(via ACRL)
Are you looking for ways to expand your professional network and contribute to ACRL? Committee volunteers help shape ACRL by advancing its strategic plan and influencing the direction of academic and research librarianship. Serving on a committee or editorial board is a great way to become involved and make an impact on the profession.
This is an invitation for volunteers to serve on ACRL’s committees and sections. I ask you to consider volunteering with enthusiasm and with acknowledgement of the diversity of skills, perspectives, and experiences of our members. ACRL’s work is vital to the audiences we support, the librarians and libraries that make up our organization, and the communities we serve. Please consider sharing your expertise and experiences with ACRL. I hope that you will volunteer to work with ACRL and share in making a difference, supporting lifelong learners, and contributing to an informed society.
Thank you,
Lauren Pressley
ACRL Vice-President/President-Elect
The appointment process
Appointments are made at the division and section level, and through the editorial board process (see editorial board section below). Section vice-chairs are responsible for committee appointments for the year they will serve as chair. The ACRL vice-president is responsible for committee appointments at the division level for the year she serves as president. The ACRL Appointments Committee assists the vice-president in an advisory capacity. Division-level committees are created to conduct the work of the Board, and each committee crafts an annual work plan in consultation with their Board and Staff liaisons to accomplish their charged activities and responsibilities.
Current committee members whose terms conclude at the 2018 ALA Annual Conference should submit a new volunteer form if they wish to be considered for re-appointment. The online volunteer form closes February 15 and most committee appointment offers will be sent in April and May 2018.
Onsite attendance at the ALA Midwinter Meeting and the ALA Annual Conference is not a requirement of committee service. However, members of all ACRL committees, task forces, and similar bodies are expected to fully participate in the work of the group whether it be working virtually or face-to-face.
How to apply
Visit http://www.ala.org/acrl/membership/volunteer/volunteer. (Internet Explorer is the preferred browser for accessing the form). You will be asked to login using your ALA member ID and the password you created. The form should be completed by February 15, 2018. Be sure that you are a current ALA/ACRL member before attempting to login, as the form is tied directly to the ALA membership system. Need to renew? Please renew online here.
If you have any questions about using the volunteer form, please contact ACRL Program Officer Allison Payne for division committees at apayne@ala.org or ACRL Senior Program Officer Megan Griffin for section committees at mgriffin@ala.org.
Questions about the ACRL appointment process? Please join the ACRL Membership Committee on Wednesday, December 13, 2017, at 1 pm CST, for an online discussion on how the ACRL appointment process works for division-level committees, sections, interest groups, and discussion groups. Access information for the session is available here.
ACRL division-level committee appointments
ACRL committees (and their charges) can be found on the ACRL website at http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directoryofleadership/committees.
Appointments to ACRL standing committees are made in the spring for terms beginning immediately after the ALA Annual Conference. The Appointments Committee sends appointment recommendations to the ACRL president-elect. The president-elect makes the final appointments for the committees.
Questions about division-level appointments may be directed to the chair of the Appointments Committee, Catherine B. Soehner, Associate Dean, Research & User Services, University of Utah, catherine.soehner@utah.edu.
ACRL section appointments
ACRL sections help members customize their ACRL experience through newsletters, electronic discussion lists, specialized programming, preconferences, recognition, and focused activities.
Section vice-chairs appoint members to section committees. Most appointments are made in the spring for terms beginning immediately after the ALA Annual Conference. For more information about section appointments, please contact section vice-chairs. Contact information is available by logging in at http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directoryofleadership/sections.
Editorial boards
ACRL has eight editorial/advisory boards for its publications: Academic Library Trends and Statistics Survey Editorial Board; Choice Editorial Board; College & Research Libraries Editorial Board; College & Research Libraries News Editorial Board; New Publications Advisory Board; Publications in Librarianship Editorial Board; RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage Editorial Board; and Resources for College Libraries Editorial Board.
Appointments to editorial boards are made after the Midwinter Meeting for terms that begin immediately after the ALA Annual Conference. The editors recommend the names of individuals to fill vacancies. The Publications Coordinating Committee approves the recommendation and the ACRL vice-president/president-elect makes the appointment.
If you would like to be considered for appointment to an editorial board, contact the editor of the editorial board early in the fall or indicate your interest on the ACRL online volunteer form.
Representatives Assembly
The ACRL Representative Assembly consists of the current ACRL representatives to other ALA units. Appointments are made at the discretion of the ACRL president-elect. Questions about representative appointments may be directed to ACRL President-Elect Lauren Pressley at pressley@uw.edu.