Environmental Scan 2007 (January 2008)
The 2007 environmental scan by the ACRL Research Committee explores the current atmosphere in the world of academic and research libraries along with trends that will define the future of academic and research librarianship and the research environment. The document builds on earlier ACRL reports, identifying several emerging issues.
Establishing a Research Agenda for Scholarly Communication: A Call for Community Engagement (November 2007)
This white paper, by ACRL's Scholarly Communications Committeee, encourages academics, librarians and their key partners to gather more data on practices that both enable and inhibit the production of scholarship and its communication. The report results from a one-day invitational meeting to collectively brainstorm the evidence needed to manage and influence the changing system of scholarly communication. It identifies eight themes, with research possibilities in each area, and invites broad comment.
What Chief Academic Officers Want from Their Libraries: Findings from interviews with Provosts and Chief Academic Officers (October 2007)
This is the central finding from a recent survey of Provosts and Chief Academic Officers conducted on behalf of the Association for College and Research Libraries by Leigh S. Estabrook and the University of Illinois
Achieving Racial and Ethnic Diversity among Academic and Research Librarians: The Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement of Librarians of Color (July 2007)
A White Paper by the ACRL Board of Directors Diversity Task Force, produced by Teresa Y. Neely, Ph.D. and Lorna Peterson, Ph.D.
Culture Keepers VI
A companion piece to the ACRL Diversity White Paper by Julie Todaro.
Stepping through the Open Door: A Forum on New Modes of Information Delivery in Higher Education (September 2007)
Report from an invitational forum, held March 5 and 6, 2007 in Denver, sponsored jointly by ACRL, EDUCAUSE and the National Association of College Stores.
Changing Roles of Academic and Research Libraries (February 2007)
Essay derived from a Roundtable on Technology and Change in Academic Libraries, convened by ACRL on November 2-3, 2006 in Chicago.
People to People Ambassador Programs: College and Research Librarians Delegation to the People's Republic of China, led by Dr. Camila A. Alire (August 2006)
Journal covering the March 2006 Academic and Research Librarians delegation to China, which was part of the People to People Ambassador Programs.
The Future of Higher Education: A View from CHEMA (August 2006)
A report presented by CHEMA and ECAR, with generous sponsorship from Carter & Burgess, Inc., and produced for CHEMA by APPA.
Factors Influencing the Number of Computers in Libraries: An Exploratory White Paper
White paper by ACRL's College Libraries Section.
Open Access and the ACRL Serial Publishing Program (June 2004)
White paper by ACRL staff addressing the issues surrounding open access and exploring financial implications for ACRL were it to adopt an open access model of publication for its serial publications. The paper was presented to and discussed by the ACRL Board at its June 2004 meting. If you are not a member of ACRL and would like access to this paper, e-mail Kathryn Deiss.
Scholarly Communications Research Agenda (June 2004)
Prepared by ACRL's Scholarly Communication Committee, this research agenda was approved by the ACRL Board of Directors in June 2004.
YALSA's Oustanding Books for the College Bound (February 2004)
Listing prepared every five years by the Young Adult Library Services Association's Outstanding Books for the College Bound Committee. The list covers a range of subject areas and brings together meaningful monographs from classics to modern works which help the college-bound prepare for a student's work at the college/university level.
Statement on Fair Use and Electronic Reserves (November 2003)
Statement endorsed by ACRL, ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP), the Association of Research Libraries, the Association of American Law Libraries, the Medical Library Association, and the Special Libraries Association, in response to confusion about the TEACH Act and ongoing uncertainty regarding e-reserves and fair use.
Code of Ethics for Special Collections Librarians (October 2003)
This code of ethics, prepared by ACRL's Rare Books and Manuscripts Section, is an update to the 1993 "Standards for Ethical Conduct for Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Librarians."
Principles and Strategies for the Reform of Scholarly Communication (June 2003)
Scholarly communication is the system through which research and other scholarly writings are created, evaluated for quality, disseminated to the scholarly community, and preserved for future use. The system includes both formal means of communication, such as publication in peer-reviewed journals, and informal channels, such as electronic listservs. This document addresses issues related primarily to the formal system of scholarly communication.
2003 ACRL Environmental Scan (2003) 
(Members only)
ACRL conducts an ongoing environmental scan to identify trends and emerging issues that may affect the future of higher education, academic libraries, and the association. This is the most recent version of the scan. This information is password protected for ACRL members only.
Recruitment, Retention & Restructuring: Human Resources in Academic Libraries (May 2002) (Members only)
This white paper, prepared by the Ad Hoc Task Force on Recruitment & Retention Issues (a subcommittee of the Association of College & Research Libraries Personnel Administrators & Staff Development Officers Discussion Group) summarizes the labor gap currently facing academic and research libraries, outlines the related issues and library. This document is also available for sale as a print publication from ACRL Publications.
ACRL Statement on Professional Development (July 2000)
Prepared by ACRL's Professional Development Committee, the ACRL Statement on Professional Development is both a declaration and a mandate, through which the members and staff of ACRL declare our collective intent to strive for professional excellence through rigorous programs of lifelong learning and personal growth.
Do We Need Academic Libraries? (January 2000)
This position paper, written by Larry Hardesty, addresses the necessity of requiring accredited transregional and virtual institutions to maintain a physical library space.
ACRL/AASL Blueprint for Collaboration (2000)
Prepared by the AASL (American Association of School Librarians)/ACRL Task Force on the Educational Role of Libraries, this report outlines ways of initiating and fostering closer collaboration between librarians in K-12 and post-secondary education to the benefit of the constituencies they serve.
Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights (June 1999)
This statement was created to provide an interpretation of general intellectual freedom principles in an academic library setting and, in the process, raise consciousness of the intellectual freedom context within which academic librarians work.
Task Force on Academic Library Outcomes Assessment Report (June 1998)
Report from ACRL's Task Force on Academic Library Outcomes Assessement, which includes suggestions for incorporating outcomes assessment into ACRL standards, as well as for using them in other contexts.
Academic Librarianship and the Redefining Scholarship Project (March 1998)
This report from ACRL's Task Force on Institutional Priorities and Faculty Rewards was produced to help define and describe the kind of scholarship performed by academic librarians. The definitions are intended to extend the range of activities recognized as scholarly for the purposes of tenure, promotion, merit, or reward system guidelines.
A Progress Report on Information Literacy: An Update on the American Library Association Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report (March 1998)
A follow-up report to the American Library Association Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report outlining the progress made toward the meeting the recommendations put forth in the initial report.
Sources of Information on Performance and Outcome Assessment (1997)
A list of sources compiled by ACRL's Standards and Accreditation Committee on the topic of Performance and Outcome Assessment.
Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report (January 1989)
This report from the Presidential Committee on Information Literacy called for more attention to information literacy at a time when many other learning deficiencies are being expressed by educators, business leaders, and parents and includes six recommendations for meeting information literacy needs.