by Charles Kratz, SRRT Coordinator & Dean, The University of Scranton Weinberg Library, Scranton, Pennsylvania
SRRT ALAMW19 Meetings
We look forward to seeing you at the 2019 American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Conference in Seattle, Washington. The ALA Midwinter online schedule is now available. We hope to see many of you at the SRRT events and meetings. All of our meetings are open. In the SRRT Action Council meetings, elected action council members will be considering a number of items, including ALA Council resolutions. Anyone in attendance can provide input, ask questions, make comments, and participate in these meetings.
It would be great if more SRRT members attended these meetings, especially if you are interested in running for a SRRT Action Council seat. I will be sharing a draft SRRT Action Council agenda in January 2019 before the meeting.
If you are attending Midwinter and you would like to learn more about or become more involved with any of the Task Forces, please attend the SRRT All Task Force Meeting on Friday, January 25th, from 7:30 - 9 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Washington State Convention Center, Ravenna Room.
Welcome to 2019 ALA Emerging ALA Leader Nicola Andrews, who is being sponsored by SRRT this year. Nicola is a NCSU Libraries Fellow at the NCSU Libraries, North Carolina State University. We look forward to meeting Nicola during ALA Midwinter in Seattle.
SRRT Membership Numbers
As of October 2018, SRRT has increased membership by 21% compared to last year. Included are other Round Tables which saw an increase in October.
| ALA Round Tables | Membership Numbers | Percentage of Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) | 1858 | +21.36% |
| Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) | 1782 | +3.48% |
| International Relations Round Table (IRRT) | 1661 | +2.85% |
| New Members Round Table (NMRT) | 1488 | +12.81% |
| Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) | 1453 | +11.68% |
| Library Research Round Table (LRRT) | 1347 | +5.48% |
| Sustainability Round Table (SUSTRT) | 981 | +120.95% |
| Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) | 957 | +16.99% |
ALA has 58,602 members, +1.92%
New Direction for the ALA Endowment Fund from Al Kagan, SRRT International Responsibilities Task Force
After much research and effort (mostly by Jenny Rockwell), SRRT and SustainRT have just completed a long and, we hope, very persuasive report for the ALA Endowment Fund trustees. The report makes the argument for divestment of fossil fuels from the ALA Endowment Fund and for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) screens for more of the ALA portfolios.
For any comments and/or questions, please contact Al Kagan.
The report can be read or downloaded online.
Run For SRRT Action Council
We hope you will run for SRRT Action Council. The terms are 3-year terms. Those elected this spring will have terms starting at the end of the 2019 Annual Conference through the end of the 2022 Annual Conference. There are 3 Action Council terms expiring in 2019. Please see the link below and note that the form closes on February 1, 2019. If you have any questions, you can contact me. Please follow this link to appear on the ballot.
Become More Involved in SRRT Task Forces
If you would like to become more involved in SRRT and its Task Forces, please let us know so we can direct you to a Task Force representative. The SRRT Task Forces are Feminist Task Force (FTF); Hunger, Homelessness, & Poverty Task Force (HHPTF); International Responsibilities Task Force (IRTF); and Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Task Force (MLKTF). Please fill out the volunteer form to serve on ALA, Divisions, and Round Tables committees and task forces. This includes volunteer opportunities to serve on SRRT Action Council and the SRRT Task Forces.