South Dakota chapter councilor Joe Edelen favors rescinding the Palestinian resolution.

ALA Council,
Midwinter 2003

Patriot Act, budget crisis addressed;
Palestinian Resolution upheld.

Tackling some of the most potentially divisive political issues that have come before the ALA Council in years, members moved swiftly through three Midwinter Meeting sessions, January 27–29 in Philadelphia. By the end of the meeting, they had passed resolutions calling for amendments to the USA Patriot Act and denouncing Gov. Jeb Bush’s plan to eliminate the State Library of Florida. Councilors also refused to rescind a resolution passed last year on the destruction of Palestinian libraries, despite pressure to do so from the Anti-Defamation League. Council drew the line, however, at passing a resolution calling for a peaceful solution to the crisis in Iraq.

Remarkable for their lack of theatrics and protracted debate, the Council sessions moved swiftly through an agenda that could have lasted hours beyond the scheduled adjournment time, as it has in the past. Many councilors attributed the newfound efficiency to preparation facilitated by Council’s electronic discussion list. Others noted ALA President Maurice Freedman’s adept presiding, aided by a new parliamentarian, Eli Mina, who gave councilors an efficiency briefing at the start of the proceedings. Freedman had sent a letter January 9 urging councilors to come prepared.

Sticking to Palestinian resolution

Pleading that Council was “misguided” when it passed a resolution last summer in support of Palestinian libraries, councilor Joe Edelen argued that it should be rescinded (CD#55). He said that ALA policy, in language that is rightfully nonspecific, already deplored the destruction of libraries anywhere. Edelen argued that the resolution should never have passed because it “singled out by name one nation.”

Other councilors rushed to the microphones to defend their earlier action. Peter McDonald observed that revoking the resolution would impinge the motives of those who drafted and voted for the resolution to begin with. “I can say categorically that at every meeting . . . there was never a word of anti-Semitism spoken by anybody, no Israel-bashing by anybody.”

Councilors squabbled briefly over literature that had been left on the Council document pickup table, including a press release from the Anti-Defamation League that called on ALA to rescind the “biased, anti-Israeli resolution” that “harkens back to highly political resolutions passed by the ALA a decade ago,” one of which—calling for an “end to all censorship and human rights violations in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza, and in Israel itself”—was revoked in 1993 even though it had been widely dispersed (AL, July/Aug. 1993, p. 618).

USA Patriot Act

Committee on Legislation (CD#20) chair Bernadine Abbott-Hoduski rallied Council around a resolution (CD#20.1) urging Congress to, among other things, hold hearings to determine the extent of government surveillance on library users and their communities brought on by the USA Patriot Act and to “amend or change the sections of these laws and the guidelines that threaten or abridge the rights of inquiry and free expression.”

Councilor Michael Gorman successfully proposed an amendment to make the Association’s opposition to certain sections of the USA Patriot Act explicit by stating that they “are a present danger to the constitutional rights and privacy rights of library users.”

A report from Nancy Kranich, chair of the Intellectual Freedom Committee (CD#19), indicated that the USA Patriot Act “amended over 15 federal statutes to expand the authority of the FBI and law enforcement.” The committee recom- mended that libraries served with a warrant under this law can seek legal advice and request that the library’s legal counsel be present during the search allowed by the warrant. Librarians looking for legal counsel can get assistance from ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, she said.

Councilor June Pinnell-Stephens stepped up to a microphone to inform Council of “the FBI presence at this conference.” She went on to say that “if you are approached in your library . . . by an FBI agent who is intimidating or otherwise behaving in an inappropriate manner, report that agent’s name and the action to the Office of Professional Responsibility at the FBI and send a copy to the inspector general of the Department of Justice.” Councilor Mark Rosenzweig then demanded more information about the “surveillance of our conference by the FBI.”

Pinnell-Stephens then said councilor Maureen Pastine of Temple University had encountered an agent at the Marriott hotel bar “who said they were here to get information about our positions, what we were thinking about these various resolutions and acts.” Pastine did not offer an explanation, but she later told American Libraries that the man had identified himself as Richard A. MacClary, a retired “former career special agent.” He told her he was not in Philadelphia for the ALA conference but had overheard her talking about libraries and was curious to know if FBI agents had visited her library. But “he was not here to harass anyone,” Pastine said, “and he was not threatening.”

Councilor Barbara Immroth then quipped, “I don’t have too much experience with this, but when I heard about the supposed FBI agent, my first thought was that it was maybe somebody impersonating an FBI agent in order to meet a librarian in a public place.”

Iraq resolutions: pass and fail

Brought forward by councilor Ann Sparanese, a resolution (CD#51) calling for ALA to urge President Bush “to allow the inspections process to continue toward a peaceful solution to the conflict with Iraq and avoiding a costly war” generated considerable debate, but went down in defeat, 58–91. Although the mover tried to emphasize that war with Iraq would doubtless result in cutbacks in federally funded programs for libraries, the debate centered, as it often has with politically charged resolutions, on whether the Association should be taking a position on such an issue in the first place.

Buried in the International Relations Committee report (CD#18) presented by chair Betty Turock was support for the Iraq resolution, but it had already been defeated at the previous Council session. The IRC did successfully bring forward a resolution (CD#18.2) asking “that the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Asset Control exempt educational materials from the sanctions on Iraq.” Turock said “all other countries listed in the sanctions program have exemptions for educational materials.”

The IRC also presented to Council a resolution (CD#18.1) honoring librarian Dina Carter, the 37-year-old U.S. and Israeli citizen who was killed in the bombing at the Mt. Scopus campus of Hebrew University last July 31.

Brought forward by Althea Jenkins, Florida chapter councilor, a resolution (CD#49) urging Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to “reconsider” his recent budget proposal that would eliminate the state library passed with applause. While some councilors debated who should receive the resolution in order to make it most effective, councilor Julie Cummins drew laughs when she quipped, “I suggest we also send this to the governor’s mother.”

Another Council resolution (CD#48), brought forward by Arizona chapter councilor Carol Hammond and quickly passed, urges the ALA president and executive director to convey to the president and provost of the University of Arizona the urgent need for the continuation of the School of Information Resources and Library Services “as a critical part of the university’s mission.” The recently reaccredited program has been threatened with elimination. 

The Association’s own budget concerns were addressed by Treasurer Liz Bishoff, who offered “another perspective on how we fund the workings of ALA” by calculating that voluntary membership participation in ALA could “conservatively” be valued at $8.3 million annually. Her report (CD#13.0, #13.3) offered a state-of-the-Association snapshot, portraying ALA as solid, but headed for a crunch. Although publishing revenue remains strong, “we will see lower revenue streams in interest income and advertising,” she said. “Obviously we’ve already felt it in our investments. We have a real possibility of declining dues as people are being laid off, as salaries are not increasing. And we know that there is revenue decline in preconferences, institutes, and actually the Annual Conference. So all of our major revenue areas are likely to be hit. We will need to clearly evaluate all of our activities and scrutinize carefully our programs and initiatives.”

“ALA is basically financially strong,” Bishoff concluded. “We own the building. We are debt free. We have a strong membership. We have strong products and services. We have a strong mission, and we all know where we’re going. We have cost controls in place; that’s all important. We have business plans in areas that tell us where we’re going. We need to monitor the trends, and we can’t be crisis-oriented, reacting to things as they happen. We must make a more rapid move to technology where it can save us money—such as electronic balloting, electronic products and services. And we need to use our volunteer time wisely; the next generation may not want to sit here in Council for three days. We need to find out about how the up-and-coming members want to volunteer. And lastly, we need to position ourselves for quick response, constant planning, precaution-measured anticipated response, and we need to continue our strong member-staff cooperation.”

Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC) chair Patricia Smith (CD#33) noted that in the current fiscal year “both the general fund and the divisions are showing the impact of the broader economic problems.” Advertising and subscription revenues are down, and total ALA revenue of $7.4 million is $1.1 million below budget.

Action wrap-up

In other actions, Council:

• Voted to bestow Honorary Membership, the Association’s highest award, on gay-rights activist Barbara Gittings (AL, Dec. 1999, p. 74–76) and librarians Lucille Thomas and Samuel Morrison at ceremonies during the joint ALA/Canadian Library Association Annual Conference in Toronto this summer.
• Established the Sullivan Award “for public library administrators supporting services to children,” and the Schneider Family Book Awards for authors or illustrators who encourage “artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audience,” as recommended by Awards Committee (CD#10) chair Leslie Burger. Award donors are former ALA president and executive director Peggy Sullivan and Wisconsin psychologist Katherine Schneider. The Schneider Award is a $300,000 endowment that will provide three $5,000 awards each year. Also approved was the Association of College and Research Libraries/Haworth Press Distance Learning Librarian of the Year Award.
• Elected councilors Michael Golrick, Michael Gorman, and James Rettig to three-year terms on the Executive Board (CD#11.2). They will take office this summer in Toronto. Gorman was nominated from the floor, defeating other Committee on Committee nominees Em Claire Knowles, James Casey, Charles Kratz Jr., and Billy Beal.
• Passed a resolution (CD#20.2) presented by the Committee on Legislation urging federal agencies to make available to the public an inventory of documents and other information scheduled for permanent retention that have been removed from their Web sites.
• Passed a revision of policy 8.5.1 (CD#16.0, #16.1) incorporating the following changes in long-term investment fund strategy: The general fund and divisions and round tables will annually be able to use generated interest/dividends or 50% of the five-year moving average of investment appreciation; unused interest/dividends will be transferred to principal, funding for one-time programs or emergencies or new initiatives will require repayment with interest, scholarships must be self-funding and any shortfall in interest/dividends can be covered by reducing principal, and life-membership funds must be self-funding.
• Received a report from Freedom to Read Foundation President Gordon Conable (CD#22) outlining current litigation in which the foundation is involved, including lawsuits challenging state laws in South Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Arizona, and Vermont that criminalize the distribution of materials deemed “harmful to minors” on the Internet.
• During a report from Committee on Organization chair James Rettig (CD#27, #27.1, #27.2), approved a charge for the Committee on Membership Meetings, reorganized the ALA/Society of American Archivists Joint Committee, and added definitions of “virtual members” to policy 6.16 and “meeting” to policy 7.4.
• Passed two motions (CD#25) presented by Norman Horrocks, chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, to codify Council actions taken last summer. One to amend the constitution to shorten the ALA treasurer’s term from four years to three, the other to change the membership meeting quorum to half of 1% of personal members of ALA. Horrocks also reported (CD#25.1) on progress toward Web-based voting in ALA elections and obtained approval for two bylaws changes that will help facilitate electronic balloting in the context of ALA election policies.
• Received a “health coverage progress report” from J. Linda Williams (CD#50), chair of the Membership Committee, in response to a Council resolution calling for the committee to identify possible health-care options ALA could provide for members. The committee asked that broad input about the possibilities be sent to Julie Greenfield, membership marketing manager at ALA Headquarters, saying they “had yet to identify an insurer that will provide group health insurance to ALA members.”
• Confirmed language (CD#17) presented by Policy Monitoring Committee chair Stephen Matthews that called for codification of policy changes voted on in 2002, including 50.15 Principles for the Networked World and 53.1.16 Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights.
• Referred to the BARC resolution calling for the ALA Office of Research and Statistics to revise its annual salary survey (AL, Sept. 2002, p. 93) to include support staff (CD#52).
• Received written reports from Maurice Freedman, outlining his activities as ALA president (CD#21), and from Carla Hayden, who is planning her 2003–2004 presidency (CD#29). Freedman showed a short clip from his appearance with Newbery and Caldecott Medal winners on the Today Show January 28.
• Received a written report (CD#23) from Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels, providing a broad overview of Association activities and strategic initiatives over the preceding quarter.
• Reconfirmed that “programmatic priorities” for the Association established in 1997 and reaffirmed every year since are still ALA’s driving forces, as specified in the ALAction 2005 long-range plan (CD#13.4). They are “diversity, education and continuous learning, equity of access, intellectual freedom, and 21st century literacy.”

Allied Professional Association:
Bylaws, Budget Garner Enthusiastic
Council Approval

The ALA Council convened January 28 in its companion role as Council for the new ALA Allied Professional Association. Councilors approved the bylaws and budget of the new legal entity, which it established last year to enable certification of individuals in specializations beyond the first professional degree, and to work for better salaries, pay equity, and increased status for librarians and other library workers.

Led by ALA/APA Transition Team chair Nancy Kranich, the Council discussion moved along more swiftly than many had expected, thanks to behind-the-scenes finessing that made the bylaws, rules, procedures, and principles (ALA-APA CD#2 revised, CD#2.1) clearer than they had been during the chaotic discussions at last year’s Annual Conference.

ALA Treasurer Liz Bishoff reviewed highlights of the APA business plan (ALA-APA CD#3, CD#3.1 revised), noting that it calls for a full-time director and a part-time administrative assistant. The Council approved a budgetary ceiling of $60,584 for FY 2003 (ALA-APA CD#4).

Bernard Margolis, a vocal opponent of establishing the APA, called for an additional legal opinion “to clarify the extent to which better-salaries advocacy can be accomplished within the current ALA structure without jeopardizing the tax status of ALA.” Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels replied that a second attorney had already been engaged “to further define the limits and the appropriate interactions between [ALA and the APA] within the tax code.”

Following a successful effort to amend the bylaws to give Council control over whatever appeal process is put in place, councilor Michael Gorman observed that “we should not get bogged down in wording and those kinds of things, important as they are, but keep our eye on the fact that we want to do two things: We want to advocate for better salaries and we want to certify opportunities for continuing education. This is not some shadow government, parallel organization, or government in hiding.”

Presented with its first opportunity to act on an APA resolution (ALA-APA CD#5), presented by councilor Jenna Freedman, however, the Council opted for caution and referred the request that ALA/APA designate one week each year as Fair Pay for Library Workers Week to the newly designated APA Budget Analysis and Review Committee (composed of the same members as the ALA BARC) for financial implications.

An FAQ about the ALA/APA (ALA-APA CD#2.6) is also available.

This report highlights Council business considered to be of the broadest interest to the readership of American Libraries. Documents (CD#) can be obtained from Council Secretariat Lois Ann Gregory-Wood at ALA Headquarters. A summary of actions is also available.

—Leonard Kniffel