Encouraging Rapid Response

With this issue of portal, we launch a new feature, "Reports From the Field," in which we will present reports and updates that bring to our attention important issues and projects that deserve a rapid response. Over the years we have received manuscripts and queries that were good analyses of professional trends, yet did not fit either as refereed research articles or as topical pieces in our existing column series. The report with which we lead off this issue, a significant tracking of budget trends in ARL libraries for the last three years, pushed us to create this new feature category. Charles Lowry presents solid data collected from directors and, to date, reported only at a selected few professional events. Given the financial exigencies of the last few years, it is critical to be able to demonstrate the concrete impact this is having on our research enterprise, and to do so while we are in the midst of reshaping our budgets and our services.

The masthead listing of our column editors and topics also now reflects the departure of Martin Dillon and the expansion of Carlen Ruschoff's scope into "Information Standards and Technology." Columns appear irregularly, when we have the right content, and they do not go through peer review; we encourage a dialogue between the writer and the editor as to relevancy, and how best to shape the final text. They can be follow-up or prequel to other research projects, a summary of a conference presentation, or may present guidelines, standards, advocacy, or policy recommendations. We expect columns to reflect writing that maintains the excellence of portal while encouraging a rapid response to issues of library and information services in higher education.