Academic, General

Learning About Library Associations: Association of Caribbean University, Research, and Institutional Libraries

Library science is an enormous field, home to every interest you could imagine! This means that there are many organizations out there for you to join, in order to connect with other people who share your professional interests.

So even if you work alone in your library, there are other people out there doing work similar to yours! Each week we will highlight a different library association for you to learn more about, and depending on your work, potentially join! You can also check out our page dedicated to Library Associations.

This week we’ll explore the Association of Caribbean University, Research, and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL).

ACURIL was founded in 1969 and is based in the José M. Lázaro Library of the University of Puerto Rico.

“Major objectives of ACURIL are as follows:

  • to facilitate the development and use of libraries, archives, and information services, and the identification, collection and preservation of information resources in support of the whole range of intellectual and educational endeavors throughout the Caribbean area;
  • to strengthen the archival, library and information professions;
  • to unite information workers in them, and to promote cooperative activities in the pursuit of these objectives.”

ACURIL offers many different services to their members. They have an annual conference which will be held June 2018 in the Dominican Republic. They offer several different awards and have a blog where you can keep up with the organization’s latest news. Due to the devastation from the recent hurricanes, ACURIL is running a disaster relief campaign.

Interested in joining ACURIL? “There are three types of membership available to libraries, archives, organizations and individuals living in the area:

  • Institutional : open to libraries, archives and schools conducting programmes of library or archival education.
  • Organizational : available to national library associations, and regional and other special organizations and associations.
  • Personal : open to librarians and archivists, other employees of libraries or archives, and other interested in library, archival, or related services and activities.”

Learn more about joining ACURIL by visiting their Membership page.