The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published Public Engagement, SPEC Kit 312, which explores the ways in which traditional ‘outreach’ programmes in academic libraries are evolving to address the emergent concept of ‘public engagement’ at the institutional level. It also looks at the degree to which the library is integrated into campus-level efforts to promote public engagement.
By the March deadline, responses had been submitted by 56 of 123 ARL member libraries for a response rate of 46 percent. Of the 56 responding libraries, 88 percent reported providing such programmes as part of their service profile. Respondents identified a wide variety of programmes that they characterise as ‘public engagement.’ The top four areas of library activity reported were programmes in the areas of K-12 education (80%), cultural engagement (75%), government information/e-government (68%), and lifelong learning (66%).
SPEC Kit 312 includes documentation from respondents in the form of mission statements, descriptions of library engagement programmes, examples of awards programme, scholarship of engagement information and job descriptions. The table of contents and executive summary from this SPEC Kit are available online at http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/spec-312-web.pdf.
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