ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 1 6 4 / C&RL News W illiam s and Sullivan share plans for ACRL By Ja m e s W illiams III and M aureen Sullivan B e sure to vote in the election this spring E d. n ote: C&RL News offered ACRL candi­dates for vice-president/president-elect, James Williams III and Maureen Sullivan, this opportunity to share their views with the mem­ bership. Although many of the issues facing ACRL are discussed informally at meetings, this does not provide a national forum to all mem­ bers. We hope that providing this forum will assist you in making an informed choice when you receive your ballot next month. JA M ES W ILLIAM S III Higher education is strategically positioned at the center of the emergent Knowledge Society. The hallmark of the knowledge society will be Web-based instant access to electronic infor­ mation, in a world where print versions of the body of recorded knowledge are still essential. For ACRL and its member libraries the global economy, the knowledge society, and rapid access to information have already set the pa­ rameters within which our vision has been shaped, our mission has been defined, our operations have been planned, and our work on the ACRL Strategic Plan has been charted. The strategic priorities of ACRL are well aligned with our collective vision of the future, they are relevant to the needs of the membership, and they are focused on areas with the prom­ ise of an enduring comparative advantage for the association. In order to sustain the value o f ACRL to the profession and its disciplines, I pledge a pursuit o f the following actions. J a m e s W il lia m s III Maureen Sullivan The Council of Liaiso n s a n d continuing e ducation A partial list of external challenges to our insti­ tutions of higher education includes: stagger­ ing changes in society in general, an economy under siege, the effects of technology on na­ tional life, negative public perceptions about higher education, projected enrollment in­ creases, and a changing demography for higher education. Our institutional agendas to respond to these challenges tend to focus on the stu­ dent experience, maintaining access to our in­ stitutions, more productive engagement with our communities, creating a total learning en­ vironment that encourages lifelong learning, and redefining our own excellence. In order for so­ ciety to continue to invest in higher education, however, our institutions must develop more strategic partnerships, embrace technology at a faster pace, re-establish trust through a will­ ingness to change our structure and develop a team approach to strategic planning, and pro­ vide the kind of leadership that both enables and requires accountability. For libraries in this environment, our chal lenges are similar and our effectiveness as ser- James Williams III is dean o f libraries at the University o f Colorado at Boulder, e-mail: James. Williams @ Colorado.edu; Maureen Sullivan is an organizational development consultant who specializes in services to academic libraries, e-mail: maureen@cni.org mailto:maureen@cni.org M arch 1 9 9 7 / 165 166 / C&RL News M arch 1 9 9 7 / 167 O u r effectiveness a s service p ro v id e rs d e p e n d s on s tra ­ tegic a llia n c e s, the a g g r e s s iv e ap p lica tio n of in fo rm a ­ tion te ch n o lo gy , creative a n d open strategic p la n n in g , a n d the develo pm ent of a culture-of-evidence. vice providers depends on strategic alliances, the aggressive application o f information tech ­ nology, creative and open strategic planning, and the developm ent o f a culture-of-evidence related to our vision, our dialogue, and our li­ brary operations. We also continue to be chal­ lenged by changes in public information policy, and by our ever-growing responsibility to pro­ vide access to remote resources, to manage in­ ternal electronic resources, and to provide in­ te g ra ted a c c e s s to in fo rm a tio n re s o u r c e s , independent o f time, place, and personal pace. Further, w e must perform these expanded func­ tions in an environm ent o f flat or declining budgets, w hich in turn dem and even m ore economy-of-scale in traditional library operations. Within the context o f this background for higher education and its libraries, the ACRL Stra­ tegic Plan calls for a strategic defense o f the basic tenets o f librarianship, while using the plan to a) pursue strategic partnerships in the higher education and information policy are­ nas, b ) firmly establish ACRL as ALA’s academic arm, and c) “provide developm ent opportuni­ ties for academ ic and research librarians and other library personnel that enhance their abil­ ity to deliver superior services and resources.” I firmly believe that on e o f the most effective means to pursue the broad objectives o f the Strategic Plan will be through a redoubling of our efforts with the Council o f Liaisons, and through national programming that supports continuing education. The Council o f Liaisons provides an effec­ tive platform from w hich to establish strategic alliances and partnerships, to establish lever­ aged policy-generation capabilities, and to es­ tablish visibility/credibility for ACRL as ALA’s academ ic arm on issues that pertain to higher education and its articulation with other sec­ tors o f society served by the academ ic and re­ search library community. This includes ACRL working with other higher education organiza­ tions and associations to do what we do best: assess, with perspective, the implications for higher education, and society in general, the changes that the next round o f external chal­ lenges, public information policy revision, and invention will bring. The nimbleness and responsiveness o f ACRL is dependent upon the extent to w hich the pro­ fessionals that constitute its membership are also nimble, flexible, and responsive to changes in the em ergent know ledge society. The continu­ ing developm ent o f both personal and profes­ sional com petences for librarians working in know ledge-based organizations will require na­ tional programming that supports a broad sp ec­ trum o f continuing education needs. ACRL must therefore mount such programming, while in­ fluencing a re-engineering o f the learning envi­ ronment, to provide anytime-anywhere continu­ ing education to membership. The focus o f this programming must b e related to the develop­ ment o f personal com petencies (skills, attitudes, and values) that enable librarians to work effi­ ciently, com m unicate well both orally and in writing, take responsibility for personal devel­ opm ent and growth through life-long learning, develop a culture-of-evidence and advocacy about the value o f their work, and survive in the emergent know ledge society. ACRL’s pro­ gramming must also focus on the continuing developm ent o f professional com petencies re­ lated to know ledge on information resources, know ledge on the organization o f information, the means o f information access, information technology, the m anagem ent o f know ledge- based organizations, applications research, and the integrated use o f this know ledge to pro­ vide relevant services in the future. ACRL’s na­ tional continuing education programming must also address the new roles o f academ ic and research libraries and how those new roles will influence the developm ent o f new professional opportunities for librarians. These new roles are being generated by institutional demands that our libraries must: 1) m eet the individual needs o f a diverse population; 2) provide institutional continuity for the lifelong learner; 3) add value to educa­ tion through learning outcom es; 4) support the information needs o f users, independent of time, place, or personal pace; 5) provide users with 168 / C&RL News the tools to create their ow n m eans o f discov­ ery; 6) provide an environment o f collabora­ tive learning and concourse; 7) shift the em­ phasis from personal to institutional priorities in the acquisition o f information resources; 8) support the variety o f parent institution alliances a n d p a r t n e r s h ip s th r o u g h lib r a r y - b a s e d consortial and other alliances. If elected, I will vigorously pursue this type o f national programming for continuing educa­ tion as a follow-up to ACRĽs existing agenda. In fra stru c tu re ACRL is a diverse membership organization with 17 sections, 20 discussion groups, and 41 state chapters. This does not include its many com ­ mittees and task forces. If I am elected, I will m ake a special effort to celebrate this diversity as the real strength o f the organization, includ­ ing a celebration o f the value o f our diverse programming to the membership. I will, how ­ ever, request and entertain an effort to involve m ore partnering in the programming activities o f the organization in an effort to leverage the inherent benefits o f our diversity while also le­ veraging ACRĽs fiscal resources devoted to programming. And finally, I will entertain the development o f a national membership campaign to increase the membership o f the association by a factor o f 10– 20% to sustain and grow the vitality o f ACRL as ALA’s academic arm. M A U R E EN S U L L IV A N The ACRL Strategic Plan and the many experi­ enced m em ber leaders in this association pro­ vide the strong foundation for our organization to m ove forward to m eet the challenges o f the next decade and beyond. Recent ACRL presi­ dents have stressed the need for a strong pro­ fessional commitment to leadership, learning, ad v ocacy, and co llab o ratio n . O pportunities abound for academ ic and research librarians to play important leadership roles in education and learning, the developm ent o f national informa­ tion policy, innovative uses o f technology for learning and research, and assuring broad ac­ cess to the w ealth o f information and resources now available. As w e move closer to the 21st century, it is imperative that w e as individuals and ACRL as an organization em brace the challenges brought about by the extensive changes confronting us. Embracing these challenges requires continual learning. This is our greatest challenge: learn­ ing how to b eco m e continually engaged in learning what w e need to know and what we need to do to provide effective leadership. B u ild in g u p o n o u r stre n g th s ACRL has a strong tradition o f service and a deep commitment to the improvement o f aca­ demic and research libraries. As the largest di­ vision within ALA, ACRL has played an active and important role within the association and in the broader library and information profes­ sion. As the issues and problem s in access to and delivery o f information becom e m ore com ­ plex, ACRL m em ber leaders will continue to be expected to m ake m ajor contributions to sensible and fair solutions. The Strategic Plan calls for us to focus on four strategic areas: continual learning and de­ velopment; collaboration with other organiza­ tions and associations o f higher education; in­ fluencing information policy; and ensuring we have an optimal organizational structure and infrastructure. T h ese four strategic directions w ere carefully selected to help us focus our energy and resources in th ose critical areas where ACRL can m ake a significant difference for its m embers and the profession. The asso­ ciation has made a strong commitment to these strategic directions. Its work is now directed at achieving the vision and goals in the plan. This plan is a platform for change for the associa­ tion and its members. L ib r a r ia n s a s e d u c a to rs Librarians play a critical role in the education o f students at our colleges and universities. I believe it is librarians w ho contribute the most to what students learn. The im portance o f the librarian to student learning will continue to grow as the Internet and other m eans o f elec­ tron ic a cc e s s to inform ation b e c o m e m ore prominent in higher education. For instance, This is o u r g re a te st ch a lle n g e : le a rn in g h o w to becom e co n tin u a lly e n g a g e d in le a rn in g w h a t w e need to k n o w a n d w h a t w e need to d o to p ro v id e effective le a d e rsh ip . “Librarian Leaders in New Learning Communi­ ties” is a continuing education program that re­ sulted from ACRĽs collaboration with the Coa­ lition for Networked Information, EDUCOM, the American Association for Higher Education, and the U.S. Department o f Education. This pro­ gram recognizes the critical role o f academic librarians in helping faculty and students use the Internet to enhance learning and teaching. P r e p a r in g fo r the fu tu re ACRL member leaders recognize the importance o f preparing for the future. O ne has only to look at the program for the 8th National Con­ ference in Nashville for confirmation o f this. The overall theme, “Choosing Our Futures,” is supported by the five theme tracks o f partner­ ships and competition; funding; changing work, roles, and organizations; learning; and social responsibility, equity, and diversity. We see the challenges and many o f us are eager to face them. Our current struggle is how to prepare ourselves in the face o f an ever-changing set o f demands and expectations from the various members o f the academic community, our col­ leagues, administrators, and ourselves. The m ost critica l s k ill: L e a rn in g h o w to le a rn I believe learning how to learn is the most criti­ cal skill for us to develop in order to meet the challenges o f the future. As an association, ACRL has promoted the im portance o f leadership, advocacy, and collaboration. ACRL President Bill Miller and his successor-to-be, W. Lee Hisle, have recognized the importance o f continuing education and learning. Each has called for a renewal o f ACRĽs commitment to a formal con­ tinuing education program. If elected, I would further strengthen their efforts by focusing on an agenda for learning. L ib r a r ia n s a s le a rn e rs The pace o f unpredictable change and the ex ­ tent to which w e are faced with “w icked prob­ lem s”— problems that are com plex and often require new knowledge and abilities for us to be able to solve them— suggest a critical need for ACRL to develop a com prehensive program to meet the learning needs o f its membership. The creation o f such a program would require a thorough analysis o f current programs and activities; a thorough understanding o f the learn­ ing and development needs o f academic librar­ ians; careful identification o f the distinctive of­ ferings ACRL can provide; a deliberate effort to make those offerings available nationally and locally and to assure that members who do not attend national conferences can participate; use o f innovative learning models and instructional technologies; an action plan to assure imple­ mentation within a short timeframe; and a fund­ ing strategy. This program would encom pass a broad range o f activities designed to focus in three major areas: preparing librarians for their lead­ ership role on their campus and in the broader higher education community; helping academic libraries to becom e learning organizations; and fostering leadership, collaboration, contribution, and continual learning within the association. The result would be a strategic plan for the development and continual learning o f ACRL members. Such a plan would strengthen the association and the profession as well as pre­ pare individual members. A hallmark o f any profession is its ability to meet the professional d ev elo p m en t n eed s o f its m em bers. ACRL would be positioned to meet this need for aca­ demic librarianship. L e a d e rs h ip fo r A C R L The ACRL Board provides leadership and stew­ ardship for the association. The vice-president/ president-elect and the president make impor­ tant contributions to this leadership and stew­ ardship role by guiding and facilitating during their brief terms o f office. Recent occupants of this office have recognized the importance of collaborating and seeking common ground with their predecessors, successors, and other mem­ bers o f the Board to assure that ACRL achieves its mission. The current Strategic Plan provides a framework for this collaboration and conti­ nuity over a longer term. My interest in “Librar­ ians as Learners” has its roots in past-president Patricia Senn Breivik’s theme, “Every Librarian a Leader,” and is consistent with president Bill Miller’s commitment to continuing education. W. Lee Hisle, vice-president/president-elect, hopes to concentrate on increasing the influ­ ence o f academ ic librarians in the national in­ formation policy debates and promoting library advocacy. I am deeply committed to the success o f the Strategic Plan and the implementation o f each o f the 19 actions called for within the four stra­ tegic directions. If elected, I will work with the Board and other member leaders to make sig­ nificant progress in each o f these areas. ■ M arch 1 9 9 7 / 169 1 7 0 / C&RL News