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I first became acquainted with the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) in the Information Science Master’s degree program at the University at Albany in Albany, New York. The outstanding faculty at the University introduced us to the rich resources developed and shared by ACRL including the ACRL- Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS)/Society of American Archivists (SAA) Guidelines on Access to Research Materials in Archives and Special Collections Libraries and the Standards for Libraries in Higher Education, for example. ACRL’s evidence-based standards, guidelines, and frameworks, serve as the gold standard for leadership and practice in academic and research libraries.
As a member of ACRL, in addition to its rich resources and programming, I have come to value the people I have had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with the most. Members and staff of ACRL are eager to share their expertise and rich experiences. In 2022, I was privileged to join the ACRL Digital Scholarship Section (DSS), which provides a forum for ACRL members engaged in emerging digital scholarship services. The work of former Chair Dr. Pamella R. Lach, then DSS advisory council member, Russell Michalak, and ACRL's Program Officer for Governance, Elois Sharpe, to welcome me and to bring me on-board has made a lasting impression. ACRL provides members with inspiration and autonomy to explore our unique interests and to share information and new ideas with leaders and colleagues in the field. In 2023, thanks to the support of DSS Chair, Dr. Patrice-Andre 'Max' Prud'homme, my colleagues on the DSS Research Data Management Discussion Group and I had a special opportunity to partner with Taylor Davis-Van Atta and the DSS Professional Development Committee to host an ACRL Webinar featuring the lead the author of the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidance on Sharing and Re-Using Health-Related Data in Research. I currently serving on the DSS Liaison Committee with Charlie Bennett and colleagues, where partners in library, professional, and academic organizations share their experiences working in the digital scholarship space and collaborate with and provide direction and advice to DSS membership.

Since 2023, I have been fortunate to serve as a member of the ACRL Research and Scholarly Environment Committee, chaired by Dr. Amanda Nichols Hess. The Scholarly Communication Toolkit, which was first launched by the Committee in 2005, continues to be supported and widely used by members of ACRL today. I also value the wide array of discussion groups and list-servs made available through ACRL, including the Scholarly Communications Discussion Group and List-serv. These platforms provide opportunities for members to share news, trends, and events happening across the field and serve as safe spaces for members to brainstorm, benchmark best practices, troubleshoot challenges, strategize, and collaborate.

In addition, as an ACRL member, I value the journals and news magazines, including College & Research Libraries and College & Research Libraries News. These rich resources provide members with an opportunity to explore leading scholarship impacting the future of academic and research libraries; learn from the first-hand experiences of librarians in action; and review trending topics and issues, including artificial intelligence, open access and open science initiatives, and supporting students post-pandemic.