professional collections.

Curriculum Materials Collections and Centers: Legacies from the Past, Visions of the Future is available for purchase in print, as an e-book, and as a print/ e-book bundle through the ALA Online Store; in print and for Kindle at Amazon.com; and by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the U.S. or (770) 442-8633 for international customers. The title will also be available in the ALA Store at the upcoming ALA Midwinter Meeting in Dallas.

In this month’s ACRL TechConnect feature, Harry Glazer revisits his 2009 C&RL News article on library Facebook pages and poses the question “‘Likes’ are lovely, but do they lead to more logins?” The article discusses possible metrics for gauging Facebook page success. The trends of the mobile Web and apps continue to grow, especially as more smart devices become available. Stefanie Havelka and Alevtina Verbovetskaya present a call to arms for “Mobile information literacy” in their The Way I See It essay.

The new year means another round of ALA/ACRL elections. We take a look at this year’s candidates for ACRL vice-president/ president-elect, Board of Directors, and section officers in this month’s issue. Review the full statements by the vice-presidential candidates forthcoming in the February issue and vote in the election beginning March 19.

Make sure to check out the other features and columns this month, including Internet Resources on the bicentennial of the War of 1812 by Susan M. Frey, the newly revised ACRL Standards for Libraries in Higher Education, the index for last year’s volume of C&RL News, and our usual slate of departments including Internet Reviews and New Publications.

Thanks as always for reading the News!

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Resourceful, efficient, driven.

2. What are you reading right now? I’m reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I just finished reading Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown’s A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change. And I’ve just started Dorothy Wickenden’s Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Community, excellence, collaboration.

4. Why did you join ACRL? I joined ACRL because I wanted to stay in contact with people who are doing the same kinds of work that I’m doing and facing the same kinds of challenges. I also wanted to stay current with the latest theories and trends in academic libraries, and I love the way that ACRL continually promotes excellence within the profession.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? My job takes so many different paths – teaching, outreach, collection development, helping others do research, and doing my own research. I find it very invigorating to have the chance to work on so many interesting projects and to make so many connections with people. I thrive on the energy that comes from working in many different areas.

6. In your own words: Before joining the world of libraries, I worked in both K-12 education and scholarly publishing. As an academic librarian, I’ve been able to draw upon my past experiences when trying to excite students about learning and when assisting faculty with their teaching and research. I truly enjoy working as a librarian, and I’m excited about the ways that our profession is changing. The library world presents many opportunities for experimentation, collaboration, and play – and that’s really energizing.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

We listened carefully to your views about the values inherent in several committees and have revised the proposal to move the organization and the proposal forward in a responsive way.  The Board’s revised proposal updates the original document and is organized by each committee (http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/REV_Proposal.pdf), and we have revised the chart that summarizes the changes (http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/comparision_chart_REV.pdf). We know the committee document is lengthy, but it is structured so that you can refer easily to the outcomes suggested for each committee.

At Midwinter, the ACRL Leadership Council will receive a briefing on the revised proposal and where we go next. The Leadership Council agenda and documents can be found at:  http://connect.ala.org/node/165560. The Board has the updated Proposed Committee Structure on its agenda for its Saturday and Monday meetings at Midwinter (http://connect.ala.org/node/162913). The FAQ Regarding the Division-level Committee Structure Proposal is also available online (http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/strategicplan/CommitteeFAQ).

On behalf of the Board let me thank you for your input and advice. I feel very positive about the Board’s response and thoughtful engagement with the process.

See you very soon in Dallas.

Joyce L. Ogburn
ACRL President

The Information Literacy Web Site Committee will share results from a preliminary needs analysis survey conducted last summer before turning to the main purpose of the forum –fostering conversations on how to improve our site to best serve your needs.

Mark your calendars for:

Saturday, January 21
1:30-3:30
Sheraton (SHER) San Antonio Ballroom B

The potential for using the digital environment to accelerate scholarship depends not only on unfettered access to publications and data, but also – equally – on having the clearly stated rights to use and re-use the materials. Only with full re-use rights are we able to realize the true potential of Open Access to create new knowledge, build on earlier findings, and translate research for educational and commercial use.

This SPARC/ACRL forum will explore the troubles of getting the rights piece wrong and how we can unlock the future of scholarship and scholarly communication if we get the rights piece right. With brief presentations and plenty of opportunity for discussion, speakers will share the latest in rights-related developments and highlight ideas for libraries to help reshape this crucial piece in the scholarly communication puzzle and make sure the future is open. Presenters will include:

• David Prosser, Executive Director, Research Libraries UK, on recent purchase negotiations. 
• Lisa Macklin, Director, Intellectual Property Rights Office of the Emory University Libraries, on the Georgia State University e-reserve case.
• Jon Voss, Historypin Strategic Partnerships Director, on linked data.
• Greg Grossmeier, Education Technology and Policy Coordinator, Creative Commons, on the importance and potential of open licensing.
• Wim Van der Stelt, Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy for Springer, on changing practices within the commercial publishing sector.

Other publishers and forum participants will also be invited to share related updates and join in this engaging and informative discussion.

The forum will be held Saturday, January 21, 2012 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at the Dallas Convention Center, A201/202. 

The ACRL Scholarly Communications Discussion Group, which offers a more intimate setting to explore issues that surface at the forum, will explore some of the ethical issues with getting rights right and Open Access and be held Sunday, January 22, 2012 from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM in the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, Majestic 05.

Best,
Mary Ellen
________________________________________________

Dear Colleagues,
Carl Harvey, 2011-2012 AASL president, has initiated a White House petition on school libraries, which specifically petitions the Obama administration to “ensure that every child in America has access to an effective school library program.” 25,000 signatures are required in order for this petition to be viewed by White House staff, no later than February 4, 2012.

Please take a few seconds to sign this petition, spread the word to your member groups, ask your colleagues and library supporters in your circles to sign on, and spread the word via Facebook, Twitter and other channels!  The url is: http://wh.gov/Wgd.

A few things of note:

* We’ve heard that the petition software is temperamental. If you cannot sign in on your  first attempt, please log out and log back in. Or, try a different web browser, or as a last resort, try a different computer.
* This petition should not be confused with a petition begun in 2011.
* White House petitions must be authored by individuals, not any association.

Therefore, Carl has introduced this petition as an individual, not as a representative of AASL or ALA.

Thank you,

Marci Merola, Director
Office for Library Advocacy
American Library Association
50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL, 60611
312.280.2431; 800.545.2433, x2431
mmerola@ala.org
Visit www.ilovelibraries.org

The last month or so has seen a flurry of anti-piracy, online infringing, copyright-related bills.  The latest newcomer is the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act or OPEN Act (S. 2029).  Introduced on December 17, 2011 by Sen. Wyden (D-OR), along with Senators Moran (R-KS) and Cantwell (D-WA), the OPEN Act is being heralded as a more palatable alternative to existing anti-piracy bills – The Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 or PIPA (S. 968), and The Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA (H.R. 3261). 

All three bills take aim at any website beyond U.S. borders that distribute counterfeit or copyright infringing products.   To capture how all three bills compare and contrast, I’ve constructed the PIPA, SOPA and OPEN Act Quick Reference Guide (pdf).  Not meant to be comprehensive (it would be pages and pages), nor too legalese (I’m a librarian, not a lawyer – although I did consult our legal consultant), the chart helps depict the nuanced and not-so-nuanced differences among the bills.

What you’ll see (hopefully at a glance), is unlike PIPA or SOPA, the OPEN Act focuses solely on curbing online infringement by cutting off websites’ payment processing and ad networks. In contrast, PIPA and SOPA go further in that they also incentivize internet companies to cut off access to websites.  The tactics the latter two bills employ have a potential chilling effect on 1st Amendment free speech rights and intellectual freedom, as well as weaken cyber security, and threaten privacy.
 
Also, the guide captures the status of the bills as of today, January 10.  It is worth noting that the bills are in the midst of the legislative process – the U.S. House Judiciary committee will resume markup of SOPA on January 17th and the U.S. Senate has scheduled a cloture vote on PIPA for January 24th.  In addition, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Rep. Issa (R-Calif.) announced a hearing has been scheduled for January 18th on the potential impact of Domain Name Service (DNS) and search engine blocking.
 
The ALA will continue to voice strong opposition to PIPA and SOPA, while further analysis of the OPEN Act is needed.
 
Corey Williams
Associate Director, Office of Government Relations
American Library Association

At ALA Midwinter many ACRL members will spend conference time in committee meetings and discussion/interest groups. As you prepare for your meetings and discussions, think ahead to how you can more effectively participant by speaking out. Too often we attend these meetings, and simply drift through them. While others do the talking and volunteering, we may be reluctant to speak because we think our ideas are unworthy, will not be appreciated by others or we lack confidence in our own potential to contribute. We think it is better to stay silent than risk saying something that might be considered uninformed or which broaches a difficult issue.

I got to thinking about this because I volunteered to develop a personal assessment instrument for ACRL Board members. As a strategic Board focused on continuous improvement, effectiveness assessment is a critical part of every Board meeting. The Board uses the Plus/Delta method. During this exercise Board members share what they thought worked well at the meeting (Pluses) and what didn’t work so well (Delta). It looks something like this:

An example of a Plus/Delta exercise

Time is allotted at the end of each day to conduct this exercise, but its success depends on individual board members having the courage to speak up about what worked and what didn’t. If we can be honest about our performance, we can work to build on our strengths and improve weaknesses. When I was drafting the personal assessment form, I was thinking about questions that might encourage Board members to ask themselves if they spoke up when they should have or remained silent when it may have been productive to speak out.

For inspiration I went back to two blog posts that emphasize the importance of speaking up in meetings and that doing so takes courage. In her essay “Your Silence is Hurting Your Company” Nilofer Merchant confesses to a problem that afflicts many of us in committee meetings or discussion groups. She says “I worried about…being too wrong” so instead of contributing her perspective she sat silently during meetings. As a relatively new member of ACRL’s Board of Directors,  I know exactly where she’s coming from. Dare I open my mouth and say something completely obvious, ridiculous or shallow? That would hardly instill confidence in my leadership capabilities.

The one thing in my favor is that if I do say something foolish, wrong or both, it wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened – and I’ve lived through it. That’s the key thing. No matter what happens life will go on. Abraham Lincoln is credited with stating that it is better to keep silent and be thought a fool, than speak up and remove all doubt. Once you’ve removed the doubt a few times, it makes it easier to take the risk of doing so…and there’s a reason for that. Merchant know that as well:

When we are silent, we are hurting the outcome. You see, minority viewpoints have been proven to aid the quality of decision making in juries, by teams and for the purpose of innovation. Research proves then even when the different points of view are wrong, they cause people to think better, to create more solutions and to improve the creativity of problem solving.

Even when your viewpoint may not be quite right, even if you say something that seems obvious, even if you say something based more on emotion than rational-analytical thinking, it may be the catalyst for taking the discussion in a different and better direction. It may spark an idea in another participant. It may help to clarify the issues for others. There are all kinds of possibilities, but if you stay silent nothing happens. Speaking up takes courage according to Merchant:

Perhaps risking being the fool is necessary to move forward. Underlying all that is courage — Courage to speak, courage to risk, courage to step forward rather than sit quietly. Courage to break the silence.

Courage helps, but it doesn’t hurt to have confidence either. Although his post focuses on the corporate workplace, in “Speaking Up Takes Confidence, Candor and Courage” Ron Ashkenas makes the case that poor communication is a common source of organizational dysfunction. In particular, this happens when staff keep their thoughts to themselves. Why do they stay silent? Lack of confidence in our ability to make an effective contribution to the conversation. As you head to meetings, think in advance about ways in which you can take small steps to increase personal confidence in your ability to join the conversation.

Jack Welch used to say that self-confident people are one of the key characteristics of a high-performing organization — because they will not be afraid to speak up. But nobody becomes self-confident just because Jack Welch (or some blogger) says that it’s the right thing to do. Instead you have to gain that confidence by pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone a little at a time.

As you think ahead to your ALA Midwinter activity, visualize yourself in those meetings and discussions. See yourself speaking up and making a productive contribution. Remember that the other people in the room are your colleagues, and you have their support.  They want to know what you think, and what you have to say can make a difference. I hope you will be courageous.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Visionary, hyperactive, humbled.

2. What are you reading right now (or listening to on your iPod)? Alice James: A Biography by Jean Strouse.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Supportive, inspiring, engaging.

4. Why do you value about ACRL? All of the resources that ACRL provide: from publications to e-learning, ACRL is the best place to learn, grow, share and meet others in the profession who are passionate and committed to the mission(s) of librarianship.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? Connecting users to our resources (whether print or digital) – it’s fun to see people finding sources to read and to be engaged with it. But more importantly, promoting collections and services to everyone and anyone. As mentioned a zillion times, there is a constant avalanche of information flowing out there; it is vital for all of us (as skilled librarians or information scientists) to navigate them through these resources but also to promote critical thinking, creative and research skills – and make them better (informed) citizens, scholars and lifelong learners of tomorrow!

6. In your own words: As a recent grad, I’ve gained opportunities and experiences along the way and met many people in and out of the profession who have offered nothing but genuine support and advice. I think the profession is definitely going through a major overhaul in every direction.  It’s important to not only stay relevant but also positive.  At the moment, I am having a librarian-identity crisis. Never sure if I’m more fit to be a reference librarian than an area subject specialist; or maybe a cataloger? Whichever direction, the library profession is ever growing and becoming more multifaceted as our patrons are getting savvier as well. Regardless of the “crisis,” I’m having fun and taking it all in stride.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

The workshop “Scholarly Communication: From Understanding to Engagement,” has evolved from a central goal of building awareness to action that accelerates the transformation of the scholarly communication system. The program now supports in-depth training as institutions are developing scholarly communications programming. Applicants must explain what they will do to maintain momentum, engagement, and education on their campuses after the workshop.

The deadline to apply is 5:00 p.m. Central on February 7, 2012. Find out more on the program website.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Creative, Driven, Personable.

2. What are you reading right now (or listening to on your iPod)? Ask for It: How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever and Archives and Justice: A South African Perspective by Verne Harris. I’m also listening to Save Me, San Francisco by Train.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Network, Opportunities, Professional.

4. Why do you value about ACRL? I value the ability to connect, to share, and to grow with my colleagues from across the country through ACRL.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? I love academic librarianship and value the fact that I am able to teach and to help so many people through my work. Also, as an academic librarian, I am in an environment which is conducive to my personal intellectual growth and supports my experimentation with new ways of delivering services and instruction.

6. In your own words: Being an academic librarian is fantastic because I have the opportunity to teach, research, and serve within the wonderfully diverse community that is Cal State East Bay. I feel very fortunate that librarians on my campus are faculty members and that we are able to teach a 2-credit information literacy course that is required for graduation. I love learning with my students and we have a lot of fun in class. I mean, in what other position would I be able to incorporate Doctor Who, Einstein, and Nerdfighter references into class sessions on information literacy and life?

There’s always more to learn and to do as an academic librarian and that keeps me energized, even when it’s the end of the quarter and I have 30 finals to grade! Plus, the librarian community is super-nice which always makes going to conferences and meeting new people fun. You can find me between conferences on Twitter (@dwakimoto) and on The Waki Librarian.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

Libraries are logical, obvious partners & collaborators for increasing minority student engagement in science and technology

Last Friday, I participated in a policy roundtable on “Leveraging Community Colleges for Minority Student STEM Engagement” organized by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and hosted at Microsoft’s Policy Office in Washington, D.C. This roundtable meeting launched a Joint Center initiative on a topic in which libraries of all types are becoming increasingly involved. A broad range of stakeholders was represented at the roundtable, from the National Alliance of Black School Educators, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, to Verizon, TechNet, and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

For many years, national policy makers have lamented the low number of students who focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields—and the consequent risk to our economic and technological competitiveness. Minority students, in particular, are underrepresented in STEM fields.

White House advisor Thomas Kalil discussed how the Obama Administration has placed a major focus of its educational initiatives on community colleges, as evidenced through the Advanced Graduation Initiative and the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges. In addition, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and federal officials from several other agencies explained the urgent national need to increase the number of students in STEM fields.

As we know, the nation is evolving towards a workforce with an increasing percentage of higher-skill jobs, especially those based on STEM fields. But we’re not only talking about scientists, engineers, and information technologists. Many jobs—including those in the service sector—now require some level of technological understanding and ability. So we are talking about increasing the number of STEM graduates, as well as students who undertake an increased level of STEM course work but who do not major in these fields.

While we need greater STEM engagement for all U.S. students, minority students need accelerated engagement because of their much lower participation in STEM majors and courses. And community colleges represent an important link in the educational chain: approximately 60% of Black, Hispanic, and Native American graduates with STEM degrees attended community colleges at some point during their education.

My invitation was an acknowledgment that libraries are key resources in community colleges. I pointed out that libraries exist in pretty much every community college (a fantastic advantage when scaling programs or initiatives across many community colleges), and that they can contribute in myriad ways through collecting specialized career resources, facilitating study groups, and so on—both in the physical library and virtually. Libraries are logical and obvious partners and collaborators.

As this initiative progresses in 2012, I’ll issue updates as warranted, and engage relevant ALA entities as appropriate. I also welcome feedback and examples from libraries – particularly community college libraries – about how you are engaging with STEM curricula.

Alan S. Inouye, Ph.D.
Director, Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP)

The New Leadership Alliance for Student Learning and Accountability, an advocacy-focused organization, leads and supports voluntary and cooperative efforts to move the higher education community towards gathering, reporting on, and using evidence to improve student learning in American undergraduate education. Nearly 100 colleges and universities of all types are members.

We encourage ALA and ACRL members to submit their own detailed comments to OSTP, either as individuals or on behalf of their libraries, community colleges, colleges, or universities. The deadline for responses is extended to January 12, 2012. Find more information in the call to action issued by the Alliance for Taxpayer Access.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Innovative, Reflective, Learner.

2. What are you reading right now? Still Alice by Lisa Genova.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Strategic, Focused, Advocate.

4. Why do you value about ACRL? Not only is ACRL a strong advocate for academic librarianship, but ACRL is a professional support team.  My focus in library school was that of school librarianship, especially media specialist.  Life threw me a curve ball, and I became an academic librarian.  ACRL has afforded me many professional development opportunities making it 10x an easier transition from high school classroom teacher to academic librarian.  ACRL provides valuable research in proving the strength and necessity of academic libraries and librarians.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? I value the reward of helping a student or faculty member find that missing piece to their research puzzle.

6. In your own words: The atmosphere of professional learning is contagious and stimulating.  The librarians, faculty, staff, and students at my college are enthusiastic, inquisitive, and forever learning.  Knowing that I play a role in that is truly beautiful.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

Part of the process of becoming ACRL president is learning how to be an effective association leader. Familiar with Encyclopedia of Associations? Then you know there are thousands of member associations, all of them waiting to be led by practitioners who have limited association leadership experience. That’s why attending the American Society of Association Executives’ Leadership Symposium is an essential part of the learning process for an ACRL president. I attended the Symposium in November 2011, and found it a most worthwhile experience. The big takeaway for me is that the role of the president and Board of Directors is strategic in nature. Another way to put this is ACRL’s member-leaders need to focus their energies on establishing the direction for the association, and planning the course for how we’ll get there. What we also need to do is be careful to avoid becoming to deeply involved in ACRL operational matters.

I learned a helpful way to think about this. Every association goes through seven stages of development:

• Conception – people come together to start an association
• Infancy – founders struggle to keep it alive
• Puberty – steady growth but lack of internal and external coordination
• Young Adulthood – accepted management practices are implemented; little bureaucracy
• Adulthood – Management is secure; adding new services and new functions
• Late Adulthood – Complacency sets in; enthusiasm for the association diminishes
• Old age – Managers and leaders losing control; falling apart but no one cares

The Symposium faculty asked us which stage was the most difficult one. I thought it was late adulthood, when things start to go downhill. Turns out the most challenging stage is adulthood. That is the most effective phase when the association is operating on all cylinders and achieving its primary goal – to return maximum value to the members. The associations that sustain the adulthood phase are those with strategic-minded Boards. What makes a Board strategic? Here are a few qualities that I picked up on during the workshop:

• Focuses on setting and achieving outcomes
• Focuses on making a difference for members (understands WIFFM Factor)
• Focuses on being value and vision driven
• Focuses on establishing a trusted governance model
• Focuses on the long-term direction of the organization
• Focuses on success being defined by value that accrues to membership

As one of the newest members of the ACRL Board – I have yet to attend a regular, full Board meeting which I’ll do at ALA Midwinter – I bring a novice’s perspective to what it means to function as a strategic Board. I don’t doubt that more experienced Board members could further elaborate on how ACRL acts strategically to sustain ACRL as an “adult” association. Despite my lack of experience even I can understand the importance of a strategically-focused ACRL Board. Attending the association symposium helped me to fine tune my sense of the responsibilities I’ll bear as ACRL president, the relationship between the president and association CEO and the importance of being strategic in order to deliver the greatest possible value to the members. For an ACRL vice-president/president-elect, getting there is a learning process.

Dr. Rhonda Allison Rios Kravitz
Sacramento City College
Sacramento, California

Rebecca Traub
Temple University Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Barbara K. Weaver
Ivy Tech Community College Northwest
Gary, Indiana

ACRL was represented in the selection process by Past President Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe. In their nominations, library patrons told stories of how their librarians make a difference in their community.  This year’s winners include a librarian who makes the library easier to use for people with disabilities, an innovator who integrates technology throughout her school for improved collaboration among students and teachers, and a business outreach librarian who creates a space for the unemployed and local business community to learn new skills, network and collaborate.

Nominations were open to librarians working in public, school, college, community college and university libraries.  Forty librarians nationwide have won the I Love My Librarian award since 2008.  More information about the award recipients is available at www.atyourlibrary.org/ilovemylibrarian.

Photo (L-R): Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York; Marcia Warner, President, Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association; I Love My Librarian selection committee; Nancy Everhart, Past President, American Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association; I Love My Librarian selection committee; Caroline Kennedy; and Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, Past President, Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association

Now titled “Scholarly Communication: From Understanding to Engagement,” the road show was originally offered to raise awareness about scholarly communications in the community. ACRL initially underwrote the full costs of the then-named “Scholarly Communications 101 – Starting with the Basics” program to support this goal. The program has evolved from this central goal of awareness building and three successful years later, the program now supports in-depth training as institutions are developing scholarly communications programming. As the workshop’s goals have moved from raising awareness to training, the road show program is transitioning into an established ACRL professional development program in alignment with ACRL’s other offerings.

In 2012, the program will be expanded and enhanced to a full day workshop with more applied programmatic elements while still retaining much of the “101 basics” elements. The program will also move to a cost sharing model. ACRL is committed to underwriting the bulk of the costs for delivering the road show, and the cost for successful host institutions is $2,000.

The application to host will be available Tuesday, January 3, 2012. The deadline to apply is 5:00 p.m. Central on February 7, 2012. Find out more on the program website.

As a special preview to the full 2011 list, this year the Choice subject editors chose from among the 2011 list their favorite print and digital resources.  These diverse picks run the gamut from art, finance, and history to philosophy, science, and public law, and reflect many of the year’s most important academic offerings. The editor’s “top” lists can also be viewed on the Choice website.

Vice President / President-Elect
Trevor A. Dawes,  Princeton University
Debbie Malone,  DeSales University

Director-at-Large
Charles Kratz,  University of Scranton
Marilyn Ochoa,  University of Florida

Director-at-Large
Julie Garrison,  Grand Valley State University
Adrian Ho, University of Western Ontario

A full list of candidates for ACRL and section offices will be available in the January 2012 issue of C&RL News.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Adventurous, curious, calm.

2. What are you reading right now? Deranged: Finding a Sense of Place in the Landscape and in the Lifespan by Jill Sisson Quinn, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, and No Impact Man by Colin Beaven (University of Arkansas’s pick for this year’s One Book, One Community).

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Supports professional growth.

4. Why did you join ACRL? As a new librarian, I was seeking a network of professionals who could help support my development and to whom I could turn for questions about the field of academic libraries.  After attending the ACRL 2011 Conference in Philadelphia, I returned energized by the work of my colleagues and the knowledge they have to share.  I was excited to see so many great ideas for engaging students in library instruction and services.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? I value how academic and research librarians support such incredibly diverse fields of study at such a wide range of institutions.  I also value that our work includes interacting with faculty, staff, and students and provides us with ever-changing challenges as we encounter new questions, new resources, and new opportunities.

6. In your own words: I first worked in a library at the wonderful University of Iowa in Iowa City.  There I was an undergraduate student assistant and enjoyed working with other students and assisting faculty in the Physics Library.  After graduating, I spent several years teaching, including two years as a Teach for America corps member.  I have come back to the academic setting and now enjoy assisting the students, staff, and faculty at the University of Arkansas as Head of the Physics Library.  I’ve loved getting back in touch with the literature, atmosphere, and research of physics and astronomy while continuing to learn about the ever-changing world of libraries.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

• Academic Librarians Without Faculty Status, Guidelines for
• Faculty Status for Academic Librarians, Standards for
• Information Literacy Competency Standards for Journalism Students and Professionals  (PDF)
• Instruction Programs in Academic Libraries, Guidelines for
• Libraries in Higher Education, Standards for
• Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

Visit the Standards and Guidelines webpage for a complete listing.

Interactive Webcast (Synchronous): An interactive Webcast allows speakers to present in real-time, while also showing visuals, such as PowerPoint slides and desktop applications.  Participants can also interact by talking with live audio or typing in questions and comments.

Lightning Talk (Asynchronous): Lightning Talks are short, asynchronous presentations of 5-8 minutes, combining a PowerPoint presentation or other visual materials with voice narration by the presenters.

Full text of the Call for Proposals is available online. Questions about the Call for Proposals or the 2012 Spring Virtual Institute should be directed to msutton@ala.org, 312-280-2522.

The University of Michigan’s “Bibliobouts” game uses online social gaming to collaboratively teach research skills. Karen Markey, Christopher Leeder, and Amy R. Hofer discuss the development and features of the game, along with its benefits for students. Lizz Zitron and Courtney Drew highlight Carthage College’s Amazing Race-style orientation game in their article “Get a clue.” In addition to being a creative take on the traditional scavenger hunt, the game provided an opportunity for collaboration between the library and student affairs.

In this month’s Scholarly Communication column, Caroline Sutton examines the economics and business models of open access scholarly publishing through the matrix of Chris Anderson’s book Free. Meagan Lacy discusses working as a liaison librarian in a discipline where she lacked subject knowledge in her The Way I See It essay, “The virtues of a committed dilettante.”

In addition to our feature articles, we take a look back at the past year this month with the 2010–2011 ACRL Annual Report. Looking to the future, discover how you can “Make a difference” in your association and profession by volunteering to serve on one of our many division or section committees.

Make sure to check out the other features and columns this month, including Internet Resources on “Cultural competency in health care” and information on the newly reinvented ACRL CLIPP publication program from the College Library Section.

Additionally, ALA has created a webpage where various information related to this topic and the recent happenings surrounding this issue are available. If you feel that there are any items missing from this list, please let us know! We want this compilation to be as inclusive as possible of official communication. If you have questions or commnets, please contact Jessica McGilvray, Assistant Director of the ALA Washignton Office.

As with any website project, we have encountered a few minor glitches along the way. Some messages you have received from ACRL staff through email or ALA Connect may contain links that have changed as part of the process. Links to some static documents such as forms or PDFs may also be broken. Please let us know through an email message to acrl@ala.org if you encounter any problems with links, forms, or other part of the website. You are also welcome to contact your ACRL staff liaison to report problems with committee-related web content

We humbly apologize for any inconvenience you experience with our website during this period of transition. Please pardon our dust as we work through these migration-related issues to deliver an improved online experience.

And thank you, as always, for your membership and work with ACRL.

Mary Ellen Davis
ACRL Executive Director

The 2010 data show that the median unit cost of monographs (per volume) increased slightly over 2009 for all types of academic libraries (11.1% for associate degree-granting institutions, 2.2% for baccalaureate institutions, 3.4% for comprehensive institutions, and 6.2% for doctoral/research institutions) while salary and wages expenditures as a percentage of total library expenditures remained unchanged for baccalaureate and comprehensive institutions, slightly decreased for doctoral institutions, and increased almost 3% for associate degree-granting institutions. Salaries and wages constituted 76.4% of total library expenditures for associate-degree granting institutions, 58.98% for baccalaureate 58.08% for comprehensive schools, and 45.61% for doctoral/research institutions.

Serial expenditures as a percentage of total library materials expenditures increased for all schools except doctoral degree-granting institutions. Serial expenditures constituted 57.98% of total library materials expenditures for baccalaureate institutions; 65% for comprehensive institutions; 73.09% for doctoral/research institutions, and 32.77% for associate degree-granting institutions. The percentage of student assistant staff as a percentage of total staff increased over 2009, ranging from a low of 20% at associate degree-granting institutions to a high of 32.14% at baccalaureate institutions.

The 2010 survey includes data from 1,514 academic libraries in six major categories:

• Collections (including volumes, serials, multimedia)
• Expenditures (library materials, wages and salaries, other operating)
• Electronic Resources (including expenditures, collections, services, usage)
• Personnel and Public Services (staff and services)
• Ph.D.s Granted, Faculty, Student Enrollment
• Faculty Rank, Status, and Tenure for Librarians

The survey also provides analysis of selected variables and summary data (high, low, mean and median) for all elements. The 2010 data can be used for self-studies, budgeting, strategic planning, annual reports, grant applications, and benchmarking.

2010 Academic Library Trends and Statistics is available for purchase through the ALA Online Store, by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the U.S. or (770) 442-8633 for international customers. Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org or (312) 280-2523 with questions.

The potential for using the digital environment to accelerate scholarship depends not only on unfettered access to publications and data, but also – equally – on having the clearly stated rights to use and re-use the materials. Only with full re-use rights are we able to realize the true potential of Open Access to create new knowledge, build on earlier findings, and translate research for educational and commercial use.

The next SPARC/ACRL forum will explore the troubles of getting the rights piece wrong and how we can unlock the future of scholarship and scholarly communication if we get the rights piece right. For details, visit the SPARC website.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Curious, honest, undaunted

2. What are you reading right now? I’ve been on a bit of an Edith Wharton kick lately and have just started House of Mirth. On the music front, I’ve been enjoying Wilco‘s latest, The Whole Love.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Engaging, significant, vibrant.

4. What do you value most about ACRL? How can I not say C&RL News? But on top of that great resource, ACRL provides so many wonderful forums for information sharing, networking and good old fashioned learning, I have to say that its greatest value is that it offers a welcoming place to grow professionally.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? The world would be a dismal place without libraries and highly skilled librarians to guide you through their resources. Academic and research librarians in particular have the very important role of being caretakers of scholarship at a time when resources are low and change is all around. I value their commitment and creativity, as well as the opportunities that academic and research libraries create for students, faculty, and lifelong learners.

6. In your own words: I had the pleasure of serving the academic and research library community as a member of the ACRL staff for six years, an experience that  I feel has served me well in my current role at Portico. Although I am primarily working with publishers now, I’m always thinking about the big picture and understand the symbiotic relationship between publishers and librarians. As digital scholarship continues to shift shape and redefine itself–to both the joy and dismay of those engaged with it–the world of digital preservation shifts with it. I’m thrilled to be a part of it all, working with people committed to collaborating across the scholarly community to navigate and define the future.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

The previous triennial review for adopting exceptions to the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA Sec. 1201 began in early 2009. In response to requests made then by LCA, the Librarian of Congress in July 2010 issued a decision that broadened the exemption for the creation of film clip compilations for classroom and educational use to all college and university faculty regardless of academic discipline. Now it is legal for college and university faculty in all disciplines to circumvent the Content Scrambling System (CSS) used on DVDs for teaching purposes. Circumvention can also be used to incorporate short portions of new works for the purposes of criticism or commentary. The exemption was expanded to include documentary films and noncommercial videos as well.

The LCA now seeks renewal of this exemption as college and university faculty and students have relied on this exemption since it was issued, and will continue to need it so long as motion pictures are distributed on DVDs protected by CSS. This issue is among ACRL’s highest for legislative action, per the 2011 ACRL legislative agenda.

My term as ACRL vice-president/president-elect began at the end of the 2011 ALA Annual conference. But even before that, incoming officers are invited to attend the meetings of the ACRL Board of Directors held at ALA as a form of introduction. Just as with any new group, there’s a new vocabulary to learn. When I first hear “when we meets at spas in the fall…” I was admittedly puzzled – until a board member said that’s “SPOS” not “Spas”. Okay. So no luxurious massage and pampering to look forward to as my first formal meeting with the Board.

What is SPOS? SPOS stands for “Strategic Planning and Orientation Session”.  The ACRL Board meets officially in its entirety at ALA Midwinter and Annual.  SPOS is an additional meeting at which the Board can focus on planning and orienting new board members to their responsibilities. While much of the Board’s work – as is the case with more and more ACRL committees – is done virtually, SPOS is an important opportunity for the Board to conduct critical strategic work that guides the future of ACRL, and that exchange works best face-to-face.

The meeting began for me on a Wednesday morning at ALA Headquarters in Chicago (my first time there) with an overview of ACRL (history, structure, relationship to ALA, budget process, etc.).  There was much to take in, but it greatly increased my understanding of ACRL. Over the next two-and-a-half days I experienced a whirlwind of knowledge about the next phase in implementing the Plan for Excellence. With its focus on the value of academic libraries, student learning and scholarly research and communication, the plan is straightforward and clear in terms of the work that needs to be done. ACRL has already organized new committees that are tasked with identifying strategies for achieving the objectives associated with each of the three goals.

I’ve served on a number of boards in the past, and worked as a member or chair of multiple ACRL committees. All of that experience only marginally prepared me for the high level of performance required of an ACRL Board member. It’s clear from the start that the Board takes its work seriously, and is fully committed to working hard on behalf of the membership. SPOS was jam packed with agenda items, but there was always attention paid to reflecting on how effectively the Board performs its duties. One comes away with the strong impression that the ACRL Board is focused on strategy rather than operational details. Board self-assessment is highly valued.

No, SPOS was not the same as Spas, but it was vastly rewarding and a renewal in entirely different ways. I appreciated this first meeting with my fellow Board members – and they were welcoming and made us new members feel included as team members. Did I come away with lots of work to do on behalf of the board? You bet. You’ll be hearing more about it in future posts.

On behalf of the ACRL Board of Directors, Steven and I want to share with you information about  proposed changes to the ACRL division-level committee structure and because we value your opinion, we invite you to complete a brief survey about the changes.

With ACRL’s new strategic plan, the “Plan for Excellence,” the Board determined it was important to develop a committee structure that aligns with this strategic plan. Since committees are appointed to carry out the work of the Board, the Board wanted to ensure it had the types of committees needed to advance ACRL’s three goal areas: Value of Academic Libraries, Student Learning, and Research and Scholarly Environment as well as its enabling programs and services that target education, advocacy and member engagement.

During the 2011 ALA Annual Conference ACRL Leadership Council the ACRL Board shared information about its plans to conduct an extensive review of all division-level committees. The Board has been working on this process since last summer and has created a proposed new structure in which many existing committees will remain, possibly some with a revised charge, while others will be discontinued. We believe these changes will enhance our effectiveness as an association while still providing value to our members.

While we realize that many of you do not participate in ACRL’s committees we wanted to be sure to keep you informed about this process and invite you to share your ideas. A Frequently Asked Questions page is available to provide you with background information about the proposed restructuring of the division-level committees. After reviewing the FAQ page and the documents related to the restructuring linked from the FAQ, we invite you to complete the ACRL Division-level Committee Structure Proposal Survey no later than December 15, 2011. The results of this survey will be shared at the ACRL Leadership Council meeting to be held on Friday, January 20, 2012, at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Dallas. The documents will also be posted in ALA Connect for those who cannot attend this session and we will report out the Board’s actions after the Midwinter Meeting.

While division-level committees may change, there are still many other opportunities for members to engage with colleagues on issues of professional interest. If a committee focused on an issue of interest were to be discontinued it may be that more members can participate by having that topic advanced through other ACRL communities. Discussion groups and sections may be proposed for establishment by petition to the ACRL Board of Directors who act on these requests promptly. Petition forms may be found at http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/workingwithacrl/forms/index.cfm.

In addition, members can form groups on their own in ALA Connect. Visit http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/getinvolved/index.cfm for additional information.  ACRL’s 17 sections and 8 interest groups also have many volunteer opportunities and interesting projects.

Thank you for sharing your time and talents with your ACRL colleagues, and thank you in advance for sharing your ideas in the survey.

Sincerely,

Joyce Ogburn
ACRL President, 2011-2012
joyce.ogburn@utah.edu

Steven Bell
ACRL Vice-President/President Elect, 2011-2012
bells@temple.edu

Are you looking for ways to expand your professional network and contribute to ACRL? Committee volunteers help shape ACRL by advancing its strategic plan and influencing the direction of academic and research librarianship. Serving on a committee is one of the best ways to become involved and make an impact on the profession. If you’d like to become more engaged, I invite you to volunteer to serve on a 2012–13 division or section committee.

Though I could tell you why I think it’s highly beneficial to volunteer for a committee or division, listen instead to what your colleagues say. In focus groups held at the ACRL 2011 conference, current committee members described their experience “as the single greatest value of membership” and the way to contribute to academic and research librarianship by influencing the issues that matter.

If you want to give back to the profession by helping ACRL achieve its strategic goals, please consider volunteering to serve on a committee. I believe the rewards of committee participation are well worth the time invested. Build your relationship with ACRL and your fellow academic librarians by choosing to volunteer. The ideas you share can make a difference.

—Steven Bell, ACRL Vice-President/President-Elect

The ACRL committee volunteer form for section and division-level appointments is now open! If you wish to be considered for a committee appointment, complete the ACRL volunteer form by February 15, 2012. For more information and a link to the volunteer form, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/membership/volunteer/volunteer.cfm

• “I can honestly say I have never experienced a more holistic learning experience! WOW!” — Immersion ’11 participant
• “Immersion has been an energizing experience – so full of new ideas, new perspectives, new minds and colleagues.” — Immersion ’11 participant
• “This was definitely a career transforming experience.” — Immersion ’11 participant

Complete program and track details, along with application materials, are available online.  Questions concerning the program or application process should be directed to Margot Conahan at (312) 280-2522 or e-mail mconahan@ala.org.

“College & Research Libraries has been the primary research journal for the academic library community since its founding in 1939,” said C&RL Editor Joseph J. Branin of the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology. “With the digitization of the print back file from 1939 to 1996, the journal will be available in its entirety online and open access to the entire world. My thanks to the University of Illinois Library and ACRL for their generosity and fine work in making College & Research Libraries readily and freely available to library practitioners and researchers.”

“ACRL is extremely grateful to the University of Illinois for donating its time and resources to undertake this project,” added ACRL Executive Director Mary Ellen K. Davis. “Having the entire run of C&RL available digitally will be a real boon to researchers.”

The University of Illinois Library’s Digital Content Creation department will perform the digitization of the approximately 340 issues of C&RL by unbinding one of the library’s two complete runs of the title and scanning using a high-speed InoTec SCAMAX document scanner. Text will be scanned at 400 dpi grayscale and issue covers at 400 dpi color. The digitization process will result in fully searchable PDF files at the issue and article level. Text files of the OCR output will also be created and all original master image files will be ingested into the Medusa digital preservation repository at Illinois. Its metadata unit will create issue and article level metadata for all content.

“Illinois has made a strategic commitment to exploring new trends in scholarly communication through our IDEALS repository, along with our digitization and scholarly communication education programs,” noted Scott Walter, associate university librarian for services and associate dean of libraries at Illinois. “We are excited and proud to follow our successful collaboration with the Graduate School of Library and Information Science in providing access to its signature journal, Library Trends, with this new partnership with ACRL to provide access to College & Research Libraries. The University of Illinois has been a destination for LIS researchers for decades, and we are happy to be able to collaborate with ACRL to provide open access to the premiere journal in academic librarianship.”

The C&RL project is the latest in a series of digitization efforts from the library at Illinois. The Digital Content Creation department previously scanned LIS publications such as Library Trends  and the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books for public access through the IDEALS repository.

Current C&RL contents are freely available to the public under the journal’s open access policy, adopted in April 2011. The full backfiles are expected to be made available through IDEALS by summer 2012.  Contact University of Illinois Library Assistant Director of Advancement for Publications and Public Affairs Heather Murphy at hmurphy@illinois.edu for additional information.

Scholarly Communication: From Understanding to Engagement
Friday, January 20, 2012
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Discover how to help accelerate the transformation of the scholarly communication system. Engage in a structured interactive program that explores scholarly publishing, author rights and open access in practice. The institute is appropriate for those with administrative responsibilities, with new leadership assignments in scholarly communication or digital publishing, as well as liaisons and any others who are seeking to advance their professional development in scholarly communication.

Four modules will focus on:

• new methods of scholarly publishing and communication
• copyright and author rights
• economics
• open access and openness in practice

Complete details and registration materials are available online.  Direct questions to Margot Conahan at mconahan@ala.org or (312) 280-2522.

Recognizing our colleagues’ achievements reflects well on all of us and on our profession. Higher education administrators may want to provide more institutional support to their libraries in an effort to earn an ACRL award.  Potential academic and research librarians may be attracted to the field after exposure to the publicized example of award winners. We are inspired by the award winners and aspire to meet the standards they set, to the benefits of our faculty, students, and staff. When we celebrate our colleagues’ outstanding achievements, all of us feel more pride in our work and what it means to those whom we serve.

Take a moment to examine the ACRL awards at http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/awards/index.cfm and brainstorm with your colleagues names of worthy candidates. The nominations do not take a lot of paperwork. Please make them a priority over the next weeks.

I appreciate your giving this important ACRL program your time and attention.

Don’t miss the December 2 deadline!

Joyce L. Ogburn, ACRL President

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Inquiring, Responsive, Critical-thinker.

2. What are you reading right now? I like historical fiction and am in the middle of Sharon Kay Penman’s The Reckoning.  I’ve also just started reading Eli Pariser’s The Filter Bubble.  They’re both on my iPad.  I love going to bookstores, but I’ve found the ability to download ebooks, whenever and wherever I want something, to be absolutely irresistible.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Concerned, Focused, Collegial.

4. What do you value most about ACRL? The sense of community and shared purpose that ACRL offers.  ACRL has given me the opportunity to be continuously learning while surrounded by great, supportive colleagues.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? The deep commitment to service that pervades the field and the extraordinary caliber of the people in the academic library community.  I’m regularly impressed by the incredibly smart, talented people that I get to work with.

6. In your own words: Academic librarianship is a second career for me.  If I’d known how much I was going to like it, I would have chosen it as a first career.  I guess I got here as fast as I could.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

The series includes:

The Diversity Committee: Your Library’s Competitive Advantage. Presented by Valerie Bell, Chief Librarian, Branch Services, Ocean County Library – Thursday December 1, 2011 at 2:00 Eastern Time

How Diversity Matters: Micro-Practices that Keep Libraries Relevant. Presented by Karen Downing, University Learning Communities Liaison and Foundation & Grants Librarian, University of Michigan – Thursday December 8, 2011 at 3:00 Eastern

The Diversity Conversation:  Why You Need to Have It and How to Start It. Presented by Miguel Figueroa, Director, Office for Diversity, American Library Association – Thursday December 15, 2011 at 2:00 Eastern

Complete details and session descriptions are available on the series website.

Complete details about ACRL awards can be found in the Awards & Scholarships section of the ACRL Website.

Kara Malenfant is ACRL’s Scholarly Communications and Government Relations Specialist.

Kara recently earned her PhD in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. To learn more, listen to the audio discussion above about her dissertation, Understanding Faculty Perceptions of the Future: Action Research for Academic Librarians.

1. Describe yourself in three words: Enthusiastic. Dedicated. Collaborative.

2. What are you reading right now? Currently I’m reading juvenile nonfiction on Chile (to prepare a cultural presentation for my son’s kindergarten class) and Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole for book club. Next up on my list are Academically Adrift by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa and Enhancing Campus Capacity for Leadership: An Examination of Grassroots Leaders in Higher Education by Adrianna J. Kezar and Jaime Lester.

3. What was your background before coming to work at ACRL?: Before I started at ACRL in fall of 2005, I was a librarian for 6 years at DePaul University in Chicago. Prior to getting my MS from UIUC and becoming a librarian, I had worked in nonprofits focused on international humanitarian aid and advocacy. I started on that path after teaching English as a Peace Corps volunteer while part of the first group posted to the Republic of Armenia in the early 90s.

4. What do you do in your role as ACRL Scholarly Communications and Government Relations Specialist? I coordinate ACRL’s scholarly communication activities, government relations advocacy, and am the lead staff member on the Value of Academic Libraries initiative. Recently I have begun working with colleagues on a forthcoming research series and to provide consulting services on organizational development and use of ACRL’s standards for libraries in higher education.

5. What’s your favorite thing about working at ACRL? I’d have to say my favorite thing is the variety. I enjoy being engaged on wide range of national issues that are important to libraries and higher education. I appreciate my colleagues, who are so highly competent, and the way we all work together to support one another. It is an absolute pleasure working with our very motivated members, who are some of the best and brightest in the profession.

6. In your own words: Although I was active in ACRL for years (I served as chair of ACRL’s International Relations Committee from 2003-2005), it wasn’t until I started on staff that I came to realize how truly member driven this organization is. If you have a good idea and are willing to give it some elbow grease, there’s no telling what you can do. ACRL depends on active members to accomplish all that we do for the good of the profession.

The application deadline is Dec. 8, 2011, and notifications will be issued in January 2012. Scholarships can be redeemed for e-Learning events offered between Feb. 1 and Aug. 31, 2012.  Send questions on scholarships and the application process to Margot Conahan at mconahan@ala.org or (312) 280-2522.

The insightful case studies presented in International Students and Academic Libraries: Initiatives for Success describe over a dozen exciting projects that support the success of international students studying at academic institutions. The work provides numerous examples of new and innovative strategies for librarians to encourage library use among international students and increase international student success. This volume is essential reading for academic librarians, library educators and professional collections at institutions that support international student populations

International Students and Academic Libraries: Initiatives for Success is available for purchase in print, as an e-book, and as a print/ e-book bundle through the ALA Online Store; in print and for Kindle through Amazon.com; and by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the U.S. or (770) 442-8633 for international customers

Practitioners, new researchers, and experienced researchers are all encouraged to present. Both members and non-members of ACRL are welcome to submit. Those selected will be expected to present their papers in person at the forum at ALA Annual and to register for the conference.

We welcome papers emphasizing the problems, theories, methodologies, or significance of research findings for LIS related to academic libraries and librarianship. Preference will be given to work that furthers the ACRL Plan for Excellence goals (demonstrating the value of academic libraries, student learning, and research and scholarly environment).

Works in progress are encouraged. Papers that have been previously published or accepted for publication by December 16, 2011, are not eligible for consideration. Submit the required author information and a 500-word abstract by mail or email (mradford@rutgers.edu) to Marie L. Radford, Ph.D., School of Communication and Information, 4 Huntington St., New Brunswick, NJ 08901 USA. The submission deadline is December 16, 2011.

The author information must include: name, email, phone and mailing address of contact person plus name(s) and affiliation(s) of additional authors, if applicable. The 500-word abstract must include the title of the paper, a problem statement, status of research (in progress or complete), problem significance, project objectives, methodology, and conclusions (or tentative conclusions for work in progress). If your research is complete, please confirm that your paper has not been published nor accepted for publication by December 16, 2011.

At the 2012 ALA Midwinter Meeting, the ACRL Research Coordinating Committee will conduct a blind review to select a maximum of 3 papers. Review criteria include: significance of the study for academic libraries/librarians; quality and creativity of the methodology; and potential to fill gaps or build on previous research in academic libraries/librarianship, particularly with respect to the ACRL Plan for Excellence goals. All submitters will be notified by February 15, 2012.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Creative, collaborative, committed.

2. What are you reading right now? One for personal reasons and one for professional development: Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running to inspire my marathon training (in print) and I’m Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59 by Douglas Edwards because I think libraries can learn from the competition (on my Kindle).

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Vital, visionary, values.

4. What do you value most about ACRL? My involvement with ACRL has been at the core of my professional growth and continued enthusiasm for my job. I joined ACRL at the suggestion of a colleague who had recently completed the Immersion Program. I was new to the profession and to ALA and had not yet become familiar with the maze of divisions, sections, roundtables and discussion groups. As a member of ACRL, I found my home within ALA.

Attending Immersion in 2009 gave me the tools, the inspiration and the connections with my peers to move forward with my career and my involvement within the organization. My subsequent work with the Instruction Section has allowed me to focus further on instruction and information literacy.  As a librarian living overseas until recently, I also relied heavily on the many e-learning opportunities the section offered to stay current in the profession. In a nutshell, I value the resources, learning opportunities and interaction with my peers that ACRL provides me.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? I believe education can transform lives, and librarians can, and should, play a key role in that transformation.

6. In your own words: I spent my first six-and-a-half years as a professional librarian working at an American university in the Middle East and my experiences there have shaped the way I view the world, the power of education and the role the library plays in it. For many students in these countries, a university education is a window to a world that does not exist outside the classroom. This may be the only opportunity these young people have to question authority, interact with persons of the opposite sex and from different cultures, and access information that may not otherwise be available to them. As a librarian, I have been able to be a part of, and contribute to, their learning experiences. Currently, I am adjusting to living and working in the U.S. and working with a diverse, but primarily American, student body. I have no doubt that I will be able to play a role in their university experiences, but my involvement will be less personal and more specific to the library and its resources.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

The ACRL Member of the Week feature will be taking a vacation next week and will return on November 28.

The webcast archive and full text of the revised standards are both freely available on the ACRL Standards and Guidelines page.

ACRL challenges you to imagine, innovate and inspire your colleagues with proposals that explore the most dynamic and challenging issues and ideas facing academic and research librarians today. Tag proposals with three of the list of 40 keywords available in the Call for Participation. The tagging system will emphasize connections among the conference content and help all participants identify and sort through the wide variety of dynamic interactions and exchanges that define ACRL conferences.

Complete details about ACRL 2013, including the full Call for Participation, are available on the conference website. Questions about the Call for Participation or ACRL 2013 should be directed to Margot Conahan at (312) 280-2522 or mconahan@ala.org.

To provide additional information on the new version of SLHE, ACRL is offering a free introductory webcast on the standards from 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. Central on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011. Presented by Patricia Iannuzzi, chair of the ACRL Standards for Libraries in Higher Education Task Force, the webcast will provide an overview of the revision, highlighting ways the standards can benefit libraries in the strategic planning, program review and self-study processes. To RSVP for the webcast, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G9MP9PB.

How to access the webcast
Use the following URL to access the webcast on November 9: http://learningtimesevents.org/acrl/auditorium/

We recommend performing a brief technical check prior to the live event to ensure everything runs smoothly on your computer.  The webcast will be recorded and made available on the ACRL website after the 9th.

An actual party was on tap at the joint library for Broward College and Florida Atlantic University, where an annual outreach event showcases faculty authors and artists. Sunem Beaton-Garcia describes this “Literary feast” in this month’s issue. Calling attention to scholarship is a year-round event at the University of Kansas, where the libraries showcase faculty work in the library gallery. This “Creative collaboration” between the libraries, university faculty, and the campus art museum is outlined by Sarah Goodwin Thiel.

Copyright education can be an essential part of library outreach and contributions on campus. Timothy Peters describes how one library collaborates to take “Copyright to the university” through the Web and a series of workshops. If you are looking for resources to help explain copyright and fair use issues on campus, look no further than this month’s Internet Resources feature on “Innovative copyright” by Lauren Dodge and Jennifer Sams.

In our ACRL TechConnect feature, Janet Fransen, Megan Kocher, and Jody Kempf provide detailed information on using “Google forms for staff self-assessment.” Their article includes code and script the University of Minnesota used as part of a project to gauge staff expertise with technology. Make sure to check out the other features and columns this month, including an essay on how Joe J. Marquez’s experiences teaching instruction sessions inform his work as a Web services librarian.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Focused, responsible, curious.

2. What are you reading right now? I am reading Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father by John Matteson.  As a girl, I was a huge Louisa May Alcott fan.  This book is a fascinating read on the Alcott family.  Also recommended, Fruitlands: The Alcott Family and Their Search for Utopia by Richard Francis.  Heartbreaking.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Dedicated, smart, friendly.

4. What do you value most about ACRL? I joined ACRL to keep in touch with what’s happening in academic and research libraries across the nation.  I work in a teaching hospital.  I like to keep tabs on what’s happening in research libraries, public libraries, and other sorts of special libraries.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? I value the support that librarians give biomedical researchers who are working hard to move our world into new directions.  I do see librarians as working in a helping profession.  We are lucky that we don’t need to be on call!  Still, we have the experience of making a difference in the lives of others.

6. In your own words: In the past two years, my work has taken me in the direction of community outreach.  My next project is to take a mobile laptop lab into rural public libraries to teach community members how to find quality health information on the internet.  This particular rural area is hit hard by Lyme disease, so we will be focusing on resources for disease prevention and treatment.  Most of the households do not have high speed internet.  For me, helping community members address health disparities is where the rubber meets the road.  This is the bridge between research and behavior change.  And, librarians can play a part in that.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

To RSVP for the January 10 virtual meeting, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2013ACPlanners.  Once log-in instructions are available, you will be notified. Login instructions will also be posted on the main ACRL page in ALA Connect.

2013 ALA Annual Conference program proposal forms will be due May 1, 2012.  The ACRL Annual Conference Programs Committee will review and select 2013 Annual Conference programs, and notifications will be issued before the 2012 ALA Annual Conference.

More details about the Annual Conference program process are online at http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/events/annualprogramsfaq.cfm.  If you have any questions about the 2013 program process, please contact Megan Griffin at mgriffin@ala.org.

We decided that ACRL needs to lend its voice to the conversation and that we have precedent to guide us. Our past actions and letters urged GPO to look to the future and work with libraries to develop collaborative models for managing federal documents. We believe the best approach is to continue in the same vein, an approach that is quite reasonable and measured, as ACRL is known to be.

I appreciate how this issue stirs passions. I also know that we are all invested in finding a viable future for the depository program and for its relationship to academic libraries across the country. I am sharing with you the text of my letter below.

Mr. William Boarman
Public Printer of the United States
Government Printing Office
732 N. Capitol St. NW
Washington, DC 20402-0001

Ms. Mary Alice Baish
Superintendent of Documents
Government Printing Office
732 N. Capitol St. NW
Washington, DC 20402-0001

November 2, 2011

Dear Mr. Boarman and Ms. Baish,

In light of the press coverage and statements about recent rulings that have rejected new multi-state partnerships within the Federal Depository Library Program, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) would like to add its voice to the conversation. As the majority of regional Federal Depository Libraries are affiliated with academic institutions, ACRL has a great interest in this issue.

ACRL believes that the future of libraries will be based in innovative uses of technology and intensive collaboration across geographic boundaries. The multi-state models for managing federal documents that libraries have developed address the pressing issues of the economic climate, the imperative for wider collaboration, and the improvement of access to these critical resources. We view these as necessary and viable partnerships that will sustain library collections and services and will create enduring programs of access and preservation.

We remind you of our past comments on these topics to the US Government Printing Office (GPO): on June 13, 2008, we reacted to the draft report titled Regional Depository Libraries in the 21st Century: A Time for Change?; on May 16, 2008, we wrote in advance of your report for the Joint Committee on Printing; and on June 26, 2007, we commented on the guidelines for shared regional depository libraries. Our belief from years ago remains pertinent today: “Flexibility and simplicity are critical to the success of rethinking models for housing and delivering government information to our various constituents.”

We understand that many people in the library community are concerned about the long-term quality of government information services, and ACRL is convinced that the quality of services associated with collaborative efforts will be stronger than stand alone efforts. ACRL urges the GPO to work closely and openly with depository libraries to explore and establish new models. It is essential that we leverage the possibilities inherent in 21st century practices to serve our citizens now and well into the future.

ACRL would welcome the opportunity to lend our perspective and expertise where they could be helpful in finding collaborative solutions.

Sincerely,

Joyce L. Ogburn
ACRL President, 2011-2012
Dean, J. Willard Marriott Library and University Librarian, University of Utah

“The revised Standards for Libraries in Higher Education provide a fresh roadmap to demonstrating the value of academic libraries to the campus community,” said ACRL President Joyce L. Ogburn, dean of the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library. “We look forward to providing ongoing learning opportunities for libraries to implement these important standards at their institutions.”

The revision process began in 2009 when ACRL 2009-10 President Lori Goetsch appointed a Task Force to review and revise the 2004 ACRL Standards for Libraries in Higher Education. For more than a year, the ACRL Standards for Libraries in Higher Education Task Force, chaired by University of Nevada-Las Vegas Dean of University Libraries Patricia Iannuzzi, reviewed relevant library, higher education and accreditation literature, surveyed academic library directors to understand how the 2004 version of SLHE served the profession and interviewed librarians who had served on accreditation teams to better understand the changes in institutional accreditation processes. Input from the association membership and Board of Directors also informed the year-long revision process.

“These standards differ from previous versions by articulating expectations for library contributions to institutional effectiveness,” Iannuzzi noted. “They also differ structurally from the previous version by providing a comprehensive framework using an outcomes-based approach, with evidence collected in ways most appropriate for each institution.”

To provide additional information on the new version of SLHE, ACRL is offering a free introductory webcast on the standards at 1 p.m. Central on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011. Presented by Iannuzzi, the webcast will provide an overview of the revision, highlighting ways the standards can benefit libraries in the strategic planning, program review and self-study processes. To RSVP for the webcast, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G9MP9PB.

11/2 Update:
The SLHE introduction webcast will be recorded and made available on the ACRL website after the 9th.

e-Learning Formats
Webcasts: ACRL webcasts are 90 minutes in length, including time for audience Q&A.  Presenters can use PowerPoint, online polls, white board, and other interactive tools during the webcast.  Participants can interact with the presenters via text-based chat or audio.  ACRL offers e-Learning webcast presenters a 10% royalty of webcast registration fees, less the Elluminate vendor fees, split between the presenters.

Online Courses: ACRL online courses are primarily asynchronous events offered over the course of three or four weeks.  Online courses are offered on the Moodle platform.  Courses should include weekly readings, discussion questions, assignments, chat sessions, and/or a final assignment.  ACRL provides $1,000 for content development for new multi-week courses, as well as a royalty of 10% of the course registration fees, split between the presenters, each time the course is offered.

How to submit a proposal
Proposals must be submitted via the online submission form by November 1, 2011.

Questions should be directed to Margot Conahan at mconahan@ala.org

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Driven, Positive, Outgoing.

2. What are you reading right now (or listening to on your mobile device)? I am actually listening to (again) all of the Harry Potter books.  Now that the last movie is out I felt like I needed one more go around to re-live the magic.  I am currently on book four Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  It truly is story telling at its best.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Assemble, Connect, Engage

4. Why did you join ACRL? I have an interest in academic librarianship.  Some of my professors expressed that joining ACRL would provide great networking opportunities (which it does).  I wanted to be a part of a community of librarians who have like interests.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? What I value about academic librarianship is the dedication toward student success through engaging information literacy efforts.  Academic librarians truly want to see the students at their institutions be successful at researching, locating resources, and just growing as students.  That’s inspiring!

6. In your own words: After finishing my degree, I decided to apply my librarian skills to the position of Housing Specialist for Coburn Place Safe Haven.  Coburn Place is a not-for-profit that provides two-year transitional housing and supportive services to woman and children who are homeless due to domestic violence.  Very much like an academic institution that wants to educate their students into being successful academically, we, at Coburn Place want to see our woman be successful in life: to no longer live in the tyranny of the moment, but to become empowered and self sufficient.

In this newly created position, I am researching, gathering, and creating a permanent housing resource guidebook that emphasizes and highlights affordable low-income housing and rental subsidies from agencies around the city of Indianapolis.  My goal for the resource guidebook is that it will help the women more easily locate, plan, make choices, and take the necessary steps to move from our two-year transitional program into safe affordable permanent housing.  I work one-on-one with our residents to assist them in navigating within the housing market and advocate on their behalf, if necessary.  I am also in the middle of creating programming that will educate the women on their housing rights and responsibilities. Although I did not end up working directly in an actual library, I feel very connected to the work, mission, and profession of librarianship.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

About SCUP
The Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) is a community of senior, higher education leaders who are responsible for, or are involved in, the integration of planning on their campuses and for the professionals who support them.

Deadline for Applications
Review of applications will begin on November 4, 2011, and continue until the position is filled.

Submission Requirements

Nominees must submit:

• A letter of application articulating qualifications to Debbie Malone, Chair, Liaison Coordinating Committee at Debbie.malone@desales.edu or DeSales University, 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley, PA 18034.
• A current vita

Qualifications
Required:

• Current member of ACRL
• Experience with one or more aspects of institutional planning
• Interest in coordinating activities to demonstrate value added asset libraries and librarians are to SCUP and to establish a strong relationship between ACRL and SCUP.
• Experience with or interest in outreach and education efforts
• Excellent communication skills

Desired:

• Record of serving ACRL on committees, task forces, etc.

Contact Liaison Coordinating Committee Chair Debbie Malone at Debbie.malone@desales.edu with questions about the application process.

Higher education is experiencing unprecedented change, providing academic libraries with tremendous opportunities to define new roles related to learning, teaching and research. ACRL is dedicated to enhancing the ability of library and information professionals to dream big and shape our new future. Be a part of shaping that future. The ACRL Leadership Recruitment and Nominations Committee encourages members to nominate themselves or others to run for the position of ACRL vice-president/president-elect, director-at-large, and councilor in the 2013 elections.

Once nominated, individuals will need to submit a two-page curriculum vita or resume (if self-nominating, you may include these materials with your nomination). The Leadership Recruitment and Nominations Committee will request statements of interest from selected individuals prior to developing a slate of candidates.

To nominate an individual or to self-nominate, send the nominee’s name and institution to: Theresa S. Byrd, University of San Diego; Phone: (619) 260-7522; email: tsbyrd@sandiego.edu. The deadline for nominations is November 15, 2011.

More information about the ACRL Board of Directors is available on the ACRL website.

1. Describe yourself in three words: Friendly, Enthusiastic, Cheerful.

2. What are you reading right now (or listening to on your iPod)? On my iPod: Chak De! and Rab Na Bana Jodi (Bollywood Movies), Wicked  (the musical) and music by V.V. Brown, M.I.A., Janelle Monae. Reading: Stumptown by Greg Rucka, Absolute Planetary by Warren Ellis,  and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making  by Catherynne M. Valente. Also, The Generation X Librarian! (I co-wrote a chapter in this book,  it is my 1st academic publication, I continue to be VERY EXCITED  ABOUT IT.)

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Academic, Professional, Dynamic.

4. Why did you join ACRL? I joined ACRL because I wanted to take  advantage of the opportunities that membership in ACRL affords, such  as networking and the national conference.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? I like  helping people find the information they are looking for, even if they  are not quite sure what resources they need yet, they just know what their questions  are. I like instruction, but I also love interacting with people on  one on one.

6. In your own words: I love being a librarian because  you can be a generalist forever. (I think there is a high correlation  between librarians and people who love Trivial Pursuit or pub trivia). You are required to constantly learn new things and you are required  to share that information. There is so much information out there, the  challenge is helping patrons find the most relevant, useful  information, so you need to be familiar with how to find, access and interpret: archives, newspapers, books, polls and popular opinion, government resources and to navigate those you need to be familiar with: electronic resources, databases, social media, online search  engines, copyright restrictions, orphan works . . .

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

Scholarly Communication: From Understanding to Engagement
Friday, January 20, 2012
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The goal of this full-day institute is to empower attendees to help accelerate the transformation of the scholarly communication system. Engage in a structured interactive program that explores scholarly publishing, author rights and open access in practice. The institute is appropriate for those with administrative responsibilities, with new leadership assignments in scholarly communication or digital publishing, as well as liaisons and any others who are seeking to advance their professional development in scholarly communication.

Four modules will focus on:

• new methods of scholarly publishing and communication
• copyright and author rights
• economics
• open access and openness in practice

Complete details and registration materials are available online.  Direct questions to Margot Conahan at mconahan@ala.org or (312) 280-2522.

AUTHORS
Are you an ACRL member working on a research article? Would you like some constructive feedback? Submit a draft research paper for consultation. RPC will match new writers with experienced writers and the pairs will meet face-to-face during the ALA Midwinter meeting. Draft research papers must be submitted by January 9, 2012. Papers will be shared only among the designated pairs. Submission details follow:

Include on first page: Author’s name and contact information in upper left and a paragraph describing what you would like others to comment on about your paper (e.g., grammar, writing style, clarity, presentation of the research methodology).

Page limit: 25 double-spaced pages, standard 1” margins

Preferred format: Microsoft Word. Number pages. Footers should include author’s full name and e-mail.

Draft research papers should be in complete enough form for others to read easily.

Submit by January 9, 2012 to: Cheryl Middleton.

REVIEWERS
Are you an experienced, published writer or editor? Interested in providing guidance to your colleagues who may be writing their first research article? Submit your name and a description of your areas of expertise by January 11, 2012 Reviewers are expected to review papers submitted by the writer they have been paired with in advance of the ALA Midwinter meeting, as well as guide the writing consultation onsite during the meeting.

Please send your current contact information, a copy of your current resume or list of publications, and a brief description of your current research interests.

Submit by January 11, 2012 to: Cheryl Middleton.

MEET DURING ALA 2012 MIDWINTER MEETING
The experienced writer/editor and the writer they have been paired with will correspond ahead of time to determine the best time to meet at the meeting.

Questions should be directed to Cheryl Middleton.

We are pleased to announce that teams from a broad spectrum of institutions will participate in the upcoming summits, part of the project “Building Capacity for Demonstrating the Value of Academic Libraries.” With grant funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the summits will gather college and university academic administrators, institutional researchers, and academic librarians from the following institutions:

• Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
• Berea College, Berea, KY
• California State University, Fresno
• Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
• Earlham College, Richmond, IN
• Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
• Hope College, Holland, MI
• Hostos Community College/CUNY, Bronx, NY
• Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
• Linfield College, McMinnville, OR
• Moraine Valley Community College, Palos Hills, IL
• Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA
• North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Greensboro, NC
• Pierce College, Lakewood & Puyallup, WA
• Rio Salado College, Tempe, AZ
• San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
• Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara, CA
• The Pennsylvania State University, PA
• The University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL
• University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
• Utah State University, Logan, UT

Members of these institutions will gather with representatives from accreditation commissions and higher education organizations for dialog around the assessment of student learning and faculty research productivity. The group will provide advice to ACRL as we address the need to build the library profession’s capacity to demonstrate the value of the library.

In addition to senior staff members from our planning partners, ACRL member leaders and staff are joined by consultants Megan Oakleaf and Karen Brown. Oakleaf, Assistant Professor, Syracuse University School of Information Services and author of the ACRL publication Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report, is the key facilitator and designer of summits. Brown, Associate Professor, Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science, is the lead author of the white paper, which will summarize findings of the summits and set a framework for future action. It will articulate action steps for ACRL’s value of academic libraries initiative and also serve as a resource for other library and higher education groups involved with assessment and institutional advancement issues.

The summits, as IMLS planning grant activities, are only a beginning. ACRL anticipates more work in the months and years ahead as we seek to aid members of the library profession in developing the skills to document and communicate library value in alignment with the missions and goals of their colleges and universities.

1. Describe yourself in three words: Optimistic. Driven. Puckish.

2. What are you reading right now? Proud to be a lover of fantasy, I’m reading A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin (4th book in the Song of Ice and Fire series).  I’m also reading A Queer History of the United States by Michael Bronski.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Authoritative. Essential. Collaborative.

4. What do you value most about ACRL? The ability to connect with my colleagues from across the profession, knowing that I can count on those connections for expert advice and support.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? Our ability to create and support a welcoming space (both literally and figuratively) for the communal creation of knowledge — we are the intellectual hub of the university.

6. In your own words: I’ve been an academic librarian for a dozen years and love the way that our role has evolved. In my early years, our reference desk was across from the front doors, creating a figurative and literal barrier between the outside world and our resources. Facing the doors meant we had our backs to our students, and we looked more like the gatekeepers of old.  Following a renovation, our desk moved to the middle of our main floor, where we’re the center of activity and are usually found sitting side by side with students as they learn how to navigate the ever-expanding world of information.

I’m also spending more and more time outside of the library and in the classroom, giving me greater opportunities to connect with students and see them grow in confidence when it comes to research, analysis, and synthesis of information.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

The ACRL Scholarly Communication Toolkit provides context and background by summarizing key issues to offer quick, basic information on scholarly communication topics. It also links to examples of specific tools, including handouts, presentation templates and videos for librarians to adapt and use on their own campuses. The toolkit serves as a valuable resource for scholarly communication discussions inside the library and for outreach programs to faculty and administrators.

ACRL’s strategic goal for the research and scholarly environment is that librarians accelerate the transition to a more open system of scholarship. Be part of the movement to influence scholarly publishing policies and practices toward a more open system.

I know it’s hard to believe but already we must prepare for the triennial 1201 rulemaking on circumvention of technological protection measures (TPMs) employed by rights holders.

For those new to the topic, here’s a brief rundown.

Every three years, the Copyright Office (CO) conducts a “rulemaking” which is a process initiated by a government agency to create or amend a rule or regulation. This process generally begins with a chance for the public to comment on the issue. ALA provides comments for a number of Notices for Public Rulemakings.

When Congress drafted the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) they included a new chapter 12 of the Copyright Act that talks about anti-circumvention of  TPMs.  It is a violation to break a TPM to gain access to a protected work.  Congress asked that the CO conduct a rulemaking to discover if this law inferred with one’s rights to exercise a fair use or some other non-infringing use.  A good example of this is that people with print disabilities can circumvent e-books to enable text-to-speech functionality.  They have lawfully acquired the work but they can’t use it because of TPMs.

At the last rulemaking, it was determined by the Librarian of Congress (under the recommendation of the CO and Commerce) that faculty in all subject disciplines could break CSS on encrypted DVDs in order to make clip compilations for instruction or research purposes.  In addition, college students enrolled in media or film studies could also circumvent CSS to extract clips for educational purposes.  ALA made this recommendation based on a lot of feedback that we received from members.

This rule must be fought for again because the exemptions only last for 3 years.

I am collecting data on how this exemption has been working over the last couple of years.

• Do faculty at your institutions use clips in the classroom?  Why?
• Are faculty less worried about the legality of using clips in the classroom?
• Do you have examples of how the exemption helped an educator or student?

Currently this use is lawful so there is no reason to hide — any examples you send to me should include faculty name, discipline and institution would be very helpful.

Some rights holders will argue that this exemption is no longer necessary because now one can obtain movie clips through lawful services on the Internet. Is this true?  Do existing clip services meet faculty needs?

I would appreciate any examples you could send my way via e-mail by November 15th, 2011.  Let me know if you have questions.

Many thanks!
-Carrie

Carrie Russell, Director
Program on Public Access to Information
American Library Association
Office for Information Technology Policy
1615 New Hampshire  Avenue NW, First Floor
Washington, DC 20009
202.628.8410/800.941.8478
202.628.8419 (fax)
crussell at alawash dot org

The ACRL Spring Virtual Institute, to be offered April 18-19, 2012, will explore how libraries are capitalizing on community collaborations in order to facilitate connectedness and demonstrate value. The institute will take place in an online conference community, which will provide an environment in which groups of participants, both small and large, can gather electronically to learn, collaborate, and network. The institute will offer both synchronous and asynchronous sessions which will be archived after the institute for viewing on-demand. Proposals are invited for session formats including:

Interactive Webcast (Synchronous)
An interactive Webcast allows you to give a presentation in real-time, while also showing visuals, such as PowerPoint slides and desktop applications. Participants can also interact by talking with live audio or typing in questions and comments.

Lightning Talk (Asynchronous)
Lightning Talks are short, asynchronous presentations of 5-8 minutes, combining a PowerPoint presentation or other visual materials with voice narration by the presenters.

Submissions will be accepted through December 15, 2011. Full text of the Call for Proposals is available online. Questions about the Call for Proposals or the 2012 Spring Virtual Institute should be directed to msutton@ala.org, 312-280-2522.

If you’re an academic librarian with a knack for blogging who’s willing to write a few posts per month on topics of interest to your fellow academic librarians, drop us a line! Send a short note describing your interests to Maura Smale at msmale@citytech.cuny.edu.

- Maura Smale, ACRLog

1. Describe yourself in three words: Collaborative, Approachable, Learner.

2. What are you reading right now? I recently worked my way through several volumes of professional literature before fall term started, along with an array of summer favorites.   These favorites include The Great Railroad Bazaar by Paul Theroux, a volume of John O’Hara’s short stories (The Hat on the Bed), and several of Joseph Epstein’s collected essays (With My Trousers Rolled and A Line Out for a Walk).  Another highlight of my summer reading is The House at the End of the Road by W. Ralph Eubanks.   Ignoring the “should read” list, I ended the summer with My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell – I read it every summer – sometimes, I read it twice.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Connections, Advocates, Colleagues.

4. Why did you join ACRL? I joined ACRL to expand my network of academic library professionals, to be part of the collaborative learning experience that comes with participating in ACRL, and to contribute to an organization that continues to have an enormous impact on academic and research libraries, and the people who use them.

5. What do you value most about ACRL? The sole focus of ACRL on academic and research libraries is one of the things I value most about the organization.   This focus means that we are continually receiving ideas that are directly applicable to the people who use our libraries.  Certainly another valued aspect of ACRL is national level advocacy.  This advocacy has been important in so many ways and it has yet to be duplicated elsewhere.  On a more personal basis, I value the learning and networking opportunities provided through ACRL.

6. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? Perhaps I’m overly idealistic, but I value being part of a profession that is about providing opportunities for individual and collective advancement. I believe that academic and research libraries remain unchallenged in their ability to provide the type of open access to information that leads to definitive advancements and life-changing knowledge.

7. In your own words: During my 20 years as an academic librarian, I have continued to believe that what we do as a profession is important and worthwhile.  The impetus to be an academic librarian came from my experience as an undergraduate.  During my sophomore year in college, I finally learned to use an academic library.  After that, nothing seemed very difficult.   Although the world of information has changed extensively since I was a student, the potential of academic libraries to impact student success has not changed.  In an ideal world, I would like to empower every student who attends our college with the information competency skills they need to be a successful student and an effective life-long learner.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

The Declaration builds on the significant progress of the Budapest Open Access Initiative, calling for Open Access to knowledge in the humanities as well as in the sciences. It also moves beyond the scope of primary literature, indicating, “Open access contributions include original scientific research results, raw data and metadata, source materials, digital representations of pictorial and graphical materials and scholarly multimedia material.” Signatories commit to the principle of Open Access as well as to pursuing solutions that advance the Internet “as an emerging functional medium for distributing knowledge.”

ACRL has long supported open access to scholarship as a central principle for reform in the system of scholarly communication. In ACRL’s new strategic plan, the plan for excellence, the goal in the area of research and scholarly environment is that librarians accelerate the transition to a more open system of scholarship. Signing the Berlin Declaration is one way college and university libraries can demonstrate their intention to influence scholarly publishing policies and practices toward a more open system. Earlier this year, ACRL demonstrated its own commitment to open access by removing price barriers to the scholarly journal College and Research Libraries, which is now available at no charge from 1997 to the present through the publication website.

While the Berlin Declaration has garnered signatures from research institutions, libraries, archives, museums, funding agencies, and governments worldwide, the organizers are seeking more signatures prior to the Berlin 9 Meeting on November 9th, 2011. This will be the first Berlin Conference held in North America, and the organizers hope to clearly demonstrate strong support for the declaration in conjunction with the conference, which research funders, policymakers, and other influential communities are expected to attend in force.

Find background and talking points for your use in advancing these conversations in your library and on your campus online.

ACRL sponsors in-depth liaison activities with targeted professional associations. According to the ACRL website, “Liaisons help target organizations understand the value-added assets libraries and librarians can bring to their respective missions and goals. Further, liaisons bring information and higher education issues of the target associations to the attention of the ACRL Board and membership; develop strategies on issues of significant importance to the profession and implement them among the named liaison organizations.”

As part of this program, I began my second year as the ACRL liaison to the National Resource Center for the First Year Experience and Students in Transition by attending the group’s conference held February 5-8, 2011, in Atlanta. I was asked to present a “Focused Dialogue” again this year, and I worked with Colleen Boff (Bowling Green State University) on “Problem based learning.” We had about 20 people in attendance with a nice sampling of librarians, faculty members, and student services personnel.

Colleen and I are also working in collaboration with ACRL and the National Resource Center on a national survey of information literacy practices for first year students for the Center’s new research series, of which our study will be a part. Here is a quote from their press release:

“The National Resource Center is pleased to introduce a new series, Research Reports on College Transitions. The series will showcase original research conducted by the staff of the National Resource Center as an independent research center and in conjunction with other scholars and entities within higher education.”

For a few months prior to the February conference we worked with Ryan Padgett, Assistant Director of Research, Grants and Assessment, from the National Resource Center and ACRL Content Strategist Kathryn Deiss on refining our survey questions. At the conference we ran a 75-minute focus group to test the draft questions. We had eight librarians in the group, and they provided extremely thoughtful suggestions. Jennifer Keup, the center’s Executive Director, attended the focus group and mentioned that this project represented an important collaboration.

In September 2011 we sent invitations to participate in our survey to all members of the ACRL Instruction Section. We are hoping for a wide response, and I encourage any Instruction Section members who have not yet completed our survey to take about 15 minutes to participate. A reminder email message will be sent in the last week of September.

At the February 2012 National Resource Center Conference, I will work with Ryan on a presentation of our preliminary results. In the spring and summer, Colleen and I will complete our literature review, interview librarians who indicated they were willing to talk further about their innovative programs, and complete our survey analysis in time for a fall 2012 publication date.

The ACRL Liaisons program is an important way to engage with various disciplines and to promote the value of academic libraries. More information about the ACRL Liaisons program, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/councilofliaisons/liaisons.cfm and http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/resources/leadership/committees/acr-lcc.cfm.

If you would like information about my work as a liaison or the information literacy programs for first year students survey, please feel free to email me at Debbie.malone@desales.edu

Debbie Malone is the Library Director at DeSales University, Center Valley PA.