ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 4 5 0 /C&RL News A t the Crossroads: Assessing and responding to change Highlights ofACRL programs at ALA ’s A nnual Conference: Part I A djusting to change, making room for mul­ ticulturalism, an d assuring continued progress, both technological and social were some of the issues covered by ACRL at ALA’s 112th Annual C onference in New Orleans. Highlights of some ACRL programs are given below; part two will appear in October. See the accompanying sidebar for information in ordering audiotapes of selected programs. Change in academe The ACRL President’s Program was the culmi­ nation of Jacquelyn McCoy’s theme of academic libraries at the crossroads. Two presenters re­ sponded to the program topic, “Headed for the Beach? Redirecting the Academic Whale.” Pro­ fessor Robert Zemsky, director of the Institute for Research in Higher Edu­ cation at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Carole A. Barone, associate vice- chancellor at the University of California-Davis, both ex­ tolled the need for change to come from within aca­ dem e, and, by extension, from within our libraries. Zemsky said “there are no villains. Them is us." He added the we will be the vil­ lains if w e ignore the need to change. Academia isn’t “special” anymore; w e are part of an enterprise and we need to market our services to please our users. He used two analogies from the business sector to illustrate his point: tai­ lored mail-order catalogs over a comprehen­ sive Sears catalog and automatic teller machines over trips to the bank. He concluded that the market shapes our research agenda. Carole Barone warned libraries must “change or be changed." Barone used a multi-media presentation to dramatize her point: “change or be isolated.” Among her list of 12 statements to consider were: listening to what users want (like Burger King); asking “how to” instead of “why not”; doing something different, not doing less; and collaborating with our publics because the Lone Ranger is obsolete. Both speakers emphasized bringing the clients into the process. During the business meeting which preceded the pro­ gram, Euster, who is also chair of the next ACRL National Conference, announced that “change" will also be part of that conference theme to be held March 29 through April 1,1995, in Pitts­ burgh. Anne Beaubien, past president of ACRL reported on the final report of the Social Issues Task Force, and Vice-President Thomas Kirk announced his theme of “networking” for the coming year. The program ended with a delightful video o f the life of William Andrew Moffett, recipient o f the 1992-93 Academic/Research Librarian of the Year Award. Moffett, director of the Huntington Library, was recognized for his a c tio n in p ro v id in g scholars with access to the Dead Sea Scrolls. A recep­ tio n for him h o ste d by Baker & Taylor followed.—- B arbara Wittkopf, Louisi­ ana State University Assessing three decades of progress The Afro-American Studies Librarians Section of ACRL presented “Afro-American Information Resources: As­ sessing Three Decades of Progress, 1960-1990”, in co-sponsorship with the Anthropology and Sociology, and the Asian and African Studies Sections. Keynote speaker, Dr. Bennie Reeves, acting president and pro­ fessor of history at Florida Memorial College in Miami, began by stating that early scholarship September 1 9 9 3 /4 5 1 Robert Zemsky stressed the importance o f marketing. on blacks had been complex, racist, and pre­ sumptuous, perpetuating the negative image that society projected. It was only when black scholars, such as John Hope Franklin, Benjamin Quarles and John Henrik Clarke began p u b ­ lishing did historical literature focused on blacks begin to take a more positive and honest stance. Citing several titles, Reeves cogently arg u ed th a t the proliferation of materials on b lack s w as clo sely c o n ­ nected to the political and social m ovem ents o f the time. He maintained that the civil rights era and the Black Pow er Movement ushered in a new focus that exam­ ined black roles in the 1960s and 1970s bringing with it not only new literature, but the birth of third world pub­ lishing companies sensitive to the n e e d s o f a Black p o p u latio n . R eeves ch al­ lenged black librarians to create special col­ laborative projects to docum ent and preserve black history, and encourage scholars to use repositories such as the Amistad Research Cen­ ter, th e M o o rlan d -S p in g arn C o llectio n at Howard University and the Schomburg Library in New York. B re n d a M itc h e ll-P o w e ll, e d i t o r o f M ulticultural Review and a member o f the re­ actor panel, addressed the lack of control Afri­ can Americans have historically had over ma­ terial published relating to them. She asserted that African Americans have been “victims of the commodification o f culture.” She implored black librarians and scholars to “w rest back control of our literature” and rem inded the au­ dience o f the plight of our literature if w e failed in this mission. She stated that several seminal works have never been revised or have gone quickly out-of-print. Too often original pu b ­ lishers have not republished works that may have b e e n controversial in nature, such as w orks by J. A. Rogers, Chancellor Williams, and Ivan Van Sertima. Mitchell-Powell concluded by asking that African American librarians be especially diligent in challenging the publish­ ing companies to provide timely revisions of reference sources to keep pace with scholar­ ship, and to reconsider works that are destined for out-of-print status.—Deborah A. Curry, Uni­ versity a t A lbany A different view of historic preservation The ACRL Arts Section and the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) jointly sponsored a program entitled “Balconies and Verandas: D ocumentation and Preservation o f New Or­ leans Architecture.” Each of the four speakers, discussed the preservation of New Orleans architecture from a different perspective. Sally K. Reeves, archivist of the New Orleans Notarial A rc h iv e s , d is c u s s e d a unique resource available to architectural historians in N ew O rle a n s . B e c a u s e Louisiana’s legal system is b a s e d o n th e civil law brought there by the French an d S panish, e a c h legal transaction must be docu­ m ented by a third and im­ partial party, the notary. The Notarial Archives were be­ gun in the 1730s and now contain 38,000 vol­ umes of notarial acts, documenting such trans­ a c tio n s as b u ild in g c o n tra c ts , sa le s a n d emancipations of slaves, wills, and marriage contracts. The great value of these archives to architectural historians results from the fact that each sale o f real property included complete watercolor drawings of the buildings by the civil engineer w ho examined the property. Af­ ter 1910, blueprints rather than w atercolors w ere attached to the legal documents. During the 1930s, the WPA undertook a project w ith the archives that has led to many problems. The watercolor drawings w ere re­ m oved from their original place in the archives, separated from the written descriptions o f the properties, and in many cases badly repaired. Reeves recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to re­ pair these documents, purchase cabinets to hold them, and to create a database for access to them. The wealth o f information in these ar­ chives offers architectural historians an oppor­ tunity to study individual detailed drawings of the many architectural styles— Georgian, neo­ classical, neo-Egyptian and, of course, French— that w ere built in this multicultural city. Samuel Wilson, m em ber of the architectural firm of Koch and Wilson, w ho gave an over­ view of New Orleans architecture. Patty Gaye, executive director of the Preservation Resource 4 5 2 /C&RL News Center, com m ented on the efforts of her orga­ nization to preserve New Orleans including her program “Live in a Landmark” which encour­ ages individuals to buy, restore, and live in his­ toric properties. Jesse Poesch, retired profes­ sor o f art history at Tulane University, spoke of the various resources that can be used in schol­ arly research about architectural history.—Betty Bryce, University o f A labam a Standards at the crossroads The panel discussion “Standards at the Cross­ roads” scrutinized the accreditation process in relation to ACRL’s standards for academic li­ braries. Sponsored by the Community and Jun­ ior College Libraries Section, College Libraries “… in the 1950s methods o f measuring procedures were developed on the premise that, i f it walks like a duck, it must be a duck. In the 1980s interest in educational reform produced expectations o f change in the way the duck walks. ” Section, and University Libraries Section, pan­ elists discussed the value o f quantitative mea­ surem ents. Can qualitative outcom es be as­ sessed meaningfully? If regional accreditation organizations ignore ACRL’s standards, why do librarians pursue them? Charles Atwell, vice president o f Pensacola Jr. College, noted that in the 1950s methods of measuring procedures w ere developed o n the premise that, if it walks like a duck, it must be a duck. In the 1980s interest in educational re­ form produced expectations of change in the way the duck walks. In responding to a ques­ tion, Atwell observed that administrators need help with accreditation issues. If librarians reach a consensus concerning library standards, they will be in a much better position in relation to others w ho will also dem and attention and money. Marcia J. Myers, director of libraries at Eastern Kentucky University, stated that North Central Association is the only one of the seven regions to acknowledge the library standards. She added that if professionally prepared stan­ dards w ere not available, “w e w ould run the risk that outsiders w ould do it for us.” Antoinette M. Kania, dean of libraries at Suffolk Commu­ nity College, noted that the regional organiza­ tions have changed since her 1984 study of them. Now em phases are on links am ong aca­ demic libraries, other resources and instructional programs, on delivery of services, and on sup­ portive data to demonstrate effectiveness. David B. Walch, dean of library services at California Polytechnic University, in studying use of the College Library Standards found that most of those surveyed prefer quantitative criteria.— Rebecca B. Kiel, Cottey College For richer or poorer: Library development and special collections The Rare Books and Manuscripts Section’s pro­ gram, cosponsored by LAMA’s Fundraising and Financial Development Section, featured four speakers: Lynda Claasen, University of Califor­ nia, San Diego; Myrna K. Jackson, Duke Uni­ versity; H. Thomas Hickerson, Cornell Univer­ sity, and Barbara Dewey, University o f Iowa. Three comm on them es emerged. First, the suc­ cess o f a d e v e lo p m e n t pro g ram d e p e n d s heavily on strong, daring leadership. Second, developm ent programs must continually seek new donors. Third, while special collections is often the focus o f fundraising efforts, the entire library benefits. Lynda Claasen spoke from the perspective of a director of special collections w ho also serves as the library’s developm ent officer. She emphasized special collections directors’ talents in w orking with friends groups, donors and grants. “In practically every case, w hat’s good for the library is good for special collections and w e’re well positioned to make the good hap p en ,” she concluded. Myrna Jackson, w ho w ent from a general university developm ent office to the library, focused on three key words, “prospects, pros­ pects, prospects." She characterized the library development officer’s dilemma: “those w ho read d o n ’t have m oney to give, those w ho have m oney d o n ’t have time to read.” Jackson spoke about using the resources of special collections to attract gifts w hich fund a broad range of lib ra ry n e e d s . She o ffe re d th e im age o f “hitchlìng] our less glamorous need to the glo­ rious horse of special collections.” Tom Hickerson presented the point of view o f a special collections director at a university which is highly successful in fundraising. One o f his them es was special collections staffs Septem ber 1 9 9 3 / 4 5 3 M o v in g to w a r d c o n flu e n c e : R e p o rt o n p la n n in g f o r th e ACRL 7 t h N a t io n a l C o n fe re n c e , 1 9 9 5 "Continuity and Transformation: The Prom­ ise o f Confluence” is the them e for the Sev­ enth National Conference of ACRL, which will be held in Pittsburgh, March 29 through April 1, 1995. T he c o n fe re n c e e x e c u tiv e co m m ittee, meeting for the second time in New Orleans in June, considered suggestions and advice from a w ide spectrum o f the ACRL m em ber­ ship before deciding o n this them e an d re­ view ing it w ith the ACRL B oard o f Direc­ tors. As at prior national conferences, the pro­ grams will include an energetic mix of them e speakers o f national prom inence, research papers, panel programs, poster sessions, and exhibits. A full m enu of social and cultural events unique to Pittsburgh is in the planning, as is am ple time for less formal interaction am ong colleagues. heavy involvement in developm ent. H e pointed out that, w ith the grow th o f a library develop­ m ent unit, the special collections developm ent program ceased as an independent activity, and he chronicled som e of the effects this has had on special collections. B arbara D ew ey , a library ad m in istrato r w hose area of responsibility includes develop­ ment, spoke about several programs o f the Iowa W omen's Archives. In w hat w as surely the first RBMS program address to m ention Madonna, Dewey described how an Archives founder sold a Frida Kahlo self-portrait to kick off fundraising. (M adonna almost bought the painting.) Dewey stressed the n eed to build a multi-dimensional developm ent program w hich will attract new donors to the library. She also suggested that goodwill is nearly as im portant a benefit as is a tangible gift.— S u zy Taraba, D uke University N e w resources east of the form er Iron Curtain E astern E u ro p ean in d e p e n d e n t states have throw n o p en a treasury o f resources in all dis­ ciplines, said Edward Kasinec, chief o f the Slavic Baltic Division at the New York Public Library, and first speaker at the joint program o f ACRL’s W estern E u ro p e a n Specialists S ection an d The National Conference Executive Com­ mittee is com posed of the chairs o f each of the co n fe re n c e su b co m m ittee: p re c o n feren ces, Cathy H enderson, University o f Texas-Austin: local arrangem ents, Charles Lowry, Carnegie Mellon University; poster sessions, Tom Peischl, Mankato State University; contributed papers, Marion Reid, California State University, San Marcos; them e speakers, Patricia W and, Ameri­ can University; panel programs, Sarah Watstein, Virginia C omm onwealth University; and chair, Jo an n e Euster, University o f California, Irvine. Each subcom m ittee chair appoints m em bers from all types of academic libraries and in a broad spectrum o f positions to assist w ith planning. Look for further information and future an­ nouncem ents as plans unfold. We look forward to seeing you at the conference.—-Joanne R. Euster, c h a ir ACRL Seventh N ational Confer­ ence, JREUSTER@uci.edu ■ ACRL’s Slavic an d East European Section: “Eu­ rope East & West: New Resources for North American Libraries.” Increasingly, area special­ ists are called to serve as a broadly interdisci­ plinary m atch-m aker betw een subject special­ ists o r re s e a r c h e r s a n d n e w ly e m e r g in g materials available east of the former Iron Cur­ tain. Sem Sutter, bibliographer for W estern Eu­ ropean Languages and Literatures at the Uni­ versity o f Chicago, enum erated specific archives that Germ an reunification has m ade accessible, e.g., Prussian “Secret” State Archives, Deutsche Bank archives, and docum ents o f the East Ger­ m an secret police. He then outlined problems o f “trophy literature,” materials exappropriated to Germany illegally from the Soviet Union dur­ ing and after World War II and vice versa (a church at Uzkoye, outside Moscow, has cha­ otic stacks o f over one million books taken from Germany). Biblio-repatriation can be negoti­ ated , S utter stated, b u t inevitably revolves around hard currency. Michael Miller, Germans from Russia Bibliographer at North Dakota State University, having him self descended from a branch o f the German-Russian family tree, il­ lustrated access to it w ith a slide presentation. Miller pinpointed far-flung pockets of ethnic records docum enting the Germans from Rus­ mailto:JREUSTER@uci.edu 4 5 4 / C&RL News sia, e.g., St. Petersburg; Stuttgart; Lincoln, Ne­ braska; Salt Lake City; and his ow n unique col­ lection in Fargo. Norman Ross served as a relevant discus­ sant du e to his ow n recent and continuing w ork at microfilming Slavic records. In this capacity, he has enjoyed the consultation of Mr. Kasinec. The final perspective Ross offered w as one borrow ed from a Pete Seeger folk tune, seeing earth from the cosm os and realizing that w e ’re all sharing one little globe. The more informa­ tion w e can find and distribute, Ross suggested, the better our chances of sharing this earth in peace. — Richard Hacken, Brigham Young University Organizational transformation: N e w structures for new realities O n June 26 in the New O rleans Conference Center, a large audience listened to Susan Jurow o f the Association of Research Libraries, Cecilia Knight of the University o f Arizona, D eborah Babel o f Clemson University, and Marion Reid o f California State University at San Marcos. T he organizational changes occurring in academ ic libraries w ere exam ined from sev­ eral perspectives, Susan Jurow discussed the theoretical basis, exam ining the connection betw een organizational structures and strate­ gies. Libraries are currently organized as infor­ m ation w arehouses, and need to move tow ard organizations appropriate to information gate­ ways. The present hierarchical structures do not accom m odate self-managed teams. Those plan­ ning the transformation from information w are­ house to information gatew ay m ust look to the future. They must plan and design flexible, adap­ tive structures based on shared values and norms. Practical realities in the d esig n /p lan n in g process w ere described by three librarians at differing points in the process. D eborah Babel described major changes m ade at Clemson a year ago and stressed that change is a continu­ ing process. Clemson activities now focus on the user, not the function. Patron need is the overriding concern and Clemson staff look for continuous improvement. Cecilia Knight heads the staff team planning a user-centered organization at the University of Arizona. The design team s focus on direct access, mediated access, integrated access, and library support. Staff are being re-assigned based on the critical skills required in their new positions. The shared values center on team function and data-based decision making. Marion Reid described the opportunity to start from scratch w ith a new library at the University of California at San Marcos. With no shared background, w ork focuses on service planning. (c o n tin u e d on p a g e 459) O r d e r y o u r A n n u a l C o n fe re n c e a u d io cassette A udio cassettes of selected program s from the 1993 ALA Annual Conference in New Or­ leans are now available. Each program con­ sists o f tw o cassettes and sells for $24 unless otherw ise noted. L eadership an d T ech n o lo g ica l Change: A Call to A ction N ow ($48, four cassettes). O rder no. ALA301 Standards at th e C rossroads: T he Ac­ c r e d it a tio n P r o c e s s a n d L ib rary S ta n ­ dards. O rder no. ALA304 O rg a n iza tio n a l T ran sform ation : N ew Structures for New Realities. Order no. ALA310 To Be o r N ot To Be PC: A n O verview o f th e P olitical C orrectn ess Debate. O rder no. ALA329 D an ger in th e C om fort Zone: M oving F rom C om p la cen cy to P rod u ctivity. Or­ d er no. ALA336 C o p in g w i t h C h a o s , T h r iv i n g o n C h a n g e: R e d e fin in g B ib lio g r a p h ic I n ­ stru ction . Order no. ALA340 T ech n o lo g ica l Tabasco: H ot Ideas for K eep in g Up w ith th e E lectronic In form a­ tio n E x p lo sio n . O rder no. ALA356 Afro-American In form ation Resources: A s s e s s in g T h r e e D e c a d e s o f P r o g r e s s 1 9 6 0 -1 9 9 0 . O rder no. ALA359 D eep Leadership: P erso n a l E m p ow er­ m e n t a n d O rg a n iza tio n a l E ffe c tiv e n e ss ($12, one cassette). O rder no. ALA362 H eaded for th e Beach? R edirecting th e A cad em ic W hale. O rder no. ALA3Ó7 O th er program s are also available. Call, write, o r fax your order or a request for a com plete order form: Teach ’em, l60 East Il­ linois St., Chicago, IL 60611; voice: (312) 467- 0424, o r (800) 225-3775; fax: (312) 467-9271. You may pay by check (payable to Teach ’em) or by credit card (VISA, MC, AMEX). ■ Septem ber 1 9 9 3 / 4 5 5 ULS in N e w O rle a n s —p r e f e r r e d fu tu re s f o r lib r a r ia n s ULS w as everywhere, doing almost everything in N ew Orleans. O ur program , “O rganiza­ tional Transformation: New Structures for New Realities is sum marized o n page 000, but that w as not all. Here are just a few highlights. Carol H ughes of the School of Information and Library Studies, University of Michigan, w as the presenter Ju n e 27 for the Librarians in Higher Education and Campus Administra­ tion Discussion G roup. H ughes talked about tw o w orkshops that brought together a di­ verse group o f provosts/chief academ ic offic­ ers, directors o f com puting centers, faculty, staff, and library directors for the purpose of ex ch an g in g p e rc e p tio n s , view p o in ts, a n d questions ab o u t the current and future role of academic libraries. H ughes used these w orkshops and a sur­ vey of chief academ ic officers and library di­ rectors at major U.S. universities, as a basis for her presentation. T he to p fo u r p rio rities, a c c o rd in g to. Hughes, am ong provosts and chief academ ic officers w ere m anaging the budget, un d er­ graduate education, building diversity, and w orking tow ard m ore provision of electronic information. Provosts w ant librarians to be risk takers, to be more proactive than reac­ tive. Participants expressed interest in univer­ sal scholar w orkstation, but this interest var­ ies by discipline. O thers w anted to increase the library’s education role, and w anted li­ brarians to help faculty teach technology to under prepared students. Publishers advised librarians to stop thinking of libraries as w are­ houses and to em phasize access and co o p ­ eration. M eanw hile, the committees w ere hard a t w o rk While the discussions gathered great audi­ ences, the comm ittees w ere planning for the ongoing activities o f the section. The Com­ m unications Committee com pleted w ork at long last o n a m em bership brochure that will b e seeing the light o f day very soon. Planning is u n d er w ay for our 1994 An­ nual Conference program, w hich prom ises to be another winner! The topic will be Network­ ing for Leadership: A Mosaic o f Opportunity. Some exciting speakers are expected, so look for this one next year in Miami. The Current Topics Discussion Planning Committee is w orking on another provoca­ tive topic for Midwinter in Los Angeles. This year the topic is nothing if not current—Ad­ justing to Changing Library O rganizational Structures. This will include the view from the other side—w hat do you d o after the or­ ganization is transformed? It should be an in­ teresting session. The Executive Committee m et an d con­ ducted several items o f business, including the transfer of the section chair from Carolyn Robison, Georgia State University, to N oreen Aldredge, California State University, Hayward. Many thanks to Jam es Estrada w ho pro­ vided the sum mary of the higher education discussion g ro u p .— M ary M unroe, Georgia State University ■ Septem ber 1 9 9 3 / 4 5 9 Top p r io r it ie s f o r ACRL— F Y I 9 9 4 ACRL provides program s, services, an d re­ sources to assist academ ic librarians in their effectiveness in the higher education com m u­ nity and prepare them to m eet th e informa­ tion dem ands for the 1990s an d beyond. Thus far, leaders have identified these priorities: To p articip ate effe c tiv e ly in th e e lec tro n ic e n v ir o n m e n t • We are continuing to develop and ex­ pan d use o f the ACRL Listserv. • We are supporting the w ork o f a special task force to identify n ew areas o f use and application for technology in academ ic li­ braries. • We are conducting w orkshops an d sem i­ nars to im prove skills in the u se o f th e In­ ternet. To se e k in p u t fr o m m em b ers o n th e ir v a l­ u e s / in te r e sts /p r io r itie s • W e are conducting a m em bership sur­ vey this fall. • We are continuing the Midwinter plan­ ning session for ACRL m em bers an d leaders. includes expenditures o f $84,149 for th e 1995 ACRL National Conference and $23,371 to su p ­ port other m em ber services. The ACRL fund balance at the beginning of FY1994 (w hich began Septem ber 1, 1993) is $629,973. A p p roved m o d ifie d la n g u a g e fo r ch a p ter fu n d in g to reflect existing allocation patterns. Voted to fund the ACRL Speakers Bureau for FY1995 at $3,500 and to expand the Speakers B ureau to include all b o ard m em bers an d the executive director. A p p r o v e d A n n u a l C o n fe r e n c e p r o g r a m p la n fo r FY1994. P resen ted C ath leen B ou rd on , fo rm er ACRL D ep u ty E x ecu tiv e D irecto r w ith a “to k en o f th e B o a rd ’s a p p r e c ia t io n ” (a n eleg a n t crystal d e sk /p e n set engraved w ith her nam e and the inscription “ACRL D eputy Executive Di­ rector, 1983-1993”) for ten years o f service to ACRL. To n e tw o r k w ith o th e r ALA u n its, h ig h e r ed u cation , an d o th e r in form ation -related o r g a n iz a tio n s • We are c o -sp o n so rin g p rogram s w ith o ther ALA units. • We are attending and participating in the program s o f o ther associations. • We are sharing publications an d jointly sponsoring projects. To p r o v id e le a r n in g o p p o r tu n itie s fo r m e m b e r s • We are supporting the National Confer­ ence, A nnual Conference programs, an d pre­ conferences. • We are m aintaining a research and p u b ­ lications program. • We are supporting program s at the local level through o u r chapters. In addition, ACRL will continue to act on m atters o f advocacy: legislation, fees for ser­ vice, inform ation access; standards: Faculty Status for Librarians; information literacy; and diversity issues. ■ A greed to esta b lis h a w o r k in g g ro u p o f th e Board to e x a m in e th e ACRL structure. E stab lish ed a task fo r c e o f th e B oard to fo l­ lo w u p o n th e r e c o m m e n d a tio n s fr o m th e Task Force o n U n d errep resen ted Minorities 1990 report to the Board. ■ (At the Crossroads c o n tin u e d fr o m p a g e 45 4 ) In the change process, people interact in different ways w ith each other and w ith users. The change process generates a w ide range of emotions— exhilaration, grief, fear, anger. These m ust b e acknow ledged and addressed. Although there is a similarity w ith TQM in the cu sto m er/u ser driven em phasis an d the focus on process. There is a difference in that libraries em phasize continuous adaptation, im­ provem ent, an d evaluation.— B arbara Lockett, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ■