ACRL Update - April 16, 2008

1. Reminder – Vote in ALA/ ACRL elections
2. Legislative advocates sought
3. ACRL/ LAMA registration deadline approaching
4. Become an IFLA representative
5. Section 108 Study Group report chat

1. Reminder – Vote in ALA/ ACRL elections
Polls in the 2008 ALA/ ACRL elections close at 11:59 p.m. CDT on Thursday, April 24. Information on the election is available on the ACRL elections web page at http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/aboutacrl/election.cfm. Remember to get out and vote for the candidates of your choice!

2. Legislative advocates sought
ACRL is looking to expand our group of legislative advocates and invites you to join. Are you interested in federal legislation and policy affecting libraries, connected in your campus community, and willing to work with your members of Congress for change? Read more about the responsibilities and duties of legislative advocates at http://www.acrl.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/washingtonwatch/acrladvocates.cfm and apply online by July 11, 2008.

You can learn more about the program in to an interview with Jonathan Miller, Director of Olin Library at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., and part of the inaugural group of ACRL Legislative Advocates. The podcast is available at http://blogs.ala.org/acrlpodcast.php?title=continued_commitment_to_grassroots_legis.

Also, please join us in welcoming Michael McLane as ACRL’s new visiting program officer. McLane is director of libraries at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and will be helping recruit new ACRL legislative advocates, plan training, and assess the program.

3. ACRL/ LAMA registration deadline approaching
April 21 is the registration deadline for the ACRL/LAMA Joint Spring Virtual Institute, "Leading from the Middle: Managing in All Directions.” The Institute, offered by ACRL and the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA), will be held April 29-30, 2008.

The Institute will feature live, interactive webcasts and asynchronous online poster sessions, allowing for convenient scheduling and flexibility. Programs will address issues of management and leadership, including developing library professionals, inspiring change, interim appointments, library 2.0 transformation, innovation and more. All institute programs will be archived for viewing on-demand after the institute. Additional information and registration materials are online at http://www.acrl.org/ala/acrl/acrlevents/springvirtualinstitute.cfm. Send questions to Margot Conahan at mconahan@ala.org or 312-280-2522.

4. Become an IFLA representative
ACRL invites applicants to serve as ALA representatives to IFLA standing committees for the 2009 – 2013 term. There is currently one vacancy each in the following IFLA Standing Committees:
Art Libraries
Information Literacy
Rare Books and Manuscripts
Science and Technology Libraries
Social Science Libraries
University Libraries and other General Research Libraries

Becoming an ALA representative to IFLA is easy. Simply apply through the chair of the ACRL Section that nominates representatives for the IFLA standing committee on which you wish to serve. Your application should reach your Section Chair no later than end of April. The ACRL International Relations Committee will be reviewing applications and making recommendations to the ACRL Board at ALA Annual in Anaheim. Detailed information, including section contacts, is available on the ACRL Insider blog at http://www.acrl.ala.org/acrlinsider/2008/04/14/become-an-ala-representative-to-ifla/.

5. Section 108 Study Group report chat
The second ACRL OnPoint chat, covering the recently released Section 108 Study Group report, will be held starting at 1 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, April 29. Join conveners Becky Albitz, Electronic Resources and Copyright Librarian at Penn State and ACRL Copyright Committee Chair; and Jim Neal, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian at Columbia University and a member of the U.S. Copyright Office Section 108 Study Group for a lively discussion of the advocacy and educational roles and responsibilities of librarians as changes to Section 108.

Visit the OnPoint website at http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlproftools/OnPoint/onpoint.cfm for additional details including access information and an archive of last month’s chat on the NIH public access policy.