ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries N ovem ber 1991 / 651 The White House Conference: The academic library agenda B y J a m e s G . N e a l Dean o f University Libraries Indiana University T h e W h i t e H o u s e C o n f e r e n c e O n L i b r a r y A n d I n f o r m a t i o n S e r v i c e s 1991 Solutions... that is what needs to flow from the collective deliberations and resolutions of the White House Conference on library and Information Ser­ vices. The conference delegates wrestled through a cumbersome process, a rich diversity of interests, significant but largely symbolic political attention, and surprising media inattention to develop a plan that links the future health of the country to the vitality of the information and library infrastruc­ ture. Solutions can and will be forged at the national level, but the true value of the conference will be played out at the state and local levels. The resolu­ tions must serve as catalysts for an action agenda in each state and for raising civic dialogue on the future of libraries. The ability of library profession­ als and citizen advocates to network effectively with the business, political, research, information, and education communities will dictate the difference between a schizophrenic week in the nation s capi­ tal and a revolution in our national thinking about and support for libraiy and information services. The interests of academic and research libraries were well represented at the conference and re­ ceived significant attention in the resolutions. Del­ egates voted and accepted 95 recommendations and petitions which are being organized in the WHCLIS final report into ten subject areas: avail­ ability and access to information, structure and governance, marketing to communities, networks through technology, national information policy, preservation of information, services for diverse needs, information technology, training to reach end users, and personnel and staff development. The resolutions in each category offer outstanding opportunities for “a continued and indeed strength­ ened investment in academic libraries” as outlined in ACRL’s pre-conference statement on the federal role in supporting the information needs of students and researchers. The ACRL Tack Force on WHCLIS recom­ mended six priority actions, and all are reflected in the final package of resolutions approved by the delegates: 1. Reauthorization and expansion of the Higher Education Act. 2. Reauthorization of the Library Services and Construction Act to support interlibrary coopera­ tion and resource sharing. 3. Preservation of and access to records of our national culture. 4. Expansion of support for federal programs such as the Library of Congress, National Library of Medicine, National Agriculture Library, National Archives, federal depository and Government Print­ ing Office, subsidized postal rates and discount rates from common carriers of electronic data, and open access to information through the Freedom of Information Act. 5. Creation and funding of the N ational Research and Education Network. 6. Development of regulations that foster infor­ mation sharing and international data flow. In addition to endorsement of this federal man­ date, many issues of prime concern to academic libraries are covered in the final WHCLIS report. Particularly noteworthy and demanding of coordi­ nated follow-up are the following: • library and information science programs in support of multicultural and multilingual popula­ tions; • library and information service programs in support of persons with disabilities; • a national institute for library and informa­ tion services; • networking policies and programs that en­ sure system compatibility; • copyright legislation to accommodate the impact of new and emerging technologies; 652 / C&RL News • a national research and developm ent agenda for library and information technologies; • library leadership role in lifelong learning programs; • training o f students in th e use o f libraries and information services; • alternative delivery systems for graduate pro­ grams in library and information science; • continuing education, staff development, and training programs; • and a national program to strengthen library collection capabilities. ACRL and the academic library com m unity must continue to pursue a legislative agenda and planing process that will enable successful refinement, elabo­ ration, and implementation of these resolutions. On the national, state, and local levels, academic librar­ ians m ust achieve positions o f leadership as confer­ ence follow-up strategies are outlined. T he central issues m ust be taken to th e faculty, th e administra­ tion, state higher education officials, legislators, and citizens. State and regional conferences from which the mass ofideas stream ed into W H C L IS should be reconvened to forge local action plans. ACRL chap­ ters m ust play a key educational role. Libraries are p art o f the solution to the challenges o f democracy, productivity, and literacy. T he blueprint now being presented to us by W H C LIS m ust be translated into a new vision of our information future and provoke us to adopt innovative and bold approaches to information services. Ed. note: James G. Neal was head o f th e Indiana delegation to W H C L IS and was an elected m em ber of th e Conference Resolutions C om m ittee. ■ ■ P U B L I C A T I O N S by George M. Eberhart • The A cadem ic L ib r a r y in th e A m erican U n iv e rsity, by Stephen E. Atkins (226 pages, July 1991), provides a critical analysis of the role o f the academic library and how it may m eet the expecta­ tions of the faculty and administration. The first chapter reviews the changes in higher education from 1638 to the present, while later chapters take up the m ajor change th at has influenced the role of the academ ic library in the past 20 years— the information revolution. Atkins examines how the availability o f information via electronic m edia and th e necessity for complete information access con­ flicts with the library’s declining share o f th e alloca­ tion dollar. The direct result o f a p aper that Atkins p resented at the 1986 ACRL National Conference in Baltimore, this book provides m ore than 30 figures and tables to illustrate his analysis. Copies are available for $35.00 (ALA m em bers, $31.50) from the ALA O rd e r D epartm ent, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611-2795. ISBN 0-8389-0567-6. • AL A S u rv ey o f L ib ra ria n Salaries 1991 ‚ by Mary Jo Lynch, M argaret Myers, and Jeniece Guy (57 pages, June 1991), is the seventh report pre p are d by ALA’s Office for Library Personnel Resources showing salaries paid to incum bents in seven positions commonly found in U.S. academic and public libraries. F o r the first tim e, in this edition only salaries for full-time staff with m aster’s degrees from an ALA-accredited graduate library are re ­ ported. A copy m ay be ordered for $40.00 from the ALA O rder D epartm ent, 50 E . H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611-2795. ISBN 0-8389-3401-3. • A u to m a tin g th e L ib r a r y w ith askSam : A P ra c tic a l H a n d b o o k ‚ by Marcia D . Talley and Virginia A. M cNitt (184 pages, August 1991), pro­ vides specific instructions for using the popular askSam software for comm on library operations: serials check-in, acquisitions, cataloging, ILL, of­ fice m anagem ent, and even hypertext. Instructions are clearly explained w ith many examples. A copy m aybe o rdered for $39.50 from th e M eckler Corp., 11 F erry Lane W est, W estport, CT 06880. ISBN 0- 88736-801-8. • B ib lio g ra p h y o f th e H olocau st M em orial R esou rce a n d E d u c a tio n C e n te r o f C e n tra l F lorida (399 pages, Sum m er 1990) is an annotated listing of the books, audiotapes, films, and video­ tapes in the collections at the C enter, which range from anti-Semitism to w ar criminals. This volume is useful as a guide to the literature o f the Holocaust,