The Association of Research Libraries Julia C Blixrud

The Association of Research Libraries Julia C. Blixrud, ARL Assistant Executive Director, External Relations Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

Association of Research Libraries • Began in 1932 • Not-for-profit organization • 124 Institutional Members – US academic (100) – Canadian academic (14) – Nonuniversity (10) • Early programs – Statistics – Bibliographic access Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

ARL Mission • Shape and influence forces affecting the future of research libraries in the process of scholarly communication. • Articulate concerns of research libraries and their institutions, forges coalitions, influences information policy development, and supports innovation and improvements in research library operations. • Operate as a forum for the exchange of ideas and as an agent for collective action. Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

ARL Characteristics • Resources – – – – – 500 million books 3. 9 million serials 44 million gov docs 2. 8 million videos 540 million mforms 34 million maps 9. 6 million audio 100 million graphics 42 thousand staff Association of Research Libraries • Expenditures – US$3. 2 billion annually – US$1 billion for acquisitions, of which 20% is now being invested in access to electronic resources • Ratios – 4% of higher education institutions managing and providing access to 40% of the information resources www. arl. org

Key Issues Facing Academic and Research Libraries* • New roles and contributions of the library to the university • Financial infrastructure and funds development • Human resources for the contemporary environment • Leadership of the library as a dynamic and complex organization • Intellectual property and copyright issues • Archiving and assuring long-term access to electronic information *Peter Hernon, Ronald Powell, Arthur Young C&RL March 2001 Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

Top Issues Facing Academic Libraries (ACRL) • Recruitment, education, and retention of librarians • Role of library in academic enterprise • Impact of information technology on library services • Creation, control and preservation of digital resources • Chaos in scholarly communication • Support of new users • Higher education funding Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

ACRL Big Ideas at CNI • • Collections issues Economics Allocating limited funds Authorization and authentication • Relationship with computing center • Licensing • Lack of advocacy Association of Research Libraries • Preservation • Library performance • Visibility and leadership on campus • Marketing • Information literacy • MLS, certification • Space and facilities • Need to change to user -centered focus www. arl. org

2003 Program Priorities • Provide leadership in advocacy and educational efforts within North American and international research and educational communities to influence legislation, institutional policies, and individual practices in the areas of intellectual property, copyright, privacy and other individual rights, and other information policies. Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

2003 Program Priorities (cont. ) • Promote tools, policies, and programs to ensure enduring, cost-effective, and integrated access to research materials from all parts of the world, in all formats, to readers working both near to and at a distance from those resources and, to the greatest extent possible, support delivery of these resources and related services to the user's desktop. Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

2003 Program Priorities (cont. ) • Encourage and support development of and access to institution-based repositories for the work of scholars and explore other strategies that could lead to more cost-effective models for managing scholarly communication in a global environment. Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

2003 Program Priorities (cont. ) • Develop effective strategies to assist member libraries in recruiting, retaining, and developing talented staff in a changing demographic and economic environment. Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

2003 Program Priorities (cont. ) • Develop new approaches and models for measuring and improving library service effectiveness, diversity, and leadership. Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

ARL Programs • • • Statistics & Measurement Federal Relations & Information Policy Scholarly Communication Access & Technology Collections Preservation Leadership & Management Diversity & Staffing Research & Development Publications & Communication Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

ARL Initiatives/Alliances • Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) • Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) • National Humanities Alliance (NHA) • National Initiative for Networked Cultural Heritage (NINCH) • Shared Legal Capability (SLC) • Higher Education Alliance for Information Technology Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

Research & Development Examples of ongoing or recently completed projects: AAU/ARL Global Resources Program ARL Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce Assessing ILL/DD Services Developing an ARL Agenda for Special Collections E-Metrics Project Lib. QUAL+™ Assessment Program NSDL Digital Library Assessment Project SAILS Scholars Portal Project Visiting Program Officer Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

ARL Governance • 9 Standing Committees • Working Groups/Task Forces • ARL Board of Directors (3 new elected from membership each year) • Executive Committee of the Board (President, Past-President, Presidentelect) Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

ARL Finances • Membership dues – Recommendation from ARL Board – Voted by Membership in October • Cost-recovery activity – Workshops – Publications • Grants • Member-supported projects Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

Communication Channels • • ARL Program Plan, March ARL Activity Report, October ARL: A Bimonthly Report e-news for ARL Directors ARL web page updated weekly ARL-Directors list ARL-Announce broadcast list Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org

Julia C. Blixrud Assistant Executive Director, External Relations Association of Research Libraries 21 Dupont Circle, Ste 800 Washington, DC 20036 jblix@arl. org 202 -296 -2296 ext. 133 202 -872 -0884 (fax) 202 -251 -4678 (cell) Association of Research Libraries www. arl. org