the history & future of nccclra. 1985 - history of libraries and librarianship class at columbia...
TRANSCRIPT
The History & Future of NCCCLRA
1985 - History of Libraries and Librarianship Class at Columbia University Assignment
“ LRA: A History of the North Carolina Community College Learning Resources Association”
Read the existing official records of LRA
Microfilm, 1967-81 Print records, 1981-85
These sent to me by a member of LRA - wish I could remember who
and thank them today!
An organizational unit within some community college typically organized into
library, audiovisual, instructional components including testing centers,
learning labs, self-instructional courses, or some mix of these. It has an administrative
head such as a dean or director and is staffed with librarians, audiovisual
specialists, instructional designers, testing staff, technicians, clerks, administrative assistants or other staff as defined by a
college’s structure for Learning Resources.
Establish Context - Definition
December 15, 1967December 15, 1967
The Association of Community The Association of Community College Librarians BeginsCollege Librarians Begins
38 librarians from 33 of the 49 institutions
5 reps from the Department of Community Colleges meet
Officers elected for one year and directed to develop bylaws and
constitution
Mertys Bell - Rockingham CC - president
Margaret Fulk of Western Piedmont CC - secretary/treasurer
3 directors, one for each of the geographic divisions of the state
Eastern Division - Mable Howell, Lenoir CC
Central Division - Edna Lorenz of WW Holding TI (now Wake
TCC) -Western Division - Fay Byrd, Wilkes
CC
Issues at 1st Meeting
Task force to study the “feasibility of returning to a 5-part ‘book’ order form”
Need for microfilm shelf list at “Library Services”
LC or Dewey classification systems
Quality of catalog cards
Remarkable
Already an Office of Library Services providing centralized ordering and processing of all library books for the colleges and institutes and the Department of Community Colleges had only been formed in 1963 - just four years before!
July 19, 1968 Second Full Meeting of NCCLA
Approved the conversion to LC from Dewey
Discussed extending membership to AV personnel
Approved first set of Bylaws with this purpose:
To provide for the closer cooperation among librarians for the benefit of the Department of Community colleges, to further the cause of librarianship and to provide opportunity for
social contacts among librarians.
Nov. 1968 - Third Meeting of NCCLA
Operations and services changes in Office of Library Services
Quality of services provided by the Office of Library Services
Need for a professional librarian to administer the Office of Library Services
Staffing shortages in libraries
May 22, 1969 Renamed the Educational Media Association of the Department of
Community Colleges
Purpose changed in Bylaws:The objective of the Educational Media Association is to promote closer cooperation among all persons concerned with production,
distribution, and administration of educational media.Members approved a bylaws change to rename the organization. Those bylaws state that the objective of the Educational Media
Association was to promote closer cooperation among all persons concerned with production, distribution, and administration of
educational media.
October, 1969 Librarian Appointed
Vera Melton, a librarian, named as the new head of Library Services
Library Services section will help community college member libraries and does not intend to dictate, but
to advise.
May 8, 1970 - Renamed the Educational Media Association of
the North Carolina Community College System
Swapped “the Department of Community Colleges” for the “NC
Community College System”
Officers terms extended from one to two years
1969 - 1972
Organization concerned with refinement of services by various library/media programs in
the system.
Film loans, INWATS reference service and interlibrary loan began
Annual conferences were institutionalized
Newsletter began
1972, discussion about changing the name again and who should belong to this organization. Committees appointed to address these two
issues.
April, 1973, EMA Becomes North Carolina Community College Learning Resources
Association, NCCCLRA
NCCCLRA 1973 - 1985NCCCLRA 1973 - 1985
STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Conferences
First NCCCLRA Conference - 1974
A learning and information forum for new developments and ideas for professional growth of members
Guest speakers - issues of national, state and college-level import
Banquets, vendors, exhibits. And always fun and food
STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Conferences
1970 - president broke a tie vote about whether or not to hold a spring conference speaking of the “need for keeping the members together and stimulating the
interest that has been created.”
1979 - Illinois LRA asked NCCCLRA to host its 14th Annual Community College Learning Resources
Conference - 315 registrants from 25 state and 58 vendors
STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Districts and District Meetings
Jim Foster, president from 1976-77, recognizing the value of their communications function, made sure that each district reported on its activities for the past year
Made professional development accessible and convenient to members
Staff Development
Scholarships
Mertys W. Bell Scholarship - was first NCCCLRA Scholarship
1979 - first committee appointed1980 - placed $2000 in an interest bearing account
1980 - first $150 scholarship awarded to Janet Atwood
1984 - renamed upon Mertys’ retirement from GTCC
Scottie W. Cox Memorial Scholarship
Established in 1981 at death of Scottie, president from 1975-76
For a community college LRA employee pursuing graduate or professional level
work
Staff DevelopmentCommunications
NCCCLA Newsletter first published in 1969 - their only publication
EMA published 3 newsletters
LRA - first newsletter in April, 1973 named the “Mediator”
Union List of Serials - published in 1975, an association project
Website
Computerization of Library Operations
August, 1979 - LRA Automation Committee of Media Processing Services and the libraries
Standardization of cataloging practices to conform with principles MARC II and AACR2
System wide retrospective conversion project
Automation of cataloging and processing by Media Processing
COMPUTERIZATION
1983 - Media Processing joins SOLINET
1983 - COMCAT Project begins - retrospective conversion of catalogs of
10 colleges. LRA gave $500 to this project
Erosion of the LRC Concept
In 1981, System President Larry Blake did a major reorganization the System Office.
Office of Educational Resources abolished
Saw some local college reorganizations.
Ernie Tompkins, president in 1981 said, “One of the serious issues facing us this year is how to deal with the continual removal of learning labs from the LRC
organization
The Future and other The Future and other Things I want to say Things I want to say
about LRA about LRA
LRA has been a useful organization for the staff of community colleges
libraries and learning resources programs as shown by the history of
its first 25 years.
RETHINKING LRA
What do we want LRA to be in the next
five years?
What is its purpose?
Who are our members?
Should we change the name?
Consider the purpose of the organization. Is it relevant,
clear?
"The mission of the North Carolina Community College Learning
Resources Association is to advance the goals of the membership."
•Is there a more suitable name of the organization based on a new purpose?
We have a strong heritage of changing the name of this association
Do we already have a new name? The website is instructive about a new name
What about the logo?
Continue conferences and increase staff development
Look to NC LIVE, the State Library, and organizations outside the state for
assistance in these matters
Increase the awards and scholarship program
Work with students
Deliver services they want
Get them involved in advisory groups
Make students, friends of the library
Make your students your advocates
Work with your president
Whatever it takes and however you can, do it.
For as difficult as it may seem, keeping president informed and aware and even valuing libraries continues to be our challenge
Perhaps a useful staff development program would be about how to work with and influence your local college president.
Preserve our history,
Collect all the records and put them in a safe place
And, for goodness sakes, get someone to write the history of LRA for the past 25 years!