may04b.indd C o l l e g e & R e s e a r c h L i b r a r i e s Developing a strategic plan ACRL focuses on the future by Tyrone H. Cannon I n 2003, ACRL initiated a long­range strate­gic planning process to begin developing a new strategic plan that will guide the as­ sociation for the next five­to­ten years and provide an ongoing process for thinking and planning that will be integrated throughout the organization. ACRL engaged Tecker Con­ sultants to lead the association through the strategic planning process, which included extensive interaction with ACRL members, leaders, and staff to gauge the present state of the academic and research library profession, the role of ACRL within that community, and implications for the future. The approach used in this planning pro­ cess was designed to help ACRL develop strategies across four planning horizons: action planning (one­to­two years out), strategic planning (three­to­five years out), critical factors (five­to­ten years out), and envisioned future (ten­to­thirty years out). This type of planning requires that ACRL balance its core purpose and values, which must not change, with the transformation that the association must make to align with the envisioned future. The ultimate goal was to develop a strategic plan that would not only provide ACRL with a roadmap for the near future, but prepare the association for changes in the long term. The strategic planning process has re­ quired ACRL to take a step back from itself to gain perspective on what drives the orga­ nization and its members. This was largely accomplished through a series of data­gath­ ering exercises, which engaged members, nonmembers, and leaders in focus groups, dialogue sessions, and quantitative surveys. The ACRL Board reviewed the data pro­ vided, added its perspective as ACRL’s elected leaders, and developed a draft plan. Feedback on this draft plan was gathered through discussion with members at the Midwinter Meeting, and the Board has considered this feedback in developing the final plan. Below is an overview of the key points of informa­ tion that informed the creation of our new strategic plan. What we learned Qualitative telephone interviews, focus groups, and the online membership survey all revealed that the impact of technology on the profession and the need for librarians to be campus technology leaders is a top issue for academic and research librarians today and a concern for the future. Budget chal­ lenges also emerged as a primary point of concern. Both of these issues speak to the need for a strong professional association to About the author Tyrone H. Cannon is dean of university libraries at the University of San Francisco and ACRL president, e-mail: cannont@usfcd.edu 258 / C&RL News May 2004 mailto:cannont@usfcd.edu support academic and research librarians in a rapidly changing environment. Through the membership survey, which was sent to 6,600 ACRL members with current e­mail addresses and received 1,403 respons­ es, ACRL developed the following snapshot of the membership and their thoughts on the profession and the role of ACRL. Key fi ndings The typical ACRL member has not changed much from previous surveys. An ACRL member is most likely white (87%), 45 to 55 years old (39%), and has been a member of ACRL for 10 to 14 years (21%). She (75% of members are female) most likely works in a university (44%). Technology, copyright, and customer service are key issues In the 2000 survey, close to 66 percent of respondents highlighted “impact of expand­ ing technologies” as the most critical issue they face as librarians. In 2003, this issue has increased in importance, with 95 per­ cent of the respondents rating the “impact of expanding technologies” as a “very im­ portant” or “somewhat important” issue to them in their job. The next three most highly rated issues were “intellectual prop­ erty/copyright,” “customer service,” and the “changing roles of librarians.” Members interested in professional development Throughout the survey members expressed the importance of professional development. When asked to indicate the importance of ACRL services, 69 percent of respondents indicated that ACRL’s professional develop­ ment services are “very important” to them. According to 52 percent of the respondents, “professional development opportuni­ ties” are “very important” in their decision to renew their ACRL membership. And 24 percent of the respondents mentioned the ACRL National Conference, preconferences, and workshops as the most important ser­ vice that ACRL provides; only publications were mentioned more often. New directions for ACRL When members were asked to identify pro­ grams, activities, and services not currently being provided by ACRL that would be most beneficial to them, the responses strongly sup­ ported increasing electronic medium for exist­ ing and new programs. Twenty­fi ve percent of the respondents mentioned services in this area, including an e­journal, electronic confer­ encing, and online continuing education. Member participation Among those completing the survey, partici­ pation in ACRL activities has dropped slight­ ly since the 2000 survey. Sixteen percent of respondents are members of a section com­ mittee, 16 percent are members of a discus­ sion group, and 13 percent are members of an ACRL committee. These numbers all rep­ resent about a 4 percent decrease from the 2000 survey. Members have increased their activities in sections: 91 percent of respondents indicated that they belong to one or more sections, com­ pared with 76.5 percent of members in 2000. The three largest sections represented among the respondents were the University Libraries Section (16%), the Instruction Section (16%), and the College Libraries Section (11%). Our members are also active in their region­ al organizations: 27 percent of the respondents belong to their state library organization and 22 percent belong to their ACRL chapter. ACRL as a virtual association In an environment of rapidly expanding technology, many opportunities exist for ACRL to become a virtual association. ACRL members responded positively to the possible addition of electronic pro­ grams, products, and services, such as the 61 percent who indicated that they were “very interested” in “library statistics avail­ able on the Web,” and the 45 percent who were “very interested” in “electronic maga­ zine and journals.” Members also expressed a high level of interest in electronic newslet­ ters and Web­based continuing education. (Ed. note: ACRL members may not all be aware that ACRL has made its journals and newsmagazine available online and offers Web­based CE, with a plan for expansion). Publications Our members see ACRL publications as an invaluable service. An overwhelming 92 percent of respondents indicated that C&RL C&RL News May 2004 / 259 News is “very useful” or “somewhat use­ ful” in their job; 90 percent of respon­ dents indicated the same enthusiasm for C&RL. Respondents also expressed their ap­ proval by indicating that ACRL publications were important in their decision to renew their ACRL membership. And “publications” received the most responses (29%) when respondents were asked what programs, activities, or services ACRL should continue above all others. Academic focus most important reason for ACRL membership Academic focus is still the most important reason for keeping an ACRL membership. Listed as the most important reason in 2000 and in 2003, 78 percent of the respondents indicated that “academic focus” was a “very important” reason for renewing their mem­ bership. “Address your professional concerns and interests” was the second most popular rea­ son for renewing membership and was cho­ sen by 59 percent of the respondents. Other activities that were rated highly according to importance as a reason for renewal were: “access to ACRL publications,” “contact with other library professionals,” and “profes­ sional development opportunities.” Unveiling the new strategic plan The information garnered from the mem­ bership survey and other data­gathering exercises played a key role in the develop­ ment of the new strategic plan. This input from members and other academic and research librarians informed the thinking of the ACRL Board and allowed them to develop a meaningful and forward­think­ ing strategic plan for the association. The final strategic plan will be shared with members at the ALA Annual Confer­ ence in Orlando at Leadership Council, Friday June 25, 2­4 p.m., which is open to all ACRL members. We look forward to implementing the plan during summer 2004. We are confident that the new strategic plan will enable ACRL to embrace the chal­ lenges of the future while continuing to be true to its core values and serving the needs of academic and research librarians.  260 / C&RL News May 2004