ACRL launches interest groups

Contact: Mary Jane Petrowski
ACRL
(312) 280-2523
mpetrowski@ala.org

NEWS
For Immediate Release
November 18, 2008

CHICAGO - The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) announces the formation of the Residency Interest Group, the first interest group approved by the ACRL Board of Directors.

The Residency Interest Group supports the creation, implementation, management and promotion of library residency programs. It accomplishes this by providing a central location for information about program availability; the creation of core competencies, evaluation and assessment standards; and the overall advancement of the quality of resident education.

“We have plans to achieve this in a variety of ways,” said Residency Interest Group Convenor Megan Perez of the University of Arkansas, “including the publication of a regular report of resident statistics, the development of educational content for both residents and library professionals who train and mentor residents, the creation of service opportunities for current residents and the refinement of a series of tools for administrators who manage residency programs. Having a home within ACRL will provide us with methods of support, visibility, representation and participation.”

Approved by the membership in the 2008 ALA/ ACRL election, interest groups provide a way to easily create a “home” within ACRL for topics and issues that are currently underrepresented in the organization. They provide a dynamic system for ACRL members to form communities around important emerging issues in the profession and to increase opportunities for involvement within the organization. ACRL interest groups are very fluid and can be quickly formed in response to environmental changes.
Any ACRL member can propose the creation of an interest group by submitting a proposal form consisting of the name of the proposed group, identification of the initial convener(s), proposed scope, an explanation of how the proposed group is unique within ACRL and a petition with signatures of 25 active members. Proposals are reviewed on an ongoing basis by the ACRL Board of Directors, which approves the creation of new interest groups.
Once an interest group is formed, ACRL members may join by selecting it as one of their choices when they renew their membership. Additional information on creating ACRL interest groups, including a link to the proposal form, can be found on the ACRL Web site at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/resources/policies/ch15interestgroups.cfm.

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), representing nearly 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 is on the Web at http://www.acrl.org/.