Council II: SCOE Preliminary Recommendations

GLBTRT becomes Rainbow Round Table

By Amy Carlton | June 24, 2019

American Library Association (ALA) President Loida Garcia-Febo called the second ALA Council meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.

Shali Zhang, chair of the Committee on Organization, proposed an action item (CD#27.1) to add representatives from the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services and the Association for Rural and Small Libraries to the Rural, Native, and Tribal Libraries of All Kinds Committee. The motion passed. Zhang also reported that the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table has changed its name to the Rainbow Round Table.

Steve Matthews, chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, proposed an action item (CD#25.1) to clarify language in the ALA Bylaws regarding the status of a councilor of a division or round table going through the discontinuance process. The motion passed. A second action item to insert the words electronic voting in addition to voting by mail passed. A motion to change the majority needed to carry a vote of Council taken by mail or electronic voting passed.

Robin Kear, chair of the International Relations Committee (CD#18.1-18.2), reported that 531 international librarians from 69 countries were attending Annual. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) 2020 conference will not take place in Auckland, New Zealand, as originally planned because the conference venue is not completed; Auckland will host the 2022 WLIC instead. The new 2020 location will be announced at IFLA WLIC 2019 in Athens in August. Garcia-Febo was elected to a four-year term on IFLA’s Libraries Management Section. ALA’s International Relations Office Director Michael Dowling was elected to IFLA’s governing board.

Intellectual Freedom Committee Chair Julia Warga proposed five revised interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights (CD#19.5-19.11), all of which passed.

“Library-Initiated Programs and Displays as a Resource: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” (CD#19.7)
“Diverse Collections: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” (CD#19.8)
“Minors and Online Activity: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” (CD#19.9)
“Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” (CD#19.10)
“User-Generated Content in Library Discovery Systems: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” (CD#19.11)

Charles Brownstein, president of the Freedom to Read Foundation (FRTF), gave an update on the foundation’s activities since the 2019 Midwinter Meeting (CD#22.1). FRTF celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada, chair of the Steering Committee for Organizational Effectiveness (SCOE), and Jim Meffert, consultant from Tecker International, provided preliminary recommendations from the project (CD#45). Proposed changes include redesigning the Executive Board and the ALA committee structure. A possible new division membership model is also being discussed. Final recommendations are expected in September, but timeline extensions can be made with member feedback. The SCOE discussion forum on ALA Connect can be found at bit.ly/2ZGwxiC. Pelayo-Lozada and Meffert will repeat their presentation virtually July 8 at 1 p.m. Central.

ALA Executive Director Mary Ghikas reported 21,345 attendees in Washington, D.C., compared with 17,600 attendees in New Orleans in 2018, and 22,591 in Chicago in 2017.

Garcia-Febo adjourned the meeting at 11:39.

AMY CARLTON is a senior editor of American Libraries.

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