ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries May 1988 / 291 Funds for professional activities By Jacqueline M. Morris Chair, A C R L Professional Association Liaison C om m ittee Liaison activities are eligible fo r ACRL funding. T he A C R L Professional Association Liaison Committee (PALG) has been exploring methods of strengthening A C R L ’s relationships with other professional associations. For the past several years the committee has been awarding grants to individual members for their activities with a wide variety of associations. In the March 1988 C irR L News, pp. 152-55, D a nielle Mihram describes her participation in the Modern Language Association’s annual program in her article, “Online Databases and Book Preser vation” Mihram’s attendance was made possible in part by a grant from A CRL’s PALC. Another member whose liaison activity was sup ported by PALC was Elizabeth Hanson, Indiana University. She attended the 1987 Biennial Confer ence of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS), in M ontreal, O ctober 7 -1 0 , 1987, and reports: “I presented a paper entitled "The Development of E n g lish -la n g u a g e L ib ra rie s in M o n trea l, 1 8 4 0 -1 9 4 0 .’ It discussed the three libraries that sought to provide general library services to the English-speaking population during that time, with emphasis on the reasons for their establish ment and the collections, facilities and services they offered. “I feel that my participation in the ACSUS Con ference was beneficial in a number of ways. The arrangement of the conference encouraged consid erable interaction among the attendees, most of whom were teaching faculty from American col leges and universities. A number of the participants with whom I spoke had not previously been aware of the wide range of activities in which academic librarians are involved. I feel that our discussions prompted them to realize that they shared many interests with their colleagues in university and col lege libraries. “On my part, as a cataloger I have only limited contact with teaching faculty and it was very help ful to hear what resources the participants found useful and how they went about locating informa tion. In addition, the book exhibits made me more knowledgable about current resources in Canadian studies. “Finally, I feel that ACSUS was very pleased with the contributions made by the librarians who attended and participated in the conference. As a result, the 1989 Biennial Conference may include a larger library-oriented session. “I feel that as an academic librarian my involve ment with the ACSUS Biennial Conference was very productive and I am grateful for the support which the ACRL Professional Association Liaison Committee provided. I would encourage other li brarians to become involved in non-library profes­ sional organizations related to their interests; it promises to be an exciting and rewarding experi ence.” A CRL encourages and solicits applications for li aison activities. You may use the following proce dures to apply for financial support. If you are in terested in obtaining such a grant, applications must be received by June 30, 1988. Procedures for distribution of funding to membership for liaison activities Purpose: A nominal amount of money has been set aside by ACRL to support membership liaison activities in other (non-library) professional associations. 292 / C &RL News The A CRL Professional Association Liaison Com mittee invites proposals for funding and uses the following guidelines for distribution of financial support. C riteria: 1. Support for participation in organizations could include activities such as major presenta tions, panel discussions, poster sessions, publica tions of articles and more. In awarding the funding request, the committee will give weight to the sig nificance of the contribution. 2. Preference will be given to efforts which con tribute to the understanding or use of academic li brary resources or services. Also eligible for fund ing are efforts which enhance the perception of academ ic librarians as part of “the education team .” 3. Must be an ALA member, with preference given to A CRL members. 4. Adequate documentation must be provided and should include all points listed in the format suggested below. M ethods: 1. Funding will be up to $300 of costs not cov ered by others for travel, accommodations, and registration (not membership). 2. There is no limit on the number of grants that may be awarded to an individual. 3. Funding will be awarded after the event, but requests may be submitted for approval prior to the event. Awards are dependent on the committee re ceiving a report of activity. 4. The committee may request information suit able for publication within six months after the event. 5. The committee meets twice a year to review applications: at ALA Midwinter and Annual Meet ings. Please send applications to: Jacquelyn M. Mor ris, Chair, ACRL Professional Association Liaison Committee, Mary Norton Clapp Library, O cci dental College, 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, CA 90041. Strategic planning for ACRL By the ACRL Planning Committee Carolyn Dusenbury, C hair The annual report of ACRL's Planning Committee. T his is the first of a series of annual Strategic Planning reports to the ACRL membership. Be cause the planning process is still relatively new to the Association, this report provides an overview the A CRL Strategic Plan, describes briefly how the planning process operates, and attempts to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. Overview The A CRL Strategic Plan is the result of six years of work by two ACRL task forces, the Task Force on an Activity Model for the 1990’s (1980-1982) and th e S tra te g ic P la n n in g T ask F o rc e (1 9 8 4 -1 9 8 6 ). To aid in the development of the plan, a large-scale needs assessment was conducted by mail and the plan was the focus of the 1985 An nual Membership meeting. Membership involve ment was crucial in establishing both the directions and goals of ACRL. The Strategic Plan consists of several parts: a mission statement, four broad goals (e.g., “To con tribute to the total professional development of ac­ ademic and research librarians”) ‚ with subgoals for each goal (e.g., “To sponsor and encourage oppor tunities fo r ...librarians to update existing compe­