ALA Executive Board,
1999 Annual Conference

Education Recommendations Move Forward

A summary of the 39 recommendations made by the Steering Committee on the Congress for Professional Education (AL, June/July, p. 12–14) led off the three sessions of the ALA Executive Board, June 25, 28, and 30, at the Annual Conference in New Orleans, prompting a swift commitment to their implementation.

Ken Haycock, who chaired the committee and begins a term on the board this year, reported (EBD#12.42, #12.45, #12.46) that the need for continuing education was at the core of the congress. A working group of board members has already prepared a preliminary plan for a second congress to tackle the issue (EBD#1.3).

Meanwhile, the board agreed to appoint four multi-association task forces to:

1. develop a core-values draft statement by ALA’s 2000 Midwinter Meeting;
2. draft a statement of core competencies, also by Midwinter;
3. investigate the creation of an independent accrediting board; and
4. examine how education programs support the various levels of library personnel.

Questions about social responsibility

ALA Treasurer Bruce Daniels confronted the board with questions about the best way to adopt a socially responsible investment strategy (EBD#12.38.1). He recommended that existing ALA policies be used to guide the endowment trustees toward sound investment screening and that a “challenge process” be established so that ALA members could voice their objections to particular stock holdings.

The challenge process would involve making all long-term investment holdings available for review by members on request. If a challenge is filed, the trustees would review it to find evidence of noncompliance with policies. Companies would be excluded from the portfolio based on whether or not a significant percent of their business activities are in violation. If a member is not satisfied with the trustees’ decision, he or she could appeal to the Executive Board.

The board decided to send the plan to Council for feedback, and at a subsequent meeting the concerns of Councilors were aired and sent back to the board for further consideration.

The board also voted to set aside 25% of the Association’s current net assets as an operating reserve fund and in the future to add 25% of revenues-above-expenses to the reserve (EBD#4.0, #4.20). A summary of the FY 2000 budget (EBD#3.16) was presented for review.

Lifetime memberships reopened

Membership Committee Chair Marianne Hartzell recommended that the “Life Member” category of ALA membership be restored (EBD#1.44) and brought forward a plan to place a “negative check-off” line on the membership renewal form for an automatic $15 contribution to ALA scholarships (EBD#11.45). The first proposal won swift approval, but the second, much to the chagrin of President Ann Symons and President-elect Sarah Long, was soundly rejected by the board as an offensive practice.

In a written report (EBD#6.3) the Fund for America’s Libraries outlined some of its ongoing efforts to reach the $1-million goal set for the Spectrum scholarship initiative. As of June 9, 152 donors had pledged only $76,487, far below target. “Competition in the sponsorship arena and for planned-giving dollars is intense and demands attention to detail and careful work with prospects,” the report stated.

A report (EBD#8.1) from the Membership Marketing Task Force indicated that “ALA membership is stable and growing,” with “an impressive 88% renewal rate.” The task force’s target is 60,000 members in 2000.

Newly inaugurated as ALA president, Long took over the reins at the board’s third session, using her first meeting as president to establish the ground rules for the way she wants to conduct board meetings. Departing from the traditional model, she conducted the meeting more as a facilitator than a chair. She indicated that from conversations with board members before the meeting she had concluded that efficient follow-up was a major problem, one she intended to help the board remedy.

Action wrap-up

In other actions the board:

• Talked at length about units of ALA sending out communications that seem or claim to speak for the entire Association (EBD#1.46), the upshot being that a subcommittee headed by Robert Newlen will craft a strategy to bring membership units in line with ALA policy without restricting their ability to function in their areas of responsibility.
• Rekindled historical ties by approving the appointment of an honorary trustee to the board of the American Library in Paris, which ALA founded in 1920. The library’s Director Kay Rader and International Relations Committee Chair Patricia Glass Schuman made the case for the reaffiliation (EBD#1.43).
• Received a report from Ma’lis Wendt, chair of the Budget Analysis and Review Committee, on BARC activities at the conference (EBD#3.0, #3.13, #3.15). She indicated that the Planning and Budget Assembly had tackled the question “What would you like ALA to look like in 2005?” The compiled results of the discussion will be available for the board’s fall planning meeting.
• Extended the work of the Web Links Task Force (EBD#8.2) and turned the recommendations of the Web Advisory Task Force (EBD#8.3) over to management for assignment, including the creation of a permanent member advisory committee.
• Approved the establishment of an annual Arthur Curley Lecture (EBD#1.42) in memory of the ALA president and director of the Boston Public Library who died in 1998. The lecture is to be presented at the Midwinter Meeting starting next year.
• Examined a draft (EBD#12.47) of a report to division presidents and presidents-elect on the accomplishments of the ALA Goal 2000 campaign and developing plans for the coming years.
• Got an update on Washington Office activity from Office for Information Technology Policy Director Rick Weingarten.
• Got an update (EBD#1.38) from American Library Trustee Association (soon to be the Association of Library Trustees and Advocates) President Pat Fisher on a planned three-year membership campaign. a Received a report (EBD#7.4) from Symons reviewing her presidential year.
• Met in closed session with ALA Counsel Paula Goedert to discuss personnel issues and confidential issues related to the Committee on Accreditation.

Also present at the meeting were board members Liz Bishoff, Charles Brown, Julie Cummins, Barbara Ford, Martín Gómez, James Neal, Sally Reed, Patricia Smith, and ALA Executive Director William Gordon. Along with Haycock, Alice Calabrese joined the new board, as Brown and Ford completed their terms.