Council I Tackles Climate Change

By Amy Carlton | June 25, 2017

American Library Association President Julie B. Todaro called the first council meeting to order at 8:30 Sunday morning.

The minutes from the ALA Midwinter Meeting (CD#2.1) were adopted.

ALA President-Elect Jim Neal presented the nominations for the ALA Committee on Committees (COC) (CD#12): Ismail Abdullahi, Lauren Comito, Roberto Carlos Delgadillo, Martin L. Garnar, Mel Gooch, Eboni Henri, Jenna Nemec-Loise, and Kimberly Anne Patton.

Neal then presented nominations for the 2017–2018 Planning and Budget Assembly (PBA) Election (CD#12.1). Chapter councilor candidates for two-year terms include Jayne Beline, Jackie Dean, Jennifer Ferriss, Danielle Jones, Rob Lesher, and Vivian McCain. PBA councilor-at-large candidates, two for two-year terms and one for a one-year term, include Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Kathy Carroll, Tyler Dzuba, Erica Findley, Rachel G. Rubin, and Maria Taesil McCauley.

Todaro then announced the tellers for the ALA Council Elections to the COC and PBA (CD#12.2): Jennifer A. Alvino, Tamika Barnes, Matthew P. Ciszek, and Vivian Bordeaux.

ALA Past President Courtney Young provided an update on the ALA Executive Director Search Committee. The committee has chosen the search firm of Isaacson Miller to assist ALA with the search process. Interested candidates are advised to submit their materials by July 28. Young said the board hopes to meet and select the next ALA executive director at the board meeting in October.

Todaro presented her President’s Report (CD#21.1) on her year in office, including her Libraries Transform: The Expert in the Library campaign; Fight for Libraries advocacy efforts; Book Club Central; fighting fake news; diversity, equity, and inclusion; the role of libraries in the opioid crisis; net neutrality; and working against library closures and cutbacks.

ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels presented the executive board actions taken since the 2017 Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta (CD#15.3–15.4). Fiels also reported on the implementation of the 2017 ALA Midwinter Meeting Council Actions (CD#9.1–9.2).

An ALA Statement on Global Climate Change and a Call for Support from Libraries and Librarians (CD#41) passed as amended.

Kathi Kromer, the new associate executive director of ALA’s Washington Office, and Adam Eisgrau, managing director of the Office of Government Relations, discussed their work on the Fight for Libraries campaign, National Library Legislative Day, and other advocacy and lobbying efforts.

Fiels reported that there were 15,754 paid attendees and 6,544 exhibitors, for a total of 22,589 registrants; 16,237 attended in Orlando in 2016.

The meeting adjourned at 10:59 a.m.

AMY CARLTON is a senior editor of American Libraries.

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From left: Marguerite Avery, April Hathcock, and Jamie LaRue (speaking) at the American Library Association’s 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 24, 2017. Photo: Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries

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