Council Handles Full Agenda in Early Last Session

June 29, 2010

American Library Association's governing Council sailed through its last Annual Conference session that began early morning to accommodate the Library Advocacy Day rally on Capitol Hill.

Council approved six action items from the Committee on Legislation: a measure that urges Congress to commit a minimum of $100 million designated for school libraries in FY20111 and beyond to the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries (CD#20.6); a resolution to include school librarians in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (CD#20.7); commending the U.S. Senate for its passage of the Freedom of Information Act (S. 3111) (CD# 20.8); supporting the Goverrnment Printing Office's "Strategic Vision for the 21st Century" pilot project (CD#20.9); and supporting the Equal Access to 21st Century Communications Act (S. 3304) and Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3101) (CD#20.10).

Approved Constitution and Bylaws Committee measures: changing the limit of three endowment trustees to no fewer than three nor more than six; defining the executive director's non-voting status and adding "voting" members to the constitution language regarding suspension of Executive Board members and Executive Board quorum language (CD#25.1).

Approved the establishment of a Retired Members Round Table offered by the Committee on Organization as well as a measure to increase the composition of the Conference Committee to include a representative of the Accessibility Assembly (CD#27.2).

After referring to the Budget Analysis and Review Committee, approved a resolution on nondiscrimination in conference contracts (CD#45 revised).

Tributes were approved honoring the 40th anniversary of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association as well as the 30th anniversaries of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association and the Map and Geography Round Table.

Memorials were submitted for: Frank L. Turner, professior emeritus of library science at Texas Woman's University; Spencer G. Shaw, former president of ALA's Association for Library Service to Children; Marion W. Francis, retired administrator from Anne Arundel County (Md.) Public Library; Attorney Burton A. Joseph; Lillian LaVerne Lewis, former deputy executive director of ALA's Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies and Reference and User Services Association; Marilee Fogleson, past present of ALA's former Y0ung Adult Services Division; Patricia A. Morris, associate professor and faculty director for preservation at University of Colorado Libraries, Boulder; Lillian Moore Bradshaw, former ALA president; Suzanne J. LeBarron, director of the Lake Agassiz Regional Library in Minnesota; and Grace-Ellen McCrann, former vice president of the New York Library Club.

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