Atlanta University Center to Become 127th Member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL)

From the Association of Research Libraries:

At its Spring 2022 Association Meeting held in Toronto, Canada, April 25–April 28, the membership of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) voted to invite the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center (AUC), Inc., to join ARL as the 127th member, effective July 1, 2022. Loretta Parham, AUC CEO and library director, accepted the invitation.

“This membership is a hallmark moment for the Atlanta University Center Woodruff Library, one in which we can deepen our commitment to excellence in our provision of information, research, and preservation services for the four HBCU institutions that we support. We are eager to engage, contribute, and learn from the work of ARL, and we are grateful for the invitation to be a member of such a reputable body of research libraries and archives,” said Parham.

The vote to approve AUC’s membership followed the completion of ARL Membership Reviews: Process, Responsibilities, and Procedures. This review of Woodruff Library considered both qualitative and quantitative data, site visits, site visit team recommendations, library documentation, and a membership committee review. The review highlighted the library’s innovative services in digital scholarship, open access, and special collections; its commitment to accessibility and resources; its engagement with the research communities with archival research; its unique holdings in African American history and culture; and how the library advances data science. The Membership Committee review noted in particular how the library prioritizes diversity in collections programming, educational and research commitments, and staffing, and noted the library’s incorporation of the “activities of four leading HBCUs with rich social and cultural legacies would itself bring a unique new perspective on diversity to ARL.”

“I’m pleased to welcome the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center to ARL. AUC is an important historical and cultural institution. Its work advancing the research enterprise through digital scholarship, special collections, and diversity is pivotal to the future of research libraries,” said K. Matthew Dames, ARL president and Edward H. Arnold University Librarian for University of Notre Dame. “We look forward to the contributions of Woodruff Library employees in ARL activities.”

Source

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