ALA Council Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Council III: Update on Filling President-Elect Vacancy

By Megan Bennett | July 2, 2024

Council approved the meeting’s agenda (CD#8.6), and Drabinski announced memorial resolutions for: Joseph John Harzbecker, Jr. (M#7) Nancy E. Gwinn (M#8) Karen Crane (M#9) William Noel (M#10) Carole J. McCollough (M#11) Phyllis Jean Fisher (M#12) Linda Anne Dougherty (M#13) Delaine Andree Eastin(M#14) Jodie Gambill (M#15) Carolyn V. Neal (M#16) Marcia Goodfellow Schatz (M#17) James (Jim) … Continue reading Council III: Update on Filling President-Elect Vacancy →

Council II: The Future of ALA

By Sallyann Price | June 30, 2024

The second day of Council at Annual involved committee reports and a wide-ranging discussion about the future of the Association.

Council I: Elevating Intellectual Freedom

By Megan Bennett | June 29, 2024

The Council rules (CD#5.1) and agenda (CD#8.4) were adopted. The minutes from ALA’s 2024 LibLearnX Conference in Baltimore (CD#2.2) meetings were approved. Interim ALA Executive Director Leslie Burger shared the Executive Board’s actions since LibLearnX (CD#15.1) and the implementation of Council Actions from the January conference (#9.1). Cindy Hohl, ALA president-elect and Committee on Committees … Continue reading Council I: Elevating Intellectual Freedom →

Council II: Resolution to Condemn Destruction of Gaza Libraries Passes

By Megan Bennett | January 21, 2024

The Council II agenda was adopted (CD#8.2) and Drabinski addressed memorial resolutions honoring Hwa-Wei Lee (M-#1), George Needham (M-#2), Candy Morgan (M-#3) , Betty-Carol Sellen (M-#4), Adonna “Donna” C. Fleming (M-#5), and Donna Louise Gilton (M-#6). She also announced tribute resolutions recognizing the 10th anniversary of the Sustainability Round Table (T-#1) and honoring retiring Maryland … Continue reading Council II: Resolution to Condemn Destruction of Gaza Libraries Passes →

Council I: Discussion of Ceasefire Statement Postponed

By Megan Bennett | January 20, 2024

The Hybrid Council Meeting Rules (CD#5) and Council I agenda (CD#8.1) were adopted. The minutes from the June 2023 Annual Conference Membership and Council Meetings and the November 2023 Special Virtual Council Meeting (CD#2–#2.1) were also approved. ALA Interim Executive Director Leslie Burger reviewed Executive Board actions since the 2023 Annual Conference meetings (CD#15) and … Continue reading Council I: Discussion of Ceasefire Statement Postponed →

Council III: Inquiry into Conference Date Changes Approved

By Megan Bennett | June 26, 2023

The meeting began with memorial resolutions honoring Josephine Maria (Riss) Fang (M-#8); David Goodman (M-#9); Chris Cottrill (M-#10); Jen Angel (M-#11); Bill Ott (M-#12); Kristen A. Cooper (M-#13); Esperanza Bravo de Varona (M-#14); Helene Lafrance (M-#15); James Henry Jacobs, Jr. (M-#16); Paul Cappuzzello (M-#17); Patricia A. Wand (M-#18); David S. Baugh (M-#19); Rebecca Taylor Bingham … Continue reading Council III: Inquiry into Conference Date Changes Approved →

Council II: Condemning Discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ Community

By Judy Czarnik | June 25, 2023

Andrew Pace, chair of the Committee on Organization (COO), provided an update on the committee (CD#27.1) and introduced the following action items: Modify the charge of the ALA Conference Committee Modify the name, charge, and composition of the ALA Council Orientation Committee Both motions carried. Toni Negro, chair of the Policy Monitoring Committee (PMC), proposed … Continue reading Council II: Condemning Discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ Community →

ALA Council I: Reports and Resolutions

By Megan Bennett | June 25, 2023

The Rules and Guidelines for ALA Hybrid Council Meetings (CD #5.1) and the agenda for Council I (CD #8.6) were adopted, and the minutes from the LibLearnX Council meeting in January (CD #2.1) were amended and approved. ALA Executive Director Tracie D. Hall reviewed Executive Board actions taken since the January meetings at LibLearnX (CD … Continue reading ALA Council I: Reports and Resolutions →

ALA Council II: Memorials and Resolutions

By Judy Czarnik | January 29, 2023

The agenda for Council III (CD#8.3) as amended with the point of order introduced by Libré Booker, ALA Executive Board member, was approved. Memorials were read for Deanna Bowling Marcum (M#1), Robert C. Delgadillo (M#2), Menahem Schmelzer (M#3), Barratt Wilkins (M#4), Betty Lee Sung (M#5), David Philip Norris (M#6), and Devona Pendergrass (M#7). A tribute … Continue reading ALA Council II: Memorials and Resolutions →

ALA Council I: Round Table Dues Standardized

By Megan Bennett | January 29, 2023

The Hybrid Council rules (CD#5) and agenda (CD#8.2) were adopted, and the minutes from the Hybrid Council meeting during the June 2022 ALA Conference (CD#2) were approved. ALA Executive Director Tracie D. Hall reviewed Executive Board actions since the June 2022 Hybrid Council meeting (CD#15) and the implementation report on ALA Council Actions (CD#9) taken … Continue reading ALA Council I: Round Table Dues Standardized →

Council III: Intellectual Freedom Takes Center Stage

By Sallyann Price | June 27, 2022

Wong began the meeting with memorial tributes honoring: Ross J. Todd (M-#8), Donald C. Adcock (M-#9), Virginia “Ginny” Bradley Moore (M-#10), Nancy Kandoian (M-#11), Alvin Leroy Lee (M-#12), Donna Scheeder (M-#13), Margo Crist (M-#14), Alexandra Sax (M-#15), Sarah Van Antwerp (M-#16), Ann Pechacek (M-#17), Sandra Payne (M-#18), Judith S. Rowe (M-#19), Tracey Hunter-Hayes (M-#20), and … Continue reading Council III: Intellectual Freedom Takes Center Stage →

Council II: Council Forum Dissolved

By Sallyann Price | June 26, 2022

Committee on Organization chair Jim Neal gave a report on the committee’s activities (CD#27.1) and presented a proposal recommending changes in the Committee of ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services meant to expand its capacity and foster continuity. The proposal passed. LaVerne Gray, chair of the Committee on Education, presented a draft motion … Continue reading Council II: Council Forum Dissolved →

Latest Library Links

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Camruinn Morgan-Rumsey and Lexi Lepof write: “On December 3, Knox County (Tenn.) schools received a list from the district of books to be removed from school libraries under Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act. Knox County’s board of education voted in July, passing a policy to remove ‘explicit’ books from everyday student access in response to the new law. Some of the books on the list of nearly 50 titles might surprise parents. Among those to be removed are Shel Silverstein’s A Light in the Attic and Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five.”

WVLT-TV (Knoxville, Tenn.), Dec. 4
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Joe Foley writes: “Copyright rules vary from country to country and have changed over time. In the US, works created between 1929 and 1963 that gave notice and renewed copyright have 95 years from their first publication date. That means that on January 1, 2025, a host of works from 1929 will enter the public domain. This means that copyright will expire on Buck Rogers, Captain Easy, Horace Horsecollar, Tintin, Hal Foster’s first Tarzan comic strips and, yes, Popeye.” Other notable works entering public domain in the United States include the Marx Brothers’ first film, The Cocoanuts, contralto Marian Anderson’s first record, and Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.

Creative Bloq, Dec. 7; Everybody’s Libraries, Dec. 3, Dec. 7; Public Domain Review, Dec. 10
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Brittany Adams writes: “The digital landscape of libraries is expanding rapidly, with an increasing shift towards electronic resources and online services. As members of the library community, we’re witnessing a transformative era where physical collections are complemented—and sometimes replaced—by digital ones. This transition offers new opportunities for enhancing accessibility and engagement, but it also presents challenges, especially for young patrons and their families. It is essential to equip children and their caregivers with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate this evolving space confidently.”

ALSC Blog, Dec. 9
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Karen O’Grady writes: “I am the embedded librarian for the Hahn School of Nursing at the University of San Diego. I am surrounded by nursing faculty, staff, and students rather than by librarians. This has proven to be an incredible gamechanger for the way I see things. Every student in my school knows me by name. I am often stopped in the hallway to answer questions. Every correct answer I give increases my authority and builds trust. Through these casual mini-lessons, this foreign animal called ‘librarian’ slowly becomes an approachable, knowledgeable person.”

College & Research Libraries News, Dec.
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ALA has selected 46 participants for its 2025 class of Emerging Leaders (EL). The EL program allows library staff and information workers to participate in project planning work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers. The group will take part in a day-long session during the 2025 LibLearnX conference in Phoenix this January and work for six months, culminating in a poster session at ALA’s 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia in June, where they will highlight results of their project planning work.

ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, Dec. 4
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On December 9, ALA announced a $25 million bequest by James W. Lewis, of Washington, D.C. The gift, the largest individual bequest in ALA’s history, will fund scholarships for aspiring librarians with demonstrated financial needs. Throughout Lewis’s career at Merrill Lynch, where he leads the Lewis Group as senior vice president and senior relationship manager, he has demonstrated his commitment to libraries and their communities by generously volunteering his time, including as a member of the Board of Visitors at the library of his alma mater, Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He also served as a Library Trustee Board member at District of Columbia Public Library for 10 years.”

AL: The Scoop, Dec. 9
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Tess Prendergast writes: “I will never forget the surprised look on one mom’s face during storytime when I dropped a tip—technically called an aside—about how rhyming helps babies differentiate sounds and prepares them for reading. “You mean that all this singing will help her in school?” she asked. “I thought we were just doing this for fun!” Early literacy activities are certainly fun—but also valuable. Many parents and caregivers aren’t aware that simple, everyday activities can benefit their child’s early language and literacy development and have a lasting positive impact on their learning.”

American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.

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