ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries LIBRARIES NEWS Association of College & Research Libraries March 1984 Vol. 45, No. 3 COLLEGE & RESEARCH Rice University’s annual Monte Carlo Party, a fundraiser sponsored by the Friends. Public Relations in Your Library Lynne Rhoads Public Information Officer Universitu of Washington A recently formed discussion group in ACRL has focused on public relations in academic libraries, with enthusiastic response by ACRL members. Academic libraries have in common a prim ary educational function and a prim ary audience of stu­ dents, faculty and administration. Public relations activities in academic libraries may range from formal to informal, according to the institution and its expectations of its library, but must always (continued on p. 120) U M I Article Clearinghouse H ere we are, in the midst of the Age of Inform ation, and everybody wants some. Economically. Quickly. W ith­ out a hassle. And here we are, at University Microfilms International, introducing an answer that makes sense for you. We call it U M I Article Clearinghouse. You’ll be able to access our cat­ alog of over 7,500 periodical titles and order copies of articles electronically. Via the O C L C ILL Subsystem and IT T Dialcom and others to come. You can order electronically through CLASS OnTyme and over A LA N ET as well. You’ll also have the assurance that we hold the listed titles and that you’re getting articles from a licensed agent. T h ey ’ll be shipped to you within 48 hours. And it w on’t cost you an arm and a leg. ($4-$6 per arti­ cle for deposit accounts; $8 for credit card accounts.) O u r Ja n u a ry 1984 Catalog is available now. Call 1-800-732-0616 (in Michigan, Alaska and Hawaii, call collect 313/761-4700) for your free copy. U n iv ersity M icrofilm s In te rn a tio n a l A X erox C o m p a n y 300 N o rth Zeeb R o a d A n n A rb o r, M ich ig an 48106 COLLEGE & RESEARCH LIBRARIES NEWS March 1984 Volume 45 Number 3 CONTENTS Public Relations in Your Library Lynne R h o a d s......................................................................................................... 117 National Library Week Suggestions Penny E. E lkins...................................................................................................... 122 Today’s Challenge: Integrating Information Systems Phyllis C. Self........................................................................................................... 123 Highlights of the Midwinter Meetings of the ACRL B o a r d ............................................. 128 Seattle’8 4 ............................................... ............................................................................. 131 BI Liaison Update Carolyn K irkendall.................................................................................................. 132 News from the F i e l d ........................................................................................................... 135 Washington Hotline Carol C. H enderson................................................................................................ 139 P eo p le................................................................................................................................... 140 New T echnology................................................................................................................. 147 Publications.............................................. 148 C alendar............................................................................................................................... 150 Classified Advertising......................................................................................................... 152 College & Research Libraries News (ISSN 0099-0086) is published by the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American L ibrary Association, as 11 m onthly (combining July- August) issues, at 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Annual subscription: $10. Single copies and back issues: $3.50 each. Second-class postage paid for at Chicago, Illinois, and at additional m ailing offices. Editor: George M. E b erh art, ACRL/ALA, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611; (312) 944-6780. Presi­ dent, ACRL: Joyce Ball. Executive D irector, ACRL: Julie Carroll Virgo. Production and circulation office: 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Display advertising should be sent to Art Beck, M arketing D irector, Choice, 100 Riverview C enter, M iddletown, CT 06457; (203) 347- 1387. Send classified ads to ACRL. Change of address and subscription orders should be addressed to Col­ lege & Research Libraries News, for receipt at the Chicago address at least two months before the publica­ tion date of the effective issue. Inclusion of an article or an advertisem ent in C & RL News does not constitute official endorsem ent by ACRL or ALA. A p artial list of the services indexing or abstracting the contents of C‹LRL News includes: Current Con­ tents: Social ò- Behavioral Sciences; Current Index to Journals in Education; Inform ation Science A b ­ stracts; Library 6- Inform ation Science Abstracts; Library Literature; and Social Sciences Citation Index. To the postmaster: Send address changes to College ò- Research Libraries News, 50 E. H uron St., C hi­ cago, IL 60611. ©American L ibrary Association 1984. All m aterial in this journal subject to copyright by the American L ibrary Association may be photocopied for the noncom mercial purpose of scientific or educational ad ­ vancem ent. March 1984 / 119 Library administrators at the University o f W ashington gave a party fo r the library staff, thanking them fo r their continued support in a period o f continuing budget retrenchm ent. Econom ical decorations were balloons and paper cut-outs w ith a Spring m o tif, cut fro m old copies o f library calendars. Public Relations, cont’d reflect the lib ra ry ’s prim ary function and au d ence. These activities must also enhance the instit tion’s concepts of its role and function and be p r sented in a m anner consonant w ith these concept Public relations activities vary as m uch as do a adem ic libraries themselves and m ay include th following: Publications— guides, brochures and inform tional m aterials; subject bibliographies; union lis and catalogs of specific collections; keepsakes, m mentos and com m em orative publications for sp cial occasions; m onographs on professional librar topics; newsletters for faculty, adm inistration, st dents, library staff and general distribution; an m iscellania such as bookmarks, invitations, librar calendars, and Christm as cards. Publicity outside the library— news releases t th e general public from th e p a re n t in stitu tio n news services; articles or news notes in cam pus m dia; announcem ents, news (services, publication events) in professional library and general medi TV or radio spots; and special mailings to selecte groups. Signs, posters and graphics in library building including directional and nam e signs; and g rap ics, separately or w ith signs and posters. Display and exhibits— special m aterials or info i­ u­ e­ s. c­ e a­ ts e­ e­ y u­ d y o ’s e­ s, a; d s, h ­ r­ m ational displays; special occasion displays or ex­ hibits; and loaned exhibits. Orientation tours o f the library for prim ary li­ b rary users; visitors from other campuses, libraries, countries; and representatives of the general public (prom inent citizens, high school classes, legisla­ tors) . Bibliographic instruction— form al classes for all students held in the library; lectures by library staff to specific classes, in the classroom or the library; and inform ation sessions w ith faculty and teaching assistants. Fund-raising— inform ational publications and letters of appeal; announcem ents and other public­ ity; special events and sales of discarded books. Friends o f the Library groups can particularly help the library in public relations w ith its second­ ary audiences—the general public and special in­ terest groups. Friends groups m ay comprise in ter­ n al c a m p u s d e p a r t m e n ts , o r g a n iz a tio n s , individuals; alum ni; political groups; legislators and businessmen; organizations or individuals in ­ terested in certain subjects or kinds of library m ate­ rials. Activities of Friends groups m ay include fu n d ­ raising; program s of gifts to the libraries; new slet­ ters; inform ational meetings w ith library staff; and sponsorship of public events like lectures, panel dis­ 120 / C& RL News cussions, symposia, library celebrations of signifi­ cant achievements, and receptions for visiting dig­ nitaries, authors and outstanding faculty. Academic libraries are also becom ing interested in public relations directed to w a rd th e lib rary staff. Besides sponsoring the traditional newsletters and staff association form al functions, the library adm inistration m ay also hold discussions for staff to stress the benefits of good public relations and ways the staff m ay contribute. At staff meetings, li­ b rary adm inistrators may present inform ation on the lib rary ’s current activities, goals and problems. Staff members m ay be included in library com m it­ tees, task-forces and adm inistrative projects; and be recognized form ally or inform ally for their con­ trib u tio n to the lib rary ’s functioning. Regular, in­ form al all-staff coffee hours encourage employees to meet and exchange inform ation. Academic library adm inistrators m ay also eval­ uate the public relations im pact of problem s, p ro ­ posals and decisions before issuing form al policy and operational directives. They may prepare p u b ­ lic relations m aterials to accom pany library reports to the institution’s adm inistration, and evaluate the reports for public relations im pact. Finally, li­ brary adm inistrators m ay investigate outside sup­ port or co-sponsorship for specific program s or ac­ tivities. This new academ ic library focus on public rela­ s tions is often accom panied by new graphics and de­ le o E th P ti a In October 1983 bookm obile service, courtesy o f the Los Angeles C ounty Public Library, began on the ign th a t visually coordinate library publications, tterhead and forms, to project a desirable image f the library. ■ ■ d ito r’s Note: This article has been reprinted fro m e A L A Public Inform ation O ffice’s publication, ower Tools Publicity Book 1984: Ideas for N a­ onal L ibrary W eek and All Year Long. I t is avail­ ble fro m PIO fo r $3. College Library Closings The ACRL College Libraries Section’s Ad Hoc C om m ittee on Libraries in Closing Col­ leges is p reparing a d raft for a checklist th a t will provide valuable assistance to librarians who are caught up in the tra u m a of a college th a t is shutting its doors. W hile some com m ittee m em ­ bers have direct knowledge and experience of closings, the com m ittee w ould like other lib ra r­ ians to volunteer as reactors to the draft, espe­ cially those who have disposed of their collec­ tions or received all or p a rt of a collection from a closed institution. If you are interested, please co n tact John Sheridan, H ead L ib rarian , Transylvania Uni­ versity L ibrary, Lexington, KY 40508. campuses o f California State University, Los Angeles, and the University o f Southern California. Show n at the dedication, l-r, are: Linda L. Crismond, L .A . County; Morris Polan, CSU; and Roy K idm an, USC. March 1984 / 121