Headquarters Chicago, IL | Executive Director Mary Ellen K. Davis | |
Purpose Professional library association Website Association of College and Research Libraries | ||
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is a professional association of academic librarians and other interested individuals. It is dedicated to enhancing the ability of academic library and information professionals to serve the information needs of the higher education community and to improving learning, teaching, and research. ACRL serves librarians in all types of academic libraries at the community college, college, and university level and also serves librarians that work in comprehensive and specialized research libraries.
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ACRL is the largest division of ALA. ACRL currently has a membership of approximately 12,000, accounting for nearly 20% of the total ALA membership. ACRL provides a broad range of professional services and programs for a diverse membership.
The Association publishes an open access journal, College & Research Libraries.
History
ACRL has its roots as the College Library Section section of ALA which was which first met in 1890, attended by 15 librarians representing major colleges located on the east coast of the United States. In 1897 the section was renamed the College and Reference Library Section in recognition of the participation of reference librarians. In 1923, the section established bylaws and began charging dues. In 1938, the section adopted new bylaws which moved the section to the Association of College and Reference Libraries which allowed for more autonomy and for the creation of subsections for college and junior college libraries, teachers college libraries, university libraries, and others. In 1940, ACRL became ALA's first division. In 1956, when the Library Reference Services Division was established as a separate ALA division, ACRL changed the "Research" to "Reference" in its name and became the Association of College and Research Libraries. In 1978, they held their first standalone conference.
Sections
ACRL supports seventeen sections:
Awards
ACRL issues a number of awards annually to honor academic and research librarians for significant achievements. These awards include a citation, and in some cases also a cash award.