CFP: ACRL Programs for 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans

CFP: ACRL Programs for 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans

ACRL invites its committees, sections, and individual members to consider submitting a program proposal for the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans.

There will be a virtual meeting on December 8, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. CST for ACRL units and members interested in submitting a proposal for a 2011 ALA Annual Conference Program. The purpose of this meeting is to provide potential conference program planners with an understanding of the Annual Conference program planning process, including budgets, timelines, and planning tips. Please note that the Annual Conference program planning process spans twenty months, until Annual 2011.

2011 ALA Annual Conference Program Proposal forms will be due May 3, 2010. The ACRL Professional Development Coordinating Committee will review and select 2011 Annual Conference programs, and notifications will be issued before the 2010 ALA Annual Conference.

More details about the Annual Conference program process are online at http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/events/annualprogramsfaq.cfm.

Interested in participating in the virtual meeting on December 8? Please email Megan Griffin at mgriffin@ala.org. Once log-in instructions are available, you will be notified. These instructions will also be posted in ALA Connect, on the main ACRL page.

If you have any questions about the 2011 program process, please contact Megan Griffin at mgriffin@ala.org.

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Value of Academic Libraries Research Proposals

http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/ACRL_RFP_Value.pdf

Value of Academic Libraries Research Proposals

ACRL is seeking proposals from experienced researchers for the development and delivery of a comprehensive review of the quantitative and qualitative literature, methodologies and best practices currently in place for demonstrating the value of academic libraries. The request for proposals is available on the ACRL Web site. Responses are due by 4:30 p.m. CST on Nov. 2, 2009.

The current economic climate and the increased emphasis on assessment and outcomes have forced academic departments’ higher education administrators to make tough decisions regarding the funding of programs and units at their institutions. The relevance of libraries is under question. Now, more than ever, there is a need for libraries to demonstrate their value in clear, measurable ways to leaders in higher education, information technology, funding agencies, and campus decision makers in order to secure adequate funding for their operations.
The primary objective of the comprehensive review is to provide ACRL leaders with a clearer understanding of what research already exists and where gaps occur in research about the performance of academic libraries. Additionally, this review will provide ACRL members with tools and strategies to demonstrate the value of academic libraries to their institutional leadership.

Direct questions to Mary Ellen K. Davis, ACRL executive director, at mdavis@ala.org or (312) 280-3248, or to Kara Malenfant, ACRL scholarly communications/government relations specialist, at kmalenfant@ala.org or (312) 280-2510.

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