ALA Council I: Rethinking ALA

January 27, 2013

The ALA Council breezed through approval of 2012 ALA Annual Conference Council minutes, among other actions at its first session of Midwinter in Seattle today.

The ALA Council Committee on Committees presented the following 2013 nominees for the ALA Executive Board: Daniel A. Berdaner, Peter D. Hepburn, Sara Kelly Johns, and James G. Neal. Two of the candidates will be voted to the board for the 2013 fall meeting by the Council.

The following were appointed as Tellers for the Council election to the Executive Board include: Eileen K. Bosch, Betsy Fraser, and Henry R. Stewart, chair.

Digital Content and Libraries Working Group special committee Co-chairs Sari Feldman and Robert Wolven offered a report, noting an update on their work is also available in a text and video update.

For about an hour, the Council broke into small groups to discuss “rethinking ALA” and what the group’s aspirations were for ALA. Among the many comments and suggestions were:

Continue legislative advocacy
Literacy training funding
Offer leadership in copyright and fair use
Continue the Digital Content and Libraries Working Group efforts
Expand membership and encourage diversity
Encourage every MLIS graduate to become a member of ALA and mentor them to help them become engaged
To become as effective on the political scene as the National Rifle Association
To be a financially secure organization
See ALA as the source for continuing education for the profession

In new business, a resolution passed to change policy B.9.2.2 School Library Media Specialist (formerly ALA Policy #54.2.2) to reflect new terminology (school librarians versus school library media specialists) and to update the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education to its new name, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.

12h

Brittany Adams writes: “The digital landscape of libraries is expanding rapidly, with an increasing shift towards electronic resources and online services. As members of the library community, we’re witnessing a transformative era where physical collections are complemented—and sometimes replaced—by digital ones. This transition offers new opportunities for enhancing accessibility and engagement, but it also presents challenges, especially for young patrons and their families. It is essential to equip children and their caregivers with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate this evolving space confidently.”

ALSC Blog, Dec. 9
17h

Karen O’Grady writes: “I am the embedded librarian for the Hahn School of Nursing at the University of San Diego. I am surrounded by nursing faculty, staff, and students rather than by librarians. This has proven to be an incredible gamechanger for the way I see things. Every student in my school knows me by name. I am often stopped in the hallway to answer questions. Every correct answer I give increases my authority and builds trust. Through these casual mini-lessons, this foreign animal called ‘librarian’ slowly becomes an approachable, knowledgeable person.”

College & Research Libraries News, Dec.
19h

ALA has selected 46 participants for its 2025 class of Emerging Leaders (EL). The EL program allows library staff and information workers to participate in project planning work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers. ELs will take part in a day-long session during the 2025 LibLearnX conference in Phoenix this January and work for six months, culminating in a poster session at ALA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia, where they will highlight results of their project planning work.

ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, Dec. 4
2d

On December 9, ALA announced a $25 million bequest by James W. Lewis, of Washington, D.C. The gift, the largest individual bequest in ALA’s history, will fund scholarships for aspiring librarians with demonstrated financial needs. Throughout Lewis’s career at Merrill Lynch, where he leads the Lewis Group as senior vice president and senior relationship manager, he has demonstrated his commitment to libraries and their communities by generously volunteering his time, including as a member of the Board of Visitors at the library of his alma mater, Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He also served as a Library Trustee Board member at District of Columbia Public Library for 10 years.”

AL: The Scoop, Dec. 9
2d

Tess Prendergast writes: “I will never forget the surprised look on one mom’s face during storytime when I dropped a tip—technically called an aside—about how rhyming helps babies differentiate sounds and prepares them for reading. “You mean that all this singing will help her in school?” she asked. “I thought we were just doing this for fun!” Early literacy activities are certainly fun—but also valuable. Many parents and caregivers aren’t aware that simple, everyday activities can benefit their child’s early language and literacy development and have a lasting positive impact on their learning.”

American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.
2d

Joel Thornton, associate dean, collections and scholarly communication at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, has withdrawn his candidacy for 2025–2028 treasurer of the ALA. Larry Neal, director of Clinton-Macomb (Mich.) Public Library, is the remaining nominated candidate for ALA treasurer. Members who are interested in running by petition for ALA treasure may do so by completing a petition form with the signatures of no fewer than 200 current personal ALA members, and a Candidate Biographical Information Form, by December 13.

ALA Governance Office, Dec. 9
2d

Catherine Savage, Roz Topolski, and Ashley Johnson write: “In a healthy democracy, voters have confidence in the electoral process, are well informed about the issues, and know that their voice matters. Unfortunately, rampant misinformation and disinformation have left voters unhappy and confused these days about what to believe and whom to trust. Providing a space for civic engagement is an important part of what public libraries do. To that end, the community engagement team at Vernon Area Public Library District in Lincolnshire, Illinois, retained a political scientist in residence as a key component of a yearlong series of election-related offerings.”

American Libraries Trend, Nov./Dec.