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Contact:  Larra Clark
          Media Relations Manager
            312-280-5043
lclark@ala.org

For Immediate Release
February 16, 2005     

American Library Association President-Elect to lead
national/state delegation to Salinas, Calif.

CHICAGO -- American Library Association (ALA) President-Elect Michael Gorman today announced he will lead a delegation of national and state library leaders to Salinas, Calif.  The first-of-its-kind delegation will meet with local library staff, Mayor Anna Caballero and other city officials, Friends of the Library, and Salinas residents to discuss the current crisis in library funding Wednesday, February 23.

The delegation, which includes representatives from the ALA, the California Library Association (CLA) and the California State Library, will survey the situation and share technical assistance, advice and information from around the country and the state to support Salinas in its effort to rally for and sustain library services.

Delegation representatives include:

* Linda Crowe, representing the Monterey Bay Area Cooperative Library System, of which Salinas Public Library is a member;

* Michael Gorman, ALA President-Elect;

* Susan Hildreth, California State Librarian;

* John Kallenberg, former CLA President and former Fresno County librarian;

* Danis Kreimeier, CLA President; and

* Vickie Johnson, California Chapter ALA Councilor.

The ALA is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 64,000 members.  CLA is a chapter of the ALA.