The National Archives and Records Administration has joined the Association of Research Libraries.
Here's an excerpt from the press release:
At its 2010 Fall Membership Meeting held October 13-14, 2010, in Washington, DC, the membership of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) voted to invite the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to join as its 126th member. David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, accepted the invitation.
"The National Archives is delighted to become a member of ARL," said Ferriero. "This is a very exciting time for libraries and archives. Information policy is a burgeoning field with a myriad of opportunities. Becoming a member of ARL will offer the National Archives, which is the largest archives in the United States, an opportunity to share our expertise and experience in archives and records management with our new colleagues. We also look forward to learning new ideas and fresh approaches to the challenges that we all face."
The vote of membership followed a process that considered both qualitative and quantitative documentation and involved a site visit by members of the ARL Membership Committee. The review also examined the unique breadth and depth of NARA’s collections, services to the public and research community, and potential contributions to research and scholarship. The review committee noted in particular NARA’s leadership in records and archival management activities, an area of increasingly strategic importance for research libraries.
