ALA Annual 2009-Chicago

ALA-APA Information Session Sunday, July 12, 2009
Jim Rettig mentioned that in his meetings with groups only a small number had heard of APA. He thinks the organization has a perception/recognition problem and encouraged Councilors to spread the word about APA and their activities.

ALA Council I Sunday, July 12,2009
Committee on Committees & Planning & Budget Assembly-Camilia A. Alire
Nominations were submitted for each of these committees. Several more were made from the floor for the Committee on Committees.

ALA President's ReportReport was submitted. Of note Jim Rettig mentioned taking part in President Obama's "United We Serve" initiative by participating in an event at the Fanwood Memorial Library in Fanwood, NJ.

ALA President Elect's ReportPresidential Initiave-Front line advocacy. Concentrating on rank and file library staff. Also focusing on advocacy for literacy. She also mentioned a fundraising initiative.

ALA Executive Director's Report-Keith Michael Fiels

ALA has received a $2 million, three-year grant extension from Gates Foundation to continue the Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study.

To view full reports from President, President-Elect and Executive Director of ALA see http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/governance/council/index.cfm

Council Transparency-Keith Michael Fiels


Cost of Council meetings is currently $40,000. Live audio streaming would be an additional $11,000 per year. Live video streaming would be $55,000. The cost to enable e-participation and voting along with video streaming is $144,000. It is very expensive to broadcast from a convention center. Legal liability is also a consideration.

ALA-APA Council Monday, July 13,2009

Three main areas of focus:

1. National certification for library workers-Certified Public Library Administrator (CPLA) and lib support staff certification (in development)

2. Advocates for salaries and trainings for library workers

3. Reports reports and analyses including the Librarian Salary Survey, Non-MLS Salary Survey, and Library Salary Database.

May 31, 2009 Financials:

Revenues: $118,418

Expenses: $137,647

Note: The ALA-APA Cannot charge dues. Payment on loan from ALA is included in expenses.

Treasurer requested Council approval of budgetary ceiling of $182,326. No discussion. Approved.

Resolution on Support for Overtime Pay Protection1.Urges the President of the United States and the Department of Labor to revise or withdraw wage and hour regulations insofar as they exclude workers from overtime pay protections and to retain the proposed regulations to the extent that they expand the categories of protected workers;

2. Urges the U.S. Congress to continue to protect the integrity of the FLSA, and thus wages, hours and living standards for U.S. workers.

3. Encourages other professional associations and societies representing library workers in the U.S. by speaking out in favor of expanding overtime pay protections for low-wage workers, and actively enforcing those existing regulations for already covered workers; and

4. Sends copies of this policy statement to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Labor, and every member of Congress and to publicize it through print, online and other media of the Association.

After considerable discussion the resolution was referred to a special session to be held on July 15, 2009 where it will be presented with revisions.

Council II-Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Policy Monitoring Committee Report (CD #17.1)
Janet Swan Hill presented recommendations for updates and revisions for the Policy Monitoring Committee. All recommendations were passed. She urged Council members to review item 21 regarding interns as it will be reviewed in the near future.

ALA Membership Committee Report (CD #44 revised)
It is recommended that the current levels of organizational dues be increased over two membership years to provide 1) a positive financial impact against association operating expenses, and 2) pricing commensurate with access and benefits across member types while offsetting some impact to budgets at member institutions. Dues would be increased an average of 28% each year for two years across all 5 categories, as well as in the "other" designation for chapters and affiliates, and for state libraries.
Note: Organizational dues rates have not been adjusted since FY2000 and some organizational members now pay a lower rate than personal members.

Committee on Professional Ethics Report
Nancy Zimmerman, Chair, presented report CD#41.3 Enforcement of the Code of Ethics of the American Library Association and described the Ethics of Education Initiative. She presented a resolution which acknowledges the importance of ethics education and resolves that the ALA Council accepts the recommendation of ALA Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE) to contract with the Institute for Global Ethics to offer the Ethical Fitness Seminar developed to further ethics education for ALA members. The first resolve recognizing the importance of ethics education passed. The second and third resolves which named a specific contractor (Institute for Global Ethics) for the training did not pass.

Freedom to Read Foundation-Judith Platt
The Foundation has created the Judith Krug Memorial Fund for those who wish to sustain Judith's work and legacy. Donations to the fund may be made online at http://www.ftrf.org/ or sent to FTRF, 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611.
The Obama Administration decided not to appeal a ruling by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals that places limits on the government's ability to impose a gag order when it uses National Security Letters (NSL's) which renders the Second Circuit ruling final. The appellate court held the NSL statute unconstitutional to the extent that it imposes a gag order on NSL recipients without placing on the government the burden of obtaining judicial review of the gag order, and overturned the statutory requirement that courts treat as conclusive any by the government that a gag order is necessary.

ALA Treasurer's Report

FY 2009 General Fund Projections

Revenue: Budget $30,064,000, Projection $27,270,000Expenses: Budget $30,064,000, Projection $28,894,000

Projected Shortfall $1,624,000



9.6 FTE's have been eliminated from ALA staff and furloughs have been taken. ALA membership is down 2.6%. Membership is approximately 65,500.



Resolution on Civil Marriage Equality Regardless of Sexual Orientation


That the American Library Association affirms that civil marriage and other civil rights protections are essential to making all families safer and more secure. Opposes civil marriage discrimination in the federal or in state constitutions. Supports the right of every person to marry, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples, wherever they reside. Resolution passed.



Resolution on Libraries and the Continuing Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan


1. Reiterates its call for the ending of the occupation of Iraq and the withdrawal of all U.S. troops.


2. Calls for the withdrawal from Afghanistan of all U.S. military forces, and the return of full sovereignty to the people of Afghanistan.


3. Urges the US government to shift its budgetary priorities from both wars to an improvement in support for vital domestic programs, including United States libraries.


4. Calls upon the United States government to provide material assistance through the United Nations for the reconstruction of both Iraq and Afghanistan, including its museums, libraries, schools, and other cultural resources.


5. Sends this resolution to all members of Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the President of the United States, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and the press.

Council III-Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Resolution on Support for Overtime Pay Protection
Resolution was reconsidered with revisions based upon earlier comments. Passed.

Constitution & Bylaws Committee-Tom Wilding
Bylaw revisions clarified voting rules regarding voting by mail, electronic system or conference call. Items proposed were approved.

Committee on Legislation-Bernie Margolis

Proposed convening an ALA wide representative group to continue to assess the proposed Google Book Search Settlement and its ongoing impact on ALA members and member institutions and to make recommendations for action by the Association and its members.

Several resolutions in support of GPO and paper records were also proposed and approved.

With CD#20.8 (Committee on Legislation), ALA asks that Congress include in the reauthorization of Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act a list of outlined provisions. CD#19.9 (Intellectual Freedom Committee) proposes that ALA endorses the complete sunset of Section 215. CD#19.9 was approved. CD#20.8 was changed from a resolution to "Advice to Washington Office" and as such was approved.



In addition to CD#19.9 all of the Intellectual Freedom Committee's resolutions were approved.



Committee on Organization-Proposed that the Continuing Library Education & Networking Exchange Round Table's name be changed to Learning Round Table (Learn). Approved.

Intergeneration Day Means Libraries-Resolution promoting Sunday, October 4, 2009 as Intergeneration Day Means Libraries passed.

Proposal for Single Payer Universal Healthcare-Resolution was amended with single-payer being one option of universal healthcare urged and supported by ALA and send a copy of the resolutin to all U.S. Senators & Representatives.

Action Plan to Remedy Current Library Budget Crisis

RESOLVED, that the American Library Association:
Immediately address the severe national erosion of budgetary support to all libraries with deliberate, concerted and unyielding effort by developing and instituting a critical crisis management approach to remedy library budgetary losses through the creation of an action plan to alert legislators, stake holders, and constituents to action through all media and interpersonal channels available.

Communicate to the President of the U.S., all members of Congress and all state governors that during tough economic times when people more than ever need the resources available in American libraries that those libraries more than ever need continued and increased government support.

Resolution to Expand Electronic Participation-There was further discussion regarding whether Council deliberations should be streamed in the form of audio and/or video format. This discussion was continued from Council I. Passed. Audio recordings of Council meetings will be made available at Midwinter 2010.

Total Conference Attendance:

28,941

ALA Midwinter Meeting-Denver 2009

ALA Council/Exec. Board/Membership Information Session



Sunday, January 25, 2009



Budget Analyisis & Review Committee (BARC) Report CD #33
Revenues
2008 $57,799,373
2007 $48,419,344

Three Month Highlights
Total ALA Revenue - $11.1 million
Total ALA Expenses – 12.6 million
ALA Net Revenue - $-1.5 million (This is the typical revenue/expense net pattern for this time period)
Cash & Investments - $19.3 million
Endowment Fund - $22.6 million
Down from $31.3 million (27.7%)
General stock market down 38.5%
General Fund Revenue $4.8 million
General Fund Expenses:
Less than budget by $658,210 (-9.7%)
More than the same time FY07 by $30,235 (0.5%)
Annual Conference expenses are under budget by $111,850 (-53.1%)
Midwinter meeting expenses are under budget by $103,525 (-31.6%)
Professional services are over budget by $190,794
Salary saving for the period total $480,312, which compares to savings (attrition) budgeted at $156,694




Endowment Trustees Report to Council CD #16.0



For the twelve months ended 12-31-08 the value in the ALA Endowment fund declined by $7.8 million from $31.2 million to $23.4 million. An switch to investing some funds in covertible bonds to add further diversity to the portfolio was approved in policy by the executive board and approved for implementation by the trustees.




Report of 2009 ALA Nominating Committee CD#21



Slate of candidates for president-elect and councilors-at-large was presented along with a brief description of the committees work and suggestions for future nomination committees.




ALA Presidents Report CD#21



Was presented by President, Jim Rettig. The full report can be found on the ALA web site at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/governance/council/index.cfm. He also showed a video that has been developed to encourage members to join Council, starring a number of current Council members.



Midwinter Meeting Registration (as of Saturday)-Keith Michael Fiels



7,689 registrants



2,161 exhibitors



9,850 total






ALA-APA Information Session


President Jim Rettig noted that Librarian Salary Survey responses are needed. He also mentioned that National Library Workers Day will be held Tuesday, April 14, 2009. Nancy Bolt discussed the positive response to the Library Support Staff Certification Programs.



ALA Council I


Nominations for the Council Executive Board Election were announced (CD #11). From the floor two additional nominations were made; Ling Hwey Jeng & Marilyn Hinshaw. Both candidates accepted.



Advocacy Committee report was presented by Carol A. Brey-Casiano. (CD#7). The establishment of the new LAC was approved at the 2008 Midwinter Meeting "to support the efforts of advocates for all types of libraries; to develop resources, networks and training materials for advocates at the local, state and national levels with particular emphasis on the grassroots level; to work closely with the Office for Library Advocacy in collaboration with the Public Awareness Committee, the Chapter Relations Committee, the Committee on Legislations, and other ALA offices, divisions, and roundtables as well as external groups to integrate advocacy efforts into the overall planning, priorities and policies of the association; and to cultivate future leadership in order to sustain and enhance the advocacy efforts of the association."



Constitution & Bylaws Committee


The committee proposed changes which remove the specific dues amounts from the bylaws so that the bylaws would not need revision every time a dues category change. The committee also recommended that the various categories of membership listed along with dues information be removed.



Motion to amend was made to change the time for renewing from one to two months due to the impact on international members who cannot utilize credit card renewal. Amendment was approved. Original motion as amended was approved.



Executive Director's Report-Keith Michael Fiels


American Libraries is producing a special "Tough Economy" issue of American Libraries Direct, scheduled to mail January 20.






Tough economy toolkit is available at www.ala.org/tougheconomytoolkit.



ALA and Univision Radio partnered on a PSA campaign to target Latinos. The stations running the ads reach 75% of Latinos in the top 20 Latino markets. Focusing on interpersonal relationships and building trust, the campaign presents the librarian as a trusted provider of information and support, capable of providing access to the wide range of opportunities represented by the local library. The primary message is "Yo te puedo aydar." ("I can help you.")



There was discussion about Council not receiving the Executive Director's Report two weeks in advance of meeting. Bylaws state that this information should be received at least two weeks in advance of meeting.






ALA-APA Council Monday, January 26, 2009



Salary Survey


The ALA Office staff will resume the duty for data collection & research. Initial estimates of the necessary funding and staff needed to complete this task were not accurate and APA realized it does not have the resources necessary to complete this function. Thus, APA will prepare the analysis and publication and pay royalties to ALA for the technical information. Jennifer Grady is going to work for both ALA and APA.







Treasurer's report


Net revenue- $-19,969. Salary surveys didn't get out as planned/on time. Did not realize expected sales.






CPLA-Certified Public Library Administrator Program


Total course enrollment is 557 students, an increase of 46% from the 2008 annual conference. Of this total, 313 of the students or 56% have been CPLA candidates. Numbers are below projections. Comments from participants continue to be positive.






Standing Committee on Salaries & Status of Library Workers


No action items. Will have two at Annual in Chicago--overtime pay protection & an outsourcing resolution.






Council II Tuesday, January 27, 2009






Treasurer's Report (CD#13)-Rod Hersberger



2008



Total-Revenue $57,799,373



General Fund- $28,026,732



Primary revenue sources are: Dues, publishing, meetings & conferences, and grants.






FY 2010 Programmatic Priorities


Diversity, equitable access to information and library services, education & lifelong learning,


intellectual freedom, advocacy for libraries & the profession, literacy and organizational excellence.






Freedom to Read Foundation Report-Judith Platt


Child Online Protection Act (COPA) has been overturned. FTRF filed amicus briefs at each stage of the litigation arguing that COPA placed an unconstitutional burden on protected speech between adults and that filtering technology administered by parents is a more effective, less intrusive way of protecting minors than criminalizing First Amendment-protected speech on the Internet.






Another legal victory involved a decision that places some limits on the government's ability to impose a gag order when it uses National Security Letters to obtain information. It held that the government must show there is a reasonable likelihood of harm or criminal interference, and that the burden of proof is on the government rather than on the individual challenging the gag order. The court recommended that the government put in place a notice procedure that would inform NSL recipients of their right to ask for judicial review.






For further information see ftrf.org






Library Education Task Force Report-Michael Gorman (in place of Carla Hayden)


The group looked at what every librarian should know upon graduating from an ALA accredited program of Library Science. Suggestions have been incorprated in this draft.






ALA's Core Competences of Librarianship

• Foundations of the Profession




• Information Resources




• Organization of Recorded Knowledge and Information




• Technological Knowledge & Skills




• Reference and User Services




• Research




• Continuing Education & Lifelong Learning




• Administration & Management

ALA Council III Wednesday, January 28





Council Tellers Report CD #11.2


The three new ALA Executive Board members elected are Patricia M. Hogan, Stephen L. Matthews and Courtney Young.





ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee Report


The office for Intellectual Freedom is working with ALA Editions toward publication of the 8th edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual. Publication is tentatively planned to coincide with the 2010 annual conference.





Revisions to policies on challenged materials, restricted access to library materials, and services to persons with disabilities were proposed and accepted





ALA Committee on Legislation


National Library Legislation Day will be held this year on May 11th and 12th.





Resolution commending Barak Obama for recognizing the importance of openness, transparency, and accountability in government by signing an executive order on presidential records and presidential memorand on the Freedom of Information Act and Transparency and Open Government on his first day in office and looks forward to continuing to work with the Administration to advance public access and the public's right to know. Passed.





Resolution that the ALA urges the United States Congress to reauthorize the Library Services and Technology Act in a timely manner. Passed.





International Relations Committee Report to Council


Proposed resolution calling for "the protection of libraries and archives in Gaza and Israel, and urges the U.S. Government to support the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield in upholding the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict; and calls on the U.S. Government to work for a permanent peace in the region; and transmits this resolution to the U.S. President, Secretary of State, all members of the Congress, the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield, and other appropriate individuals and organizations." Passed with revision of "U.S. Government continue to work for a permanent peace" vs. "U.S. Government to work for a permanent peace."





Committee on Organization


Proposal to change the name of the ALA Library Advocacy Committee (LAC) to ALA Committee on Library Advocacy (COLA). Passed.





The name of the Orientation, Training, and Leadership Development Committee (OTLD) be changed to the Training, Orientation and Leadership Development Committee (TOLD) and the charge be revised as follows; "To plan and coordinate training, orientation, and leadership development for member leaders at all levels across the association; to inventory training and orientation modules in divisions, round tables, and other Association groups; and to coordinate the ALA internship program." Name change and charge were approved.





Council approved the proposal for a new division which combines the current ALA Division, Association for Library Trustees & Advocates (ALTA) and Friends of the Libraries USA (FOLUSA) to be created and named the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF). Council also approved this new division's statement of responsibility which has been approved by the members of ALTA.





Recommendation was made to expand the Committee on Legislation from 10 to 15 members. Approved.





COO also drafted and presented guidelines for assemblies, interest groups, forums and membership initiative groups in their report. CD#27.





ALA Resolutions Committee


The committee changed the language of the guidelines for preparing ALA Membership Resolutions to parallel the ALA resolution process. The proposed changes were approved.





ALA Website Advisory Committee


Motion to apply high priority funding levels to the web site for accessibility review and a web code cleanup project to the public web presence of the American Library Association was proposed. Treasurer suggested that Council not micromanage and allow this proposal to be considered along with other budget requests. Council voted to approve the motion.





Task Force on Electronic Member Participation, CD#35


(continued from Council II)


Concerns were expressed that yesterdays vote on CD #35.4 [Eliminate policy 6.16 (virtual members). In its place, enable appointment of full committee members who may attend meetings virtually only by Jan. 2009] was not completely clear. A motion to reconsider was approved. After considerable discussion and amendments CD #35.4 was approved.





CD # 35.5-Attendance at meetings may be in person or through other means that enable synchronous communication.





In accordance with the recommendation of the parliamentarian, items #35.6-#35.16 will be discussed for a specified amount of time and then referred to Exec. Board for further consideration.


Resolution on Understanding Gaza – One Conference, One Book, One Read presented by Elaine Harger was defeated.



Resolution on Accessible Computer Workstations at ALA Annual Conference and Midwinter Meetings by Melora Ranney Norman passed.



High Speed Internet Wireless Access at Conference Hotels by Ria Newhouse was defeated primarily due to budgetary concerns.


Resolution on Access for Physical Mobility Impaired Conference Attendees

Passed

This resolution was passed to address the issue of people with mobility impairments having to locate and get to the ALA Conference Office. Instead mobility devices will be available in or near the main registration area.



Resolution added the following paragraph to the end of policy #7.1.3, Conference Arrangements for Participants with Disabilities:



"Assistive devices for attendees with physical mobility impairments shall be made available by reservation. Devices not reserved in advance shall be made on a first-come, first-served basis. Using whatever means necessary, these devices shall be located adjacent to the conference center's main entrance or to the primary registration area for pick-up and delivery."



Note: For complete copies of the wording of all resolutions and action items from Council visit the ALA Web Site http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/governance/council/index.cfm



Midwinter Attendance Figures: 7,905 Registrants and 2,315 exhibitors for a total of 10,222.



On a very sad note two librarians from Connecticut who attended ALA Midwinter were killed in an automobile accident when their airport shuttle was struck by another vehicle driven by a suspected drunk driver.

ALA Annual 2008-Anaheim

ALA Council/Executive Board/Membership Information Session-Sunday June 29

Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC) Report-Marilyn Hinshaw
FY 2009 Budget $53,421,204 in revenue and expenses budgeted at $54,525,383.

ALA Endowment Trustees Report-Robert Newlen, Chair
Endowment Fund PerformanceFor the five months ending 5-31-08 the value in the ALA endowment fund declined by approximately $667,000 from $31.2 million to $30.6 million. Despite negative results in the funds performance is significantly better than the market.

Library Education Task Force-Michael Gorman

The Library Education Task Force is requesting your comments on the core competencies list:
1. Foundations of the Profession
2. Information Resources
3. Organization of Recorded Knowledge and Information
4. Technological Knowledge and Skills
5. Reference and User Services
6. Research
7. Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning
8. Administration and Management

*ALA Presidents Report-Loriene Roy

*ALA President-Elect's Report-Jim Rettig

*To view full text of these reports and other Council Documents visit http://www.ala.org/ala/ourassociation/governanceofficeb/council/councildocuments/councildocuments.cfm


ALA-APA Information Session-Sunday, June 29, 2008
President's Report-Workplace Wellness web site-www.ala-apa.org/wellness.

President Elect's Report-Strengthening Professionalism in the Public Interest-Partnership between ALA, ALA-APA, and more than 15 professional associations and unions discussing common areas of interest around professional integrity. Sponsored by the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO.

ALA Council I- Sunday, June 29, 2008
Nominations for Council Committee on Committees and Planning and Budget Assembly followed by appointment of tellers for COC and PBA Elections.

Guidelines for preparation of resolutions for Council Policy 5.3 was presented with suggested revisions.

ALA/APA Council Monday, June 30, 2008
Treasurer's Report/Annual Estimates

Annual estimates of income FY 2009:

• Revenue Projection: $250,088
  
• Expense Projection: $215,313
  

Full report with actual figures not yet available. Lengthy discussion regarding financial viability of APA. No specific action items identified.

Certified Public Administrator Program Update
2007 Annual Conference - 76 candidates
2008 Annual Conference - 106 candidates
Total course enrollment is 381 students 204 of which have been CPLA candidates. The majority are in medium sized libraries serving communities of 25k to 100k.

ALA-APA Standing Committee on the Salaries and Status of Library Workers

• Providing a variety of programs at conference pertaining to this topic.
  
• Living wage resolution proposed:

Resolved that in recognition of the skills and competencies required of all library workers, the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association endorses a minimum wage for all library workers of at least $13.00 per hour, to be adjusted annually in relation to the Federal poverty guidelines. Note: applicable to full time staff. Passed.

ALA Council II Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Policy Monitoring Committee Report-Janet Swan Hill

Consistency of language denoting the profession. Action item to regularize language in manual by referring to "library and information studies" unless use of this term might be awkward or misleading. Action item was approved.

Change "ALA-accredited programs of library science" to "ALA accredited programs of library and information science." Approved

Other changes approved:

Replace "The details of the appeals procedure shall be adopted by the Executive Board as implementation of this policy, and the procedure shall be a part of the information supplied to institutions participating in the accreditation process." with "Details regarding the appeals procedure shall be supplied to all programs participating in the accreditation process."

Placement of revisions to Code of Ethics approved by Council at midwinter 2008.

Revised guidelines for preparation of resolutions (ALA Policy 5.3)

Task Force on E-Member Participation Report-Janet Swan Hill

Update on discussions regarding this topic but no resolutions/recommendations put forward.

ALA Membership Committee Report on Corporate Membership Proposal-Dora Ho Council approved the proposal to structure corporate membership by establishing two levels of corporate membership dues, $500 and $2000 to take effect on September 1, 2008.

ALA Treasurer's Report

Following fairly clear explanations from Jennifer Grady and Rod Herseberger, the budgetary ceiling for ALA-APA was passed at about $265,000. The fiscal future of ALA-APA remains uncertain. The fiscal future of ALA is solid and well documented. The budgetary ceiling for ALA was approved at $67,984,278. Judith Platt, Freedom to Read Foundation President reported litigation activity underway to defend the rights of readers and bookstores to resist challenges to their right to have access to books and information. Membership in the FTRF has fallen off in recent years. ALA Members are encouraged to join: http://www.ftrf.org/joinftrf.html

Resolution Adopting the Definitions of Digital Preservation and the Revised Preservation Policy for the American Library Association - That the American Library Association adopt the definitions of digital preservation and the revised Preservation Policy for use on the web, verbally, in written policy statements, and other documents. Passed.

Resolution on Support for Funding Cataloging and Bibliographic Control at the Library of Congress -Resolved, that the ALA urges the Library of Congress to devote more resources to the training of professional bibliographic access librarians, both those employed at the LOC and in other American libraries, and be it further Resolved, that the ALA Executive Director instruct the Washington Office to advocate and petition for increased federal funding to support the work of bibliographic control at the LOC by filling and expanding the number of bibliographic access positions, and be it further Resolved, that the ALA Executive Director instruct the Washington Office to communicate this message in discussions with members of Congress and others. Passed.

Resolution Supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)-Passed - Resolved that the ALA calls for the reinstatement in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) of protections for transgender persons from employment discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression, and be it further Resolved, ALA calls for passage of H.R. 2015 or other inclusive version of ENDA by both Houses of Congress. Passed.

Resolution Concerning ALA Policy Opposing Sweatshop Labor and Support Union Business
The American Library Association and its divisions, round tables, and all other units should purchase all products for distribution to membership from sweatshop free producers; and this resolution be communicated to all ALA divisions, round tables, all other units, and ALA staff.

Suggested addition to second resolved clause; This resolution and information about how to comply with it shall be distributed to all ALA divisions, round tables, and all other units and ALA staff. Passed.

ALA Council III-Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Recognition of Lois Ann Gregory for 40 years of service with ALA Office.

Constitution & Bylaws Committee Applications for ALA affiliate status for the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) and the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS) were proposed and accepted. Rules governing interim appointments of President Elect and Treasurer due to unanticipated vacancies were presented and approved. Amendment clarifying terms of office for officers and elected members of the Executive Board as serving until the adjournment of the annual conference that follows the selection of their successors was approved. Resolution to remove specific dues amounts from the ALA bylaws was approved.

Intellectual Freedom Committee The Intellectual Freedom Committee, chaired by Kenton Oliver, did an excellent job of keeping our IF documents up to date. For full report see: http://www.ala.org/ala/ourassociation/governanceofficeb/council/councildocuments/councildocuments.cfm

International Relations Committee The International Relations Committee presented an action item seeking the return of historical documents confiscated from the Iraqi National Library.

Committee on Organization Revision of composition of Committee on Accreditation proposed which basically formalizes and clarifies current practice in place for appointments. Approved.

Committee on Legislation Resolution in support of the National Agricultural Library (NAL) was approved. Resolution on the E-government Reauthorization Act of 2007 was approved.

Resolution in support of preservation and access to the audio heritage of the United States, which urges members of the U.S. Congress to charge the U.S. Copyright Office to conduct a study on the desirability of bringing sound recordings before February 15, 1972, under federal jurisdiction was proposed and approved. This resolution was brought forward because the shelf life of these formats is not known and there are concerns that the information may become inaccessible if not converted to other formats. Passed.

New Business:

Resolution adopting the definitions of digital preservation and the revised preservation policy for the American Library Association was approved.

Resolution on expanding Council transparency was proposed. The intent is to study ways to make the business of the Association more visible to the membership.

Total Attendance: 22,047

Midwinter Meeting January 2008-Philadelphia

Council I-Sunday, January 13, 2008

Information Session

ALA net revenue for Fiscal Year 2007 was $840,201. The Graduated Dues Structure Task Force reported on estimated fees for a comprehensive research study and implementation costs. In its entirety the cost would be approximately $624,000.

Discussion regarding the ability of divisions, sections and roundtables to endorse candidates for executive board.

Questions from councilors about whether this is a new policy were raised. Keith Michael Fiels indicated that this policy is not new but has been in place for over a decade.

Resolution on Member Access to Electronic Lists

Whereas, read-only access to the Association’s electronic Council list by non-council members has been shown to allow member participiation without negative impact upon the business of the Association,

Therefore, be it resolved that this resolution shall be implemented on ALA servers as soon as the ALA Executive Director deems it feasible.

Referred to task force due to complexities.

1/14/08 ALA-APA Council
Treasurer’s Report
APA is up-to-date in their repayment schedule of the $250,000 loan from ALA to start the organization.

Certified Public Administrator Program
First person has completed the program
59 candidates have completed one course
96 candidates are actively enrolled

Executive Board Candidates Forum
Thomas Wilding Professor, SIRLS-Tucson, AZ
Francis R. Roscello, School Library Media Program Coordinator, NY
X Em Claire Knowles, Professor, Simmons Graduate School of Lib. and Info. Science
Dora T. Ho, Young Adult Librarian, Los Angeles Public Library
Pamela C Sieving, Informationist-Medical Librarian
X Diane R. Chen, School Library Information Specialist Nashville, TN
X Joseph Eagan, Maryland Chapter Councilor

X=elected by Council as reported 1/16/08

Council Forum

Code of Ethics revisions/updates

Discussion centered on whether to include "fair use and public domain" be included in the following statement: "We recognize and respect intellectual property rights and advocate balance between the interests of information users and rights holders and support fair use and public domain."


Provision of accessible internet access computers at ALA events

A blind conference attendee was not able to use the computers at the internet cafe. ALA staff made arrangements for this individual, however, some Council members would like to address this issue via a resolution which would ensure accessible computers for the disabled are set up in advance thus eliminating the need for a special request to be made.


Revisions to update language for LIS Accreditation Standards

Question of whether Council should update language now or wait until task force on accreditation has completed their work in revising standards was discussed. Some argued that waiting for task force recommendations will take too long and proposed changes only update out-of-date buzz phrases in education. Others say changes are substantive and that the task force will be ready with a recommendation soon.


1/15/08 Council II


Freedom To Read Foundation Report
Reported on various challenges around the country including the King's English vs. Shurtleff lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Utah's expanded "harmless to minors" statute. FTRF reports that the statute has an astounding reach; not only criminalizing constitutionally protected Internet content, but giving the state's attorney general authority to designnate a website to be "harmful to minors" without judicial review. In the spring of 2007, the State of Utah filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit asserting that the FTRF and its co-plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the law. On November 20, 2007 the court denied the State's motion to dismiss the lawsuit ruling that FTRF could continue to represent the first amendment interests of Internet users across the country.


Campaign Guidelines

Some council members argue that roundtables, sections, divisions, etc. should be able to endorse a particular candidate though current policy does not allow this. The policy has been in place for 15 years but has not been necessarily been the practice of groups.


Moved that the executive board revisit the campaigning guidelines/policy and report back to Council at Annual Conference 2008.


Amendment by substitution (1):

Except for members of the ALA Executive Board individuals who are elected officers or committee chairs of the Association and its units may personally endorse candidates. DEFEATED


Proposed Change to Time of Council Meetings

Move that the scheduling of ALA Council sessions end on Tuesday as the last Council meeting beginning at Midwinter 2009. No action taken until implications have been studied.


1/16/08 Council III

Treasurer's Report


General fund net revenue is down from $624,000 in 2006 to $472,000 in 2007. Total member ship in 2006 was 64,689. Total membership for 2007 was 64,729.


Committee on Status on Women in Librarianship

Resolution in support of women as caregivers in the workforce (CD#41). Suggestion to add men who are caregivers was made. Resolution passed as written.


Committee on Organization

Any candidate for an elected or appointed position within ALA shall refrain from any committee or board activity that could advance or appear to advance his or her candidacy. Did not pass. Council stated concerns with vagueness of language.


CD#25 Constitution and Bylaws Report
Affiliate status for the Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM). Resolution passed.


Affiliate status for the On-line Audiovisual Catlogers (OLAC). Resolution passed.


President-Elect vacancy-Allows the Executive Board to appoint an individual if an unexpected
vacancy occurs. This appointment is subject to Council approval and will serve in an "acting" capacity until confirmation by Council occurs. Resolution passed.

Treasurer Vacancy-Allows the Executive Board to appoint an interim treasurer if necessary subject to a confirmation mail vote by Council. Position will be filled by regular election at the next election unless the regular election is less than four months away.

Committee on Legislation
Resolution on…….
CD#20.1 Government Printing Office FY 2009 Appropriations
CD#20.2 Tribal College Library Membership in the Federal Depository Library Program
CD#20.3 Safeguarding Electronic Government Info.and E-government in times of disaster
CD#20.4 Opposing Postal Rate Increases for Small Circulation Publications
CD#20.5 Acknowledging Bassem Youssef (FBI whistleblower) regarding abuses of National Security Letters.
CD#20.6 Full Funding of the Federal Digital System


SRRT Resolution on the Crisis in Kenya

Passed with a vote of 67 to 65.

Resolution on the Confiscation of Iraqi Documents from the Iraq National Library Archives (CD #44)

Resolved that ALA condemns the confiscation of documents from the Iraq National Library and Archive by the United States and British forces and strongly advocates the immediate return of all documents, and, be it further resolved, that ALA calls for the United States Government to honor the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Second Protocol. Passed.


Midwinter attendance as reported by Keith Michael Fiels-13,601 PHL--up from 12,230 in Seattle January 2007.

ALA 2007 Annual Conference-Washington D.C.

ALA-APA (American Library Association-Allied Professional Association)
Information Session June 24, 2007

Terry Switzer, treasurer presented.

Council brought up the question of whether APA will be able to pay back loan from ALA since it shows a $500 deficit? Jennifer Grady is optimistic that APA will be able to pay back the loan. More funds will be coming in from donations and the sale of publications.

Council I June 24, 2007

Nominations for the Committee on Committees and Planning and Budget Assembly were made announced and a few additional candidates were added.

Report to Council & Executive Board by Keith Michael Fiels, Executive Director

• Library Day on Hill and book truck drill were announced.
• Usability/Redesign of ALA Website is moving forward.
• Ilovelibraries.org Advocacy Tool - New website for the general public where people can learn more about the excitement and vitality of today's libraries and become more active suporters.
• American Libraries Focus-A new video component of American Libraries Online alfocus.ala.org. First up on the site is Play "Wheel of Confusion" a lighthearted look at those confounding ALA acronyms.
• Membership-Dues increases have not created substantial member loss.
  

Implementation Report of Midwinter Meeting Actions
Discussion on whether Council should receive implementation information sooner that the next ALA Council Meeting.

ALA Council Orientation Committee Report on “Creating a Buzz about Council”
Joseph Eagan discussed strategies to more effectively promote the activities of Council and encourage members to run for Council seats. Suggestions are based upon ideas brainstormed by Council at midwinter meeting in Seattle.

Wikis.ala.org/Council has been developed.

Treasurer Terry Switzer presented financial info. re: APA and Kellogg report re: strengths and weaknesses of APA.

Donations to APA are deductible as a “business expense” for library employees.

APA Budgetary Ceiling of $323,914 was approved. Some discussion about whether projected revenues are realistic.


Approval of the proposed charge revision to the ALA-APA Committee on Organization.


Proposed change to have ALA APA committees accountable to board of directors rather than entire Council. Action item disapproved by vote.

Proposed-ALA-APA committees be required to submit to ALA-APA Council an update of their activities within a month after each Midwinter or Annual Meeting.

ALA-APA Certified Public Library Administrator (CPLA) Program Update

33 courses offered by 8 providers
76 candidates actively enrolled

Committee on salaries and the status of library workers report
The Better Salries and Pay Equity Toolkit was completely revised and updated in April 2007 and is available on the ALA-APA website-www.ala-apa.org/toolkit.pdf

Council II June 26, 2007

Committee on Legislation

Action items related to the FY 2008 appropriations bill:

Passed resolutions:

• Restoring full funding for the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program complete its activities.
• Full funding for government printing office appropriation of $182 million for fiscal year 2008.
• Call upon Congress to fund the 19.1 milion needed for the first year to support the National Library Service's digitization project to convert up-to-date digital technology and thus improve Talking Books services to people with visual or physical disability. (This technology will replace existing cassettes.)
• Urging the passage of the No Child Left Behind SKILLS Act requiring schools to the extent that it is feasible to employ at least on highly qualified school library media specialist.
• Principles of digital content-applying values, intellectual property rights, sustainable collections, collaboration and advocacy to digital materials.
  

Treasurer's Report to Council

Programmatic Priorities:

• Diversity
• Literacy
• Intellectual Freedom
• Equity of Access to Information and Library Services
• Education and Lifelong Learning
• Organizational Excellence
  

Total ALA Revenue:

FY 2007 $47.6 million (budget)

FY 2008 $51.4 million (proposed)

*Publishing brings in 40% of revenues

Request Council Approval:

FY 2008 Budgetary Ceiling $60,530,585

As of Monday ALA Conference Statistics:

21,109 attendees

7119 exhibitors

Council III June 27, 2007

Approved:

• A task force to study e-participation tools for ALA Council.
• Catholic Library Association affiliate status with ALA.
• Position of names on ballots shall be randomized.

Discussion:

Comprehensive Bylaws Review-Council Feedback via listserv requested to entertain the following:

What is the appropriate size and composition of Council?

What is the appropriate division of responsibility between Council and the Executive Board?

What is the appropriate term length for ALA President?

What is the appropriate appointment mechanism for committees?

What is the appropriate role of term limits?

International Relations Committee Report-Attendance at conference included 450 international colleagues from 87 countries.

ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee Report-Resolution regarding condemnation of the use of National Security letters to obtain library records was proposed and passed.

Policy Monitoring Committee

Added to ALA Policy Manual:

Support of Immigrant Rights 52.4.4

ALA strongly supports the protection of each person's civil liberties, regardless of that individual's nationality, residency, or status; and that ALA opposes any legislation that infringes on the rights of anyone in the USA or its territories, citizens or otherwise, to use library resources, programs, and services on national, state, and local levels.

Role of Libraries in Providing E-government and Emergency Services 50.16

The ALA urges governments at all levels to acknowledge and support the essential role local libraries play in providing e-government and emergency response/recovery services, and to include libraries in relevant legislative or other policy actions. The ALA also encourages 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.

ALSC Response to 2007 Midwinter ALA CD#36 Affiliation with Boy Scouts

Representative of ALSC indicated that the Boy Scouts of American are not listed as an affiliate on their web site. There was no further discussion.

Accessible Digitization Projects Resolution

Resolved that the American Library Association strongly encourages all libraries [and other entities] engaging in digitization projects to adopt Section 508 regulations to ensure that they are creating versions of materials that are accessible to persons using screen-reader or other assistive technologies.

Resolved that the ALA forward this resolution to other agencies and organizations that help libraries digitize their materials [and that design access software], such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services and state library agencies, and to companies that work with libraries doing digitization projects.

Resolution on Representation

A resolution on Representation came forward from AASL Division Councilor, Sylvia Norton. It asks the Committee on Committees to clarify the processes of selecting committee members. This was passed.

Note: This resolution is in response to perceptions that the ability to become involved in ALA Committees is limited and that representation is not balanced in regard to types of libaries/librarians.

Final count of attendance 21,466

Final County of vendors 7169

ULA President's Report on ALA Annual 2007
My experience at ALA
Dorothy Horan, ULA President

The 2007 American Library Association Conference was held in Washington D.C this year. The program included tours, various association meetings and programs with topics ranging from diversity to metadata and open source patron catalogs.

Utah Library Association-related meetings: I attended the ALA Chapter Officer Training Session and the Chapter Relations Committee Meetings on behalf of the Utah Library Association. The training sessions stressed financial dealings and the management of associations. I also learned more about how various associations utilize professional executive officers. Here’s a picture of me in one of the CRC meetings. I’m looking at the photographer like he’s one of my teenagers coming home after their curfew, I believe that mentally I was berating myself for not bringing a camera to the meeting myself.

Presentations:
I didn’t get to attend many presentations because of the meetings, but here are short reports on two of them. The ALA website has blog entries and some presentations from the conference. There are also pictures posted on FLCKR, which is where the above picture was found.

Ambient Findability: Librarians, Libraries, and the Internet of Things
The presentation was given by Peter Morville, the author of the book with the above title. I didn’t realize that Peter was a librarian. As such, he is current with library issues. He peppered us with quotes, examples and suggestions. My favorites are:
Ambient findability: the ability to find anyone or anything from anywhere at any time.
Information that’s hard to find will remain information that’s hardly found.
He presented a honeycomb matrix encompassing the words useful, desirable, accessible, credible, findable, usable and valuable that suggests how the words interact.
We should ask ourselves questions about how findable our material is, such as:
Can our users find our website?
Can our users find their way around our website?
Can our users find info on our site despite our website?
I learned more about new gadgets such as the iPhone, (gosh, that’s old news now), and websites such as Neighboroo.

Top Technology Trends:
This is always a popular program with prominent techie presenters. This year it was so popular that the attendees at the back of the room couldn’t hear much, and much shushing took place. Apparently librarians are pretty good at that skill, despite our best efforts to convince the world otherwise. I’ve been reading ALA blogs to supplement my own notes. This session was also podcast in several sessions on the LITAblog. Some of the trends mentioned were: open source catalog systems, better front ends for systems, vendor interoperability, end user as content contributor, (one of the comments was that users are creating content, but there is not guarantee that user-generated material will be maintained where it is currently stored), library as publisher, end user focused technology, and self organizing systems.

Exhibits:
ALA’s exhibits are always a wonder. I spent some time in the exhibit hall talking to publishers and vendors about the 2008 joint ULA-MPLA library association in Salt Lake City. I was also able to view several demonstrations of catalog and other products from vendors. I’ve included a picture of the exhibit area and an example of what can happen if you linger at a booth featuring authors autographing their books. At least my grandchildren got a kick out of the book and picture.

On the last day ALA representatives visited Capitol Hill to contact legislators about library issues. The Utah Library Association representatives were Donna Jones Morris of the Utah State Library and Linda Tillson the ALA representative for ULA and Head of the Park City Library.

The library world is in a state of flow right now. ALA is striving to retain their place as creator of library standards, and has commissioned several task forces or committees dealing with digital and other format cataloging. Participating in ALA sessions will help us to learn how the library community is thinking and dealing with issues. Anaheim is close, so please consider putting that trip into your budgets!

Summary of ALA 2007 Midwinter in Seattle

The total registration affirmed the popularity of Seattle as a venue for Mid Winter. The conference had reached 12,196 by Monday, January 22 – well ahead of the 11,084 recorded for Mid Winter 2006 in San Antonio, but much lower than the 13,232 for Mid Winter 2005 in Boston. The close proximity of Boston to cities like New York, Newark and Philadelphia undoubtedly had an impact on attendance.

ALA Council I (January 21, 2007)
Among the highlights of this first group of informational sessions for Councilors was a very positive budget assessment by Patty Wong (Chair of BARC – Budge Analysis and Review Committee). Total revenue for the Association proved to be almost $1 million over budget projections with a budgetary ceiling of $56,540,976 for fiscal year 2007. The Endowment Fund report presented by Chair Robert Newlen was equally impressive with a gain from a market value of $25,454,000 in 2005 to $29,028,000 in 2006. Although the Socially Responsible Investment fund (Ariel Capital Appreciation) lagged somewhat behind the benchmark standards, the Fund Managers appear to be committed to maintaining that investment option and thereby addressing the legitimate concerns of many members. The ALA elections for 2007 will take place from March 15 to April 24 with final returns expected on May 1.

ALA-APA COUNCIL A nonbinding resolution on the endorsement of a minimum salary of $40,000 for professional librarians was passed unanimously at this session. APA currently has budget deficit of $39,552 for FY 2006 which made the ending net assets of APA a negative $235,044. The overall income of the APA was 68% higher than the previous year and repayment of the initial loan of $250,000 loan from ALA will begin in FY 2009. It is hoped that the ALA-APA will turn the corner and become self sustaining within the next few years. In the Treasurer’s Report for ALA-APA delivered to Council on January 21, two of the weaknesses noted about the ALA-APA were low awareness among ALA members and confusion about relationship with ALA

ALA Council II (January 23, 2007)
As spokesperson for the Policy Monitoring Committee, Diane Dates Casey (ALCTS Councilor) presented several changes in the association bylaws to conform to past actions by Council. These were passed unanimously.The Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC) was granted an extension of six months to study the ramifications of establishing a graduated dues structure for ALA (a dues structure similar to that of MPLA requiring members earning more to pay higher dues). The ALA Treasurer’s Report and programmatic priorities were presented by Treasurer Teri Switzer. ALA is building a very solid reserve and the growth in revenue has been on the upswing. Annual dues revenue has increased from about $5 million in 1995 to $8 million in 2006. During the 26 years from 1980 to 2006, the total net asset balance for ALA has grown from $4,728,000 to $30,812,000. Total membership in ALA has risen from 35,433 in 1980 to 64,689 in 2006. --John W. Berry highlighted the many important actions of the Freedom to Read Foundation over the past year to protect privacy rights and intellectual freedom. He urged continued support of the Foundation (http://www.ftrf.org/ with an on-line donation form). --Three resolutions were brought forward and debated for nearly two hours. Two of them were defeated by a very large majority vote of Council: “Resolution to Advocate Ending Funding for the Iraq War” and “Resolution on Impeachment of President George W. Bush”. A third Resolution called for ALA to “suspend all affiliation with the Boy Scouts 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…” Gays and atheists are currently prevented from joining BSA. This resolution was referred to ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) for clarification on that division’s position on this issue. --- There was much sentiment on the part of Councilors during this session to reject resolutions that were not precisely related to Library issues, i.e., intellectual freedom, privacy rights, funding for libraries, preventing access to information, etc… The tendency of some on Council (particularly from the Social Responsibilities Round Table) to involve Council in broader social and political agendas was met with strong resistance.


ALA Council III (January 24, 2007)
At the start of this session, former ALA president, Michael Gorman, was honored by the California Library Association and by the Council for his long service to the profession and congratulated upon his recent retirement. Councilors Larry Romans and Charles E. Kratz, Jr. were elected to serve for three year terms (2007-2010) on the Executive Board of ALA. -- The Committee on Organization (COO) included a preliminary report from the Subcommittee on E-Participation exploring the possibilities and implications of full electronic participation on committees and decision making bodies. An E-Participation Task Force being chaired by Jim Rettig will prepare a draft report to be shared with Council at the ALA annual conference in Washington D.C. (June 2007). --- Committee on Legislation introduced several “action items” to Council: A resolution passed encouraging Congress 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.” Also passed was a Resolution in Support of Immigrant Rights: “Resolved, that ALA strongly supports the protection of each person’s civil liberties regardless of that individual’s nationality, residency, or status; and be it further resolved that ALA opposes any legislation that infringes on the rights of anyone in the USA (citizens or otherwise) to use library resources on national, state, and local levels.” Approved was a “Resolution Affirming the Role of Libraries in Providing E-Government and Emergency Services.” [A resolution empowering the Executive Director to make grammatical and punctuation corrections on resolutions was passed unanimously.] --- The International Relations Committee presented an action item calling for the appointment of an ALA representative to serve on the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield (USCBS). Council passed this measure. The USCBS was established in January 2006 with the mission of urging the protection of cultural property during armed conflict. ---- “Accessible Digitization Projects Resolution” was brought before Council “that the ALA strongly 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, based on Section 508.” [Council favored the spirit behind this resolution. However, it was referred to the ASCLA for clarification and more specific direction for Council at ALA Annual. ASCLA = Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies.]

Copies of the final wording of all resolutions an action items from Council Sessions will be posted and available on the ALA Web Site http://www.ala.org in several weeks.

Special thanks to Shelley Walchuk, ALA Colorado Chapter Councilor, for providing me with a crash course in setting up a blogging page, and to James Casey for sharing his succinct report, which most of the notes above originated from.