ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


960 /  C& RL News

o f all th e  periodicals to which we had subscribed 
since 1980. Holdings and call n u m b ers w ere in ­
clu d ed  for each title. F o r each index we n o ted  those 
titles on o u r list w hich w ere covered by th e  index. 
T h e lists provided in th e indexes them selves w ere 
su p p lem en ted  w ith inform ation taken from  our 
serials control system (in this case SC350) which 
allowed us to search and display th e  510 field o f th e 
MARC records for o u r serials. This inform ation 
was displayed in a simple, single-line form at in 
alphabetical o rd e r by periodical title.

This p ro ject took som e tim e, b u t was m ade 
considerably sim pler by having som e o f this infor­
m ation already on disk. T h e rest was added over th e 
course o f several m onths. T h e products have b een  
som e 11 index-specific lists th a t are kept on th e 
co nsulting ta b le b esid e th e  a p p ro p riate index. 
R ath er th an  check citations against a large alphabet 
o f titles, users can check a short list th a t pertains to 
ju st th e  index th ey  are using. This is particularly 
useful at th e  C D  indexes. T h e W ilsonDisc indexes 
we have only extend back to th e  early 1980s, so th e 
lists w e p ro d u ce are com pletely accurate as to  our 
holdings o f th e  journals indexed. M aintaining th e 
lists has proven to be quite easy. Both staff and

stu d en ts agree th a t th e tim e to p ro d u ce th e lists was 
well spent.

T h e interesting developm ent is th a t o u r requests 
for interlibrary loans have decreased quite signifi­
cantly for th e twelve m onths since these lists w ere 
p ro d u ced . This may b e coincidental, b u t o th e r 
libraries I have contacted do not rep o rt this trend. 
W e may b e able to a ttrib u te this decrease in m ore 
effective use o f o u r own collection. T he C D  indexes 
m ake it easy to search m ultiple years o f an index, 
an d  th e  lists we have p ro d u ced  enable users to 
quickly check w hich ones are here. C irculation o f 
b o u n d  an d  u n b o u n d  periodicals th e  p ast year 
show ed a 15% increase com pared to th e  average o f 
th e  previous 4 years, and was 26% above th e 
im m ediately p rio r year.

T o see interlibrary loan going down at th e  same 
tim e th a t local circulation is on th e  rise does raise 
som e questions. Users may b e relying on articles 
several years old instead o f requesting new er ar­
ticles from  journals we d o n ’t  have. F o r m ost u n d e r­
g rad u ate research and paper-w riting this is p ro b a­
bly satisfactory. It ju st m ight b e th a t som e fairly 
sim ple efforts to im prove access have co n trib u ted  
to this result. ■  ■

Section funding discussion

By Helen H. Spalding

Associate D irector o f  Libraries 
University o f  Missouri-Kansas C ity

A C R L’s B udget and F inance C om m ittee has 
b een  reviewing how  ACRL sections are fu n d ed  
w ithin th e overall divisional b u d g et and is now 
asking for your input. N othing is inherently w rong 
w ith how  sections are fu n d ed  w ithin th e division, 
b u t w ith th e c u rre n t level o f section participation, it 
may b e a good tim e to look at c u rre n t practice, 
inform  th e m em bers, and d ocum ent th e funding 
structure.

In an effort to examine section funding strategies 
and form ulate recom m endations for keeping th e 
cu rre n t practice— or for trying one th a t may be 
m ore responsive to th e priorities and needs o f 
m em bership— th e B udget and F inance C om m it­
te e is inviting all m em bers to atten d  an open h e a r­
ing on section funding on Sunday, January 13, 
1991, at th e ALA M idw inter M eeting, from  8:00 
p.m . to 10:00 p.m . (location to b e announced). 
Your reaction to this article and feedback at th e 
open hearing is crucial to th e C o m m ittee’s ability to

d e te rm in e  if change is w arranted, and if so, how  it 
can b e done in th e b est interests o f th e m em bers.

Divisional dues are th e  only source o f funds th e 
B udget and Finance C om m ittee has to support 
m em bership services, including Board support; 
statistics; advisory services; standards distribution; 
awards; com m ittees; sections; chapters and discus­
sion groups. W hen sections generate new  activities 
(new sletters, for example) th a t req u ire financial 
support, or w hen new  sections are form ed, th e ir 
funding m ust com e from this pool o f m em bership 
dues. Unless m em bership dues are raised to cover 
new  activities, section budgets m ust be w eighed 
against o th e r m em b er activities.

Traditionally, th e sixteen ACRL sections subm it 
th e ir annual budget requests, w ith justification 
b ased  upon th e Strategic Plan, by D e cem b e r 1 
each year. Based upon th e  section’s initiative, th e 
c u rre n t division budget, and th e p ro jected  division 
budget, th e  B udget and F inance C om m ittee re c ­



November 1 9 9 0 1 961

om m ends a certain level o f funding to th e Board. 
T here is no m inim um  entitlem ent that each section 
automatically receives.

Any section th at requests a new sletter is funded 
within th e policy limitation o f either two issues a 
year with 8 pages each, o r one annual issue w ith up 
to 16 pages. Funding for additional pages m ust be 
supported by th e ACRL Publications C om m ittee 
and recom m ended by th e B udget and Finance 
C om m ittee (12 sections currently distribute new s­
letters).

Any section th at requests an orientation m anual 
is generally funded for one, with distribution to 
section officers and com m ittee members.

T h ere is no question th at th e sections rep resen t 
diverse needs and activities. A section may be 
form ed w hen a group o f 25 or more m em bers, 
representing a field o f activity distinct from those o f 
existing sections and within the scope o f A C R L’s 
field o f interest, receives Board approval to do so. 
T h ere is no m andate th at a section have a budget, 
or plan activities requiring a budget. The oldest and 
largest section is th e University Libraries Section, 
form ed in 1937, now with over 6,000 m em bers. Its 
budget is m odest relative to smaller sections. T he 
new est sections are th e Afro-American Studies 
Librarian Section (1989), and the E xtended C am ­
pus Library Services Section (1990).

In recognition o f th e diversity o f interests and

activities am ong th e  sections, A C R L has not 
funded sections on a strict p e r capita basis. Al­
though such a distribution w ould be easier to 
u n derstand and adm inister, it w ould result in small 
b u t active sections th a t are unable to pursue w orth­
while services to m em bers, while larger sections 
with objectives th at require less funding would be 
forced to generate program s to spend th eir larger 
budgets. A nother consideration is th a t support for 
new  sections m ust be carved out o f funds th a t m ore 
established sections are accustom ed to receiving— 
unless m em bership dues are raised to accom m o­
date them . How to respond to exciting new  section 
proposals is an ongoing problem , especially w hen 
some o th er m em bership services m ust be com pro­
m ised to address them .

T he B udget and Finance C om m ittee is includ­
ing th e m em bership early in its examination of 
section funding. T he way sections are now funded 
will not necessarily be changed. T he C om m ittee is 
looking at several alternative funding models, bu t 
they n eed  your perspective, especially if you are 
active in a section. Contact: Leslie M anning, Chair, 
ACRL B udget and Finance C om m ittee, University 
o f Colorado at Colorado Springs Library, 1420 
Austin Bluffs Parkway, P.O. Box 7150, Colorado 
Springs, CO 80933-7150. Join th e m em ber dia­
logue at th e open hearing on section funding, 
Sunday, January 13,1991, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ■  ■

Employers:
Don’t wait for the next issue of AL, Chronicle of 

H.E., LJ Hotline, or even C&RL News to advertise 
your job openings. Announce your positions to a 

wide audience of academic and research library and 
information professionals on the ACRL JOBLINE.

The prerecorded tape is revised weekly; 
ads received by 1 p.m. on Thursday are incor­
porated into the new Friday tape. Listings run 

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