ACRL New England Chapter News Online

ISSN 1527-0106

Spring 2004, Number 102

In This Issue (Home):

President's Letter

Election Results

C.E. Committee Chair Needed

Librarian of the Year Award

Annual Conference Reports

National Legislative Day Report

Interest Group Reports:
Access Services (ASIG)
Information Technology (ITIG)
Instruction (NELIG)
Online Course Info. (LOCI)
Women's Studies

Annual Reports

Board Meeting Minutes, February 11th, 2004 (.pdf)

Calendar Listings

President's Letter

Linda Collins
Harvard University

The ACRL/NEC Spring Conference offered a program of lively discussion and diverse views on the future and direction of academic libraries. Keynote speaker, Norman Fainstein, President of Connecticut College, offered his views on the "Library's Role in the Changing Academic Organization". As a member of the executive board of the Council on Library and Information Resources and someone who has had a long interest in the role of information technology in a liberal arts education, his remarks were well informed and substantive. Serving as a benevolent provocateur, President Fainstein encouraged us to imagine the library of the future with electronic access eliminating the need for the duplication of library collections. He encouraged us to think beyond the "idea of the library" and imagine traditional library services offered throughout the campus in writing centers, cyber cafes, and centers for teaching and learning.

As librarians it is important to think beyond our every day challenges and to be a part of the on-going conversation towards a shared vision for the future of library services. This is not a job to be left to college presidents alone. Librarians should join other campus leaders in discussions to reinvent library buildings and services. Plans for new construction should be informed by our professional insight. Collaborations with faculty, IT staff, campus planners and other invested stakeholders are essential. The vision of the future as it was presented to us may or may not have been appealing, but the chasm between now and then is ours to cross.