Focusing on the significance of information literacy to research in literary studies, the essays provide an expanded exploration of teaching research skills to students at a variety of levels, undergraduate through graduate. The concept of “the book” continues to be of utmost importance to the disciplines of language and literary study, but networks, databases and digital works all impact the research process of the literary scholar. “Teaching Literary Research” confronts these challenges and presents effective best practices as experienced from both the classroom faculty and librarian points of view.

“Teaching Literary Research” is number 60 in the ACRL Publications in Librarianship (PIL) monographic series, an occasional series focusing on research projects of interest to the academic library community. Contact series editor Craig Gibson at jgibson1@gmu.edu for more information on PIL and to propose future topics.

“Teaching Literary Research” is available for purchasethrough the ALA Online Store (http://www.alastore.ala.org) and by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the U.S. or (770) 442-8633 for international customers.

Contact: Kathryn Deiss
ACRL Content Strategist
(312) 280-2529
kdeiss@ala.org

***

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is a division of the American Library Association, 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/.

“We understand the challenges facing academic and research librarians in the area of professional development in the current economy,” said ACRL President Erika Linke. “The Frequent Learner Program is ACRL’s way of ensuring continued access to quality online learning while helping with the bottom line.”

Enrollment in the Frequent Learner Program is automatic for all individuals and groups registering for ACRL e-Learning courses and Webcasts starting Sept. 1. No additional signup is required. Complimentary e-Learning must be redeemed within 18 months of the first course or Webcast. Frequent Learner Program rewards are only redeemable for ACRL e-Learning opportunities and have no cash value. ACRL e-Learning courses and Webcasts attended prior to Sept. 1, 2009, are not eligible for the Frequent Learner Program.

Complete rules and redemption details are available on the ACRL e-Learning site at http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/events/elearning/index.cfm. Contact Jon Stahler at jstahler@ala.org or (312) 280-2511 with questions about the Frequent Learner Program and ACRL e-Learning opportunities.

Contact: Jon Stahler
ACRL
(312) 280-2511
jstahler@ala.org

***

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/.

ACRL offers a variety of timely live Webcasts addressing hot topics in academic librarianship. Webcasts last from an hour and a half to two hours and take place in an interactive online classroom. Group discounts are available for all ACRL e-Learning Webcasts. Summer 2009 Webcasts include:

Text Messaging Reference: Enhancing Reference Services with SMS (July 2, 2009)
Text messaging (also known as SMS) is now one of the most popular ways people connect with friends, family and information. This session introduces and covers the emerging field of SMS reference. It shares practical tips and best practices, as well as the management, technology and assessment considerations for this cutting edge service. Attendees will learn how to choose the best technology for SMS reference at their institution, what the advanced managerial considerations are and what is on the horizon for mobile reference services using SMS.

Academic Librarianship by Design: Enhancing the Libraries Integration into Course/Learning Management Systems (July 28, 2009)
This Webcast will explore the various methods that libraries can employ to further integrate their services and information literacy programs into Course/Learning Management Systems(e.g. Blackboard, ANGEL, eCollege). Using Blended Librarian principles, the Webcast will also explore and examine current ‘case studies’ that demonstrate how to appropriately identify and design library services for a Course/Learning Management System environment both at a course-level and a system-level.

Cyber Zed Shed Webcast Series 1: Facebook, Twitter, and Sprout (August 18, 2009)
Miss the ACRL 14th National Conference in Seattle or one of the Cyber Zed Shed presentations? Now is your chance to check out what you may have missed!  The first in a series of Cyber Zed Shed Webcasts will be feature 20-minute presentations on Facebook, Twitter and Sprout with ample time for questions and discussion.

Registration for upcoming ACRL e-Learning events is now open. Complete details and registration information is available online at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/proftools/elearning.cfm. Contact Jon Stahler at jstahler@ala.org or (312) 280-2511 with questions about ACRL e-Learning opportunities.

Contact: Jon Stahler
ACRL
(312) 280-2511
jstahler@ala.org

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/.

Developing a basic understanding of scholarly communication issues should be a high priority for every librarian. Enhancing understanding of how scholars work along with the systems, tools and technology to support the evolving work of the creation, personal organization, aggregation, discovery, preservation, access and exchange of information in all formats is one of six strategic priorities for 2009-13 developed by the ACRL Board of Directors (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/about/whatisacrl/index.cfm). The newly developed tools support this strategic priority, with a focus on new methods of scholarly publishing and communication, copyright and intellectual property and economics along with open access and openness as a principle.

The ACRL Scholarly Communication Committee, as part of its efforts to keep the toolkit current, encourages librarians to contribute tools and case studies on their local scholarly communication campaigns. Simply post a comment describing your tool and provide a link in the appropriate tab.

Contact:  Kara J. Malenfant
ACRL Scholarly Communications & Government Relations Specialist
(312) 280-2510
kmalenfant@ala.org

##

ACRL is a division of the American Library Association, 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.

Working effectively in the library profession means finding ways to reach and lead those who are not required to listen or follow. The ability to influence others is a required workplace skill and yet it is one in which very few people receive education. “Influencing Without Authority” is designed to help individuals develop the skills they need to influence peers, library administrators, college and university faculty, students and external stakeholders.

ACRL Active Guides is an occasional series devoted to providing practical guidance on workplace issues.

“Influencing Without Authority” is available for purchasethrough the ALA Online Store (http://www.alastore.ala.org) and by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the U.S. or (770) 442-8633 for international customer.

Contact: Kathryn Deiss
ACRL Content Strategist
(312) 280-2529
kdeiss@ala.org

***

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

CHICAGO – The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) announces the release of a new digital publication, “The Kaleidoscopic Concern” by Kaetrena D. Davis-Kendrick. This annotated bibliography on racial and ethnic diversity in librarianship focuses on new areas of study such as gender issues and white privilege with regard to racial minority and ethnic librarians. “The Kaleidoscopic Concern” is available on the ACRL Web site as a free downloadable digital publication at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/digital/.

Covering issues, concerns, goals and strategies surrounding the recruitment, retention and advancement of librarians of color, the work annotates more than 80 years of the profession’s earliest training initiatives and current best practices. The bibliography traces the evolution of the specific idea of affirmative action to the more nebulous concept of diversity in libraries. Books and book chapters, dissertations and theses, articles, poster sessions, presentations, reports from professional library associations and consortia and multimedia objects are annotated in “The Kaleidoscopic Concern.”

Contact:  Kathryn J. Deiss

ACRL Content Strategist

(312) 280-2529

kdeiss@ala.org

###

ACRL is a division of the American Library Association, 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.

CHICAGO – The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Rare Books and Maunscripts Section (RBMS) has selected five winners and one honorable mention for the 2009 Katharine Kyes Leab and Daniel J. Leab “American Book Prices Current” Exhibition Awards. The awards, funded by an endowment established by Katharine Kyes Leab and Daniel J. Leab, editors of “American Book Prices Current,” recognize outstanding exhibition catalogues issued by American or Canadian institutions in conjunction with library exhibitions as well as electronic exhibition catalogues of outstanding merit issued within the digital/Web environment. Certificates will be presented to each winner during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago at the RBMS Information Exchange at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 12.

The Division One (expensive) winner is “China on Paper: European and Chinese Works from the Late Sixteenth to the Early Nineteenth Century,” submitted by The Getty Research Institute.

“This year’s Division One winner is a prime and very substantial specimen of the scholarly catalog,” said Richard Noble, chair of the RBMS Exhibition Awards committee and rare books cataloger at Brown University. “While providing a record of the exhibition itself, it ranges far beyond the specifics of the exhibition, especially in the accompanying scholarly essays. This program realizes its purpose as three scholarly experts and the curator interpret the collected materials from various angles, to produce new readings of the relationship between China and the West in the period before the Western imperial adventure muddied the cultural waters forever. The physical book reflects the expense of its production, allowing a spaciousness of design that balances text and illustrations in a way that allows one to see, as well as read, what the essays are talking about.”

The Division One honorable mention winner is “The Proper Decoration of Book Covers: The Life and Work of Alice C. Morse,” submitted by The Grolier Club.

“This catalog constitutes a significant contribution to the scholarly literature of its field and documents an instance of book collecting, by Mindell Dubansky, as a form of research,” noted Noble. “There isn’t an element of this book that isn’t excellent of its kind and useful in its own right, including the provision of a general essay by Alice Cooney Freylinghausen that provides historical context and a fresh view. The Exhibitions Award Committee felt that it deserved an honorable mention as something exquisite to place alongside the weighty and impressive winner from the Getty Research Institute.”

The Division Two (moderately expensive) winner is the Stanford University Libraries’ Department of Special Collections, for their piece entitled “Experiments in Navigation: The Art of Charles Hobson.”

“The wealth of material available in Charles Hobson’s archive, recently donated to Stanford University, has been turned to every sort of advantage,” said Noble. “One proceeds through the book with growing admiration for the skilful coordination of typography, text, captions and the disposition of the various sorts of illustrations. All elements are deployed in the service of a narrative logic, to produce a record of the origin, planning and techniques of each work. This is followed through in the impeccable quality of the image reproduction, printing and paper.”

The Division Three (inexpensive) winner is “Scottie Fitzgerald: The Stewardship of Literary Memory,” submitted by the Rare Books and Special Collections department at the Thomas Cooper Library, University of South Carolina.

“In this category of the Leab Awards, we know that production values may reflect necessary economies,” Noble noted. “In this case, the design works perfectly well and is secondary to the curation of the exhibition and the compiling of the catalog. Matthew Bruccoli, the compiler, was a biographer and deep collector of F. Scott Fitzgerald and collaborated with Scottie Fitzgerald in the cultivation of her father’s posthumous reputation and the revival of interest in his work. This gives the text a first-hand intimacy with its subject - Scottie herself, as a vital ‘keeper of the flame’ and guardian of the integrity of her father’s archive. The catalogue, profusely illustrated and issued with a CD of a Fitzgerald-Bruccoli interview, is an element of this critical/historical process.”

The Division Four (brochures) winner is The Book Club of California’s brochure entitled “The Book Art of Edward Gorey.”

“One of the pleasures of reviewing the brochures is the chance to handle a number of such neat little contraptions as this one,” said Noble. “It is all the more appropriate in this case, for, as the brochure notes, Edward Gorey ‘made forays into the flexibility of eclectic book format’—that is to say, Gorey himself delighted in bookish contraptions. The scale is just right in its reminiscence of Gorey’s miniature books. All the essentials are covered, including a checklist and curator’s notes and a tiny poster for the exhibition details. It’s an excellent example of knowing what you want and getting it right by way of creatively imitative design.”

The Division Five (electronic exhibition) winner is the Modern Books and Manuscripts unit at the Harvard University Houghton Library for “Public Poet, Private Man: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow at 200,” available online at   http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/exhibits/longfellow/.

“The exhibition, which draws on Longfellow holdings of Houghton Library with highlights from the collections of the Longfellow National Historic Site in Cambridge, Mass., is a pleasure to navigate,” said Noble. “Its ‘rooms’ are clearly defined. The objects in them can be quickly glimpsed and examined more minutely in excellent digital rendition. Each item is precisely identified, and there are links to Houghton’s online catalog descriptions, as well as a general link to the finding aid for the collection. Initial presentations are compact, with clear provision for expansion on the order of ‘read more.’ The exhibition is an excellent model for ways in which large bodies of digitally reproduced materials, with good metadata, can be selected and articulated within a meaningful virtual gallery space.”

Contact: Megan Griffin

ACRL Program Coordinator

(312) 280-2514
mgriffin@ala.org

##

ACRL is a division of the American Library Association, 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.

There is no registration fee for this member event, but ACRL members should register online at www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/events/springboard.cfm by May 29 to confirm their space in the Webcast.

Clifford Lynch has been the director of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) since July 1997. CNI, jointly sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries and EDUCAUSE, includes around 200 member organizations concerned with the use of information technology and networked information to enhance scholarship and intellectual productivity. Prior to joining CNI, Lynch spent 18 years at the University of California Office of the President, the last 10 as director of library automation. Lynch, who holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California (UC)-Berkeley, is an adjunct professor at UC-Berkeley’s School of Information. He is a past president of the American Society for Information Science and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Information Standards Organization.

By providing the Springboard Event free of charge for members, the ACRL Board of Directors is responding to feedback that professional development is one of the most important services that ACRL provides and that members want additional online learning opportunities. The archived recording of the Webcast will be made available on the ACRL Web site shortly after the live event. Questions should be directed to Margot Conahan at mconahan@ala.org or call (312) 280-2522.

Contact: Margot Conahan
ACRL
(312) 280-2522
mconahan@ala.org

**

The Association of College and Research Libraries (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 is on the Web at www.acrl.org/.

The ACRL strategic priorities for 2009-13 are:

1. Strengthening ACRL’s relationships with higher education organizations that are important to faculty and administrators in order to develop institutional understanding of librarians’ roles in enhancing teaching and learning.

2. Enhancing ACRL members’ understanding of how scholars work and the systems, tools and technology to support the evolving work of the creation, personal organization, aggregation, discovery, preservation, access and exchange of information in all formats.

3. Increasing ACRL’s influence in public policy affecting higher education.

4. Increasing recognition of the value of libraries and librarians by leaders in higher education, information technology, funding agencies and campus decision making.

5. Supporting members in their exploration, research on and implementation of new and emerging information technologies and their application for library services in educational environments.

6. Increasing ACRL’s membership from professionally underrepresented ethnic and racial groups.

“The selected priorities are intended to provide additional focus to best leverage ACRL’s resources for maximum results,” said ACRL President Erika Linke. “The board feels that the priorities strengthen the existing collaboration among ACRL units and provide a clear direction that facilitates assessment and measurable outcomes. We remain committed to the entire strategic plan and anticipate that continued progress will be made across all goal areas.”

ACRL has made many significant accomplishments since adopting Charting our Future: ACRL Strategic Plan 2020 in 2004. The association distributed nearly 16,000 copies of the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education and continued to offer its annual information literacy immersion programs to expand the adoption and use of information literacy instruction, co-sponsored three national and two regional Institutes for Scholarly Communication with the Association of Research Libraries to strengthen the development of new scholarly communication models and advocated for the NIH Public Access Policy as part of ongoing efforts to influence public policy affecting higher education. ACRL has additionally offered virtual components to the popular bi-annual ACRL National Conference to further alignment of professional development with member needs and awarded nearly $200,000 in scholarships to increase access to learning opportunities, along with reaching out to higher education organizations through its Council of Liaisons program.

“The board has the utmost confidence that ACRL members will make it possible for the association to achieve continued success,” Linke continued. “We are excited about engaging with committees as we work together to advance our strategic priorities.”

Charting Our Future: ACRL Strategic Plan 2020 is available online at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/about/whatisacrl/strategicplan/index.cfm. For additional information on the ACRL Strategic Priorities: 2009-2013 and Charting our Future: ACRL Strategic Plan 2020, contact Mary Ellen Davis at mdavis@ala.org or (312) 280-2548.

Contact:  Mary Ellen Davis

ACRL Executive Director

(312) 280-2548

mdavis@ala.org

##

ACRL is a division of the American Library Association, 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.

Lisabeth Chabot, college librarian at Ithaca College, and Ann Campion Riley, assistant director for technical services at the University of Missouri, were also elected to the ACRL Board of Directors and will each serve a four-year term as director-at-large.

“It is an honor and privilege to serve as the next vice-president/president-elect of ACRL. I am excited to have a leadership role in helping ACRL continue to develop and flourish as an organization,” Hinchliffe said. “We must continue to build on our success and offer expanded opportunities for members to pursue their interests in meaningful ways. My goal is to enable every ACRL member to benefit from his or her personal connection with the association. Even in these challenging times of economic and social change, I envision a bold and exciting future for academic librarians as our institutions reinvent themselves in today’s knowledge/information society. I look forward to working collaboratively with the ACRL Board of Directors in pursuing themes of advocacy, continuous professional learning and organizational agility.”

Hinchliffe’s many activities in ACRL include serving as chair of the Blog Advisory Board (2008-present), chair of the Instruction Section (IS) Nominating Committee (2007-present) and co-chair of the National Conference Innovations Group (2007-present). She served as a member of the Information Literacy Competency Standards Review Task Force from 2007-2008, Institute for Information Literacy (ILI) Executive Committee (2006-07, 2002-03), ILI Undergraduate Student Surveys Group from 2004-07 and ILI Best Practices Advisory Panel from 2000-03. Her service to IS includes tenures as chair (2005-06), member-at-large (2000-03), secretary (1998-99) and a wide range of committee memberships.

“ACRL is delighted to have Lisa join the Board as vice-president/president-elect,” ACRL Executive Director Mary Ellen Davis said. “Her breadth of experience in ACRL activities will be an asset to the Board as it continues to work with members to meet their needs and to advance ACRL’s strategic plan.”

In addition to her work with ACRL, Hinchliffe is active in a variety of state and regional associations, including service in the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois, where she is currently a member of the Public Services Working Group (2006-present). She served on the LOEX Advisory Board from 2000-07 and was a member of the Association of Research Libraries Task Force on Library Roles in Enhanced Environments for Teaching and Learning and Library Assessment Conference Planning Committee from 2005-06. She was a member of the Illinois Library Association Awards Committee from 2001-03, along with the Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries 2001 Program Planning Committee and 2000 Preconference Program Planning Committee.

Her publications include “The Future of Information Literacy,” The Information Literacy Instruction Handbook (ACRL, 2008); “Developments in Information Literacy,” Bowker Annual: Library and Book Trade Almanac (Bowker, 2005); Neal-Schuman Electronic Classroom Handbook (Neal-Schuman, 2001); and co-authorship of “Teaching the Teachers: Developing a Teaching Improvement Program for Academic Librarians,” The Expert Library: Staffing, Sustaining and Advancing the Academic Library in the 21st Century (ACRL, forthcoming).

Hinchliffe received the University of Illinois Library School Alumni Association Leadership Award (2003), ONLINE Word Best Practice Award (2000) and Jane B. and Robert B. Downs Professional Promise Award (1995). She was selected to participate in the Frye Leadership Institute (2003), UCLA Senior Fellows Program (2003) and was elected to Beta Phi Mu in1994.

Prior to joining UIUC, Hinchliffe was library instruction coordinator at Illinois State University and served as reference librarian at Parkland (Community) College. She received her masters of education and masters of library and information science from UIUC and earned her bachelor of arts from the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota).

Contact: Mary Ellen K. Davis
ACRL Executive Director
(312) 280-3248
medavis@ala.org

###

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.