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.
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!
