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ABOUT SULAIR > NEWS AND EVENTS News and Events
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Stanford Withdraws from Association of Research Libraries
On January 20, 2004, Stanford officials confirmed that the university has
withdrawn from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), of which it has
been a founding member for over 70 years. Notice of the decision was sent to
the president of ARL, Cornell Librarian Sarah Thomas, during the winter recess.
The withdrawal is effective on 1 January 2004.
Stanford University Librarian Michael A. Keller made the decision after conferring
with President John Hennessy, Provost John Etchemendy and the heads of the
five campus Coordinate Libraries that are administratively separate from the
Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources. None voiced
opposition to the policy.
Stanford’s decision to withdraw is based on an annual review of expenses
and engagements the University might avoid in favor of other investments. “The
bottom line,” Keller stated, “is that we no longer saw a return
on Stanford’s continued investment of dues, of reporting effort, or of
staff engagement in ARL.” Keller explained that his concerns with ARL
focused on mission drift, weak oversight of programs and direction, and inadequate
management on the part of members. In Stanford’s opinion, ARL programs
have not been subjected to sufficiently rigorous cost-benefit analysis. In
sum, “ARL is not serving the needs of this institution or of the community
of research institutions as we understand them. We have other ways of engaging
productively with our peers and partners in the research community.” Keller
declined to provide the text of his five page letter, which contained detailed
comments on ARL decisions and policies, though he hoped that ARL would see
fit to provide that letter to all of its current members.
The withdrawal letter did not indicate conditions or circumstances in which
Stanford would reconsider membership. For more information, see the January
30, 2004 Stanford Report article at http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2004/february4/arl-24.html.
Some 122 institutions are members of ARL, almost all of which are North American
universities. Additional information about ARL may be found at http://www.arl.org/.
Last modified:
June 24, 2005 |
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