SRRT Coordinator's Column

June 2024

ALA Annual Conference in San Diego, CA June 27 - July 2, 2024, is getting close. We hope you can join us at our SRRT meetings during the conference.

SRRT Meeting Schedule:

Hunger, Homelessness & Poverty Task Force (HHPTF) Social
Thursday, June 27
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Pacific
Location: Hervey Family Rare Book Room

SRRT All Task Force Meeting & Annual Membership Meeting
Friday June 28, 2024
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Pacific
Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 06 E

Combating Voter Suppression in Your Library
Saturday June 29, 2024
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Pacific
Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 29 D

SRRT Action Council I
Saturday June 29, 2024
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Pacific
Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 13

SRRT Action Council II
Sunday June 30, 2024
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Pacific
Location: Marriott Marquis, Catalina

2024 SRRT Election Results

We are pleased to announce that the following SRRT members have been elected to SRRT Action Council for 2024-2027 terms:

Members- at-Large

Derek Wilmott, Member at Large

• Currently an SRRT and IFRT member, Co-Chair of SRRT's Programming Committee 2023-24, and member of CORE's Access/Equity Leadership Team, as well as ODLOS' Services to Refugees, Immigrants and Displaced Persons Sub-committee (SRIDP). Also, a member of REFORMA affiliate.

De 'lvyion Drew, Member at Large

• Currently an SRRT, EMIERT, LSSRT, NMRT, and RRT member. Also, member of SCRL and PLA divisions. Member of BCALA affiliate.

Rachel Rosekind, Member at Large

• Currently a SRRT, GNCRT and EMIERT member, along with PLA and United for Libraries divisions. Co-Chair, SRRT Programming Committee, 2023-Present; Member, Herb Biblo Outstanding Leadership Award for Social Justice & Equality Committee, 2023-Present; Member, Best Graphic Novels for Adults Selection Committee, 2024; Also, member of BCALA and REFORMA.

SRRT Councilor

Tara Brady, SRRT Councilor

• Currently the SRRT Councilor, 2018-Present; member of GODORT, LSSRT, RRT, SRRT, SUSTRT

Congratulations to our newly elected members. And our thanks to Patti McCall-Junkin for being a member-at-large candidate.

ALA Operating Agreement

ALA has spent the past year having a task force of ALA volunteers & staff review the "Operating Agreement," a document that governs how the various ALA units help fund ALA's shared services. Specifically, it is the document that determines how much overhead the round tables (along with the divisions, etc.) pay to the Association. The Operating Agreement is decades old and is no longer meeting ALA's needs.

Over the past six months -- after the ALA Executive Board voted to dissolve the original task force – ALA Treasurer Peter Hepburn and ALA Chief Financial Officer Dina Tsourdinis have continued their work reviewing the options. Peter & Dina are proposing three models for funding ALA's overhead expenses. ALA’s Round Table Coordinating Assembly (made up of Round Table Chairs, Vice Chairs and Treasurers) met on May 21, 2024, via Zoom to discuss each of the three options and how each would increase or decrease each unit's overhead expenses. The RTCA will review the financial figures, including each ALA unit's historical expenses, revenues, & overheads, along with the new overhead amounts proposed under each model.

The RTCA meeting will then meet at ALA Annual Conference in San Diego to further discuss these proposed changes to the Operating Agreement and hopefully make a round table recommendation.

Transition to New SRRT Year

We thank everyone who worked in SRRT during the past year and contributed to/supported the work of the Round Table and we welcome Olivia Blake to the position of SRRT Coordinator. We all look forward to working with Olivia during the coming year.

Best wishes

April and Charles