Clarification request:
ALA-APA stands for American Library Association- Allied Professional Association. (The Organization for the Advancement of Library Workers - see previous post.)
This final Council meeting started with Memorials and Tributes. The announcement of the newly elected board members was made and newly elected members are Larry Romans and Charles Kratz.
Next, committee meeting reports were given from the following: Committee on Organization, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, the Committee on Intellectual Freedom, the Committee on Legislation, and the International Relations Committee.
Significant resolutions that came forward include
(1) Resolution in support of "orphan works" legislation. "Resolved that the American Library Association urges Members of the US Senate and the US House of Representatives to introduce legislation to amend the Copyright Act to facilitate the use of "orphan works" if the user has made a reasonably diligent, good faith search to locate the owner of the work but was unable to find the owner." I voted in favor of this.
(2) Resolution in support of Immigrant Rights. There was a great deal of discussion on this resolution's wording. An amendment was introduced by Michael Gorman, former ALA President, to leave out the word "immigrant" to make it less controversial and insert a term that includes all "residents" in the broadest sense of the word. The amendment passed and so did the resolution. The exact wording of this will come out in another document. I voted in favor of this.
(3) Resolution Affirming the role of libraries in providing E-Government and Emergency Services. "Resolved that the American Library Association urge governments at all levels to acknowledge and support the essential role local libraries play in providing e-government and emergency response/recovery services, as well as include libraries in relevant legislative or other policy actions; and be it further...Resolved, that the American Library Association encourage continued research documenting library needs and capacity to provide effective e-government and emergency response/recovery services, and help libraries develop best practices and train staff to deliver these essential services." I voted in favor of this.
Eli Mina, ALA Parliamentarian, gave his report with an explanation of an unusual procedure that occurred at the second Council meeting. The procedure occurred during the introduction of the Resolution to impeach George Bush. A movement was made to strike the resolution as inappropriate. President Burger called for a vote on this and the majority voted in favor of this. This led to great displeasure from several council members because it no longer allowed for discussion and several felt as if this was a form of censorship, certainly anathema to the principles of our profession. In the end, the body overruled this, but it appeared to be out of order. Eli explained today it was not.
The "Accessible Digitization Projects Resolution" was discussed. Exact wording is forthcoming since there were some changes from the originally submitted resolution. Basically it encourages all libraries engaging in digitization projects to create versions of all materials that are accessible to persons using screen-reader or other assistive technologies.
I am honored to be a part of this body of librarians who care deeply about our profession and democracy.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
ALA Council II
The first few votes that were taken at this meeting include some minor changes in wording in the ALA Policy Manual (Document #17) and a change in the timeline for work being done by the Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC) (Document 33.1).
The Committee on Membership Meetings (Document 37) reported that they would like to discuss adding 30 minutes to Council meetings for non-council ALA members to speak on the resolutions that are brought before Council. This was agreed to.
The Treasurer's report (Document #13) reiterated ALA's action goals (Access to Information, Legislation/Funding, Intellectual Freedom, Public Awareness, Personnel Resources, Development & Technology.) There is information on Total ALA Operating Expenses, General Fund Dues Revenue, Projections on Revenue, Members and Long term investment among other tables. Progress in aligning ALA with their 2010 strategic plan is also addressed. Bottom line is ALA is currently financially sound and stable. However, there are always concerns such as the tenable nature of library funding, the rising costs of health care, the state of the art technology costs, and loan and interest rates. Teri Switzer from Colorado has served as the Treasurer for ALA, and she has done a fantastic job. We in Colorado should be very proud of her contributions to ALA.
John Berry, the Freedom to Read Foundation President, reported on the foundation. This was reported on in an earlier blog. (Document #22)
Honorary membership nominations were made and voted on. Honorary memberships were given to David Cohen, Alice Hagemeyer, Anita R. Schiller, and Alphonse F. Trezza. (Document #24)
After much discussion, both the Resolutions referred to earlier (Impeachment of George W. Bush and Funding for the War in Iraq) did not pass. I abstained on both votes.
The next resolution that was presented concerned the Boy Scouts of America. The resolution stated that ALA call upon all its units to follow ALA Policies and to suspend all affiliation with the Boy Scounts of America National Council until such time as the Boy Scouts of America ends its exclusionary policy on the basis of a person's religious beliefs or sexual orientation and rescind its decision to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and/or religious beliefs so that it demonstrates a commitment to human rights, inclusiveness and mutal respect, before prior relations with ALA can be restored. This resolution was referred back for review.
To be clear on the amount of time that I spent in meetings on these last three resolutions, it was 2 1/2 hours at two different meetings. I found the discussions on these issues to be appropriate in the sense of clarifying ALA's stance on first amendment issues. However, my comments to the Council were the following (although not verbatim):
"My statement has to do with my role as a representative of my Chapter as well as ALA members. The democratic system calls for us, as leaders, to be representatives of the people's opinions that are passed on to us. For those in favor of this resolution, I agree that the resolution fits into the broader mission of ALA. But, to me the question is not just about whether it is right or moral or appropriate for us to bring this before council, but more importantly, are we representing our constituents. I have heard many of the Chapter Councilors say that the feedback they are receiving is that folks do not believe this is appropriate business to be going forward with in Council. I wonder if there isn't a better way to make sure that we are properly representing our constituents, not our own beliefs."
The Committee on Membership Meetings (Document 37) reported that they would like to discuss adding 30 minutes to Council meetings for non-council ALA members to speak on the resolutions that are brought before Council. This was agreed to.
The Treasurer's report (Document #13) reiterated ALA's action goals (Access to Information, Legislation/Funding, Intellectual Freedom, Public Awareness, Personnel Resources, Development & Technology.) There is information on Total ALA Operating Expenses, General Fund Dues Revenue, Projections on Revenue, Members and Long term investment among other tables. Progress in aligning ALA with their 2010 strategic plan is also addressed. Bottom line is ALA is currently financially sound and stable. However, there are always concerns such as the tenable nature of library funding, the rising costs of health care, the state of the art technology costs, and loan and interest rates. Teri Switzer from Colorado has served as the Treasurer for ALA, and she has done a fantastic job. We in Colorado should be very proud of her contributions to ALA.
John Berry, the Freedom to Read Foundation President, reported on the foundation. This was reported on in an earlier blog. (Document #22)
Honorary membership nominations were made and voted on. Honorary memberships were given to David Cohen, Alice Hagemeyer, Anita R. Schiller, and Alphonse F. Trezza. (Document #24)
After much discussion, both the Resolutions referred to earlier (Impeachment of George W. Bush and Funding for the War in Iraq) did not pass. I abstained on both votes.
The next resolution that was presented concerned the Boy Scouts of America. The resolution stated that ALA call upon all its units to follow ALA Policies and to suspend all affiliation with the Boy Scounts of America National Council until such time as the Boy Scouts of America ends its exclusionary policy on the basis of a person's religious beliefs or sexual orientation and rescind its decision to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and/or religious beliefs so that it demonstrates a commitment to human rights, inclusiveness and mutal respect, before prior relations with ALA can be restored. This resolution was referred back for review.
To be clear on the amount of time that I spent in meetings on these last three resolutions, it was 2 1/2 hours at two different meetings. I found the discussions on these issues to be appropriate in the sense of clarifying ALA's stance on first amendment issues. However, my comments to the Council were the following (although not verbatim):
"My statement has to do with my role as a representative of my Chapter as well as ALA members. The democratic system calls for us, as leaders, to be representatives of the people's opinions that are passed on to us. For those in favor of this resolution, I agree that the resolution fits into the broader mission of ALA. But, to me the question is not just about whether it is right or moral or appropriate for us to bring this before council, but more importantly, are we representing our constituents. I have heard many of the Chapter Councilors say that the feedback they are receiving is that folks do not believe this is appropriate business to be going forward with in Council. I wonder if there isn't a better way to make sure that we are properly representing our constituents, not our own beliefs."
ALA Council Forum
In preparation for the second Council meeting was a forum last evening to discuss the business that comes before formal Council meetings including the oftentimes controversial resolutions. The resolutions coming forward this year are no less controversial than in the past. There was a great deal of debate as to the appropriateness of Council discussing and taking a stand on issues that are more political in nature. The Social Responsibility Roundtable brought forward the Resolution to Advocate Ending the Funding for the Iraq War and the Resolution on Impeachment of President George W. Bush. I have a similar opinion to many other Chapter Councilors that we need to be representatives of our Chapters. The majority of people who spoke to me about ALA business requested that I not become involved in non-library related issues.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Freedom to Read Foundation
The Freedom to Read Foundation was established in 1969 as the First Amendment legal defense arm of the American Library Association. It is the only organization in the United States whose primary goal is to protect, promote, and defend the First Amendment in libraries. All chapters are expected to donate to the organization, and Colorado is a member through CAL. This is the organization that assisted Denver's Tattered Cover Book Store in its successful fight against a search warrent targeting customer records. More information can be found at www.ftrf.org/joinftrf.htm.
ALA Council I
This is the first of three formal meetings that occur with all ALA Council members. (There are Chapter Council members like me from each state, At-Large Council members who are voted in by ALA members, and Division and Round Table Council members.)There were reports from the ALA President, Leslie Burger, the upcoming President, Loriene Roy, and Keith Michael Fiels, the Executive Director of ALA. ( If you would like to see any of these reports before they get posted on ALA's website, you can contact me.) Nominations to the ALA Executive Board were announced and there is a forum to get to know the candidates. This is the first meeting where resolutions are introduced. Two resolutions were on the agenda, although discussion on these was postponed until Council II on Tuesday: "Resolution to Advocate Ending the Funding for the Iraq War" and "Resolution on Impeachment of President George W. Bush." Since both of these issues fall outside of library issues I will abstain from voting on these. It is frustrating to many council members that some of these non-library resolutions are introduced, but on the other hand, ALA prides itself on its democratic process, and it is very important that we "practice what we preach."
The president's main initiatives have included:
1. The "Emerging Leaders' Program." We have 3 librarians from Colorado, Dianne Fricke, from Colorado Springs, Nicole Van Thiel, and Heather Clark from BCR. There will be a continuation of this program next year.
2."ILoveLibraries.org" This is an in-progress online advocacy site to learn more about the great things that libraries do. They are trying to get this pushed out by National Legislative Day on May 1 and 2.
3. The "National Library Agenda." This is a broadly framed agenda that talks about our key action/interest areas. There is a draft document available at:
http://wikis.ala.org/nationallibraryagenda/images/f/f4/Discussion_Draft_MW_2007_final_1-11-07.pdf This tool will help shape ALA's advocacy initiatives, both at the national level as well as the local level.
The upcoming President, Loriene Roy, reported on the following:
1. She has been working with the "Committee on Committees" to find people to work with during her term.
2. She is doing work on "Workplace Wellness Initiatives."
3. Feasibility plan on a "National Library Camp."
4. Develop online parlimentary procedure.
5. Work on national database for practical experience for LIS students.
The Executive Director's report:
1. Great progress with Congress concerning the closing of the EPA libraries.
2. Three-phase plan for restructuring the ALA library site. There will be some market research done at ALA Annual. The new design will be implemented after the Annual Conference. The notion is not that the project will be finished, but will be the beginning of continual improvement. 3. New workshops on "Lawyers for Libraries."
4. Continued work on Advocacy.
5. Further distribution of the executive director's report will be done, e.g. Chapter Association personnel.
The president's main initiatives have included:
1. The "Emerging Leaders' Program." We have 3 librarians from Colorado, Dianne Fricke, from Colorado Springs, Nicole Van Thiel, and Heather Clark from BCR. There will be a continuation of this program next year.
2."ILoveLibraries.org" This is an in-progress online advocacy site to learn more about the great things that libraries do. They are trying to get this pushed out by National Legislative Day on May 1 and 2.
3. The "National Library Agenda." This is a broadly framed agenda that talks about our key action/interest areas. There is a draft document available at:
http://wikis.ala.org/nationallibraryagenda/images/f/f4/Discussion_Draft_MW_2007_final_1-11-07.pdf This tool will help shape ALA's advocacy initiatives, both at the national level as well as the local level.
The upcoming President, Loriene Roy, reported on the following:
1. She has been working with the "Committee on Committees" to find people to work with during her term.
2. She is doing work on "Workplace Wellness Initiatives."
3. Feasibility plan on a "National Library Camp."
4. Develop online parlimentary procedure.
5. Work on national database for practical experience for LIS students.
The Executive Director's report:
1. Great progress with Congress concerning the closing of the EPA libraries.
2. Three-phase plan for restructuring the ALA library site. There will be some market research done at ALA Annual. The new design will be implemented after the Annual Conference. The notion is not that the project will be finished, but will be the beginning of continual improvement. 3. New workshops on "Lawyers for Libraries."
4. Continued work on Advocacy.
5. Further distribution of the executive director's report will be done, e.g. Chapter Association personnel.
ALA - APA Information Session
ALA-APA (American Library Association - Allied Professional Association) is a relatively unknown, but important organization. It is a non-profit organization (501C6) that was established to"provide a voice and platform to advocate for improving library employee status and salaries." It is a legally separate organization from ALA. Its focus is on two areas that cannot be undertaken to a "substantial" extent by ALA under current IRS regulations: (1) certification of individuals in specializations beyond the initial professional degree and (2) activities primarily designed to improve ths salaries and status of librarians and otaher library workers. Although ALA and ALA-APA are legally separate organizations, to prevent conflict between the two organizations, they are tied together by full interlocked governing bodies. So in addition to the ALA Council responsibilities, a councilor also serves on the ALA-APA governing body.
Membership Information Meeting
Topics covered in the meeting included Budget Analysis, ALA Endowment Trustees report, 2007 Nominating Committee report, and Diversity Counts report.
Highlights of the Budget analysis report include that there was an additional $1.0 million more revenue than budgeted. At a different meeting, Keith Michael Fiels, Executive Director of ALA, mentioned one of the intiatives he has proposed for using the additional revenues (some of which have come from the dues increase.) One of these initiatives involve making more resources and training available for advocacy for libraries. I have been in touch with Keith about the possibility of bringing a pre-conference to CAL on this topic. Long term investment (within its endowment fund) continues to increase reaching over $28 million as of 8/31/06. Of course, with an endowment fund, the goal is to keep that money growing so that the percentage that is taken out each year will continue to grow without putting a large dent in the core pot of money. The Association is shoring up its financial position.
Several questions were asked of the Nominating Committee concerning representation from sectors that seem to be under represented including front-line librarians and school librarians. Charles Kratz, chair of the committee, reported that extensive efforts were made to try and recruit members from this sector, but many were not able to offer their time and service. The 2007 slate of ALA Council candidates was also presented. Clara Sitter, Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Denver is running. Further information will follow on this.
An extensive report on diversity was showcased and next steps are being looked at. One of these steps include looking at hiring a new director for an Office of Diversity (perhaps with another title.)
Highlights of the Budget analysis report include that there was an additional $1.0 million more revenue than budgeted. At a different meeting, Keith Michael Fiels, Executive Director of ALA, mentioned one of the intiatives he has proposed for using the additional revenues (some of which have come from the dues increase.) One of these initiatives involve making more resources and training available for advocacy for libraries. I have been in touch with Keith about the possibility of bringing a pre-conference to CAL on this topic. Long term investment (within its endowment fund) continues to increase reaching over $28 million as of 8/31/06. Of course, with an endowment fund, the goal is to keep that money growing so that the percentage that is taken out each year will continue to grow without putting a large dent in the core pot of money. The Association is shoring up its financial position.
Several questions were asked of the Nominating Committee concerning representation from sectors that seem to be under represented including front-line librarians and school librarians. Charles Kratz, chair of the committee, reported that extensive efforts were made to try and recruit members from this sector, but many were not able to offer their time and service. The 2007 slate of ALA Council candidates was also presented. Clara Sitter, Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Denver is running. Further information will follow on this.
An extensive report on diversity was showcased and next steps are being looked at. One of these steps include looking at hiring a new director for an Office of Diversity (perhaps with another title.)
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