aserl-accessibilityig Mailing List: News from ASERL: New Membership Criteria

[John Burger (jburger]

[A logo with purple and green dots  Description automatically generated]
January 10, 2024

Good morning, ASERL Friends!  I am pleased to share the following news from 
ASERL with you.  (Some of you already know about this, as you voted to support 
the proposal at our recent meeting.)

This info can also be found on our website at https://www.aserl.org/tag/news/.  
Please share with your colleagues!



NEWS:  ASERL Updates its Membership Criteria
First significant update in 20+ years

January 10, 2024 – ATLANTA -- The membership of the Association of Southeastern 
Research Libraries (ASERL) recently voted overwhelmingly to modify the criteria 
for membership in the Association.  This is the first substantial change in 
ASERL’s membership criteria in more than two decades, and reflects ASERL’s 
ongoing process of self-assessment and desire to become a more equitable and 
inclusive membership organization.

The new criteria, which took effect as of January 1, 2024, primarily change the 
quantitative metrics required for ASERL membership.  Previously, ASERL members 
were required to meet a total library expenditure (TLE) threshold that was 
based on library expenditures across the full membership.  The previous TLE 
threshold was calculated yearly – and changed yearly – and reflected 
longstanding funding patterns that enabled some libraries to remain in ASERL 
and limited other libraries from joining the Association.

The revised criteria focus on the research mission of the parent institution 
rather than simply on library expenditures.  The revised criteria require the 
following:

  *   ASERL member institutions must maintain an R1 or R2 status as defined by 
the Carnegie Classification service operated by the American Council on 
Education
  *   ASERL member institutions must expend a minimum of $40M per year on 
research initiatives, as defined by the annual HERD survey as compiled by the 
National Science Foundation.  This is the threshold established by the Center 
for Measuring University Performance, hosted by the University of 
Massachusetts-Amherst and the University of Florida.
  *   Further, ASERL members libraries are expected to provide sufficient 
funding to enable their ongoing, active participation in ASERL’s programming, 
including an expectation that the library dean/director attend twice-yearly 
membership meetings, and
  *   Member libraries must also possess unique and extraordinary services and 
collections as part of a research institution that bring important strategic 
benefits to other ASERL members.

“ASERL’s new membership criteria is a testament to our association’s unwavering 
commitment to research and affirms the pivotal role our libraries have in the 
research enterprise,” commented Gale Etschmaier, Dean of University Libraries 
at Florida State University and ASERL’s Board President.

ASERL offers a wide array of programming for the benefit of its membership and 
the library profession. ASERL’s Professional Development programming is its 
most widely recognized activity, serving thousands of people per year around 
the world.  ASERL also supports numerous communities of interest to build 
connections among ASERL members, operates two shared print archiving programs, 
and is a founding member of the Library Accessibility Alliance.

John Burger, ASERL’s Executive Director, noted that, “ASERL has never had 
‘membership growth’ as an organizational goal, but we’ve been approached by a 
number of libraries over the years expressing interest in joining our 
community.  Oftentimes there had been barriers that prevented growing our 
community.  While we do not anticipate a huge onrush of applications, we hope 
these changes will redress some of those longstanding issues, opening doors 
that have long been closed.”


About the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries 

Founded in 1956, ASERL is one of the largest regional research library 
consortia in the United States, serving 38 institutional members in 12 states.  
ASERL provides highly acclaimed programming, cultivates important 
conversations, and nurtures relationships among library leaders in the 
Southeast. By working together, ASERL members provide and maintain top-quality 
resources and services for the students, faculty, and citizens of their 
respective communities.  ASERL is housed within the Robert W. Woodruff Library 
at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.  See

http://www.aserl.org<http://www.aserl.org/> for more information. 



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We ask that you share this with your colleagues as you feel is appropriate.  
Please let me know any questions.

Thanks for your consideration.

--jeb

John Burger, ASERL Executive Director
jburger [at] aserl.org<mailto:jburger [at] aserl.org>