ACRL launches Chat Series

Contact: David FreeACRL(312) 280-2517dfree@ala.org
Press Release
March 10, 2008

ACRL launches chat series

CHICAGO - The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is pleased to announce ACRL OnPoint, a new live chat series. Each informal monthly chat session provides the opportunity to connect with colleagues and experts to discuss an issue of the day in academic and research librarianship.

All ACRL OnPoint chats are free and open to the public. Sessions are unmoderated, 30-45 minutes in length and take place in a Meebo chat room. All chat sessions begin at 1 p.m. CDT. While no registration is necessary to participate, ACRL recommends creating a quick and easy Meebo account for the best experience while participating in ACRL OnPoint discussions.

Join us on March 27 for the inaugural ACRL OnPoint chat on the newly mandatory NIH Public Access Policy. Further reading about this available on the ACRL OnPoint page.

The discussion of how libraries are leveraging this new policy on campus will be convened by ACRL Scholarly Communication Committee member Karen Williams and Linda Watson, president of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries. Discuss actions your library is taking or could take, such as educating authors, offering deposit services and partnering with your office of sponsored research.

This first chat session is co-sponsored by the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries, the Association of Research Libraries, the Greater Western Library Alliance and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).

Future ACRL OnPoint chats include:

April 2008: Section 108 Study Group Report -Discuss the implications of the recommendations and findings of this forthcoming report (expected in mid-March) for academic libraries.
May 2008: Green Libraries - Share ideas about what libraries are, or could be, doing to meet the growing “greening” of college and university campuses.
June 2008: ACRL 101 - Find your path to participation to get the most out of your ACRL membership and discuss ACRL activities at the 2008 ALA Annual Conference with Associate Director Mary Jane Petrowski.

Send ideas for future ACRL OnPoint chat topics to acrl@ala.org with the subject heading ACRL OnPoint.

ACRL is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), representing more than 13,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments.

ACRL Virtual Reference Competencies II

Virtual Reference Competencies II: Practice and Expand Communications Skills and Knowledge
An ACRL Online SeminarJanuary 28 -February 16, 2008


Course Description:Virtual reference service requires all of the same professional communications skills and knowledge as face-to-face reference service. The challenge is to apply, practice, imagine, and understand how to communicate professionally within the technology context and using good reference skills and knowledge. In this course participants will engage in learning activities, supported by readings as well as lecture and discussion to practice and expand the communications competencies required by effective virtual reference librarians.

"Virtual Reference Competencies II: Practice and Expand Communications Skills and Knowledge" is a primarily asynchronous seminar, allowing participants to work through course material at times convenient to them throughout the three week scheduled course time. Participants may also choose to schedule online chat time with the teacher, as they feel necessary. Specific material and learning activities will be covered during each week of the course. Threaded discussion forums are available for use in learning activities and other course-related conversations.

Instructor: Diane Kovacs, Kovacs Consulting


Registration:
ACRL member: $135
ALA member: $175
CACUL member: Can$195 (charges will be made in U.S. dollars)
Nonmember: $195
Student: $60

ACRL Top 10 Assumptions for future of academic libraries

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) unveiled its Top Ten Assumptions for the future of academic and research libraries during the ACRL’s 13th National Conference held March 29 to April 1 in Baltimore.

The ACRL Research Committee developed the top ten assumptions after surveying member leaders and conducting a literature review. A panel representing community and liberal arts colleges, research university libraries, as well as an observer of the higher education environment reacted and commented upon the assumptions at the ACRL National Conference.

“These assumptions underscore the dominant roles that technology and consumer expectations are increasingly playing in libraries,” said Pamela Snelson, president, ACRL and college librarian at Franklin and Marshall College. “The underlying trends offer new opportunities for academic libraries and librarians to embrace the future.”

1. There will be an increased emphasis on digitizing collections, preserving digital archives, and improving methods of data storage and retrieval.
2. The skill set for librarians will continue to evolve in response to the needs and expectations of the changing populations (student and faculty) that they serve.
3. Students and faculty will increasingly demand faster and greater access to services.
4. Debates about intellectual property will become increasingly common in higher education.
5. The demand for technology related services will grow and require additional funding.
6. Higher education will increasingly view the institution as a business.
7. Students will increasingly view themselves as customers and consumers, expecting high quality facilities and services.
8. Distance learning will be an increasingly common option in higher education and will co-exist but not threaten the traditional bricks-and-mortar model.9. Free, public access to information stemming from publicly funded research will continue to grow.
10. Privacy will continue to be an important issue in librarianship.

Listen to a podcast featuring Snelson and Mullins discussing the top ten assumptions is available at . Read more by Mullins and committee members in the April issue of College & Research Libraries News.