ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries December 1989 / 983 project director Mary Jo Lynch to develop a ques­ tionnaire. It is hoped th e study will yield a docu­ m ent to parallel “Non-tax Sources o f Revenue for Public Libraries,” which was released earlier this year as a result of an earlier W ilson-funded project. Liaison efforts included visits by President Bill M offett to the meetings of E D U C O M in Ann Arbor and th e Association of Research Libraries in W ashington, D.C., as well as by Moffett and Segal to the O berlin G roup m eeting at th e Claremont, W hittier, and Occidental campuses in Southern California. Financial reports for th e year ended August 31, 1989, showed higher revenues th an b u d g eted (mostly due to th e C incinnati C onference success) and an excess revenue for the year o f $149,000. This brings the fund balance back above its basic level, as frequently happens in the year o f the national conference. Although a deficit is projected in th e 1990 operating budget, it is expected th at this “cushion” will allow us to en d th e year with the fund balance at th e level m andated (50% o f average annual expenses). M em bership was up by 6.3% to 10,739 (9,587 personal and 1,152 organizational m em bers). President-elect candidates Anne Beaubien and Maxine R eneker visited headquarters O ctober 6 to m eet th e staff and be briefed on association affairs. O th er visitors included Mike Kathman, Planning C om m ittee chair. Pat Swanson, Professional E d u ­ cation C om m ittee chair, hosted a visit from Segal in nearby Hyde Park.—JoAn S. Segal, A C R L Execu­ tive Director. Middle States Association makes a commitment to BI At a recent m eeting for chairs o f evaluation teams and for librarians serving as site visitors, Howard Simmons, executive director o f th e C om ­ mission on H igher Education of th e M iddle States Association of C olleges an d Schools, m ade a strongly-stated com m itm ent to assuring diversity and highlighting the role of libraries through the accreditation process. The m eeting, held on Septem ber 14, 1989, in Philadelphia, opened with a general session involv­ ing th e two groups who w ere convening that day: chairs of evaluation teams and library directors, plus the Commission on H igher Education of M iddle States. Simmons set th e tone for the m eet­ ing by indicating his serious intent to pursue certain new directions, including diversity and library user education. H e defined diversity as extending to staffing, faculty, curriculum , and students and gave examples o f what he considered evidence o f diver­ sity. H e cited th e MSA Commission on H igher Education and staff itself as one such example, then introduced senior staff m em bers for presentations on th eir programs. Emphasis is being placed on such m atters as the “teaching/learning environm ent”— consideration o f the total institutional impact on student learning, including off-campus facilities, libraries, faculty attitudes, and o th er signs that this is a dynamic, interactive process. O utcom es assessm ent was addressed; although underlining th e principle that each institution is unique and must derive its own measures, both qualitative and quantitative, he pledged MSA’s com m itm ent to such assessment and expressed a concern that, if th e institutions do not dedicate themselves to the task, som eone else will impose less acceptable criteria. N eed for plan­ ning was also highlighted. Diversity and equity w ere defined in an ex­ panded fashion. One feature is a curriculum that encompasses the nontraditional and non-W estem cultures and works by women. A nother is th e crea­ tion of a comfortable environm ent, w here all com ­ m unity m em bers have th e opportunity to express themselves and to find a group of people with whom they can identify or among whom they can find role models, is of high value. Tools such as exhibits and special events w ere m entioned that raise consciousness and develop respect for women and minorities. This was a very exciting environment; a no- nonsense com m itm ent to diversity and equity was clearly broadcast. Equally exciting for librarians was Simmons’ stand on bibliographic instruction. H e announced that th e revised Characteristics o f Excellence, which constitute th e criteria for ac­ creditation, includes th e statem ent that a program of bibliographic instruction is m andatory and that he is dedicated to enforcing this requirem ent. Simmons’ familiarity with libraries reflects his stu­ dent library assistant days; his description of how he unlocked th e mystery o f how to use the library and shared his knowledge with others was significant. His awareness of the problem that faculty m em ­ bers do not themselves use or understand libraries was manifest; h e urged the librarians to infiltrate th e faculty; and to use th eir participation on ac­ crediting team s to go outside th e library to talk to faculty and students about their library and its services, to exam ine syllabi, course outlines, samples of student work, and curriculum planning 984 / C&RL News processes for evidence of library involvement in the teaching/learning process. The groups then divided; there were two ses­ sions for the libraiy directors. In one session, Stan­ ton Biddle, Baruch College, described the ACRL University Library Standards for the participants. These standards, plus those for college libraries and two-year institutions and information about the O utput Measures Manual, were included in the packets distributed. He stressed the change in emphasis from quantitative to qualitative standards and the need to focus on the meaning of numbers, rather than see them as an absolute. All data must be reconciled with the mission, goals and objec­ tives. H e emphasized that the purpose of the site visit is to verify the accuracy of the self-study and to gain a b e tte r understanding of the environment. In the other session, Marilyn Lutzker, John Jay College o f Criminal Justice, offered an approach for evaluators as they consider bibliographic in­ struction programs in their site visits. She sug­ gested they look at the school and weigh the effect of the program on the overall institution. She sug­ gested four methods to use in the evaluation: the self-study, the library’s statem ent o f objectives, the examination of syllabi and course outlines, and discussions with faculty, administrators, and stu­ dents. Lutzker will prepare an article for CLrRL News on this topic in the near future. Simmons has also accepted an invitation for the Commission to be a m em ber o f the ALA-spear- headed National Forum on Information Literacy. ■ ■ Educational roles for academ ic libraries Prepared by the BIS Think Tank Betsy Baker (chair), Beth Sandore, Mary Ellen Larson, Randy Hensley The AC RL/BIS Think Tank defines the state-of-the-art and prepares an agenda fo r the future. T he B ibliographic In stru c tio n Section sponsored its first Think Tank in 1981. A group of six recognized leaders in the area of bibliographic instruction was identified by a BIS planning committee. This early Think Tank o f 1981 was charged with several responsibilities: I) identi­ fying the key issues shaping the future o f BI; 2) recom m ending a program of research and action to enable the profession to overcome obstacles and seize opportunities related to BI; 3) stimulating professional discourse. The results o f these delib­ erations outlined an agenda for the 1980s that significantly advanced BI and has served as a focus for much BIS effort over the past decade. The reader is referred to “Think Tank Recom m enda­ tions for Bibliographic Instruction,” College {? Research Libraries News 42 (1981): 396, for fur­ th er review o f the 1981 Think Tank. Much o f the progress in the educational efforts of academic libraries in recent years can be traced to that first Think Tank. Yet, the changes affecting libraries and their institutional constituencies have been equally profound. The ensuing decade since the first Think Tank has seen the widespread move