ACRL-LA and LaSSAL:
Working and Learning Together
Boris Teske, Louisiana Tech University
Michael Matthews, Northwestern State University
Megan Lowe, University of Louisiana-Monroe
LaSSAL Conference
Alexandria, LA
May 15, 2009
Part 1
WHAT IS ACRL?
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Division of the American Library Association since 1940
13,250 members, ~20% of ALA
Professional association of academic librarians from all types of academic
libraries—community and junior college, college, and university—as well as
comprehensive and specialized research libraries and their professional
staffs
Dedicated
 to enhancing the ability of academic library and information
professionals
 to serve the information needs of the higher education community and
 to improve learning, teaching, and research
Provides a broad range of professional services and programs for a diverse
membership
ACRL Web site <http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/index.cfm>
Issues & Advocacy
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The Future of Academic Libraries and Higher Education
Information Literacy
The Role of the Community College Library in the Academy
Scholarly Communication
Marketing @ your library
Government Relations
Recruiting to the Profession
REAL (research projects)
Issues & Advocacy
Task Forces e.g. latest, on Assessment Skills
White Papers and Reports
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Environmental Scan 2007 (January 2008)
Establishing a Research Agenda for Scholarly Communication: A Call for Community
Engagement (November 2007)
What Chief Academic Officers Want from Their Libraries: Findings from Interviews
with Provosts and Chief Academic Officers (October 2007)
Achieving Racial and Ethnic Diversity among Academic and Research Librarians:
The Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement of Librarians of Color (July 2007)
Stepping through the Open Door: A Forum on New Modes of Information Delivery in
Higher Education (September 2007)
Changing Roles of Academic and Research Libraries (February 2007)
Assumptions about the Relevant Future for Academic and Research Librarians
and Libraries (September 2006)
Academic Library Trends and Statistics Survey (2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007)
Standards & Guidelines
Access
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Guidelines for University Library Services to Undergraduate Students (June 2005)
College and University Libraries
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Standards for Distance Learning Library Services (July 2008)
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Standards for Libraries in Higher Education (June 2004)
Education, Personnel, and Academic Status
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A Guideline for the Screening & Appointment of Academic Librarians (2004)
 Guidelines for Academic Status for College and University Librarians (January 2007)
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Standards for Faculty Status for College and University Librarians (June 2007)
Information Literacy and Instruction
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Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices: A
Guideline (June 2003)
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Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (Jan. 2000)
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Special Collections and Archives
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Guidelines for Borrowing and Lending Special Collections Materials for Exhibition
(January 2005)
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Competencies for Special Collections Professionals (July 2008)
Membership
Personal Member Categories
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First time member
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Renewing
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International
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Retired
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Student
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Library support staff
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Associate
ACRL Chapters
Personal application form (PDF)
ALA’s online registration form (credit card only)
Member Research
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2006 Membership Survey Findings: Final Report (June 13, 2006)
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Focus Group Research Report (April 2005)
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Final, Consolidated Report of 2003 Member Research (October, 2003)
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Web Survey Results (October 2003)
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Telephone Research Summary (September 2003)
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Focus Group Research Report (April 2003)
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2003 ACRL Environmental Scan
The Top 10 Ways to Get
Involved with ACRL
1. Volunteer to Serve on a Committee
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ACRL/LLAMA Interdivisional Committee on Building Resources
Marketing Academic And Research Libraries Committee
National Conference Coordinating Committee
Professional Development Committee
Professional Development Coordinating Committee
Publications Coordinating Committee
Racial and Ethnic Diversity Committee
Research Coordinating Committee - Assessment Committee
Research Planning and Review Committee
Research Program Committee
Intellectual Freedom Committee
Scholarly Communication Committee
(Committee on the) Status of Academic Librarians
Standards & Accreditation Committee
AASL/ACRL Interdivisional Committee on Information Literacy
Information Literacy Coordinating Committee
Information Literacy Standards Committee
Information Literacy Web Site Committee
Institute for Information Literacy Executive Committee
2. Contribute to a Section
through interest-specific newsletters, electronic discussion lists, specialized
programming, preconferences, recognition, and focused activities
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African American Studies Librarians (AFAS)
Anthropology and Sociology Section (ANSS)
Arts Section
Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Section (AAMES)
College Libraries Section (CLS)
Community and Junior College Libraries Section (CJCLS)
Distance Learning Section (DLS)
Education and Behavioral Sciences Section (EBSS)
Instruction Section (IS)
Law and Political Science Section (LPSS)
Literatures in English (LES)
Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS)
Science and Technology Section (STS)
Slavic and East European Section (SEES)
University Libraries Section (ULS)
Western European Studies Section (WESS)
Women's Studies Section (WSS)
3. Join a Discussion Group
Informal forums at ALA Midwinter Meetings and Annual Conferences
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Australian-Canadian-New Zealand Studies
Balancing Baby and Book
Consumer and Family Studies
Continuing Education/Professional
Development
Copyright
Electronic Reserves
Fee-Based Information Services Centers in
Academic Libraries
Heads of Public Services
Information Commons
Librarianship in For-Profit Educational
Institutions
Library and Information Science Collections
Library Development
Media Resources
MLA International Bibliography
New Members
Personnel Administrators & Staff
Development
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Philosophical, Religious, and Theological
Studies
Popular Culture and Libraries
Regional Campus Libraries
Scholarly Communication
Senior Administrators
Sports and Recreation
Team Based Organizations
Undergraduate Librarians
Information Literacy Peer Consultants
and Speakers Database
Marketing @ your Library Campaign
Trainer Listing
ACRLog
ACRL Wiki
ACRL OnPoint Chat
E-mail Updates and Discussion Lists
Online Communities
4. Attend Conferences
The ACRL 14th National Conference was held in Seattle, March 12-15, 2009
Conference Proceedings
Pushing the Edge: Explore, Extend, Engage ($90.00)
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Preconferences
Keynotes
Invited Papers
Contributed Papers
Workshops
Panel Discussions
Exhibits
Poster Sessions
CyberShed
Roundtables
Chapter Conferences
ACRL-LA pre-LUC, etc.
5. Learn Online e-Learning
Online Seminars (multi-week, delivered through Moodle)
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Electronic Collection Development (May 18 - June 6, 2009)
 Web Design and Construction for Libraries Part 2 (May 18 - June 13, 2009)
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Virtual Reference Competencies (June 22 - July 31, 2009)
Live Webcasts (one to two hours, delivered through online classroom)
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Design Thinking (Blended Librarianship) (May 14, 2009)
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Podcasting for Libraries (June 2, 2009)
ACRL/TLT Group Online Information Literacy Seminar Series
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Information Literacy and Assessment
Wednesdays, May 6, 13, and 20 2009 at 1-2 pm EDT
Debra Gilchrist, Pierce College, and Anne Zald, University of Washington
Toolkits
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Advocacy Toolkit—The Power of Personal Persuasion (PDF)
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Information Literacy Competency Standards Toolkit
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Marketing @ your library
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Scholarly Communication Toolkit
6. Keep Learning
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Institutes
Institute for Information Literacy Immersion '09 Program
ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians
8. Publish
Journals
College & Research Libraries News
College and Research Libraries
Choice Publications
RBM: A Journal of Rare Books,
Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage
Books & Monographs
Publications in Librarianship Series
Dr. John M. Budd, The Changing
Academic Library: Operations, Culture,
Environments (2005)
Resources for College Libraries
Digital Publications
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Informing Innovation: Tracking Student Interest in Emerging Library
Technologies at Ohio University (PDF)
Studying Students: The Undergraduate Research Project at the
University of Rochester (PDF)
CLIP Notes (College Library Information Packets)
practical ideas, sample documents from college and small university libraries
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User Surveys in College Libraries
Managing Student Employees in College and University Libraries
Appropriate Use Policies for Computers in College/University Libraries
Travel, Sabbatical, and Study Leave Policies in College Libraries
Displays and Exhibits in College Libraries
9. Participate in Mentorship Programs
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College Library Directors Mentor Program
Sci/Tech Library Mentors (Science & Technology Section)
Dr. E. J. Josey Spectrum Scholar Mentor Program
Library Support Staff Interests Round Table
(LSSIRT)
Mission
To provide an arena within ALA for addressing a wide variety of
issues of concern to library support staff, including but not limited
to basic training programs, education, career development, job
duties and responsibilities and other related issues for the
purpose of fostering communication and networking among all
levels of library personnel. To be responsible for the timely
dissemination of information to local, regional, state and national
support staff organizations.
ALA-Library Support Staff Certification Project
<http://www.slis.indiana.edu/news/story.php?story_id=1676>
"Academic Library Support Staff Competencies:
What Should Support Staff Know and be Able to Do?"
Prof. Rachel Applegate, School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University
<https://idea.iupui.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1805/1878/
Applegate%20ACRL%202009%20Academic%20Library%20
Support%20Staff%20Competencies.pdf?sequence=1>
Part 2
ACRL-LA TIMELINE
ACRL-LA: A Timeline of
Activities
2003: A Hole in One!
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The last major ACRL-LA conference was held
Thursday, November 6, to Friday, November
7, at Cypress Bend Resort on Toledo Bend
Lake near Many, LA
Librarians from all over the South attended
ACRL Past President Dr. Patrician S. Breivik
was the keynote speaker – at the time, she
served as the Chair of the National Forum on
Information Literacy (is currently Chair
Emeritus) and has won several awards for
her work and publications
2004 – 2006: …we slowed down
ACLR-LA still existed but wasn’t as active as
it had been in years past
 The Executive Board still met and conducted
business, but there weren’t many activities to
speak of, and no conference
 By-laws were considered and revised;
officers elected; and people came and went,
moving out of state for other adventures…
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2007: We woke up!
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This year saw the inaugural ACRL-LA Pre-LUC
workshop on Wednesday, October 10, in the LOUIS
Conference Room in the Frey Computing Services
Building at LSU
2007’s workshop was “Assessment of Academic
Library Effectiveness: Using the ACRL Standards
for Continuous Evaluation,” presented by William
Nelson and Robert Fernekes – this presentation
covered SACS accreditation and academic libraries
Nelson & Fernekes are regular speakers on the topic
and have presented to the LA Board of Regents, in
addition to regularly speaking at ACRL conferences
2008: Pickin’ Up Speed!
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2008 saw ACRL-LA gaining momentum and
hosting a variety of activities, starting an initiative,
and creating a more stable presence on the Web
LLA in March in Shreveport: Mike Matthews
presented on mentorship in academic libraries,
making the official first steps of ACRL-LA’s
mentoring initiative (though we don’t call it that
now – it’s a peer support network!)
ACRL-LA also held a meet-n-greet at LLA as a
way to foster relations between itself and LLA
2008: Pickin’ Up Speed!
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During the spring semester, we hosted a panel
discussion entitled “The Future of the University
Library: Strategic Management for the 21st Century”
on January 24th at the Lafayette Economic Development
Authority
Dr. Julie Todaro, ACRL National President; Dr. Thomas
Armstrong, Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs at LSUAlexandria; and John T. Landry, Director of Development
at ULL, spoke, covering a variety of topics from
fundraising to the role of the library in the university
2008: Pickin’ Up Speed!
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In order to kick-start the mentoring initiative,
ACRL-LA created a mentoring committee and
conducted a survey to solicit information from
academic librarians state-wide
The results of that survey were presented at LUC
by Mike Matthews, Megan Lowe, and Rob Bremer
(LA Tech), the LLA Liaison for ACRL-LA
The ACRL-LA website also underwent a significant
change: it obtained its own domain
(www.acrlla.org), as well as starting up forums for
discussion, hosted through the website
2008: Pickin’ Up Speed!
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ACRL-LA also hosted another pre-LUC workshop, this
time at the State Library of Louisiana, on Wednesday,
October 8
This workshop, entitled “Publish & Flourish: Writing
for Academic Librarians,” featured Dr. John Budd,
Professor and Associate Director in the School of
Information Science and Learning Technologies at the
University of Missouri, who as published much on
scholarly communication, as well as LA’s very own Tony
Fonseca (Nicholls), Melissa Goldsmith (Nicholls), and
Sigrid Kelsey (LSU)
2008: Pickin’ Up Speed!
The pre-LUC workshop featured several
break-out sessions hosted by the various
speakers, covering various aspects of
scholarly publishing, from academic
writing to publishing outside of academe to
book reviews to reference books
 2008 also saw the revival of the ACRL-LA
newsletter and some changes and
revisions to the By-Laws
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2009: Just Gettin’ Started!
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In conjunction with the peer support
networking initiative, we’ve hosted a series of
focus groups throughout the state, gathering
more information on what librarians want
from such an initiative and how they plan to
participate
The first focus group was held at McNeese;
several others – including two at LLA – have
been held since then (with more to come!)
2009: Just Gettin’ Started!
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Also at LLA: ACRL-LA co-hosted another meet-ngreet with LLA; at this meet-n-greet, ACRL-LA
handed out its newly-created and inaugural
“Scholar Librarian of the Year” Award to LSU’s
Sigrid Kelsey!
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This award “recognizes an academic librarian whose
original research and scholarship related and relevant to
academic libraries and higher education has resulted in
outstanding work published during the previous calendar
year.”
The winner receives a framed certificate and $250.00! (A
clip of the presentation can be found on our website.)
2009: Just Gettin’ Started!
In the works:
ACRL-LA is starting up its own open-access peerreviewed scholarly journal! It doesn’t have a name
yet, but it should be ready to go in the fall of this
year! Keep an eye out for it!
2009: Just Gettin’ Started!
In the works:
Another pre-LUC workshop is in the works, this with
the themes of leadership and advocacy. We’ve got
Scott Walter, Associate University Librarian for
Services at the University of Illinois-Urbana/
Champaign, and Beth Avery, University of North
Texas, Head of Research and Instructional Services,
as well as directors from institutions around Louisiana,
coming to speak!
2009: Just Gettin’ Started!
In the works:
Coming June 17 to Baton Rouge: ACRL Roadshow!
From a pool of 46 applicants, only five sites were
chosen, and ACRL-LA was chosen! Even better in
our current economic climate: IT’S FREE! LOUIS’s
very own Ralph Boé will be speaking at the
Roadshow, and ACRL-LA will be hosting a sit-down
Lunch (it’s not free, but it will be worth it).
2009: Just Gettin’ Started!
We also plan to present at various
conferences throughout the state…
…including LaSSAL! We’re trying to connect
and collaborate to improve libraries in the
state of Louisiana! We need *YOU* in
order to do that!
Part 3
WHAT CAN WE DO TOGETHER?
Interactive time with Mike Matthews
Question & Answer Time
ACRL-LA & LaSSAL: Working Together
LaSSAL Conference • May 15, 2009
Presentation URL
http://www.ulm.edu/~lowe/acrllalassal09.ppt
 ACRL-LA Home
http://www.acrlla.org
 Contact
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Boris Teske: teskeb@latech.edu
 Mike Matthews: matthewsm@nsula.edu
 Megan Lowe: lowe@ulm.edu
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Thanks for coming!
We look forward to working with you!