ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


February 1992 /1 0 5

WHCLIS teleconference 
stimulates action plan for 
Colorado

Edited by Patricia A. Wand

By Camila A. Alire

Dean, Auraria L ibrary, University o f  
Colorado a t D enver, Colorado Delegate to 
W H C L IS , a n d  co-chair o f  th e  Conference 
Recom m endations Com mittee

Th e W hite H ouse C onference O n  
Library A nd Information S ervices 

1991

A lthough few in num bers, people in C olo- 
rado atten d in g  th e  W hite H ouse C o n fer­

e n c e  o n  L i b ra ry  a n d  In f o r m a tio n  S e rv ic e s  
(W H C LIS) T eleconference on  D ecem b er 10,1991, 
w ere representative o f  all categories o f delegates to 
th e  W hite H ouse C onference: general public, gov­
e rn m e n t officials, trustees, library an d  inform ation 
professionals. T he library a n d  inform ation pro fes­
sionals re p re sen te d  academ ic, public, school, and 
special libraries.

T h e W H C L IS T eleconference p re sen te d  th e  
opportunity for C olorado’s delegates and oth ers to 
reconvene and upd ate th e ir knowledge ab o u t th e  
W hite H ouse Conference. It also becam e th e  cata­
lyst for those in attendance to set into action Colorado’s 
inform ation agenda. State issues predom inated in 
th e  minds o f  attendees. So m uch so that, after one 
h o u r o f  th e Teleconference, Colorado tu n e d  out! 
T he television m onitor was tu rn e d  off, and no one 
seem ed to be co ncerned with th e questions com ing 
from all over th e  country into the national panelists. 
Instead, Colorado delegates w anted to talk ab out th e  
recom m endations from th e  state conference, so 
attention was paid to  those priorities.

T h e group devised an action plan w hich has 
im plications for academ ic libraries in Colorado. 
Interestingly enough, th e  attitu d e in th e  discussion 
was nev er “p e r library type”; it reflected in stead  a 
co ncern for all types o f library services in Colorado.

F o u r com m ittees w ere set up  to carry th ro u g h  
th e  action plan. O n e o f th e  com m ittees, th e  M arket­
ing C om m ittee, will include a  jo in t effort o f  various 
C olorado library professional associations, private 
industry, C en ter for th e  Book, and o th e r groups to 
m arket all types o f libraries an d  library services. In  
addition, this com m ittee will work on a literacy plan 
to  pro m o te th e  n e ed  for library-based literacy p ro ­
gram s to public libraries an d  to  private industry an d  
governm ent agencies. T h e M arketing C o m m ittee’s

agenda will include C olorado’s u ser friendliness 
an d  library education priorities.

T h e  C o m m ittee on F u n d in g  for Libraries will 
co n cen trate on  seeking state aid an d  additional 
funding for all libraries. This co m m ittee will work 
closely w ith th e  C olorado Library Association’s 
Legislative C om m ittee. N etw orking an d  reso u rce­
sharing activities will b e  enco u rag ed  as a way for 
libraries to  s tretch  th e ir resources an d  funds.

T h e  N etw orking/C ooperation C om m ittee will 
include th e  w ork o f tw o o th e r com m ittees in C olo­
rado: A CCESS C olorado and th e  C olorado S trate­
gic Planning C om m ittee. Em phasis will b e  placed 
on b e tte r school an d  pu b lic library cooperation an d  
m o re cooperation am ong special libraries.

In  addition, th e  Coalition Building C om m ittee 
(aka th e  Infiltration C om m ittee) will encourage 
an d  nom inate library professionals to sit on  various 
non-libraiy boards, com m ittees, planning groups, 
etc. T his c o m m ittee will identify vacancies in such 
groups an d  reco m m en d  th a t library professionals 
fill th o se vacancies. T h e Coalition Building C om ­
m itte e  will also w ork closely w ith th e  Colorado 
C ouncil on  Library D evelopm ent M ulticultural 
Task F o rce  to  identify groups an d  organizations 
th a t should b e  re p re sen te d  on library c om m ittees 
an d  to identify board an d  com m ittee vacancies in 
this organization th a t could b e  filled by  library 
professionals.

So, w hat ab out th e  W C H L IS  T eleconference? 
T h e  T e le c o n fe re n ce  b e ca m e  th e  catalyst th a t 
bro u g h t in te re sted  state delegates to g e th e r to  re ­
view state issues and priority recom m endations and 
to  develop an action plan. This action plan now 
provides th e  fram ew ork for C olorado to move for­
w ard w ith its priorities w hich, incidently, w ere also 
recom m endations at th e  national level. F o r that, we 
th an k  th e  W H C L IS  T eleconference an d  th e  W hite 
H ouse C o n ference itself! ■  ■