Association of College & Research Libraries
50 E. Huron St. Chicago, IL 60611
800-545-2433, ext. 2523
pg. 1
Request for Proposals: Action-Oriented Research Agenda on
Library Contributions to Student Learning and Success
1. Overview
1.1 Purpose of the RFP
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), seeks proposals for the design,
development, and delivery of a new ACRL “Action-Oriented Research Agenda on Library
Contributions to Student Learning and Success.” With oversight from the ACRL Value of
Academic Libraries Committee and input from appropriate ACRL staff, the selected
researcher(s) will investigate and write a research agenda that provides an update on progress
since the publication of Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and
Report
and examines important questions where more research is needed in areas critical to the
higher education sector. The focus of the research agenda will be on institutional priorities for
improved student learning and success (i.e., retention, persistence, degree completion).
This action-oriented research agenda will be informed by scholarly literature as well as advances
in practice, such as those documented by participants in the Assessment in Action: Academic
Libraries and Student Success (AiA) program.
The goals of the research agenda include: a)
directly communicate the ways in which libraries align with and have impact on institutional
effectiveness, and b) engage in language around student learning and success that resonates with
higher education stakeholders.
Applicants must submit an electronic copy of their proposals (PDF preferred) by June 2, 2016,
at 4:30 p.m. (CDT). Applicants will be notified of their status no later than July 19, 2016. Work
will begin in late July 2016 with a final document of publishable quality, 60-100 pages in length,
due by May 1, 2017. It is anticipated that the total amount of time devoted to this project will be
no more than the equivalent of a 1/4 to 1/2 time release position for the 10 month period.
1.2 About ACRL
ACRL is the higher education association for librarians. Representing more than 11,000
academic and research librarians and interested individuals, ACRL (a division of the American
Library Association) develops programs, products, and services to help academic and research
Association of College and Research Libraries. Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review
and Report. Researched by Megan Oakleaf. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2010.
Published online at http://www.acrl.ala.org/value/?page_id=21
Assessment in Action: Academic Libraries and Student Success is a three-year project sponsored by ACRL in
partnership with the Association of Institutional Research and the Association of Public Land-grant Universities, and
with funding from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. When the project concludes in June 2016,
over 200 higher education institutions will have participated in assessing library contributions to student learning
and success. See more at http://www.ala.org/acrl/AiA