Council I Votes on Sustainability

By Amy Carlton | January 27, 2019

American Library Association (ALA) President Loida Garcia-Febo called the first Council meeting to order at 9 a.m. on January 27. The meeting began with a moment of silence for librarians Amber Clark and Leroy Hommerding.

The minutes from the 2018 ALA Annual Conference (CD#2) were adopted.

ALA Past President Courtney L. Young gave the report of the ALA Executive Director Search Committee (CD#34), which will begin its work in February. Candidates for Chapter Councilor to the committee are Susan Jennings, Samantha C. Helmick, Matt Beckstrom, and David Dahl. Councilor-at-large Round Table candidates are Mathew P. Ciszek, Rhonda K. Gould, Selina Gomez-Beloz, Chris Corrigan, Peter Hepburn, and Ann Ewbank. Results will be announced at Council III on January 29.

Garcia-Febo then announced the tellers for the ALA Council Elections for both the executive director search committee and the ALA Executive Board elections (CD#34.1): Cynthia Dottin, Johana Orellana, William E. Sudduth III, and Chair Vivian Bordeaux.

The Committee on Committees report was given by Chair Wanda K. Brown. The candidates for election for three-year terms (2019–2022) to the ALA Executive Board (CD#11) are Eboni Henry, Leslie Burton Preddy, Alexandra Rivera, Gladys Smiley Bell, and Karen G. Schneider.

Ed Sanchez, chair of the ALA Resolutions Committee, presented that committee’s report (CD#10.1). A resolution proposing creation of a task force on online deliberation and voting for ALA Council passed.

Chair Shauntee Burns-Simpson presented the report of the ALA Committee on Diversity (CD#14). A resolution proposing changes to the language in ALA Policy B.8.10 to make it more inclusive and use person-first terminology passed.

ALA Executive Director Mary G. Ghikas presented the report on Executive Board (CD#15–CD#15.1) and Council (CD#9) actions taken since the 2018 ALA Annual Conference.

Councilor Sara Dallas proposed a resolution on sustainability as a core value of librarianship (CD#37), which passed.

Ghikas reported that there were 6,347 attendees at Midwinter in Seattle, along with 2,693 exhibitors, for a total of 9,040 registrants; 7,894 attended in Denver in 2018, and 8,892 attended in Atlanta in 2017.

Garcia-Febo adjourned the meeting at 11:03 a.m.

AMY CARLTON is a senoir editor of American Libraries.

Tagged Under

Melissa Lockaby, assistant professor of library science at the University of North Georgia, demonstrates how not to greet patrons in libraries.

Soft Skills: Hard to Teach?

On self-direction, flexibility, and other things you didn't learn in library school

Melinda Gates and Nancy Pearl at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle.

The Moment of Lift

Melinda Gates opens Midwinter with stories of empowerment

Latest Library Links

11h

Bobbi L. Newman writes: “This week, an article from the BBC caught my attention: ‘Without support, many menopausal workers are quitting their jobs.’ Supporting employees going through menopause is important for those experiencing it and for everyone’s wellbeing. It reflects a commitment to employee wellbeing and a strategic approach to workforce management. Libraries can adopt strategies to support employees experiencing menopause, enhancing their wellbeing and workplace productivity. Remember, with all wellbeing, the goal is to support and empower staff to make the choices that best improve their health. Here are some practical approaches.”

Librarian by Day, Apr. 19; BBC, Apr. 9
17h

Libraries have a long history of helping to deliver on a wide variety of development goals, from literacy and school readiness to research productivity and urban cohesion. Their unique potential has been recognized not just by the governments or others that traditionally fund them, but also by a range of other funders, private and public alike. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions has created a dataset to help librarians easily discover examples of private philanthropic grants, as well as other funding sources, that other libraries have been able to leverage.”

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Apr. 22
2d

Jackie Jennings writes: “It feels like the debate over whether #BookTok is bad has been raging since the moment the term was first coined. I’m starting off with a strong stance: BookTok is indeed bad. However, the problem with BookTok is not crappy books or bogus influencers. The problem with BookTok is TikTok itself. BookTok isn’t actually a community driven by fans, writers, influencers, or even publishers: it’s part of a social media corporation, controlled by the most mysterious, fickle god of all, the algorithm.” Not surprisingly, librarian recommendations can overcome some of BookTok’s limitations.

Jezebel, Apr. 18; Book Riot, Apr. 22
2d

ALA announced the launch of its state Intellectual Freedom Helpline grant program April 22. Over the next two years, 10 pilot program sites will operate a confidential reporting system that will help connect those experiencing censorship attempts with professional support, in-state peers, or referral to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, as appropriate. State or school library associations or agencies wishing to either establish an Intellectual Freedom Helpline in their state or expand existing efforts may apply for $10,000 grants through July 14.

ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, Apr. 22
2d

In celebration of the release of his latest nonfiction title, The Secret Lives of Booksellers & Librarians, bestselling author James Patterson is honoring select American Bookseller Association and American Library Association members with bonuses. He announced plans April 11 to give $200 each to 250 library workers across the country. The deadline for ALA members may nominate members to receive bonuses through April 30. Winners will be announced at ALA’s 2024 Annual Conference in San Diego.
2d

Catherine Hollerbach writes: “In early 2020, when the world shut down for COVID, many people got interested in houseplants. Anne Arundel County (Md.) Public Library’s Crofton Library embraced this trend and then some!” While preparing to reopen after the COVID shutdown, the library installed plants at the information desk to discourage patrons from sticking their heads through gaps in newly installed acrylic shields. They were well received and cared for, and the library gradually added more plants and built educational tools, programming, and partnerships around the plants.

Public Libraries Online, Apr. 18
3d

Rodney Freeman writes: “I am proud to be a librarian—and rare. Less than 7% of librarians in the US are Black. Libraries symbolize the literacy that was denied to so many of our ancestors. For our enslaved forebears, something as fundamental as learning to read was illegal and dangerous, but they did it anyway. Separate but ‘equal’ schools and ‘colored’ libraries filled with cast-offs from white libraries were key features of the Jim Crow era. Today we are seeing the same impulse to distort access to information into a tool to suppress and control, and to make some people ‘other.’”

Newsweek, Apr. 16