Author Archive: Molly Raphael



Hot Issues Drive ALA Presidential Priorities

March 30, 2012

The focus on electronic publishing and access through libraries to digital editions (ebooks) has been intense, particularly in recent months. The policies and practices of the “Big Six” publishers—Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin, Random House, and Simon & Schuster—in relation to access to ebooks through libraries (or lack thereof), have elicited strong responses from across the library … Continue reading Hot Issues Drive ALA Presidential Priorities


No Longer Business as Usual

January 10, 2012

My first American Library Association Midwinter Meeting was in 1976. After stimulating learning experiences at two Annual Conferences, I really wanted to get involved. Colleagues advised me that Midwinter provided the best venue to do that with its focus on ALA business meetings. ALA’s open meeting policy allowed me to observe meetings related to my … Continue reading No Longer Business as Usual


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Chapters, Affiliates Display Their Strength

December 14, 2011

ALA provides a strong, unified voice for our libraries. Much of the Association’s strength comes not just from our divisions, round tables, and other ALA units, but also from our chapters and affiliates. Each year, many chapters and affiliates invite the ALA president to participate in their conferences, providing a wonderful opportunity for both ALA’s … Continue reading Chapters, Affiliates Display Their Strength


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The Big Easy Revisited

September 27, 2011

Returning to New Orleans for the 2011 American Library Association Annual Conference this year was both rewarding and emotional for many of us. Five years earlier, we traveled to Louisiana less than a year after the devastating hurricanes and massive flooding from failure of the levies. At that time, we were welcomed with much more … Continue reading The Big Easy Revisited