CHICAGO - The Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has adopted a new Plan for Excellence for the association. Developed over the course of the past year by the board, with continuous input from the ACRL membership, the Plan for Excellence takes the place of ACRL’s current strategic plan, Charting Our Future: ACRL Strategic Plan 2020. The Plan for Excellence will become effective July 1, 2011, and  is available on the ACRL website at http://bit.ly/acrlplan (PDF).

“The development of the ACRL Plan for Excellence was an iterative and inclusive process that drew upon the best thinking of hundreds of ACRL members, our committees, sections, interest groups and the Board of Directors,” said ACRL President Lisa Hinchliffe of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “This is truly a plan that reflects our collective vision of the future of academic and research librarianship and the role of ACRL and our members in creating that future.”

The strengths and capacities of ACRL have enabled the association to sustain exemplary programs and results for its members that help them effectively participate in the broader higher education framework. ACRL’s new Plan for Excellence continues that path and focuses attention on three areas that capitalize on the association’s strengths, deliver high member value and heighten its impact:

• Value of Academic Libraries
• Student Learning
• Research and Scholarly Environment

These strategic areas will be supported by financial and operational planning and will guide the development and implementation of programs and services that target education, advocacy and member engagement.

“The new Plan for Excellence provides ACRL with a focused agenda to guide our collective efforts while providing continued support for individual opportunities and professional growth,” noted ACRL Vice President/ President-elect Joyce Ogburn of the University of Utah. “Implementing the plan will be my highest priority, and I anticipate that the outcomes will greatly benefit our members and increase our impact in the profession and contributions to higher education.”

ACRL’s leadership views strategic thinking and planning as an ongoing process. Adoption of this new plan affirms the general intent and direction articulated by the association’s core ideology, envisioned future and shorter term goals and objectives. Progress will be assessed annually and will guide the operational planning process. The Plan for Excellence will be updated based on achievement of the goals and their continued relevance as new needs and opportunities arise.

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ACRL is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), representing more than 12,500 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, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ala.acrl and Twitter at @ala_acrl.

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