C&RL News June 2015 334 Michelle Demeter ACRL in the 1970s Organizational identity, social change, and technological advancement Michelle Demeter is the distance and outreach coordinator at Florida State University Libraries, email: mdemeter@fsu.edu © 2015 Michelle Demeter The 1970s comprised an integral decade that bridged the revolutionary and so- cially engaged 1960s with the tech-savvy and economically unstable 1980s. During this confluent time, movement toward equal rights continued, technology (espe- cially computers and automation) gained significant develop- ments, and emphasis on personal libera- tion, identity, and independence flour- ished. I t w a s i n t h i s transitional time that ACRL’s membership struggled with their identity as faculty and their place within higher education, as well as the organization’s overarching identity within ALA. In alignment with the focus on personal liberation, the question of self-governance dominated much of ACRL’s discussions in the early ’70s. The issue of ACRL’s affiliation with ALA was battled out in various reports, editorials, letters to the editor, meetings at conferences, and other official engagements of the organization. In September 1970, ACRL recommended that “ALA become a federation of library as- sociations with a strong central headquarters’ secretariat” and that ACRL be included within that structure as a “federated association … headed by an executive director.” In 1978, on its 40th anniversary, ACRL held its first standalone conference separate from ALA’s Annual Conference. The three-day event, themed “New Horizons for Academic Libraries,” boasted 67 contributed papers, 115 commercial and professional exhib- its, and a “Boston Dinner” with famed author Kurt Vonne- gut. This inaugural event also marked another first: the introduction of the Academic/Research Librarian of the Year Award. Two win- ners were selected to share this presti- gious award: Keyes D. Metcalf, Harvard University Library director from 1937 to 1955; and Robert B. Downs, former ALA president and director of the Uni- versity of Illinois Library from 1943 to 1971. Another significant contribution during this decade was the drafting of the 1971 “Standards for Faculty Status for College and University Libraries.” Upon its passage in June 1971, ACRL sought support from such higher education organizations as the American Association of University Professors and the American Association of Colleges. ACRL 75 June 2015 335 C&RL News This document addressed issues that faculty librarians still hold dear, such as tenure, access to research funds, library governance, salary, academic freedom, and other topics. During the 1970s, women and minorities capitalized on the momentum created by the fight for equal rights and social justice begun in the 1960s. In direct response to those threatening this progress within the profession, ACRL passed a 1970 resolution that called for a censure of any libraries or librarians lending materials to “racist institutions conceived for the purpose of circumventing the law of land” during desegregation. This resolution was adopted by the first Black Caucus, which became a strong propo- nent for black library professionals. In another directive, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded ACRL a $350,000 grant to fund a three-year program to “accelerate the develop- ment of the management ability of librarians in black colleges and universities.” Women also benefited from ACRL involvement in social issues. In November 1973, ACRL sought mem- bership feedback regarding an ALA-drafted Equal Employment Opportunity Policy. Finally, the last major concern was one that is all too familiar today—the introduc- tion of new technology within various library services. Stephen K. Bailey noted that even in 1978, the issue of becoming obsolete was not a new topic. “Beginning ten or fifteen years ago, speeches and articles began to appear predicting the imminent demise of libraries as we have known them. Computers would replace card catalogs, microfiche and a variety of electronic print-out systems would replace books and journals. . . . Computer terminals would replace librarians.” Certainly this concept of upgrading humans with technology was prevalent as evidenced in numerous articles and book reviews regarding the place of technology in libraries, automation of services, and computer literacy. Joe B. Wyatt ended his March 1979 article, “Technology and the Library,” urging library science programs to include “computer-based system design, development, management, and use. . . . Every librarian should be com- puter-literate.” Furthermore, he encouraged all academic librarians to make an effort to become leaders rather than followers in the coming tech-dominated age. In addition to these exhortations, the rapid expansion of OCLC’s online cataloging system was of concern for many academic libraries. Dartmouth, Cornell, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and the New York Public Library (NYPL) led the charge with each adopting the OCLC system in short order. Other libraries soon fol- lowed suit and developed consortia like Yale, Columbia, Harvard, and NYPL did in 1974 with their Research Libraries Group. Regardless of the challenges ACRL tackled, the organization remained optimistic in the face of an approaching economic crisis that emerged in the late 1970s and would ramp up in the 1980s. ACRL encouraged its members to embrace technology and become more equity-minded and socially conscious while asserting their unique role within ALA. Thus, college and university librarians looked toward an uncertain yet exciting new horizon. to an economic model that serves the interests of neither students nor the academy. Notes 1. Mark J. Perry, “The College Text- book Bubble and How the ‘Open Education- al Resources’ Movement Is Going up against the Textbook Cartel,” https://www.aei.org /publication/the-college-textbook-bubble -and-how-the-open-educational-resources -movement-is-going-up-against-the-textbook-cartel/. 2. The College Board, “Average Estimated Full-Time Undergraduate Budgets, 2013- 14 (Enrollment-Weighted),” https://trends. collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures -tables/average-estimated-undergraduate -budgets-2013-14. 3. Mary S. Laskowski, “The Textbook Prob- lem: Investigating One Possible Solution,” Library Collections, Acquisitions, and Techni- cal Services 31 (3-4): 161–70, doi:10.1016/j. lcats.2007.09.001. “No reservations” (cont. from page 333)