PLA E-Newsletter
May 12, 2003
Volume 6, Number 7

*PLA Election Results
*ALA Annual Conference To Remain in Toronto-Registration Deadline Extended
*There's Still Time to Register for A PLA Preconference
*PLA President's Program & Awards Reception
*PLA Workload Measures Committee Online Survey
*ALA Nominating Committee seeks Nominees
*2003 Diversity Fair Call for Participants

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PLA ELECTION RESULTS

Issues & Concerns Cluster Steering Committee:
Jan Sanders
Wayne Crocker

Library Development Steering Committee:
Rita Hamilton
Nicky Stanke

Library Services Cluster Steering Committee:
Karen Danczak Lyons
David Paynter

The proposed bylaws change which would add the PLA Councilor to the PLA Executive Committee passed.

All terms begin after the ALA 2003 Annual Conference. Please join me in congratulating our newly elected officers and board members. Thank you to all candidates who participated in the election, we appreciate your willingness to serve the organization.

ALA ANNUAL CONFERENCE TO REMAIN IN TORONTO - REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED
(Chicago) After lengthy discussions and consultation with international and national health officials about the occurrence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the American Library Association (ALA) Executive Board voted unanimously to keep the 2003 Annual Conference in Toronto, June 19-25.

"This decision has been reached following the assurance of leading health officials who inform us that it is safe for our members, exhibitors and guests to visit Toronto," said ALA President Maurice J. (Mitch) Freedman. "We take the occurrence of SARS in Toronto very seriously and have carefully considered all options and opinions before choosing to stay."

The Executive Board decision followed an announcement from the World Health Organization (WHO) that it was lifting the travel advisory for Toronto. WHO Director-General Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland cited three changes in Toronto over the last week: the magnitude of probable SARS cases has decreased; 20 days have passed since the last case of community transmission occurred; and no new cases in other parts of the world have been linked to Toronto. The full advisory can be found here.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not advised against travel to Toronto. Its April 22 interim travel alert encouraged travelers to observe precautions like frequent hand-washing and avoiding health care settings.  The CDC reports that all cases in Toronto have been linked to an original index case, and spread has been through close person-to-person contact. SARS transmission in Toronto has been limited to a small number of hospitals, households, and specific community settings, according to the CDC.

"We are urging all travelers to use common sense measures to protect themselves from any infectious disease, and first among those measures is, of course, hand hygiene or careful washing of soap and water," said CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding at a news conference last week. Gerberding has urged continued vigilance in the United States, where there have been 220 suspected cases of SARS, and in Canada.

The ALA Annual Conference is the world's largest and most comprehensive library conference and exhibition. Drawing more than 25,000 librarians, educators, writers, publishers and special guests, the conference includes more than 2,000 meetings, discussion groups and programs on topics affecting libraries. This year marks the first joint conference with the Canadian Library Association (CLA) in more than 30 years.

"This is a decision based on information - authoritative medical opinion - and rationality - two of the values of the library profession," said CLA President Wendy Newman. "This is a proud moment for the North American library community."

Registration for the 2003 Annual Conference is up substantially compared to last year. As of April 30, registrations stands at 9,287, compared to 6,783 last year. Registrations continued to come in while the earlier WHO travel advisory was in effect.

"I would like to reassure you that the risk of SARS in the general population is extremely low, and extensive control measures are in place to prevent any further spread of the illness," said Dr. Sheela V. Basrur, Toronto Medical Officer of Health.

The ALA also has extended its advance registration and cancellation deadlines. ALA members and guests can register at the advance rate through June 13, and cancellations will be accepted until May 19. Requests for refunds must be submitted in writing and received by May 19, and refunds will be processed after June 28. For complete information, please visit the "Events and Conferences" section of the ALA Web site, then click 2003 Annual Conference and "registration."

Please visit the ALA Web page for frequent updates on 2003 Annual Conference programming and special events, or call the ALA Conference information line at 1-800-545-2433; then press 4 at the prompt. A list of frequently asked questions also is available online.

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THERE'S STILL TIME TO REGISTER FOR A PLA PRECONFERENCE

PLA is hosting two preconferences at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference and now that the registration deadline has been extended - there's still time for you to register for one. Preconference require a separate registration fee, visit www.ala.org to register. The two PLA preconference programs are:

Friday, June 20, 2003 -9:00 a.m. -5:30 p.m.
Librarians and Trustees: Teamwork for the Community's Benefit
Martha Hale, Emporia State University/SLIM, Organizer

What will community libraries be like in the future? How can library trustees and directors form productive partnerships to make a difference in their communities? Participants will hear short presentations, participate in hands-on exercises and break into small group discussions that will focus on solving problems and practicing conversations. Recommended for pairs of trustees and directors from the same library.

Speakers: James Fish, Martha Hale, Ken Haycock, Ellen Miller

Cosponsored by: ALTA (American Library Trustee Association) and the CAPL (Canadian Association of Public Libraries)

Friday, June 20, 2003, 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
How Libraries Add Real Value in a Warp-Speed World
Bruce Ziegman, Ft. Vancouver Regional Library District, Organizer

What distinguishes libraries from their information competitors? The Practical Applications of Technology Committee will conduct a one-day preconference about how libraries add real value to their communities using new technologies, beyond what other organizations and the public or commercial sector are providing. Segments will include an overview by noted technology consultant Joan Frye-Williams; innovations at the Cerritos (Calif.) Public Library, the effectiveness of Ottawa's Smart Capital connectivity project; and advances in Virtual Reference.

Speakers: Mary Cavanaugh, Joan Frye-Williams, Susan Kent, Susan McGlamery, Stanley Strauss, Bruce Ziegman

Cosponsored by: PLA-LDC, Practical Applications of Technology Committee; CAPL

Visit www.ala.org today - to register for either of these events!

PLA PRESIDENT'S PROGRAM & AWARDS RECEPTION

Monday, June 23, 4 - 7 p.m.
Fairmont Royal York Hotel
100 Front Street West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PLA President Jo Ann Pinder invites you to attend PLA's premiere event at the ALA/CLA Annual Conference. This year, the President's Program and Awards Reception will feature keynote speaker Margaret Atwood. Atwood, who was born in Ottawa in 1939, and grew up in northern Quebec and Ontario, is the author of more than 30 books of poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Her next book "Oryx and Crake" is due to be released in May of 2003. Atwood's presentation will be the culmination of the first-ever association-wide reading and discussion program hosted by the ALA Public Programs Office, in collaboration with PLA. "One Book, One Conference" aims to engage ALA, PLA and Canadian Library Association (CLA) members and attendees at the ALA/CLA Annual Conference in reading and discussing Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale."

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WORKLOAD MEASURES SURVEY
PLA has requested, as part of the PLA Strategic Plan, that the Workload Measures Committee in response to a goal of increasing the number of useful models for staffing public libraries, create a forum to discuss best practices and raise questions for discussion. The committee has developed questions for the purpose of collecting data on staffing practices in public libraries. The committee will review results and determine next steps based on data collected, with a progress report at Annual 2003. Visit www.pla.org to complete the survey.

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ALA NOMINATING COMMITTEE SEEKS NOMINEES
The ALA 2004 Nominating Committee is soliciting nominees to run on the 2004 spring ballot for the offices of ALA president-elect, ALA treasurer and Councilor-at-large.

The Nominating Committee will select two candidates to run for president-elect, two candidates to run for treasurer and no fewer than 68 candidates for the 34 at large Council seats to be filled in the 2004 spring election.

The president-elect will serve a three-year term: as president-elect in 2004-2005, as president in 2005-2006, and as immediate past president in 2006-2007.

The treasurer and Councilors-at-large will serve for three-year terms, beginning after the 2004 ALA Annual Conference and ending at the adjournment of the 2007 Annual Conference. The treasurer's term of office was reduced from four years to three years by vote of the ALA membership in the 2003 election.

Members who wish to make nominations should submit the following information: nominee name; present position; institution; address; telephone; fax; and e-mail address. Self-nominations are encouraged. Nominees should complete the Potential Candidate Biographical Form available at https://cs.ala.org/potentialcandidates/ Nominations and forms must be received no later than August 1, 2003.

Nominations may be sent to any member of the 2004 Nominating Committee. Committee members are:

George M. Needham, Chair, OCLC Online Computer Library Center, 6565 Frantz Rd., MC 709, Dublin, OH 43017-3395. Email: needhamg@oclc.org;

Khafre K. Abif, 5800 Central Avenue Pike #4003, Knoxville, TN 37912. Email: khafreabif@hotmail.com;

Wayne Coco,Architect, P.O. Box 111, Simmesport, LA 71369. Email: wlcoco@kricket.net;

Mario M. Gonzalez, Director, Greenwich Library, 101 West Putnam Ave., Greenwich, CT 06830-5328. Email: mgonzalez@greenwichlibrary.org;

Erlene Bishop Killeen, Stoughton Area Schools, Administration & Education Service Center, 320 NorthStreet, Stoughton, WI 53589-1733. Email: killeen3@aol.com;

Leslie A. Manning, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Library, P.O. Box 7150, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7150. Email: lmanning@uccs.edu;

Barbara T. Mates, Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland, OH 44110-4006. Email: barbara.mates@cpl.org;

Vanessa Work Ramseur, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, Beatties Ford Branch, 2412 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, NC 28216. Email: vwr@plcmc.org;

Betsy Wilson, University of Washington, Allen Library, Box 352900, Seattle, WA 98195-2900. Email: betsyw@u.washington.edu.

To encourage diversity and leadership development, the Committee will refrain from nominating any current Councilors for election to another term. However, the Committee encourages all Councilors who wish to continue their service to the Association to file as petition candidates. Petitions will be available from Lois Ann Gregory-Wood, Council Secretariat, ALA, 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611, email lgregory@ala.org, or during the 2003 Annual Conference or 2004 Midwinter Meeting. Petitions require 25 signatures for names to beef included on the 2004 ballot.

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2003 DIVERSITY FAIR CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
Sixth Annual Diversity Fair
ALA Annual Conference
June 21, 2003
Toronto, Canada

The American Library Association again invites its members from all types of libraries to participate in the Sixth Annual Diversity Fair at the 2003 ALA Annual Conference, celebrating the extraordinary examples of diversity in America's libraries, and to demonstrate possibilities for other libraries in search of "diversity in action" ideas. Selected exhibitors will share their diversity initiatives in face-to-face presentations with conferees, utilizing a poster session/table talk format.

HOW IS DIVERSITY DEFINED FOR THE DIVERSITY FAIR

Library diversity expresses a climate where all library personnel and library users feel welcomed, valued and respected, and where their information concerns are considered in library operations.

CATEGORIES for the 2003 Diversity Fair:

• Services to Bookmobile Communities
• Services to Rural and Small Libraries
• Services to Seniors and Homebound
• Services to People with Disabilities
• Services to Urban Rural Poor and Homeless
• Services to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered People
• Services to Immigrants & ESL
• Services to Adult and New & Non Readers
• Services to Incarcerated People & Ex-Offenders
• Services to Communities of Color
• Native American
• African American
• Asian Pacific
• Latino/Hispanic

ABSTRACT

An abstract is required, written in 150 words or less, that includes a description of the library's "diversity in action" initiative, details of its implementation, the degree to which the initiative has succeeded, and the potential uses by other libraries. Links to the entry form and information release form are below.

The 2002 Diversity Fair Notebook is available. All entries will be included in a 2003 Diversity Fair Notebook, available at the conference.

DEADLINE for receipt of entry forms is April 15, 2003. E-mail entries to divfair@ala.org or fax to 312-280-3256, Attn: Tanga Morris.

Selected entries will be invited to exhibit at the 2003 Diversity Fair. Exhibitors will be notified by April 19, 2003 via e-mail or fax from the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services. Questions may be directed to Tanga Morris at 800-545-2433 #4294, ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611 or divfair@ala.org.

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