Council III: Memorial, Tributes, and Resolutions

American Library Association (ALA) President Loida Garcia-Febo called the meeting to order at 7:45.

Memorials were read for Donald B. Cleveland (M#6), Nicolette Warisse Sosulski (M#7), Anne J. Hoffman (M#8), Patricia Meyer Battin (M#9), Catherine Patricia Riesenman (M#10), and Lucille Cole Thomas (M#11).

Tributes were offered to honor Ann Carlson Weeks (T#2), Christine Lind Hage (T#2), and Prue Adler (T#4).

ALA Treasurer Susan H. Hildreth presented the FY20 annual estimates of income (CD#13.3), which was approved. Garcia-Febo presented Hildreth with a citation in honor of her three years of distinguished service as ALA treasurer.

Vivian Bordeaux, chair of the Council Election Teller’s Committee, reported the results of the 2019-2020 Committee on Committees (COC) and 2019-2021 Planning and Budget Assembly (PBA) elections. Oscar Baeza, Johana Orellana Cabrera, Raymond Pun, and Ana Elisa de Campos Salles were elected to one-year terms on COC (CD#12.3). Susan Jennings, Paula Laurita, and Kevin Reynolds were elected as chapter councilors to PBA; Mario Gonzalez and Muzghan Israfil Nazarova were elected as councilors-at-large (CD#12.4).

Mario Ascencio, chair of the Committee on Legislation (COL), announced public policy highlights and other COL activities since Midwinter (CD#20.1). Ascencio encouraged councilors to text Library to 52886, one of the new advocacy tools developed with ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office. Other new tools and resources are available at ala.org/advocacy and ala.org/census.

Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) Chair Julia Warga presented part two of IFC’s update, which includes updates on Banned Books Week, censorship trends, and recent challenges. She proposed several revised interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights, all of which passed.

“Education and Information Literacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” (CD#19.13)
“Economic Barriers to Information Access: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” (CD#19.14)
“User-Initiated Exhibits, Displays, and Bulletin Boards: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” (CD#19.15)
“Access to Digital Resources and Services: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” (CD#19.16)
“Evaluating Library Collections: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” (CD#19.17)
“Access to Library Resources and Services for Minors: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” (CD#19.18)
“Rating Systems: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” (CD#19.19)

Warga was then joined by Committee on Professional Ethics Chair Sara Dallas to co-propose the resolution “Intellectual Freedom Advocacy and Education” (CD#19.20/CD#24.3), which passed. Warga thanked her fellow IFC members for the work put in on this process as well as members of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom staff.

Ed Sanchez, chair of the Taskforce on Online Deliberation and Voting for ALA Council, reported on its work since its formation at Midwinter in Seattle (CD#42). A motion to extend the taskforce until Midwinter 2020 passed.

Peter Hepburn, chair of the Eliminating Library Fines as a Form of Social Equity Working Group, proposed a motion to extend its deadline for a final report to Council to August 31, 2019 (CD#43); the motion passed.

Susan Jennings, chair of the Council Forum Working Group, reported on the results of its survey and next steps for the group (CD#44).

A resolution on library service for children in detention at migrant detention centers (CD#52) passed. A resolution on digital content pricing for libraries (CD#53) also passed.

ALA Councilor Tyler Dzuba gave an update on the proposed new division that will combine the Library Information and Technology Association, Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, and Library Leadership and Management Association. The new division’s working name is Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures.

ALA Executive Director Mary Ghikas reported on the final registration totals for the Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. Total attendance was 21,460, compared to 17,599 in New Orleans in 2018 and 22,702 in Chicago in 2017.

The meeting adjourned at 9:45.

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