april06b.indd


conference circuit 
J. Michael Thompson 

Reflections on the progress 
of the age 
The University Libraries Section at ALA’s 2006 Midwinter Meeting 

That the modern academic library exists in a highly dynamic environment should 
hardly come as a shock to anyone in the 
library community. The technological in­
novations of the digital age have permitted 
substantial changes both in libraries and 
in the academic community as a whole. 
However, the changes that libraries are 
experiencing extend beyond the incorpora­
tion of technology into our services. In fact, 
the academic library is currently evolving 
from a traditionally inwardly focused insti­
tution to one that is expanding its role and 
influence beyond its own walls. 

This shift in the focus of academic librar­
ians was apparent as the various University 
Library Section (ULS) committees and dis­
cussion groups met at the ALA Midwinter 
Meeting in San Antonio last January. The 
conversations and agendas tended to cen­
ter on the changing missions of academic 
libraries and the expanding defi nition of 
what constitutes library service. 

As groups across ULS met, the theme of 
redefinition was demonstrated in discus­
sions of library outreach and instruction 
programs, campus advocacy initiatives, the 
development of partnerships with external 
parties, and various forms of nontradi­
tional communication and collaboration. 
Likewise, in an effort to keep up with 
the needs of its membership, the groups 
within the section itself are incorporating 
forward­looking technologies and initia­
tives to connect better with their current, 
former, and potential members. This report 
includes summaries of a selection of the 

Midwinter activities of these groups, as 
well as additional information regarding 
upcoming ULS events and other items of 
interest to the ULS membership. 

Executive Committee meeting 
The Executive Committee meeting began 
with Sandy Yee (Wayne State University) 
delivering an update on the current status 
of the ACRL strategic initiative funding for 
2006 and 2007. Specifically, the committee 
is requesting money to support a grassroots 
advocacy initiative scheduled to begin at 
the ALA Annual Conference in New Or­
leans. At the Annual Conference, ULS will 
be cosponsoring a lecture/workshop on the 
promotion of campus­level advocacy. 

The program entitled “The Power of 
Personal Persuasion: Advancing the Aca­
demic Library Agenda from the Frontlines” 
will consist of two parts: a one­and­a­half­
hour presentation given by author Robert 
B. Cialdini (Influence: Science & Practice) 
followed by a free two­hour­long advocacy 
workshop. The event is being cosponsored 
by the ACRL Presidential Task Force on 
Grassroots Advocacy. The program is 
scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on 
Saturday, June 24, 2006 (location: TBA). 

The Executive Committee hopes to re­
ceive ACRL funding to expand the advoca­
cy workshop into a sustainable grassroots 

J. Michael Thompson is copy cataloging manager 
and acting coordinator of acquisitions and collection 
development at the University of Houston, e-mail: 
jmthompson@uh.edu 
© 2006 J. Michael Thompson 

240C&RL News April 2006

mailto:jmthompson@uh.edu


program. The proposal includes an addi­
tional conference workshop planned for the 
2007 ACRL National Conference followed by 
a series of workshops and training sessions 
to be held at the local chapter level. 

Yee announced the upcoming availabil­
ity of the ALA Online Community software 
package. This product will have a function­
ality that is similar to that available in the 
Blackboard content management system. It 
is hoped that, once in place, this software 
will assist ALA members working together 
on collaborative projects. The ULS Executive 
Committee plans to have a version of the 
software available for testing this spring. 

Yee reminded the committee of the ongo­
ing environmental scan being undertaken by 
the ACRL Research Committee. This survey 
has been designed to identify trends and 
emerging issues facing academic libraries. 
The Research Committee is hoping for broad 
input from the membership. The deadline for 
survey submissions is May 15, 2006. 

Yee finished her report with a request 
from the ACRL Council of Liaisons. The 
Council of Liaisons presently has a few 
vacant membership slots and is hoping to 
attract individuals who are involved with 
nonlibrary professional organizations. In­
terested individuals should visit the group’s 
Web site for additional information. 

The focus of the meeting then shifted to 
reports from the section’s committee chairs. 
Cory Tucker (University of Nevada–Las 
Vegas) reported that the merger of the 
Organization and Bylaws Committee with 
the Policy and Planning Committee ap­
pears to be moving forward. The merger 
now needs to be approved by the ULS 
membership. It is proposed that the new 
committee be called the Bylaws & Proce­
dures Committee. 

John Lehner (University of Houston) 
discussed the updates that are currently 
being made to the ULS Web site by the 
Communication Committee. John related 
that the committee has recently been joined 
by two new members who are interested 
in working with the Web site, but stated 

the group is interested in recruiting ad­
ditional members with Web development 
experience. The Executive Committee also 
discussed several possible ways in which 
the section newsletter might be used to 
attract new members and retain current 
members. 

Marilyn Hankel (University of New Or­
leans) and Bruce Henson (Georgia Institute 
of Technology) reported on a survey of 
former ULS members that was recently 
conducted by the Membership Commit­
tee. The survey asked former members 
why they had dropped their membership 
in the section. The reason given by re­
spondents included: retirement, increased 
dues, altered job responsibilities, confl icts 
due to other ALA responsibilities, and un­
intentional membership lapses. In an effort 
to combat the unintentional lapses, the 
Membership Committee is planning to draft 
a dues renewal notice. It was agreed that 
while such reminders can be benefi cial, 
the notices need to be carefully worded 
in an effort to avoid offense. The group 
also discussed the need to attract the next 
generation of librarians to become section 
members, though no definite action items 
were put forth. 

Rita Bullard (Eastern Michigan University) 
reported on the upcoming program that will 
be sponsored by the Conference Program 
Planning Committee. The program, which 
will be held at the ALA Annual Conference 
in New Orleans, is entitled “Use What They 
Own—Go Where They Are: Plugging the 
Library into Student Gadgets and Habitats.” 
The program will address a variety of strate­
gies that librarians can use to connect with 
students via popular digital technologies. 
The program is scheduled for Saturday, June 
24, 2006 (location: TBA). A section social and 
poster session will follow the program. 

The ACRL Executive Board Liaison Janice 
Simmons­Welburn (University of Arizona) 
informed the group of the latest division­
level activities. She reported that the ACRL 
Executive Board is reviewing the organi­
zational structure of the division to ensure 

April 2006  241 C&RL News 



that it is in line with the intended strategic 
direction of the organization. They hope to 
begin using online communities as a means 
of bringing more people into the division 
(for example junior librarians, paraprofes­
sionals, and others who may not be able to 
attend conferences). Simmons­Welburn also 
mentioned that the Board is considering the 
creation of “Board interns” as a method of 
developing future board members. 

Discussion groups 
The Urban Libraries Discussion Group met 
to review some of the innovative ways that 
libraries are reaching out to their external 
communities. Connie Vinita Dowell (San 
Diego State University) was the first of two 
scheduled discussion leaders. She spoke of 
her library’s cosponsorship of a 2004 event 
entitled “Spirit of the Land.” This two­day 
series of workshops and lectures brought 
together individuals from both inside and 
outside of the university community to 
discuss the future health and sustainability 
of the natural environment. The event’s 
cosponsors were the Viegas Band of the 
Kumeyaay Indians. 

In order to encourage as diverse a view 
as possible, discussion panels were formed 
with scientists, authors, poets, and artists as 
well as members of the local business and 
environmental communities. The event was 
highly successful and eventually garnered 
the library a 2005 John Cotton Dana Library 
Public Relations Award. Dowell explained 
that the event put the library at the forefront 
of the university community and showed 
how a library can use its resources and 
facilities to become an active participant 
in the community at large. Additionally, 
the event served to highlight the libraries’ 
environmental collections. 

Jeffrey Trzeciak then spoke about the 
collaborative digital projects that have been 
undertaken at the Wayne State University Li­
brary in Detroit. These projects have teamed 
the library with other university departments, 
local heritage societies, and museums. The 
projects are designed to digitize images and 

texts that focus on the culture, history, 
and prominent citizens of Detroit. Federal 
and corporate grants have funded a large 
part of the work that has gone into these 
projects. The library, which has no tradi­
tional special collections of its own, has 
enhanced its collection as a result of the 
projects. Trzeciak finished by saying that 
he would like to find other individuals and 
institutions that are willing to collaborate 
on future projects related to the history of 
urban communities.1 

The Directors of Public Services in Large 
Research Libraries Discussion Group held a 
lively discussion centering on the top trends 
in public services. During their 2004 Annual 
Conference in Orlando, the group developed 
a ranked list of the top ten trends in public 
services. In San Antonio, the group revisited 
this list and discussed whether or not these 
were still the top trends. As the discussion 
progressed, the group moved beyond the 
individually listed items to a general con­
versation of the ever­changing role of public 
services. The comments spanned a wide 
range of topics, including customer defi ni­
tions, new areas of service, external partner­
ships, campus politics, staff mentoring, and 
performance standards. The conversation 
was highly informative and truly showed 
the breath of the issues and concerns facing 
today’s public services professionals. 

In the end, it seems that this discussion 
group is facing many of the same issues 
facing academic libraries as a whole—in the 
modern age, how do we best position our 
library and its services to serve our institu­
tions and the community at large? It will be 
interesting to investigate further the progress 
our profession is making on these issues 
when the ALA reconvenes in New Orleans 
in June 2006. 

Note 
1. Those who are interested in the Wayne 

State digital initiatives can fi nd additional 
information about the collection at www.lib. 
wayne.edu/resources/digital_library/index. 
php. 

242C&RL News April 2006