At the ALA Executive Board’s spring meeting, held April 23-25 at the Association’s headquarters in Chicago, the board spent a significant amount of time discussing the draft ALA 2015 Strategic Plan (PDF file) and the latest revisions made to the plan based on comments provided by over 750 ALA members. The ALA Council agenda includes discussion and, hopefully, adoption of the plan at Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 24–29.
Work on the plan has included an environmental analysis, a member survey, joint ALA/division and round table planning retreats, chapter and affiliate forums throughout the country, Council and membership planning sessions at the Midwinter Meeting in January, a review by committees and affiliates, and member comments.
The board also discussed the current status of the 2010 and 2011 ALA budgets. For 2010, a $2-million mid-year revenue shortfall caused by the recession has necessitated expense reductions that have included the elimination of eight staff positions or funding for positions, a one week association-wide furlough, and the use of Association reserve funds. Efforts have focused on maintaining member services and on continuing to move ahead on strategic initiatives.
After extensive discussion and review, the board approved a 2011 budget that reflects the lowered 2010 revenue estimates, and further expense reductions. Despite more encouraging economic news, library funding, which has lagged behind the economy at large, is not expected to bounce back quickly. This means that 2011 will be a very tight year fiscally.
Treasurer Rod Hersberger will be reporting in more detail on the 2010 and 2011 budgets in his Treasurer’s report at Annual Conference. You can read his assessment on AL’s Inside Scoop blog.
ALA Membership Director John Chrastka walked board members through the completely redesigned ALA membership web pages. The 60 new pages provide information on the benefits of ALA membership, many personal stories, and such tips as the “top ten ways to get involved in ALA,” designed to help members “take the next step” with their membership. The pages are also designed to speak to different types of members, including students, trustees, support staff, and organizational members. Everyone is invited to explore these pages and provide feedback to John at jchrastka@ala.org.
The board discussed a number of legislative issues with Washington Office Director Emily Sheketoff. Critical legislative issues include the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as the current No Child Left Behind legislation has been disastrous for libraries, Sheketoff said. The board discussed strategies for strengthening the role of school libraries in the new legislation and making the inclusion of school librarians in ESEA our top Association priority. The board also discussed the broadband stimulus funding and the recently released National Broadband Plan, which recognizes the role that libraries play as providers of community access to the internet.
Senior Endowment trustee Dan Bradbury provided a status report on the ALA endowment. Despite a great deal of uncertainty, the endowment has recovered most of the losses of fall 2008. The Endowment plays a major role in providing Spectrum and other scholarships.
The Spectrum Presidential Initiative, which is seeking to raise a million dollars for Spectrum scholarships for minority library school students, was also discussed. ALA Development Office Director Kim Olsen-Clark reported on meetings with various corporations and foundations, and noted that 100% of board members had contributed to Spectrum this spring. Council members are all encouraged to make a donation, whether small or large, so that 100% of councilors will also have contributed. To contribute, go to “Give ALA” on the ALA home page.
As always, board documents are posted at ala.org.
