ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


220

Julian Bond addresses ACRL . . .

…  and signs autographs

ACRL at the ’76
ACRL and its various sections sponsored 

over twenty programs on all aspects of aca­
demic librarianship during the 1976 centennial 
conference. Ethnicity, ACRL’s main theme, was 
the topic of Julian Bond’s address. Bond, state 
senator from Georgia, spoke to over 1,500 li­
brarians at the ACRL program meeting. The 
questions addressed to him following his speech 
ranged from why he didn’t support Jimmy Car­
ter to his future plans as a movie actor.

As part of the centennial celebration, ACRL 
and the Black Caucus honored Clara Jones 
and Julian Bond at a reception hosted by the 
Johnson Publishing Company, and ACRL mem­
bers poked fun at one of the division’s most re­
spected policies. ACRL’s spoof of faculty status 
emerged as the most popular booth at the Fair 
in the Park. Librarians who could ring the bell 
on the high striker—thus achieving a full pro­
fessorship—were able to throw pies at such 
ACRL notables as Russ Shank, Dick Dougher­
ty, Eldred Smith, and Beverly Lynch.

Despite the heavy schedule of programs and 
events celebrating the one-hundredth anniver­
sary, various units of ACRL deliberated long 
hours on such issues as bibliographic instruc­
tion, compensation and salaries of academic li­
brarians, the future direction and organization 
of the division. At the invitation of ACRL’s 
New England Chapter, the Board of Directors 
voted to hold a national ACRL conference in 
Boston in November 1978. The Academic 
Status Committee received preliminary reports 
of the findings of the 1975/76 ACRL salary 
survey. The survey shows that 61.3 percent of 

. professional library staff members are women; 
9.5 percent are minorities. On the average in 
every level of employment, women are paid 
less than men. The difference ranges from 3.2

Louise Giles greets ACRL and Black Caucus Julian Bond meets and talks with ACRL mem­
bers.members at the Johnson Publishing Company.



221

Conference
percent at the entry level to 23.3 percent at the 
director level.

During the inaugural banquet which ushered 
in ALA’s second century, ACRL President 
Louise Giles, accepted the Bailey K. Howard- 
World Book Encyclopedia-ALA Goal Award, 
presented to ACRL to support and expedite its 
work in writing standards for university li­
braries.

Julian Bond and Clara Jones.

Connie Dunlap and Tom Kirk talk A CRL busi­
ness.

Norman Tanis hit by a “professor.”

ACRL High Striker, a spoof on faculty status.

ACRL Boat Trip— members get 
a good view of the Chicago 
skyline.