ALA Council,
2002 Annual Conference

In the 1947 movie Copacabana, Carmen Miranda plays a singer whom Groucho Marx books at the famous nightclub under two different names: the Brazilian Bombshell Carmen and Mademoiselle Fifi. She spends much of the movie switching between characters, often by simply raising a veil over her mouth. “Carmen?” “No, Fifi.” “Fifi?” “No, Carmen.” In Hollywood’s altered reality, everyone is completely duped by this ploy.

The three meetings of ALA Council in Atlanta, June 16, 18, and 19, could also have used a veil or a tutti-frutti hat—anything to distinguish the deliberations of the confused group as the Council of ALA and the Council of the new ALA Allied Professional Organization (APA). The plan was simple: As the governing bodies of both organizations, Council and the Executive Board would simply adjourn as one, switch hats, and convene as the other. Unlike Carmen Miranda, however, ALA leaders convinced no one, least of all themselves, that one divided by two equals two.

In addition to the tax restrictions that set ALA as a 501(c)(3) apart from the ALA/APA as a 501(c)(6), much of the confusion stemmed from the inability or unwillingness of some councilors to accept the fact that establishment of the adjunct organization had already been voted and that the report of the transition team, led by Immediate Past President Nancy Kranich, was simply asking for Council approval of APA procedures (CD#24.1, #24.2, #24.3; ALA/APA CD#6).

Councilor Marilyn Irwin and others were uncomfortable acting as the ALA/APA Council without a budget, even though Kranich pointed out that “you can’t even accept a budget until you have rules for operating.”

Councilor Bernard Margolis, one of the APA’s most vocal detractors, argued that the ALA Council needed to approve any transfer of funds to the APA and to be vigilant about retaining its advocacy role by retaining its own Pay Equity Committee, one of several ALA activities presumably being transferred to the APA.

It may have been Council’s very efforts to separate the two governance roles that led to much of the confusion. Councilors were reluctant to convene as the APA Council for fear that they would take an action the ALA Council would disapprove of. “I’m confused why we don’t trust ourselves,” said Councilor Melora Ranney.

Lengthy discussion at Council’s first session resulted in postponement of the APA meeting to Council II, where debate over whether or not to convene the meeting lasted longer than the APA meeting itself. Treasurer Liz Bishoff presented budgetary information (ALA/APA CD#7) and explained that ALA will make a one-time start-up loan to the APA of $200,000, to be repaid with interest, but few councilors felt comfortable with the financial risks involved.

The proceedings became so confusing that when the APA Council finally did convene, President John W. Berry announced, “We are now adjourned as ALA/APA Council. Sorry, we are now convened. Did I say we are now adjourned?” At that point no one was quite sure.

An effort to review bylaws (already approved by ALA Council at its Midwinter Meeting in January) ended with lengthy debate over the need for the APA bylaws to conform to ALA bylaws. ALA Counsel Paula Goedert was called to the microphone to explain, once again, the difference between a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(6). The former cannot promote the “mutual professional interests of librarians,” she explained.

Arguing again against the whole concept of the APA, Councilor Mark Rosenzweig said, “I just don’t understand why a business is being set up parallel to ALA with coequal status and shared governance, whose purpose is the generation of revenues. . . . What does it mean to maximize revenue? It means to take more money from our members.”

Meeting time ran out, and councilors refused to extend, concluding that the bylaws had not been adequately vetted prior to presentation. Council got only as far as endorsing a set of “guiding principles” as set out by the transition team (CD#24.1) and including such ironic vagaries as: “The structure, organization, and operation of ALA/APA will be as simple as possible.”

Among the less-complicated actions taken by Council as ALA Council was approval of ALA membership on the Council of Cooperating Organizations of the National Center on Women and Aging (CD#36.1). Housed at Brandeis University, the center was formed in the early 1990s to focus national attention on the special concerns of women as they age, including financial planning and health care. The center’s mission is consistent with ALA policy 9.4.1, according to the recommendation to join presented by ALA’s Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship, chaired by Sarah Barbara Watstein.

Presented by Councilor Vivian Melton, a resolution (CD#50) in recognition and support of Equal Pay Day, an initiative of the National Committee on Pay Equity, received unanimous support, with Councilor Margolis insisting that the resolution illustrated the fact that ALA Council was perfectly capable of taking action in support of better salaries without putting on its APA hat.

Applauding the CIPA victory

“I would recommend to you and to our colleagues that it’s worth taking the time to read the court’s decision because it lays out-in about as clear and comprehensible a manner as I have yet seen anywhere-the full array of issues surrounding mandatory filters in libraries,” said Gordon Conable, president of the Freedom to Read Foundation, praising the recent ALA victory over the Children’s Internet Protection Act.

Conable’s report to Council (CD#22.1) explained why “a flawed, faulty, bumper-sticker solution is not an appropriate choice for the government and for libraries to make in terms of dealing with the very complicated, emotionally charged, and difficult issues that surround Internet content.”

He called the CIPA decision “one in a series of really stunning victories that began with our CDA (Communications Decency Act) litigation in 1997. . . . The good news is that as we continue to win them, it gets harder and harder for our opponents to limit our liberty. The bad news is that we have to keep paying for the fight.

Councilor June Pinnell-Stephens pointed out that contributors of $100 or more to the CIPA fund were wearing multicolored ribbons at the conference, and Conable added that there were plenty more where those came from.

Treasurer reports more boom than gloom

ALA Treasurer Liz Bishoff presented an optimistic, if cautious, report (CD#13.4) impacted by “the uncertainty of September 11, the slower-than-expected recovery from the recession, and now the budget cuts that are reported from many of the states.”

Bishoff reviewed programmatic successes, including the Campaign for America’s Libraries, which saw more than 10,000 libraries adopting the campaign in the U.S and 13 countries with another 23 about to sign on. She noted that the Wells Fargo donation will “support the campaign hopefully for the next five years.”

Council approved the proposed budgetary ceiling for Association income and expenditures at $49,721,383 for fiscal year 2003, which begins September 1. This includes a general fund budget of $27,684,555, divisions $17,648,047, round tables $714,231, physical plant fund $193,000, grants and awards $2,836,687, and long-term investments $645,863.

With customary adroitness, the Committee on Legislation (COL) report (CD#20.6) contained a number of well-crafted resolutions that met with swift approval. Committee member Agnes Griffen delivered the report in place of chair Sharon Hogan, who died April 27.

Beltway bonanza

A resolution on the World Trade Organization’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) (CD#20.7) called for ALA to “lobby the federal government as necessary, to ensure that local, state, and federal governmental bodies can support the efforts of publicly supported and nonprofit libraries to serve the needs of America’s schools and communities for access to information in whatever forms and by whatever means technology may allow in coming years” and to ensure that public and nonprofit libraries be considered “services supplied in the exercise of government authority and therefore outside the scope of the GATS.”

Council also voted to urge the Department of Justice to rescind a provision in a March 19 memorandum that requests all departments and agencies to safeguard “sensitive but unclassified” information related to homeland security. Public access to government information must be maintained “absent specific compelling and documented national security or public safety concerns,” the COL resolution said (CD#20.8).

Another resolution (CD#20.9) called for ALA to affirm the public’s right of access to presidential records and encouraged members to ask their legislators to cosponsor and support the enactment of the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2002 (HR 4187). Another urged Congress to reaffirm its commitment to GPO Access and the Federal Depository Library Program (CD#20.10). Another questioned the “Information Quality Guidelines” issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) (CD#20.11) and another (CD#20.12) urged OMB to hold hearings on its proposal to allow government agencies to produce or procure their own printing without going through the Government Printing Office.

Yet another (CD#20.13) urged that the General Accounting Office reverse its decision to require submission of personal information for tracking purposes to obtain a copy of a report titled The Brady Act: Instant Background Check Is Not Applicable to Antique Firearms, 2002, which it removed from federal depository libraries.

Also approved were resolutions commending U.S. Superintendent of Documents Francis J. Buckley Jr. “for his dedication and service to the Federal Depository Library Program and to ensuring free and equitable public access to government information” (CD#20.14) and U.S. Public Printer Michael DiMario for his leadership and “innovation in printing and electronic dissemination as well as the promotion of free and permanent access to government information for all” (CD#20.15), as well as ALA’s Government Documents Round Table on its 30th anniversary (CD#20.16).

In addition, Council passed with no objections a resolution (CD#49) presented by Minnesota chapter Councilor William G. Asp calling for ALA to express “alarm and concern” at “the actions of the Minnesota Commissioner of Children, Families, and Learning in jeopardizing library services and funding for the people of Minnesota with inadequate staffing of the state library agency.” The action protests, albeit diplomatically, the virtual elimination of the state library in Minnesota.

Privacy and the Library Bill of Rights

Intellectual Freedom Committee chair Margo Crist proudly presented Council with a long-awaited interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights on Privacy (CD#19.5). The document “affirms that the rights of privacy are necessary for intellectual freedom and are fundamental to the ethics and practice of librarianship.” The document was met with unanimous approval and applause.

The IFC report (CD#19.3) also summarized the committee’s work on overturning CIPA, coping with the USA Patriot Act, and applauding The IFLA Internet Manifesto (CD#19.4) recently released by FAIFE, the Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression program of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

The IFLA manifesto was endorsed during a report (CD#18.5-#18.7) from Nancy John, chair of the International Relations Committee, who urged ALA members who will be voting delegates at IFLA’s meeting in Glasgow this month to vote for its adoption.

The IRC also brought forward a resolution on the destruction of Palestinian libraries and archives (CD#18.8), calling for ALA to “take leadership in recommending that IFLA study the needs of Palestinian libraries and cultural institutions and establish a mechanism for providing assistance to Palestinian libraries and cultural institutions” through the IRC.

Several councilors questioned why ALA needed to work through IFLA. John replied that IRC felt FAIFE was in a better position to be effective. Councilor Robert Doyle, former director of the ALA International Relations Office, reminded councilors that they had once before ignored the advice of IRC and passed the infamous Israeli Resolution and then had been forced to rescind it when it backfired (AL, July/Aug. 1993, p. 618). Council then voted 64-63 to remove a “resolved” clause from the resolution that called for distribution of the document to, among others, the secretary general of the United Nations and the Israeli ambassador to the United States. The IRC will know where to send the resolution, John said.

No nod for the “L” word

In an impassioned “call to action (CD#51) on maintaining the words ’library’ or ’library science’ in the titles of programs accredited by ALA,” Councilor Carmencita León, of Puerto Rico, begged Council to vote for a resolution that would have asked the Committee on Accreditation to clearly establish in their criteria for accreditation that these words be “a primary element” in the names of programs seeking accreditation in order “to prevent the further erosion of the identity of and the importance of librarians and libraries as vital elements in a free and open society.”

What seemed from the start to be a one-woman losing battle ended in an 82–25 defeat, after Councilor Larry Romans said that “criteria” equals “standards for accreditation,” and 14 currently accredited programs do not have the “L” word in their title. “This body should not do anything that might make it worse.”

Devastated by the defeat of her resolution, León closed the last council session with a tearful reading of the ALA mission statement, saying it was the Association’s stated goal “to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access of information to all.”

“I am a little frustrated going back to my home, because I am a member of ALA since 1973,” León said angrily. “I think I have wasted my time and money coming here.”

Words of tribute

To mark the last Council meeting of William Gordon as ALA executive director (CD#48), Councilor Don Sager offered words of tribute, to a standing ovation: “I heard someone say that yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, today is a gift. For the past several years, this Council and Association have had the gift of William Gordon’s talents and leadership. With the support of his crew, he has brought us safely into port through many a tempest. You have the gratitude of this Council and Association, and our best wishes on wherever the road takes you.”

Council put its stamp of approval on the establishment of the William R. Gordon Scholarship (CD#10.1), to be an annual $5,000 award for a minority library-school student as part of the Spectrum Initiative. At the same time, Public Library Association Councilor Harriet Henderson announced that PLA was contributing $100,000 to Spectrum.

Action roundup

In additional actions, Council:

• Lowered the quorum required for a Membership Meeting from one percent of the entire ALA membership to one-half of 1% (currently 295 people), as moved by Larry Romans, chair of the Special Presidential Task Force on the Membership Meeting Quorum (CD#44.1). Ratification by ALA membership will be required. The committee’s recommendation included a compromise, which was the removal of the power of a Membership Meeting to overturn an action of Council, and overturns a 1994 action that raised the quorum from 200 and led to eight years with few meetings able to attract the requisite quorum.
• Received John W. Berry’s final report as ALA president (CD#21.1), containing highlights from his presidential year, many of which have been reported in these pages. “A cadre of great task forces and committee chairs and members must be thanked for delivering results in more ways than I can count,” Berry said.
• Although a number of councilors, including former treasurer Herbert Biblo, viewed it as a mistake, agreed to amend the bylaws to shorten the term of ALA treasurer from four years to three (CD#58).
• Took several actions recommended by the Committee on Organization (CD#27.1), chaired by James Rettig. Council voted to change the name of the Minority Concerns and Cultural Diversity Committee to the Committee on Diversity, to establish a Round Table Coordinating Assembly, and to permanently fill one seat on the Pay Equity Committee with a library support staff worker. After much debate, the committee’s recommendations regarding “e-meeting” procedures were also accepted. They provide for the creation of a Web calendar of meetings outside ALA conferences.
• Received a report from Maurice Freedman (CD#29.1) detailing initiatives he will be spearheading during his 2002-2003 ALA presidency. Also distributed was a Campaign for America’s Librarians tool kit, Advocating for Better Salaries and Pay Equity, which supports his major focus. a Agreed to form a task force to identify and study “the issues and challenges confronting rural school, tribal, and public libraries” (CD#53), as moved by Councilor Suzanne Reymer.
• Approved two items (CD#17.1) presented by Mary Elizabeth Wendt for the Policy Monitoring Committee. A revision to policy 54.1 makes it more inclusive of library support staff, and new policy 6.16 includes provisions for the appointment of “virtual” members to committees and task forces. Both changes were based on actions taken at the 2002 Midwinter Meeting.
• Received a final report from the Presidential Task Force on Membership Meetings (CD#23), which recommended, to Council approval, that a standing Committee on Membership Meetings be established to “implement an issues-oriented Membership Meeting program, including appropriate publicity.”
• Elected councilors Mario Gonzalez, June Pinnell-Stephens, E. Blanche Woolls, and Nann Blaine Hilyard to the Committee on Committees (CD#12.3).
• Elected Em Claire Knowles, Maureen Pastine, Jana Fine, Barbara Powell, and Suzanne Reymer to the Planning and Budget Assembly (CD#12.3).
• Received a report (CD#48.1) from Executive Director William Gordon regarding a Council resolution to support the conduct of electronic meetings by ALA committees. He noted that the Budget Analysis and Review Committee was also planning to respond to the high cost implications of electronic meetings (CD#33).
• Received a document (CD#47) summarizing progress on an investigation being conducted by the Membership Committee and the Budget Analysis and Review Committee into the possibility of ALA offering healthcare benefits to members. Representatives from AON Inc. (the company through which ALA already offers supplemental insurance options) are working with the Association to identify a carrier that would either establish a group for basic benefits or permit ALA members to participate in an established group.
• Received a report from the endow-ment trustees (CD#16.1) that advises: “Despite the expectation of moderate returns in the future, the long-term future still works in our favor as long as we are prudent in the allocation of our resources, stay abreast of happenings in the market, and are diligent in our resolve to maintain a strong endowment for use by the Association.” —L.K.