ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 5 9 0 / C&RL N ew s Education for professional academic librarianship P rep a red b y th e ACKL P r o fe s s io n a l E d u c a tio n C o m m ittee A s ta te m e n t d e s c r ib in g th e n a tu r e o f p r o fe s s io n a l w o r k T he mission of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) of the Ameri­ can Library Association (ALA) is to foster profession of academic and research librarian- ship and to enhance the ability of academic and research libraries to serve the library and information needs of current and potential li­ brary users effectively. This statement describes the nature of pro­ fessional work. It is intended to be useful in the following ways: to serve as a supporting docum ent for the Standards o f Accreditation o f Library a n d Inform ation Studies Programs, to assist faculties in designing curricula and ad­ vising students; to aid students in understand­ ing the dem ands and expectations of academic librarianship; and to aid librarians and provid­ ers of post-graduate professional education in understanding the role of various agencies in providing career-long professional education. The nature of academic librarianship As professionals, academic librarians are char­ acterized by the attributes identified in accepted and tested definitions of a professional. In ad­ dition to mastery of specific areas of expertise and mastery of complex tasks, academic librar­ ians are expected to use the principles, con­ cepts, analytical techniques, and methodolo­ gies o f librarianship to identify and address problems facing the library and its user com­ munity and to plan for the future. Innovations in the ways scholars work and inventions of t new technologies and new text forms challenge academic librarians to accept new responsibili­ ties and to design new requirements for themselves. Academic librarians understand the ethos, aims, and aspirations of higher education in general. As members of specific academic com­ munities, they understand the mission and goals hoef their own institution, they know how their library fits in the institutional design for sup­ porting scholarship, and they know how to manage the library as an effective, integral part of the local structure. They specialize in under­ standing information needs and uses in aca­ demic environments and the nature of schol­ arly communication so that they can support, and participate in, the processes o f teaching and research. They play a major role in educat­ ing faculty and students in modes of access to information resources, including instruction in the use of relevant technologies. Academic librarians understand, anticipate, and participate in the communicative processes of research, teaching, and learning in the aca­ dem ic disciplines and professional schools. Their knowledge of scholarly communication em braces understanding of its com ponents, including the creation, production, publication, evaluation, distribution, and use of texts. As experts on the nature of the college and uni­ versity as unique information use environments, they serve as consultants and instructors to schol­ ars at every level w ho are information seekers. Academic librarians are experts in the struc­ ture of knowledge as reflected in recorded texts. The term “recorded texts’’ is a generic reference to information which may be textual, pictorial, or numeric, stored in a variety of formats such as manuscripts, print, microforms, and electronic D e ve lo p m en t o f th e s ta te m e n t beg a n u n d e r th e leadership o f P a tricia Sw a n so n , c h a ir o f the Professional E d u c a tio n C om m ittee (1 9 8 9 -9 1 ), a n d w as co m p leted d u r in g Keith S w ig g er’s te n u r e a s c h a ir ( 1 9 9 1 -9 2 ). M em bers o f th e co m m ittee w h o p a r tic ip a te d in w ritin g th e d o c u m e n t w ere Victoria H a n a w a lt, C am ila Alire, Celia H ales-M abry, E m ily M obley, Rochelle B allard, a n d C harlotte Hess. O cto b er 1 9 9 2 / 5 9 1 Developing the statement ACRL's Professional Education Committee prepared the statement "Education for Academic Professional Librarianship" to serve aca­ demic libraries and schools of library and information studies. The Standards fo r Accreditation, 1992 note that "Educational policy statements are available from relevant professional organizations. Reference to these materials by schools as they plan, develop, and evaluate their programs is essential. "Education for Academic Professional Librarianship" was endorsed by the ACRL Board of Directors at its 1992 M idwinter Meeting. media. Academic librarianship is concerned with selecting, or­ ganizing, describing, preserv­ ing, and disseminating texts or information as well as w ith d e­ signing effective systems o f ac­ cess to texts and information. Academic librarians plan, d e ­ v elo p , a n d u se tech n o lo g ies appropriate to their responsi­ bilities. The education o f academ ic lib ra ria n s Education for the profession o f academ ic li­ brarian is a career-long process that begins in m aster’s degree programs in library an d infor­ m ation studies. In laying the foundation o f a librarian’s career, professional program s are responsible for teaching techniques for analyz­ ing information in needs in particular environ­ ments; teaching principles related to the collec­ tio n , p r e s e r v a tio n , re tr ie v a l, a n d u s e o f inform ation; an d d eveloping an individual’s understanding o f the nature an d use of infor­ m ation technologies. Library schools are also responsible for educating librarians in the his­ tory and ethics o f their profession and its de­ velopment in the context of contemporary society. Graduates of library school programs should have a broad understanding of the academic environm ent and the function o f libraries within that environm ent. As professionals, librarians m ust then m eet the challenge, of maintaining an d d ev elo p in g th eir k n o w led g e an d skills th ro u g h o u t th e ir careers. Major ch a n g es in higher education, the rapid developm ent o f li­ brary technologies, an d substantial expansion o f the tools and services offered through aca­ dem ic libraries are factors w hich com bine to m ake continuing education imperative. For academ ic librarians, post-graduate p ro ­ fessional education might include pursuit of graduate degrees in other disciplines. Continuing education an d training are also provided through program s offered by univer­ sities and professional associations, an d through informal self-education. Employers, professional associations, an d graduate d eg ree program s build on the career foundation established in library schools and offer academic librarians the opportunity to apply principles in particular settings, to maintain know ledge o f state-of-the- art information technologies an d their applica­ tions, an d to acquire m ore com plex know ledge an d ad v an ced skills. As academ ic librarians m ove to positions w hich call for increased re­ sponsibilities, further specialization, and greater expertise, all o f these agencies play a role in providing appropriate educational options. In selecting career-long educational opportunities, the professional judgm ent and dedication of an individual academic librarian are also es­ sential elements. ACRE standards, statements, and guidelines relating to specific aspects o f college and uni­ versity librarianship may p rovide additional valuable guidance in identifying com petencies academic librarians should have an d the vari­ ous functions academic librarians perform (e.g., “Standards for College Libraries,” 1986, and “Standards for University Libraries,” 1989). ■ P ro c e e d in g s n o w a v a ila b le ! Proceedings fr o m the Sixth N ational Con­ fe re n c e o f ACRL: A cadem ic Libraries A chiev­ ing Excellence in H igher Education is now available from ALA. It includes 52 refereed contributed p apers and reports o n 36 p ro ­ grams offering practical exam inations an d solutions to current academic library p ro b ­ lems. Provides com plete text o f provoca­ tive presentations by Julian Bond (leader for social ch an g e), W. D avid P ennim an (p resid en t o f the Council o n Library Re­ sources), Paul Saffo (technology consultant an d futurist), an d Catharine R. Stimpson (w om en’s studies scholar an d academic ad ­ ministrator). Inspiring and informative, these proceedings reflect the vitality o f the con­ ference an d the variety o f issues explored. Edited by Tom Kirk, the 522-page pro­ ceedings (ISBN: 0-8389-7622-0) can be or­ d ered from: ALA O rder D epartm ent, (800) 545-2433, press 7. Cost: $49-95; ACRL m em ­ bers $44.95.