Committee on Library Advocacy
2013 ALA Annual Meetings
Saturday, June 29, 2013
10:30 AM to Noon
Sheraton Hotel – Huron Room
Meeting Minutes
In attendance: Patricia Tumulty, Chair, Committee on Library Advocacy, New Jersey
Library Association; Lauren Comito, New York Public Library; Gina Millsap, CEO, Topeka
and Shawnee County Public Library, Incoming Committee on Library Advocacy Chair;
Linden Renner, Deputy Director of Libraries, Alexandria Library; Dr. Jill Rooker, IME
Professor, University of Central Oklahoma; Elaine Tai-Lauria, Executive Director, Wilton
Library Association; Susan Schmidt, United for Libraries; Denise Zielinski, Black Road
Branch Manager, Joliet Public Library, J. Drusilla Carter, Willimantic Public Library, Judith
Gibbons, ALA Member at Large; Alexia Hudson-Ward, Executive Board Liaison
Staff Liaisons: Marci Merola, Director, ALA Office for Library Advocacy (OLA); Joaquin
Falcon, OLA
Welcome & Introductions; Approval of Minutes from 2013 Midwinter Meetings
Patricia Tumulty, Chair, COLA, welcomed the group. Minutes were approved once the
meeting was underway.
Alexia Hudson Ward – ALA Executive Board Liaison Report:
Conference Update: One week prior to the 2013 Annual Conference, pre-registration
stood at 16, 656 Attendees and 5,250 Exhibitors, 21,906 total. At the same time last
year, 11,746 Attendees and 3, 3880 Exhibitors, for a total of 15,626 pre-registered.
There are also 3,123 exhibit hall only registrations for 2013, compared with 1,436 in
2012. 439 programs and 984 meetings are scheduled for the 2013 Annual Conference,
and a total of 2,792 programs, meetings, special events, receptions, author sessions,
stages on the exhibit floor, reunions, poster sessions, pre-conferences, exhibitor and
ticketed events are on the docket. Lastly, 256 programs will be recorded and be made
available at no cost for participants and for a small fee for non-participants.
Community Engagement at Annual: The process of turning outward to the community –
whether civic, campus, school, or organizational – is at the heart of The Promise of
Libraries Transforming Communities, a major ALA initiative to promote community
engagement for libraries of all types. The goal is to help libraries reach out to their
communities through conversations that focus on community aspirations.
An update on the project and sample conversation led by ALA President Maureen
Sullivan and Rich Harwood of the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation is scheduled
for Saturday, June 29.
Carlton Sears will lead a Community Engagement Conversation on Advancing Librarylead Community Engagement on Saturday, June 29, the project launch is supported by
the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
ALA is currently working with the Gates Foundation on a possible multiyear project to
make training, resources, materials, and peer to peer support available to thousands of
libraries of all types. ALA is also “looking outward” as an association, incorporating the
practices of community engagement as it seeks to innovate and create the association
of the future.
The 2013 Annual Conference will include a series of conversations with ALA members
and conference attendees about their aspirations for the ALA as their professional
community. These ongoing conversations are a step in the process of making the ALA
an innovative space where members and staff can collaborate together.
Digital Content and Libraries: Regular meetings and communication with the Big Six
Publishers have all made strong positive moves on library e-book lending this spring.
The recently released American Libraries Supplement on Digital Content provides an
update on e-content issues and the efforts of the ALA’s Digital Content Working Group
(DCWG). Direction for the coming year include libraries as publishers, libraries working
with smaller and mid-sized publishers, as well as the challenges of preservation,
accessibility, opportunities afforded by new technologies, and strengthening
cooperation among organizations within the library community.
Library pricing and limited or partial access continues to be immediate problems. DCWG
and ALA leadership continue to spread the word in regard to this issue through speaking
engagements and continue to reach out on related initiatives such as ReadersFirst, the
OCLC/Big Shift initiative, Ohio Library Council legislative initiatives, the Digital Public
Library of America, and the Douglas County Colorado Library project. The ALA is
launching an initiative at the Annual Conference to engage authors to stand with
libraries on e-book lending. Several prominent authors comprise the initial efforts and
others are expected to be recruited as well.
ALA Leadership Institute: 40 mid-career librarians have been selected to participate in
Leading to the Future, ALA’s inaugural four-day immersive leadership development
program for future library leaders. The selection committee, headed by LLAMA, looked
for a diverse participant mix based on type of library, organizational responsibility,
geography, gender and race/ethnicity, as well as demonstrated leadership potential,
readiness for increased responsibility, professional achievement, and community or
campus involvement. The institute will be led by ALA President Maureen Sullivan and
ACRL Content Strategist Kathryn Deiss, and will take place in Itasca, IL in mid-August.
Status Update from the Office for Library Advocacy (OLA)
OLA Director Marci Merola provided an update on the Advocacy Corner and reviewed
the schedule of events. Marci suggested the committee evaluate whether this program
was a success, based on attendance, interest and other factors. The group agreed that
even a small group of people who learn more about advocacy is worth it. Others
mentioned that there was a wide range of people and topics, as well as a variety of
programs.
Marci Merola provided updates from the OLA office beginning with President Elect
Barbara Stripling’s Declaration to the Right to Libraries campaign and the Declaration as
a strong public statement of the value of libraries for individuals, communities, and the
nation. Through this, libraries of all types will have the opportunity in the next year to
hold signing ceremonies where community members, organizations, and officials can
visibly sign in support of their right to have libraries of all types in their communities.
The current plan is for the signed scrolls to be presented at a national summit and
ceremony to be held in the spring of 2014. This campaign is still in development.
Lauren Comito mentioned having a signing ceremony on the steps of the NYC City Hall
as a symbolic gesture to help the funding efforts; and thinks it can be a great tool for
library awareness.
Through OLA and the School Library Task Force, ALA gave away school library-focused
posters at conference. The School Library Task Force worked with the Office for Library
Advocacy and Past AASL President Nancy Everhart on a school library poster, “100
things your kids will miss if they don’t have a school librarian.” 4,000 posters were
located in the ALA Membership Pavilion for free distribution, and will possibly be
reprinted for the AASL Conference.
Lauren spoke about “MLS preferred” job descriptions and a conversation ensued about
the concern about the deprofessionalization of librarians with MLS degrees. She wanted
to know if there are any initiatives in place to bring attention to this matter, and address
the issue; and if not, asked if this committee should be the forum to do so. Elaine Tai
Lauria agreed, and said this has been an issue in two of her local libraries, with local
politicians asking “do our library workers need an MLS?” She stressed that an effort
needs to be on the radar, and that the integrity of the profession needs to be
maintained. Drusilla mentioned that in South Carolina, libraries are not eligible for
state aid unless the library director has an accredited MLS degree. Pat mentioned that
Librarian 1 positions are being killed and not re-hired with MLS professionals, and that
entry level positions are less and less available. Marci commented that ALA does
support paraprofessionals, so advocating for the MLS will be an interesting initiative.
Gina noted that most people who work in libraries do not need an MLS, and that it takes
all skill sets to make an effective library work. Others noted that sometimes it does not
make economic sense to go to library school. There was discussion about a virtual
summit to discuss this issue. Alexia agreed to contact Marci to set up a time to discuss
this further. The question of “what does it mean to be a librarian today?” was raised.
Some mentioned that a certified librarian is sometimes the only trusted individual in the
library, especially with certain populations, and mentioned ex-convicts in particular.
Confidentiality was raised and the idea that librarians handle privileged information, and
as professionals, they are trusted. Pat mentioned that some of these core values should
be reflected in library school curricula, and that the “new librarian” should be redefined.
Others mentioned digital technology, the lack of privacy on certain platforms, and how
students need to realize that placing excessive personal information on social media
may be detrimental.
Update on Think Tank: Marci provided an overview on the evolving School Library
Implementation Task Force, which will begin with a short-term “think tank” to
conceptualize a focus and substantive content for a school library advocacy effort that
deepens the public understanding of school libraries and their impact on teaching and
learning, student achievement, school culture, 21st century critical and creative thinking
skills, implementation of the Common Core, fostering a culture of literacy and reading,
integration of technology, and the professional development of teachers.
Pat Tumulty thanked Lauren Comito for the Resolution on librarians who worked during
Hurricane Sandy. Cindy Czesak. Pat thanked Marci and OLA for the recent work on the
Advocacy University and Advocacy Clearinghouse web pages, as well as outreach that
the office has been performing in regard to libraries in crisis.
Lauren Comito asked about a possible Toolkit for the new healthcare initiative, and
asked whether it is something that the committee needs to think about, and if so, what
are next steps, and liability issues?
Meeting was adjourned.