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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Instruction Section What is the mission of the Instruction Section (IS)? What is the mission of the Instruction Section (IS)? How is IS structured? The Executive Committee has authority over the affairs of the Section and is responsible to the ACRL Board. Its members are the seven elected officers of the Section: Chair, Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, Secretary, Past Chair, and four Members-at-Large. The entire IS membership has the opportunity to vote for the officers as part of the general ALA election each spring. Executive Committee terms begin immediately after the Annual Conference. The Advisory Council is composed of the Executive Committee, plus all the chairs of the standing committees and task forces, and ex-officio members, which include the IS Newsletter Editor, IS Web Administrators, and Director of the Library Orientation & Exchange Clearinghouse (LOEX). Advisory Council meetings provide a forum for communication and coordination, with committees and task forces reporting on activities and making recommendations for Executive Committee consideration. All standing committee and task force chairs and members are appointed for the coming year by the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect of the Section. Most appointments are made in February/March, and begin after the ALA Annual Conference that year. It is the general policy of the Section to appoint to the committees and task forces a combination of experienced IS members and those who have not previously served on Section committees and task forces. In some cases, members are reappointed for a second term. Terms are staggered to provide overlap and continuity. The IS committee and task force rosters list the term of appointment for each member. In 1984 the Instruction Section began the practice of appointing one-year interns for each standing committee in order to provide an opportunity for new members to become acquainted with the work of the Section. The interns are responsible for taking minutes at committee meetings and maintaining the committee web page to involve them more fully in the work of the committee.
You will become active nationally in issues related to instruction and information literacy. The Section provides programs at the ALA and ACRL conferences, forums for members to share ideas, documents and standards that guide practicing librarians, and a wide range of opportunities for networking in person and online with colleagues who have similar interests. How can I become involved in IS? To participate in the Instruction Section, you must be a member of ACRL. If you are interested in serving on a committee, visit Committee Appointments.
On what projects is the Instruction Section currently working? Please visit the Section's Projects web page and Committee web pages to learn more about ongoing projects and initiatives. What publications are produced by the Instruction Section? The Instruction Section produces two newsletters per year for its members. The Section has also issued several other publications. How can I find out more about Information Literacy? The Instruction Section sponsors a listserv, ILI-L. The purpose of ILI-L is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas on instruction and information literacy. The Section also maintains a list of related sites, some of which deal with the topic of information literacy, and contributes content to the ACRL Information Literacy web site. With what conferences is the Instruction Section involved? The Instruction Section frequently has programs, meetings and forums at the ACRL National Conference, the ALA Midwinter Conference, and the ALA Annual Conference. Please visit our Conferences page for the most up-to-date information. |