ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ Novem ber 2000 / 885 N e w s f r o m t h e F i e l d M ary Ellen Davis ACRL awarded prestigious IMLS grant ACRL has received a National Leadership Grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for its project, “Assessing Student Learning Outcomes in In­ formation Literacy Programs: Training Aca­ demic Librarians.” The purpose of the ACRL project is to give librarians the skills to create baseline data that support the merits of information literacy programs. The $150,000 grant will fund the training of academic librarians to work with faculty to design, implement, and evaluate tools for assessing student learning outcomes resulting from information literacy courses taught by librarians and faculty. Ultimately, such training will not only enhance the sta­ tus of librarians as educators, but also high­ light the importance of campus information literacy programs. “ACRL is committed to the idea that infor­ mation literacy is a cornerstone of lifelong learning,” said ACRL Executive Director Althea H. Jenkins. “Effective information literacy pro­ grams on college and university campuses are critical to the success of today’s students. With this generous grant, IMLS will help to foster collabo­ rations between faculty and librarians that will enhance the efficacy of these impor­ tant programs.” Beverly Sheppard, IMLS acting director, said, “Infor­ mation literacy is critical to success in the 21st century. National Leadership Grants provide creative solutions to issues of national impor­ tance and provide leader­ ship models for other or­ ganizations to emulate. We are proud of the work that ACRL will be doing to en­ hance the quality of library services nationwide.” Q unnipiac University dedicated its new Arnold Bernhard Library in September. The 48,000 square-foot facility features views of the Sleeping Giant Mountain. IMLS is a federal grantmaking agency lo­ cated in Washington, D.C. that fosters leader­ ship, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting museums and libraries. Quinnipiac U niversity opens new library Bestselling author Tom Wolfe was a featured s p e a k e r at the form al d e d ic a tio n o f Quinnipiac University’s new Arnold Bernhard Library in September. The $13 million, 48,000 square-foot library features 600 seats, 13 group rooms, a 30-seat instructional facility, more than 70 public computer terminals, and 600 data connections for laptop computers. The facility, designed by Centerbrook Asso­ ciates of Essex, Connecticut, was built be­ tween May 1999 and August 2000. The library is named for Arnold Bernhard, the founder and chief executive officer of Value Line, Inc., the world’s largest invest­ ment advisory service. Bernhard’s son, A. Van H. Bernhard, made the renovation possible by donating $ 1 million for the library project and an addition $3 million for the university’s endowment in 1997. 886 / C&RL News ■ N ovem ber 2000 The $10.5 m illion W agg o ner Lib rary a t Trevecca N azaren e U niversity, designed by Earl Swensson Associates, features a grand reading room w ith a two- story cathedral ceiling and clerestory w indows. The new facility w as opened and dedicated during the school's Homecoming on November 3. Quinnipiac is a private institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and en­ rolls nearly 4,000 full-time undergraduate and 2,000 graduate students. ACRL to aw ard 50 scholarships to National Conference ACRL is offering 50 scholarships to its 10th National Conference, March 1 5 -1 8 , 2001, in Denver. Each scholarship will provide com plim entary registration and $250 for travel expenses. The purpose o f the sch ol­ arships is to provide opportunities for li­ brarians with five or fewer years o f experi­ ence to update their skills and knowledge by participating in an ACRL professional de­ velopment experience. Scholarships will fo­ cus on librarians from diverse backgrounds and those employed at institutions serving underrepre-sented minorities. Criteria and application information are on the Web at http://www.ala.org/acrl/registration.html. The deadline for applying is December 15, 2000. New ell and Sim on papers online at Carnegie Mellon Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Archives has made available online the papers of com­ puter scientist Allen Newell, including his collaborations with Nobel Prize winning economist Herbert A. Simon. Access to the Newell and Simon papers is being developed as the sec­ ond phase of the university’s original HELIOS digital archive, funded in part by a two-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), with support from Noel Marie Newell, wife of the late Newell. Newell, who died in 1992, pio­ neered the study of artificial intelligence through designing computer architec­ tures and program languages that were modeled on human problem- solving behaviors. Simon, Newell’s frequent research partner, applied scientific methods to the previously theoretical field of economics. The Newell and Simon collections at CMU include technical reports, lec­ tures, teaching materials, computer and publication drafts. Researchers may search, browse, and print more than 100,000 digital images from the Allen Newell Collection ( http://heinz 1 .library.emu.edu/ Newell/). An estimated 150,000 images will be online when the project is completed. CMU’s HELIOS project is complete and pro­ vides online access to the bulk of the H. John Heinz III Archives. Nearly 800,000 images documenting Heinz’s service in the U.S. Con­ gress are now available. Don’t miss this oppds deadlinece. 1 awarDortunity to nomi­ nate a colleague, your library, or apply yourself for one o f ACRL’s 20 awards. Nearly $30,000 in awards and fellowships are available. Nominations and applica­ tions are clue December 1, 2000. A com­ plete list o f the awards and grants offered b y ACRL c a n b e fo u n d at http:// www.ala.org/acrl/award2.html. Click on an award for guidelines and submission in­ structions. If you have questions or need assistance completing an application or nomination, contact Meredith Parets, ACRL program assistant, at (800) 545-2433, ext. 2515, e-mail mparets@ala.org. http://www.ala.org/acrl/registration.html http://heinz http://www.ala.org/acrl/award2.html mailto:mparets@ala.org C&RL News ■ N ovem ber 2000 / 887 ULS starts discussion list ACRL’s University Libraries Section (ULS) now has an electronic discussion list. The list, open to all ULS members, will be used to facilitate section and committee work and to keep the membership informed. ULS leaders anticipate this will be a low-traffic list. To subscribe send an e-mail to listproc@alal.ala.org with the following information in the message: sub­ scribe uls-1 firstname lastname. Mid-sized university association form s Nearly 20 university librarians/directors have formed an association of comparable, mid­ sized university libraries. The new University Libraries Group (ULG) has been formed to share best practices, promote the libraries’ interests, develop benchmarks for assessing quality of service, and discuss current trends in the delivery o f information to undergradu­ ate and graduate programs in a range o f dis­ ciplines. Libraries selected for membership are pri­ marily privately funded. Membership is de­ termined by size and quality of library, amount o f institutional resources received by the li­ brary, number and caliber o f students, and level of graduate programs supported. Librar­ ies o f the following institutions have indicated interest in ULG: American University, Baylor University, Carnegie Mellon University, Catho­ lic University o f America, College of William and Mary, DePaul University, Fordham Uni­ versity, Lehigh University, Loyola University-Chicago, Marquette University, Miami University of Ohio, Northeastern University, St. Jo h n ’s University, St. Louis Uni­ versity, Southern Methodist Uni­ versity, Texas Christian University, Tufts University, University of Denver, University o f Richmond, Villanova University, Wake For­ est University, and Yeshiva Uni­ versity. James L. Mullins, university li­ brarian at Villanova University, will con ven e the meetings in 2000-2001. Univ. of Rochester reno vates hall fo r 150th Architect's The Great Hall o f Rush Rhees Li- Rhees Libra Lead the Denver d iscussio ns__________ The ACRL National Conference, “Crossing the Divide” is seeking topics and facilita­ tors for roundtable sessions March 15-18, 2001, in Denver. These informal, small- group discussions give attendees the op­ portunity to network, share information, and solve common problems. Submit your topic idea(s) with a brief description of issues to be covered and their importance to academic libraries to Rhoda Charming, Z. Smith Reynolds Li­ brary, Wake Forest University, P.O. Box 7777, Winston-Salem, NC 27109-7777; voice: (336) 758-5090; fax: (336) 758-3694; e-mail: channing@wfu.edu. The deadline for submission is Decem­ ber 1, 2000. brary at the University of Rochester has been renovated, thanks to a $500,000 gift from the Gleason Foundation. The renovation was fin­ ished in time for the university’s 150th birth­ day during Sesquicentennial Weekend, Octo­ ber 12-15. The Great Hall, one of three historic rooms of the library, is rich in architectural de­ tail, featuring intricate inlaid woodworking in the paneled oak walls. The renovation included recreating the effect of a skylight, restoring the ceiling artwork, and installing a new tile floor, acoustical panels, and exhibit cases. awing of the Great Hall renovations in Rush at the University of Rochester. dr ry mailto:listproc@alal.ala.org mailto:channing@wfu.edu 888 / C&RL News ■ N ovem ber 2000 "Libraries" dropped from accreditation criteria The Commission o f Colleges o f the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (ACS) released in September its proposed “Principles and Requirements for Accreditation” for com­ ment. The proposed new accreditation re­ quirements, according to a letter from James T. Rogers, executive director o f the Commis­ sion on Colleges, to “Chief Executive Officers o f the Commission on Colleges Members and Candidate Institutions and Other Interested Parties,” are to “replace the current Criteria for Accreditation, and [propose] a new way o f conducting institutional peer reviews.” The intentions of the proposed criteria are to be less prescriptive and to give institutions greater latitude in achieving their mission. For example, the current criteria has a five- page section on “Library and Other Learning Resources” with more than 40 “must” state­ ments to which institutions seeking accredi­ tation must adhere. The proposed “Principles” contain one “Core Requirement” and three “Com prehensive Statem ents” relating to “Learning Resources” with no mention o f li­ braries, librarians, or the need for a graduate education to work in libraries. T he p ro p o sed chang es may involve smaller reaffirmation teams, and there is some concern that the teams may not have a librar­ ian member as they currently do. SACS has hosted six regional meetings in its area to provide additional information about the pro­ posed requirements and process and to gather reactions to them. ACRL has arranged with SACS to have librarians at each of those meet­ ings to represent ACRL, In addition, numer­ ous state ACRL Chapters, state library associa­ tions, and individual librarians have written to SACS expressing concerns about the pro­ posed changes. According to a Middle States Association official, all the directors o f the regional ac­ creditation agencies met earlier this summer to discuss changes in the accreditation pro­ cess and several changes are now being con­ sidered. For example, the proposed Middle States changes will have fewer references to the library but they will retain commentary on information literacy. A Western Associa­ tion official reported that librarians are in­ volved in their review and that the associa­ tion is developing a document that is more inspirational than prescriptive and one with an emphasis on student learning. Librarians are urged to monitor any proposed changes in their accreditation region and to forward comments and concerns both to their regional accreditation agencies and to their institutions’ president.— L arry H ardesty, A ustin C ollege, lhardesty@ au stin c.edu Old Dom inion m ounts digital exhib it The Old Dominion University (ODU) Libraries, in collabora­ tion with the Departm ent of English, mounted a Web exhibit c h ro n ic lin g the history and character o f the ODU Annual Literary Festival, now in its 23rd year. This is the libraries’ first full-scale digital exhibit and sig­ nals its commitment to creating digital exhibits. Unique bro­ chures capturing the character of each festival are featured at the site and may be viewed at h t t p :/ / w w w .l i b .o d u .e d u / litfest. ■ mailto:lhardesty@austinc.edu http://www.lib.odu.edu/ C&RL N ews ■ N ovem ber 2000 / 889