ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 3 A C R L P re s id e n t’s L e tte r Dear Associates in the College and Research Li brary Vineyards: The 1981 harvest was a good one. We can hope th e crop w ill provide bounteous benefactions for all who participate. The Association of Col lege and Research L i b raries has, in d eed , b e e n very active and has ach ieved a good deal— b ecau se you as mem bers have accom plished a lot. Q u ite clea rly the existence and vitality oí a professional associa tion is crucial for the David C . W ebe r collaborative efforts that can support, clarify, advance and otherwise nur ture our common professional goals as they can be expressed and achieved over time through a national association, its various sections and committees, and the local chapters. The relationship is bi-directional. We need a professional association, and ACRL serves that purpose well. An association also needs members. And it is particu larly im portant that we and others with whom we are associated in college and research libraries maintain and add to the membership ranks. Only through a strong per sonal and institutional membership enrollment will the Association encompass our range of ex pectations and provide us this support and advo cacy which maintains the vitality of the profes sion. The 1981 developments and accomplishments of ACRL provide gratifying evidence of the As sociation’s vigor and responsiveness. 1. Chapters: The number has grown from 26 to 30. We welcome new chapters in the states of Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. A ctivities of these chapters were particularly lively. 2. M inneapolis C o n feren ce: The second Na tional ACRL Conference on “Options for the 80s” was held October 1 to October 4 with 1,881 in attendance. The quality of the theme papers and the contributed papers was quite exceptional. The Conference had fine professional content and provided a format for a great deal of useful dis cussion. The theme papers will be published in College & Research Libraries and the contributed papers will be issued in book form by next sum mer. 3. Continuing Education: With the addition of a Program Officer at ACRL Headquarters the course offerings at the San Francisco and Min neapolis Conferences drew hundreds. Short concentrated courses focus on the special academic and research library aspects of five areas: the academic environm ent, library skills, manage ment, professional development, and technology update. A variety of courses for Philadelphia and later national or local conferences constitute one major contribution to what is a particularly im portant goal for the Association. Together with recruitm ent and placem ent efforts, continuing ed u cation is re ce iv in g the A C R L em phasis needed by membership. 4. Sections: The programs, committee activi ties, and other planned contributions of the sec tions for Bibliographic Instruction, Rare Books and Manuscripts, and others are providing some solid planning documents as well as conference programs of substance. Publications result selec tively. There is strong practitioner interest and support in nearly every section. 5. Budget and Management: Membership ap proved the dues increase last summer to assure the financial health of the organization for the years im m ediately ahead. Sounder budgeting under a very able committee has contributed to the fiscal maturing of the Association. Julie Vir go’s title has changed from Executive Secretary to Executive D irector this year, a most welcome recognition of the leadership and stature expected by a person carrying this important responsibility. But the departure of Jay Poole and Carol Marty Smith this fall will leave a hole and require care ful recruitment. 6. Futu re Flanning: An ad hoc committee to form an Activity Model for 1990 has b een at work, composed of David Kaser as Chair, with Olive James, Carla Stoffle, Bill Studer and Julie Virgo. The committee has drafted a document to present the major future influences on our librar ies, the nature of a strong association to serve us well under these circumstances, and recommen dations to that end. It therefore can serve to shape the directions of ACRL efforts in the years immediately ahead. This report will be published in C &RL News in advance of the Philadelphia Conference and should be a matter for wide dis cussion. Your elected and appointed officers and com mittee members, and your staff, are keenly in terested in helping ACRL serve our diverse pur poses. With your continued involvement, ACRL and our profession will attain improved levels of service to us as individual librarians, to our librar ies small or large, and to our professional rela tions with the educational and scholarly commu nity at large. David C. W eber President, ACRL You can save $ 6 ,0 0 0 this year By converting your subscription to the British House of Commons Parliamentary Papers for 1981/82 from the full size edition (which is costing you over $7,000) to our microfiche edition which costs $1,400. Save time. The microfiche edition is sent monthly by airmail direct from the UK and arrives earlier than the printed edition. Save space. The mcrofiche edition saves expensive shelf space. Many large libraries have released substantial funds for other purchases by converting to the microfiche edition. So can you — to make the maximum saving this year please send us your order or request for more information as soon as possible. Catalogue of British Official Publications Not published by HMSO 1980 Annual Volume $190 1981 Six Bi-monthly Issues and Annual Cumulation $260 This important new reference book catalogs and indexes for the first time the thousands of official publications published by over 300 Government departments, nationalised industries, research institutes and ‘quangos’ that are not published by HMSO, and are not listed in the British National Bibliography or any other bibliography. You will now have access to publications of institutions such as the Foreign Office, the Home Office, and the Bank of England. The publications themselves are available from us on inexpensive diazo or silver microfiche; individually, by publishing body, or in subject sets. Send orders and requests for information to: Somerset House, 417 Maitland Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666 Telephone: 201 833-1795