I continue to be honored to represent our profession in our ongoing and successful challenge to federal funding issues. And we continue to communicate and educate stakeholders about our work, its value, and the very need for our existence. Many libraries face similar challenges more regularly, and I have a newfound appreciation and respect for … Continue reading At the Heart of Our Work
Right now, here are some possible scenarios with regard to the federal budget: We win most: The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), and Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) are funded but partially cut. We win a few: IMLS and LSTA are funded but seriously cut, and IAL … Continue reading Fight for Libraries
In my columns and interviews over the past eight months of my presidency, I have focused primarily on ALA’s values and the values of our profession. As a result, I invariably receive a myriad of emphatic emails from people who often tell me that I can’t tell them how to think or what to value. … Continue reading Our Way Forward
Being all things to all people, however, is impossible. This is why the Association steps in, to set the vision and tone for professionals to follow throughout their working days, though it is not always easy. In the past months I have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, and I have … Continue reading Moving Forward Together
A Message to Members press releases re: ALA’s Libraries Bolster Opportunities.
During times like these, our nation’s 120,000 public, academic, school, and special libraries are invaluable allies inspiring understanding and community healing. Libraries provide a safe place for individuals of all ages and backgrounds and for difficult discussions on social issues. Our nation’s libraries serve all community members, including people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, … Continue reading Statement on Libraries, the Association, Diversity, and Inclusion
We also can’t leave out areas such as competitiveness within organizations for appointments and time, the question of whether one can make a difference in the profession through an association, and the need for one’s values and ethics to be in sync with those of the association. And then there is the inevitable query: Is … Continue reading Helping ALA Cruise to Success
But the need to credential comes from years of hearing people say, “Do you have to have training to do this job?” and “I’d love to have your job—I would love to read all day!” My favorite request occurred while I was at the reference desk, when a student walked up to me and asked, … Continue reading Lead with the Value of You
With this in mind, I challenged myself to not only build on ideas and successes within the Association and the profession but also reinforce themes I have focused on throughout my career. All the work on presidential initiatives is coordinated with teams of member experts as well as Association employee experts. Thus, Libraries Transform: The … Continue reading The Expert in the Library
In fact, as higher education changes, as administrators redesign the educational process, as faculty refocus pedagogy, as educational vendors repurpose content, and as students and community users change how and when they learn, the community college library finds itself identifying and marketing what it already has to meet needs as well as what it redesigned … Continue reading Libraries Transform in a Community College
This was the context for President Barack Obama’s proposal, delivered in his State of the Union address on January 20, to make community colleges affordable to everyone. Called “America’s College Promise,” the proposal would allow students to complete a certificate, an associate’s degree, or the first two years of a bachelor’s degree at no cost. … Continue reading Winds of Change
