ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries December 1985 / 605 A stra te g ic p la n fo r ACRL (First draft) P rep a red by the ACRL Strategic P la n n in g T ask F orce Susan Klingberg, Chair The first draft of a plan fo r A C R L ’s future. I n the Fall of 1984, the Task Force was appointed and charged with developing a strategic plan to guide the development of the Association between 1986 and 1990. The following d raft will be re viewed and discussed at an open forum at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in January 1986 organized by the Task Force. The final plan is due at the 1986 Annual Conference. Your w ritten comments are invited. This first draft was developed according to a planning process approved by the ACRL Board of Directors and published in C&R L News, Septem ber 1984, p p .396-401. In addition to following a structured planning process, the work of the Task Force was guided by three premises: 1) planning would be based on the expressed needs of members; 2) planning would facilitate involvement of all ACRL units (committees, chapters, sections, etc.); and 3) division planning would be coordinated w ith the ALA planning process. The first step in the process was an analysis of members’ needs which drew on existing m em ber ship data as well as data from Sharon Rogers’ Presi dent’s Program on July 8, 1985, in which partici pants determined priorities for ACRL activities. Results were also considered from the President’s questionnaire on priorities which was mailed to a random sample of ACRL members prior to the program. Other elements in the planning process were a review of environmental factors (published in this issue), and the identification of opp ortunities, threats, strengths, and weaknesses relating to the Association. A C R L’S resources, policies, p ro grams, and current strategies were also analyzed in a strategic audit. In the development of this draft plan, the Activ ity Model for 1990 (Cò-RL N ew s, M ay 1982, pp. 164-69) was a key resource. T he Mission, Goals, and Subgoals below are revisions of Section III of that document. The term Goal is used here in the same sense as in the Activity Model: “qualita tive statements which collectively describe the con ditions existing when ACRL is fulfilling its Mis sion.” For each Subgoal below, the Task Force devel oped a num ber of Objectives. Objectives were de fined as specific activities or ends which lead to ful fillm e n t of ACRL Goals. T hey are generally time-limited and/or measurable. “Critical” Objec tives are those Objectives which the Task Force identified as high priority. The priorities expressed by members through the questionnaire survey and the President’s Program were carefully considered during the process. In terms of the critical objectives, the next step for the Task Force will be to develop strategies and to target a specific year. A strategy is a means to achieve an Objective, as in the following example from Subgoal A under Goal II: Objective: Publicize ACRL standards through out the higher education community. Strategy: Announce the availability of ACRL standards in the Chronicle of Higher Education. 606 / C&RL News Once the strategic plan is completed and ap proved by the ACRL Board of Directors, it will be referred to the Planning Committee to implement. The Planning Committee will also assume respon sibility for maintaining the planning process in cluding reviewing, evaluating, and updating the plan. The evaluation component includes the peri odic assessment of member needs. To sum up, the work of the Task Force will result in a written strategic plan to guide the develop ment of the Association until 1990. The Task Force has also implemented a structured planning pro cess which will provide a framework for all Associ ation planning activities. This process will facili tate the work of the ACRL Budget and Finance Committee by determining priorities which can be used to guide the allocation of resources. The use of a structured planning process will also help the D i vision to coordinate its planning efforts with those of ALA. Mission Statement The mission of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is to foster the profes sion of academic and research librarianship and to enhance the ability of academic and research li braries to serve effectively the library and informa tion needs of current and potential library users. Goal I To contribute to the total professional develop ment of academic and research librarians. Sub goals A. To sponsor and encourage opportunities for academic and research librarians to update exist ing competencies, learn requisite new skills, and gain awareness of the state of the art. B. To afford a sense of professional identity and peer reinforcement to academic and research li brarians. C. To provdie career counseling and placement information regarding academic and research li brarianship. D. To seek new members and maintain present members. Critical Objectives 1. Lower the cost to participate in ACRL professional E d ito r’s note: The Strategic Planning Task Force consists of Susan Klingberg (chair), Cali fornia State University, Sacramento; David Bishop, University of Georgia; Sharon Hogan, A C R L President, 1985-86, Louisiana State University; Don Riggs, Arizona State Univer sity; Keith Russell, National Agricultural L i brary, Beltsville, Md.; Carla Stoffle, University of Michigan; and Jo An Segal, A C R L Executive Director. development activities. 2. Expand opportunities for academic and re search librarians to participate in professional de velopment activities. 3. Strive for a net increase in ACRL member ship. Goal II To improve service capabilities of academic and research librarians. Sub goals A. To provide appropriate standards and guide lines. B. To provide advisory services related to aca demic and research libraries and librarianship. C. To identify and explore problems and issues relevant to academic and research libraries and to take action where appropriate and possible. D. To encourage innovation in academic and re search library operations and service. E. To enhance collection development in aca demic and research libraries. Critical Objectives 1. Develop guidelines for academic library per formance evaluation and output measures. 2. Publicize ACRL standards throughout the higher education community. 3. Increase understanding of the accreditation process. 4. Ensure that essential academic library statis tics are collected and disseminated in a timely fash ion. 5. Publicize examples of innovative activities. Goal III To promote and speak for the interests of aca demic and research librarianship. Subgoals A. To enhance awareness of the role of academic and research libraries among non-library profes sionals and organizations (accrediting bodies, higher education associations, scholarly and pro fessional associations, etc.) and to develop effective working relationships with them. B. To monitor and speak out on government and private sector activities likely to affect academic and research librarianship, including legislation and fiscal and political support at all levels. C. To support and participate in the recruitment of promising persons to the field of academic and research librarianship. D. To monitor and help shape library education programs in accord with the needs of academic and research librarianship. Critical Objectives 1. Provide opportunities in a variety of settings for academic librarians to interact with other professionals December 1985 / 607 in the academic community. 2. Establish mechanisms for identifying and re sponding to bodies created to study issues of im por tance to academic libraries. 3. Encourage and facilitate effective m em ber ship response to government and private sector ac tivities, including appropriate legislation. Goal IV To prom ote study, research, and publication rel evant to academic and research librarianship. Subgoals A. To prom ote awareness of the need for re search, identify study and research topics, and en courage im provem ent in research skills. B. To participate in research projects, report w o rk s in p ro g re s s , a n d d is s e m in a te re s e a rc h results. C. To support research relating to academic and research libraries. D. To sponsor a strong publishing program th at will advance the professional knowledge and derstanding of academic librarians. Critical Objectives 1. Develop and im plem ent a research agenda for academic libraries. 2. C reate appropriate mechanisms for identify ing, collecting, storing, and disseminating research of interest to academic and research librarians. 3. U ndertake a com prehensive review of the ACRL publications program to ensure th a t the ob jectives are being met. ■ ■ External factors analysis statement The first draft of this statem ent was prepared by the ACRL Planning Com mittee. It was then re vised by the ACRL Strategic Planning Task Force a n d in c o rp o ra te d in to th e ir p la n n in g process, which will culm inate in a w ritten five-year plan for the Association. The statem ent is essentially an u p dating of the environm ental considerations portion of the original ACRL activity model (C&R L N ew s, May 1982, p. 164). A. Economic Considerations. 1. The concept of inform ation as a commodity will increasingly influence decisions relating to li braries. 2. Steady-state or declining purchase pow er will be available to academic/research libraries. 3. Costs of com puting h ard w are will decline; the costs of software and telecommunications will in crease. 4. Com petition between libraries and other or ganizations, both on campus and in the for-profit sector, will increase. 5. Libraries will be expected to increase produc tivity. B. Political Considerations. 1. Inform ation will be an increasingly im portant strategic factor in domestic and international m a r kets and in world politics. 2. Conflict will .escalate am ong governm ent, business and academ ia over the ownership, value, and control of information. 3. F ederal governm ent a ttitu d e to w a rd a c a d e m ic /re s e a rc h lib ra rie s w ill be in c re a sin g ly laissez-faire. 4. State governments will increase efforts to cen tralize authority/control over tax-supported higher education, including academic libraries. 5. The distribution of com puting pow er will diminish the political im pact of national consortia. 6. Local, state, and regional computer-based networks will continue to develop. 7. There will be continuing international pres sure for bibliographical standardization. C. Social Considerations. l . E quality of opportunity for w om en and m i norities will continue to be an elusive goal. 2. Illiteracy will continue to be a problem in spite of the efforts of schools, libraries, and the edu cational reform movement. 3. Well-organized political and religious groups will continue to m ount challenges to intellectual freedom . 4. The development of massive databases may threaten individual privacy. 5. Academ y-based research activity will a d vance slowly. 6. T he dem ographic profile and educational needs/expectations of college students will con tinue to change. 7. The use of non-print and micro-based m ateri als in research and college teaching will increase. 8. Society will continue to press for dollar ac countability. (continued on next page) Strategic planning forum The ACRL Strategic Planning Task Force will be holding an open forum during the M id w inter Meeting on January 20 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m . The forum is being held to allow ACRL m em bers and other interested parties to re spond to the first d raft of the ACRL Strategic Plan, published in this issue.