ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


36

C ontinuing E d u c a tio n ------- X I
T h e profession se em s to h av e a g re e d  u p o n  th e  

basic p re m ise  th a t co n tin u in g  ed u c a tio n  is a vi­
a b le  co n cern  a n d  should b e  ex am in ed . A se e m ­
ingly logical re su lt of th is th o u g h t was to a p p o in t 
c o n tin u in g  e d u c a tio n  c o m m itte e s . In m a n y  in ­
sta n ces this has p ro v e d  to b e  an effective m e a s­
u r e . T h e  p r in c ip a l p r o b le m  in v o lv e d  w ith  t h e  
id ea is th a t it has often b e e n  se e n  as th e  u ltim a te  
so lu tio n , ra th e r th a n  m e re ly  th e  initial ste p . It is 
now  n e c e s sa ry  to go b e y o n d  th e  first level a n d  
a d d re s s th e  o th e r  issu es in v o lv ed  in c o n tin u in g  
e d u c a tio n , so m e o f w hich a re  aw aren ess, location, 
size o f  staff, etc.

M e m b e rs  o f  A C R L ’s C o n t i n u i n g  E d u c a tio n  
C o m m itte e  a n d  th e  A C R L C o lleg e L ib raries S ec­
tio n ’s C o n tin u in g  E d u catio n  C o m m itte e  felt th a t 
it w o u ld  b e  b en eficial to  b e g in  th e ir re sp e c tiv e  
tasks b y  c o llab o ratin g  on a re v ie w  of th e  c o n tin u ­
in g  e d u c a t i o n  a c t i v i t i e s  t h a t  p r e s e n t l y  e x is t 
aro u n d  th e  U n ite d  States. It w o u ld  also b e  possi­
b le  to d isc o v er w hich organizations w e re  sp o n so r­
in g  th e s e  ty p e s o f p rogram s. T h e  re su lts h av e r e ­
c e n tly  b e e n  c o m p ile d .1

T h e s e  c a n  b e  c o m p a r e d  w ith  i n d i v i d u a l s ’ 
a ssessed  n e e d s, as o u tlin e d  in th e  su rv e y  “C o n ­
tin u in g  L ib rary  E d u c a tio n  N e e d s A ssessm en t a n d  
M odel P ro g ra m s ,” c o n d u c te d  b y  Ju lie  Virgo, P at­
r i c i a  D u n k e l, a n d  P a u lin e  A n g io n e  ( C L E N E  
C o n c e p t P a p e r # 5 , 1977). T h e la rg e st n u m b e r  of 
p ro g ram s in w hich acad e m ic lib ra rian s a re  p r e s ­
e n tly  p a rtic ip a tin g  c o rre sp o n d s c lo sely  to th e ir  
p e rc e iv e d  n e e d s, as liste d  below :

P re s e n t P e rc e iv e d
P ro g ram s N eed s

R e feren ce tools and A d m inistration
services (including 
o n -lin e system s) 

A d m in istratio n / A V /N onbook m aterials
M a n ag em en t 

A V /N onbook m aterials R e fe re n c e  tools and 
se rv ic e s (including 
o n -lin e  system s) 

A utom ation B u d g e tin g

T h e  co m p ariso n  b e tw e e n  th e  tw o stu d ie s can 
ea sily  le a d  o n e  to  t h e  c o n c lu s io n  th a t p e r h a p s  
c o n tin u in g  ed u c a tio n  n e e d s to b e  ex am in ed  a t a 
d iffe re n t level. If  th e  d e s ire d  activities a re  b e in g  
c o n d u c t e d ,  a r e  t h e r e  n o t  o t h e r  o b s t a c l e s  
lib ra rian s a re  facing th a t sh o u ld  b e  seriously c o n ­
sid e re d ?

G e o g r a p h ic a l lo c a tio n  h as o f te n  b e e n  m e n ­
tio n e d . R arely has a n y o n e co m e  to grips w ith  th e  
n e c e s sity  o f d e c e n tra liz in g  p ro g ra m s a n d  going 
n o t to t h e  m a jo r u rb a n  are a s b u t to  t h e  sm all­
e r  to w n s, w h e r e  q u i t e  o f te n  n u m e r o u s  sm a ll 
a cad e m ic lib ra rie s a re  lo c a te d  w ith in  a fifty-m ile

radius. A w areness o f o p p o rtu n itie s is v itally im ­
p o rta n t. E v e n ts n o t liste d  in t h e  s ta te  lib ra ry ’s 
a n d / o r  s t a te  l ib r a r y  a s s o c ia tio n ’s p u b l ic a tio n s  
m ig h t n e v e r b e  know n b y  th o se  w ho d o n ’t b elo n g  
to n atio n al o r re g io n a l o rg an izatio n s a n d  w h o se 
lib ra rie s do n o t su b sc rib e  to th e  various lib ra ry  
jo u rn als. F u rth e rm o r e , h o w  does th e  lib ra ry  o p ­
e r a te  w h e n  th e  only professional a n d  p e rh a p s th e  
o n ly  i n d i v i d u a l  in  t h e  r e f e r e n c e  d e p a r t m e n t  
n e e d s to a tte n d  a co n fe re n c e ?  T h e  lib ra ry  d ire c ­
to r m ay n o t b e  a b le  to  g iv e  h is /h e r  a p p ro v a l, 
especially a t specific tim e s o f th e  y ear. In  certa in  
cases it m ay b e  tr u e  th a t th e  p r o p e r  su p p o rt is 
no t p re s e n t, b u t th e  o th e r  co n stra in ts of th e  s itu ­
atio n  m u st also b e  ta k e n  in to  account.

T h e se  a re  ju s t a few  o f  th e  issues th a t m u st b e 
a d d re s s e d  if th e  profession is to assim ilate con­
tin u in g  ed u c a tio n  a n d  to m ake it th e  in te g ra l p a rt 
t h a t  it s h o u l d  b e . — G r e t c h e n  R e d f ie ld , B i b ­
li o g r a p h i c a l  C e n t e r  f o r  R e s e a r c h , D e n v e r ,  
Colorado.

R e f e r e n c e

1. C o n tin u in g  E d u c a tio n  S u rv e y . P a rt I, “Avail­
ab le C o n tin u in g  E d u c a tio n  R e so u rces” (avail­
a b l e  f o r  $ 1 2 .5 0 , p r e p a i d ,  fro m  t h e  A C R L  
Office).

E d it o r s  N ote: G r e tc h e n  R e d fie ld  is p r e s e n tly  a 
sy stem  specialist at the B ib lio g ra p h ica l C e n te r  f o r  
Research in D e n v e r, C olo ra d o , a n d  c h a irp erso n  
o f  th e  C o lle g e  L ib r a r ie s  S e c tio n ’s C o n tin u in g  
E d u c a tio n  C o m m ittee . S h e is also a m e m b e r o f  
th e A C R L  C o n tin u in g  E d u c a tio n  C o m m ittee . ■■

Instruction Workbook

T h e  U C L A  L ib rary  an n o u n c e s th e  p u b lic a ­
tio n  o f M iriam  S ue D u d le y ’s L ib r a r y  In s tr u c ­
tion W o rkb o o k: A  S e lf-D ire c te d  C o u rse in the 
Use o f  U C L A ’s C ollege L ib ra r y  (C ollege Li­
b ra ry , U C LA , 1978, 65 pages). T h is n e w  e d i­
tio n  o f  t h e  w o rk b o o k  u s e s  m u ltip le -c h o ic e  
q u e stio n s, an d  se p a ra te  a n sw e r sh e e ts for each 
boo k  a re  no lo n g e r r e q u ire d . F ifty d iffe re n t 
s e ts o f q u e s tio n s h a v e  b e e n  u se d  in vary in g  
co m b in atio n s. (As in th e  p ast, lib ra rian s w ish­
in g  to m ake ad ap tatio n s for th e ir  ow n lib ra ries 
s h o u ld  a p p ly  to  t h e  a u t h o r  fo r a c o p y r ig h t 
w aiver.) C o p ies m ay b e  p u rc h a se d  at $5 p o st­
p aid , tax in c lu d e d , from  th e  L ib rary  A dm inis­
tr a tiv e  O ffice, U n iv e r s ity  of C a lifo rn ia , Los 
A ngeles, CA 90024. C h e ck s sh o u ld  b e  m ad e 
p a y a b le  to  th e  R e g e n ts o f  th e  U n iv e rsity  of 
C alifornia.