# Association of College and Research Libraries

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association, 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. The association 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.
The Association of College and Research Libraries is the largest division of the American Library Association. It has a membership of approximately 9,000 and provides a broad range of professional services and programs for a diverse membership.
The Association publishes an open-access journal, College & Research Libraries, and the review magazine Choice.

## History

The Association of College and Research Libraries has its roots as the College Library section of the American Library Association, 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 and 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, Association of College and Research Libraries became the American Library Association's first division. In 1956, when the Library Reference Services Division was established as a separate division of the American Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries changed the "Reference" to "Research" in its name and became the Association of College and Research Libraries. In 1978, they held their first standalone conference. On January 11, 2016, the ACRL adopted the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. On September 7, 2021, Robert (Jay) Malone became the executive director of the ACRL.

## Sections

The Association of College and Research Libraries supports seventeen sections:
* African American Studies Librarians Section
* Anthropology and Sociology Section
* Arts Section
* Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Section
* College Libraries Section
* Community and Junior College Libraries Section
* Distance Learning Section
* Education and Behavioral Sciences Section
* Instruction Section
* Law and Political Science Section
* Literatures in English Section
* Rare Books and Manuscripts Section
* Science and Technology Section
* Slavic and East European Section
* University Libraries Section
* Western European Studies Section
* Women and Gender Studies Section

## Awards

The Association of College and Research Libraries issues awards annually to honor academic and research librarians for significant achievements. These awards include a citation, and in some cases also a cash award.
* Academic/Research Librarian of the Year
* Excellence in Academic Libraries Awards
* Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award
* CLS Innovation in College Librarianship Award
* CJCLS EBSCO Community College Learning Resources Program Award
* CJCLS EBSCO Community College Library Achievement Award
* Routledge Distance Learning Librarianship Conference Sponsorship Award
* EBSS Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award
* Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award
* Instruction Section Innovation Award
* LPSS Marta Lange/SAGE-CQ Press Award
* STS Innovation in Science and Technology Librarianship Award
* WGSS Career Achievement in Women & Gender Studies Librarianship Award
* WGSS Significant Achievement in Women & Gender Studies Librarianship Award

## Chapters

The Association of College and Research Libraries supports local chapters. The chapters provide programming and professional development opportunities for academic libraries in their region. The ACRL Chapters Council facilitates communication between the chapters and ACRL national. ACRL Chapters:
* Alabama Association of College & Research Libraries
* Arizona State Library Association, Division of College and University Libraries
* Arkansas Library Association, College and University Division
* California Academic and Research Libraries (CARL)
* Colorado Academic Library Association
* Delaware Valley Chapter of the ACRL(Delaware & Eastern Pennsylvania)
* Florida Association of College and Research Libraries
* Academic Library Division (ALD) of the Georgia Library Association (GLA)
* Idaho Library Association Chapter of the ACRL
* Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries (IACRL)
* Indiana Academic Library Association of the Indiana Library Federation; Indiana Chapter of the ACRL
* Iowa Library Association Chapter of the ACRL
* The College and University Libraries Section of the Kansas Library Association
* Kentucky Association of College and Research Libraries
* Association of College and Research Libraries Louisiana Chapter
* Maryland Library Association, Academic & Research Library Division
* Michigan Academic Library Association (MiALA)
* Academic and Research Library Division of the Minnesota Library Association
* Missouri Association of College and Research Libraries, Library Association
* Montana Chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries
* Nebraska Library Association, College and University Section
* Nevada Association of College and Research Libraries
* ACRL New England Chapter (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, and VT)
* New Jersey Library Association, College and University Section
* ACRL New Mexico Chapter
* Eastern New York Chapter of ACRL
* ACRL Chapter of the Greater New York Metro Area
* ACRL – North Carolina Library Association (ACRL-NC Chapter)
* North Dakota/Manitoba Chapter
* Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO)
* Oklahoma Chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries (OK/ACRL)
* ACRL Oregon Chapter
* Western Pennsylvania/West Virginia Association of Research and College Libraries Chapter
* South Carolina Library Association – College and University Section
* Academic/Health/Special Libraries Section of the South Dakota Library Association
* Tennessee Library Association, College and University Roundtable
* College and University Library Division of the Texas Library Association
* Utah Library Association – Association of College and Research Libraries Roundtable
* College and University Section of the Virginia Library Association
* Washington State Chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries
* Wisconsin Library Association, Wisconsin Association of Academic Librarians