About NMCAL

Vision Statement:

The New Mexico Consortium of Academic Libraries assures effective access to information through the collaborative efforts of the academic libraries in New Mexico. (Adopted by the NMCAL membership of 1993.)

Mission Statement:

The New Mexico Consortium of Academic Libraries presents the unified position of academic libraries on key issues, including funding, and implements projects of mutual benefit such as resource sharing, collection development, and networking. (Adopted by the NMCAL membership of 1993.)

Organizational History

Origins
The creation of the New Mexico Consortium of Academic Libraries was an outgrowth of recommendations made in a report published in September 1988 by the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education entitled, Planning for the Class of 2005: A Vision for the Future. It was presented as the Commission's strategic plan for New Mexico's higher education institutions.

The Commission's plan contained several recommendations specific to academic libraries, including the creation of specific consortia (libraries), that "By the 1990-91 funding cycle formulas should be replaced with formulas which recognize the library requirements of individual academic programs and the specific costs related to library operations and materials." and, "To increase the quality and efficiency of the higher education library system, the Commission should coordinate the development of and approve a statewide acquisition policy…"

Creation
In October 1988, delegates for sixteen academic libraries in New Mexico met at Northern New Mexico Community College, Española, NM, to establish the New Mexico Consortium of Academic Libraries (NMCAL). The delegates created an organizational committee, approved a constitution, and elected officers.

Today
The New Mexico Consortium of Academic Libraries membership engages in a wide variety of activities which support its mission and vision statements. Consult other sections of the New Mexico Consortium of Academic Libraries' web site for more information about NMCAL membership, committees, reports, etc.

---

See NMCAL Constitution and Bylaws revised in April 2002 for detailed information on the consortia's current organizational structure.