ACRL Update Wednesday October 4

ACRL Update
Wednesday, October 4, 2006

1. Strategic Initiative Action Plans Proposed for FY 2008
2. Higher Education Futures Report Now Available
3. October 20 is deadline for National Conference poster session submissions
4. Register for the ACRL Fall Virtual Institute by October 26

1. Strategic Initiative Action Plans Proposed for FY 2008
In mid-September, the ACRL Board of Directors considered 24 strategic initiative action plan proposals submitted by ACRL units. The units requested funding for activities including scholarships, outreach to other higher education and discipline-specific organizations, and concept development for an "Information Literacy Roadshow." The Board accepted 17 of the plans, and directed staff to include nearly $25,000 in the draft FY 2008 ACRL budget to support the activities. The ACRL Board notified all units as to the status of their proposed plans by the end of September.

The Action Plan is a tool to assist ACRL units and leaders to articulate actions that will contribute to the implementation of the strategic plan in the next fiscal year. Annually, the action plan process ties together the strategic plan with the fall development of the ACRL budget. This process allows the Board to consider allocations in the next budget cycle for those action plans that require funding.

More information on the purpose and process for action plans can be found in the ACRL Guide to Policies and Procedures, at www.acrl.org/ala/acrl/aboutacrl/resourcesforwork/guidetopolicies/chapter6budget.htm#six28.

2. Higher Education Futures Report Now Available
CHICAGO – The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), as a member of the Council of Higher Education Management Associations (CHEMA), recently participated in a survey conducted by CHEMA and the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied research (ECAR).CHEMA, an informal, voluntary assembly of 30 management-oriented higher education associations in the United States and Canada, periodically sponsors broad studies and analyses that are of interest to the memberships and it associations. Through this study, CHEMA hoped to examine how higher education will change over the next ten years, identify what drives change, and understand how to prepare and manage change to shape the future of higher education. The project was jointly sponsored by 22 CHEMA member associations, including ACRL. The results of this survey, a report entitled, The Future of Higher Education: A View from CHEMA, is available online in PDF format at: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/APPA39a_ScreenOpt.pdf.

3. October 20 is deadline for National Conference poster session submissions
Proposal submissions for poster sessions for the ACRL 13th National Conference, “Sailing into the Future - Charting Our Destiny,” are due October 20, 2006. The ACRL 13th National Conference will be held in Baltimore, March 29 - April 1, 2007, and offers a forum for an exciting and energizing exchange of ideas on research, practices, developments, and visions in the field of academic and research librarianship.

Poster sessions are informal presentations featuring innovative library-based projects, including successful solutions to problems. Posters may use graphics, tables, and charts; handouts are recommended. Submitters are encouraged to investigate the issues and topics described as part of the conference tracks, and to think about both the future for academic librarianship and the practices that will help librarians get there. Conference track and theme descriptions are available at: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlevents/baltimore/program07/trackdescriptions.htm. The complete Call for Participation is online at: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlevents/baltimore/program07/program07.htm (scroll down for the Call for Presentation). Proposals must be submitted via the online proposal form (http://www.eshow2000.com/acrl/2007/program_proposal_submission.cfm). Poster session proposals are refereed and proposals will be evaluated on clarity and on the usefulness of the information provided to the academic/research library community.

4. Register for the ACRL Fall Virtual Institute by October 26
Register now for the ACRL Fall Virtual Institute, "The User at the Center," which will be held completely online on November 9, 2006. The institute will focus on how libraries can use technologies and practice to put the user at the center of the information enterprise on campus. Maximize your ability to meet your mission on campus by discovering new tools and new ways of thinking about users and their behaviors. The ACRL Fall Virtual Institute will provide participants with a framing featured speaker, Jeffrey Trzeciak, University Librarian at McMaster University, as well as concurrent sessions focusing on topics varying from vlogging to wikis to user perceptions and more. Complete program descriptions are online at http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlevents/fallvirtualinstitute.htm.

Registration materials are online at http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlevents/fallvirtualinstitute.htm. October 26, 2006, is the advance registration deadline. Register for the ACRL Fall Virtual Institute and enjoy these benefits:
* Flexible event schedule with synchronous and asynchronous activities
* Access to ALL institute sessions in the community archives which is available for one year after the event
* View and download speaker materials including PowerPoint presentations, bibliographies, and biographies
* Connect directly with experts and network with other attendees