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CHICAGO ⎯ Beth McNeil, Dean of Libraries and School of Information Studies and Esther Ellis Norton Professor of Library Science at Purdue University, has been elected ACRL Vice-President/President-Elect. McNeil will become president-elect in July 2022 and assume the presidency in July 2023 for a one-year term.

Kara Whatley, University Librarian at the California Institute of Technology, has been elected to the ACRL Board of Directors as Councilor.

An error has occurred with the ACRL Board of Directors Director-at-Large elections; a new election will be held for those positions. Watch the ACRL website, ACRL Insider, and social media for more details.

“ACRL has been a touchstone for me throughout my career. I feel incredibly honored to be elected and look forward to serving ACRL and our members over the next three years,” said McNeil. “I pledge to continue the great work of ACRL, engaging fully with the Board, Goal Area Committees, ACRL staff, and other leaders and members throughout ACRL to move forward the important initiatives that matter to our academic library community. It is a privilege to serve, and I am grateful for the support of our members.”

During her 32 years of ACRL membership, McNeil has served as chair of the ACRL 2021 Conference (2019-21), director-at-large on the ACRL Board of Directors (2015-19), member of the 2019 Conference Coordinating Committee (2017-19), member of the ACRL 2019 Colleagues Committee (2017-19), cochair of the ACRL 2019 Contributed Papers committee (2017-19), member of the ACRL 2015 Conference Coordinating Committee (2013-15), cochair of the ACRL 2015 Contributed Papers Committee (2013-15), chair of the ACRL Appointments Committee (2013-14), member of the ACRL 2013 Conference Coordinating Committee (2011-13), cochair of the ACRL 2013 Volunteers Committee (2011-13), chair of the ACRL Friends Fund Committee (2009-11), member of the ACRL 2009 National Conference Coordinating Committee (2007-09), and cochair of the ACRL 2009 Workshops Committee (2007-09). She also served as a member of the ACRL Budget and Finance Committee (2005-11), ACRL 2007 National Conference Panel Sessions subcommittee (2005-07), ACRL Appointments Committee (2004-05), 2005 ACRL National Conference Roundtable subcommittee (2003-05), and the ACRL Nominating Committee (2001-02).

“I am delighted to welcome Beth McNeil to the ACRL Board and wish to thank her publicly for her willingness to undertake this important role for the next three years,” said ACRL Executive Director Robert Jay Malone. “Beth’s decades of service to ACRL speak to her deep involvement in our Association, and her experience will help guide us toward exciting accomplishments. Her broad involvement in many organizations, from serving academic library associations in three states to sitting on the board of governors of the HathiTrust, will benefit ACRL in multiple interactions, enabling us to strengthen alliances with important stake holders. I look forward to working with Beth in the years to come.”

McNeil’s experience with 91´«Ã½ includes being a member of LAMA (1997-2016) and serving as a member of the LAMA Committee on Organization (2005-09) and Executive Committee Secretary of LAMA, Library Organization and Management (2005-07). She also served as a member of the LAMA Budget and Finance Committee (2001-05); LAMA Human Resources, Supervisory Skills Committee (2003-05); and Fundraising and Financial Development: Trends, Marketing, and Project Development Committee (2003-05); and Human Resources, Executive Committee (2001-03). McNeil was also secretary of the Human Resources Section, Executive Committee (2001-03) and a member of the Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation, Nominating Committee (2001-02); Personnel Administration, Staff Development Committee (1997-2001); and Statistics, Data Collection for Library Managers Committee (member, 1997-2001; chair, 2000-01).

Her activity with state, regional and other national associations include serving on the Academic Libraries of Indiana (ALI) Board of Directors (2019-present), GWLA Board of Directors, (2017-2019), HathiTrust Board of Governors (2015-2018), Western Regional Storage Trust (WEST) Executive Committee (2017-2019), Rosemont Group Executive Committee (2017-2019), and Iowa Academic Libraries Alliance Coordinating Committee (member, 2016-2019, chair 2018-2019). She also served as a member of the Iowa Library Association (2015-2019), Indiana Library Federation, (2012-2015, 2019-present), Nebraska Library Association (1996 to 2007), ARL Academy Advisory Group (2019-2020), and ARL Program Steering Committee (2018-2019.) McNeill additionally served as treasurer of the NLA/NEMA Conference (Spring 1999-February 2000) and as member (2015-17); vice-chair (2018-19); chair (2018-19); and past-chair (2019-20) of the Association of Research Libraries Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Notable accomplishments for McNeil include receiving the Staff Member of the Year Award (2019); Iowa State University’s Student Government annual award for faculty and staff, Runza Spirit of Service Award (2004); annual award for faculty volunteer service from UNL; UNL Office of Student Involvement, CAMRE (Creating an Atmosphere of Mutual Respect) Award (2000); and the annual award from the UNL Libraries Office/Service Staff.

Additionally, McNeil’s work with external funding includes Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, $2 million to endow archivist position for the Barron Hilton Flight Archives; Purdue University Libraries, coauthored proposal with Purdue advancement staff and archivists in 2011; IMLS Recruiting and Educating Librarians for the 21st Century Grant ($392,347); and Recruitment and Education of University Librarians in Sciences and Health Sciences (2003-05), served as UNL lead on grant, collaborating with University of Iowa and Iowa State University library colleagues.

Her publications include: Fundamentals of Library Supervision, 3rd edition (Chicago: 91´«Ã½, 2017); “A Phenomenological Study Exploring the Leadership Development Experiences of Academic Research Library Leaders,” PhD dissertation, University of Nebraska (2015); and Advocacy, Outreach, and the Nation’s Academic Libraries: A Call for Action (Chicago: ACRL, 2010), with co-editors William C. Welburn and Janice Welburn.

For full 2022 ACRL section election results, visit the election section of the ACRL website.

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The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for academic libraries and library workers. Representing more than 8,500 individuals and libraries, ACRL (a division of the 91´«Ã½) develops programs, products, and services to help those working in academic and research libraries learn, innovate, and lead within the academic community. Founded in 1940, ACRL is committed to advancing learning, transforming scholarship, and creating diverse and inclusive communities. Find ACRL on the , , , , and .