Standing in for American Library Association (ALA) President Cindy Hohl, who was attending the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, ALA President-elect Sam Helmick began the morning of June 29 by welcoming guest Leslie Weir, International Federation of Library Associations president-elect and librarian and archivist of Canada, to the meeting. Helmick called the second Council meeting of ALA’s 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia to order at 9:06 a.m.
The hybrid Council rules (CD#5.2) and the agenda (CD#8.5) were adopted.
Committee on Organization Chair Kim DeNero-Ackroyd presented an action item (CD#27.1) to reunify the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). This vote was the second of two consecutive votes required of the Council. The motion carried with a vote of 125–3 and 3 voters abstaining.
Helmick, chair of the Committee on Committees, presented eight nominations for the 2025–2026 term (CD#12): Ana Elisa de Campos Salles, Sonnet Ireland, Gina Kromhout, Bradley Kuykendall, Tina H. Lerno, Erika Long, Kerrie Mierop, and Joseph Thompson.
Information Technology Advisory Committee Cochair Chip McAuley presented a report and an action item (CD#30.1) proposing an artificial intelligence cross-divisional working group, to be charged with developing a unified, critically informed ALA position on AI and libraries for Council consideration. The group’s work would be completed by ALA’s 2026 Annual Conference. The resolution passed 132–5 with 2 voters abstaining.
Ed Garcia, Committee on Legislation (COL) chair, reported on the activities of the committee and presented an action item (CD#20.1). Garcia noted that the report coincides with the 80th anniversary of ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy office. He also declared the committee’s solidarity with the Institute for Museum and Library Services, Library of Congress staff and leadership, and “colleagues across the country who find themselves and their institutions under attack.” The committee requested that councilors approve a memorial resolution honoring US Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who died March 13. The motion passed. Garcia acknowledged committee member Maria McCauley, who was elected ALA president-elect in March and will be rolling off COL to begin that role. Following this report, Hohl joined the proceedings, and Helmick passed the gavel.
Core Values Interpretation Working Group Cochairs April Sheppard and Kent Oliver presented action items (CD#35.1) to approve interpretations of the ALA Core Values, written and submitted by the Access, Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, and Sustainability working groups, and to extend the work of the Equity and Public Good working groups until January 2026. Following discussion on the floor about the uniformity of the voice and style of the submitted interpretations and a motion to vote on the items as a block, the motions passed 127–3.
Cochairs Kimberly Franklin and Kathy Lester presented the report of the American Association of School Librarians and Association of College and Research Libraries Chapters Task Force (CD#36.1). Their report included six recommendations “to strengthen communication and partnership between school and academic library chapters as they engage in legislative, policy, and advocacy work, and to remove barriers to equitable access to services and resources of the Association that support these endeavors.”
Intellectual Freedom Committee Chair Eldon Ray James delivered the committee’s report of its review of the Library Bill of Rights’ draft interpretations (CD#19.2). The interpretations are slated to appear in the new edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual to be published this fall. Council unanimously passed the interpretation of “Economic Barriers to Library Access” and subsequently voted on 11 draft interpretations as a block, approving them 130–1. A motion to slightly amend language in the final interpretation, “User-Generated Content in Library Discovery Layers,” passed, and the amended interpretation passed 122–0 with 1 vote abstaining.
During closing announcements, Associate Executive Director of ALA Offices and Member Relations and Interim Senior Associate Executive Director Melissa Walling reported that, since the day before, Annual registration numbers had reached 14,134, with 202 additional registrants—19 of whom were first-time attendees. The total number of first-time attendees stood at 2,556.
Hohl adjourned the meeting at 12:09 p.m.
