ALA Executive Board,
2000 Annual Conference
Framework approved for public-awareness campaign.
ALA’s ambitious plan aimed at educating the public about the value of libraries cleared another hurdle when the ALA Executive Board approved the campaign’s projected five-year framework at its Annual Conference meetings in Chicago, July 7, 10, and 12.
The campaign’s budget follows the recommendation of public-relations firm BSMG Worldwide, which developed the plan, that it will be “exponentially more cost-efficient for the ALA to manage and staff the campaign using internal resources whenever possible”; it therefore includes the hiring of three new full-time Headquarters staff.
However, several board members expressed concern that the budget was insufficient to meet the effort’s lofty goals. “My concern is that we don’t invest enough up front to make it work,” said Sally Reed. Ann Symons was concerned that the projected costs did not include the purchase of advertising time and space.
ALA Associate Executive Director for Communications Peggy Barber said the campaign would rely on strategic partnerships both inside and outside the library profession to help get the message out through public-service advertising, particularly on a local basis. She expressed doubt that the budget would permit the purchase of ad space and time “unless we start buying lottery tickets or find a very rich partner.”
Citing the lack of an evaluation mechanism, Ken Haycock asked what the campaign’s specific objectives were. “Is it to increase the public’s feeling good about libraries and librarians?” he asked. “It’s already at 80%. So what are we trying to get it to, 85%?”
ALA President Sarah Ann Long suggested that staff develop a report addressing evaluation and other concerns, and a budget for purchasing advertising. In addition, the board requested a report from Susan Roman, the director of ALA’s newly established Development Office, examining the potential for raising revenue. In the meantime, the board approved a funding level of $800,000 for the first year of the plan, including $250,000 from the General Fund Net Assets and $250,000 from the ALA Future Fund. The five-year framework, which projects total operating expenses of $3.4 million, of which ALA is expected to contribute $1.7 million, was also approved.
Nancy Kranich ended the discussion by calling the plan “one of the most positively supported initiatives this Association has ever seen,” and Symons called it a “lasting legacy” of Barber, who would be retiring shortly after the close of conference.
Technology, at the top of the list of most libraries’ concerns, is also high on the Association’s agenda, with the board getting its first look at a draft outline of a technology plan for ALA. The plan will aim to establish a strategy for use of technology at ALA, both to support member services and activities and to operate the Association efficiently, with a broad goal of making ALA “a digital association.” Board member Liz Bishoff said that defining just what that means is the first step in developing such a plan.
A first draft of the plan is scheduled for review at the Executive Board’s fall meeting, although some board members didn’t want to wait that long. As Robert Newlen pointed out, other library associations are already far ahead of ALA in this area. Alice Calabrese suggested bringing in a consultant to write the plan. However, in the end the board voted to stick to its original timetable, which calls for the plan to be approved by the 2001 Midwinter Meeting to be included in the FY2002 budget.
Washington reports
Characterizing this year’s inaugural “Thank You Day,” in which librarians conveyed their thanks to elected officials for their support, as a moderate success, Washington Office Director Emily Sheketoff received the board’s approval to repeat the effort during next year’s National Library Week (EBD#12.42). Sheketoff also told the board that the Washington Office is working with the Small Business Administration and ALA’s Public Library Association on a plan to provide small-businesspeople who use public libraries with easy access to the SBA’s expert advisers and electronic resources. She said the project will also demonstrate to other government agencies “that the public library is a community center that is an opportunity for them.”
Sheketoff called ALA’s first online copyright-education tutorial “a wild success,” with over 6,500 subscribers. ALA Editions will publish a book based on the tutorial this fall, and the Washington Office plans to offer another tutorial in 2001.
Rick Weingarten, director of ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy, reported on OITP’s recent collaboration with the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which oversees the Internet’s domain-name system. Weingarten said ALA’s involvement puts the Association “front and center in the debate over the public interest voice in Internet governance.”
Weingarten said that e-books had suddenly moved from being “a strategic outlook issue for OITP” to a “core issue.” Noting that the technology “has heated up very rapidly” and “is on the verge of turning into something real,” he said the rapid development has generated “both opportunity and concern in the library community.”
The board’s review of the FY 2001 budgetary ceilings that were subsequently approved by Council led to a discussion about the Association’s longtime practice of subsidizing ALA’s “small divisions” (the Association for Library Trustees and Advocates, the Association for Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, and the Young Adult Library Services Association) under the operating agreement. To inform a future examination of the issue, Long asked staff to supply a financial history of these groups, including future budget indicators regarding memberships and revenues.
Action roundup
Among its other actions, the board:
- Approved Indianapolis as the new site for next year’s American Association of School Librarians National Conference, following the Pittsburgh Convention Center’s cancellation of all contracts during its renovation (EBD#12.1).
- Received an update on implementation of recommendations stemming from the Congress on Professional Education (EBD#12.46, 12.47).
- Approved proposals from the Membership Committee to expand the joint ALA/chapter student membership promotions (EBD#10.3) and implement two joint membership initiatives with the California Library Association (EBD#10.4). The board also adopted Martín Gómez’s suggestion that Membership Services develop a three-year joint membership campaign for new members to be presented at the Reforma conference in August.
- Adopted the Finance and Audit Committee’s recommendation that the board begin the solicitation process for upcoming openings for two endowment trustees, with the goal of filling them by Midwinter 2001.
- Endorsed guidelines for the ALA nominating committee and a sample letter for prospective candidates for ALA president (EBD#5.1).
- Received a report on Executive Board effectiveness prepared by Ken Haycock (EBD#1.26).
- Met in closed session with ALA Counsel Paula Goedert to discuss personnel issues and the reappointment of endowment trustees. It was subsequently announced that trustee Rick Schwieterman had been reappointed for a three-year term.
Other board members present were Julie Cummins and ALA Executive Director William Gordon. ALA President-elect John Berry, Camila Alire, and Molly Raphael joined the board as Symons, Jim Neal, and Treasurer Bruce Daniels completed their terms.
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