Posts by: Amy Lappin

Part II of ALA Councilors Midwinter 2013 report

author | timestamp January 31, 2013 | categories0 Comments

As promised after my first report from Seattle earlier this week, here is a summary of all the work done and resolutions completed by the ALA Council on the second and third days of the Midwinter Meeting. I realized that I promised to keep it brief. I tried…

The ALA Council approved the following programmatic priorities in line with the ALA Ahead to 2015 Strategic Plan as a guide in the preparation of the FY 2015 budget.
1.Diversity
2. Equal Access to Information and Library Services
3.Education and Lifelong Learning
4. Intellectual Freedom
5. Advocacy for Libraries and the Profession
6. Literacy
7. Organizational Excellence
8. Transforming Libraries.
Note: Taking a vote on the programmatic priorities is required by the Council’s by-laws which I believe is why these priorities are so very broad. They are designed so most any program will fit under this umbrella.

There was a vote to formally change the ALA Policy Manual to reflect the change in language from School Library Media Specialist to School Librarian. The recommendation for the language for a master’s degree with a school specialty is now “a master’s degree with a specialty in school librarianship.” The discussion on this item took place at a previous ALA Meeting and voted on here.

There was quite a bit of discussion regarding a resolution to change the structure of membership dues increases. The main crux of the change read, “dues for personal members will be reviewed annually by the Executive Board, which may approve a dues adjustment not to exceed the percentage change in the national average Consumer Price Index for the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest dollar. Any increase beyond the above provision shall be proposed by the Executive Board with approval by a vote of the Council and subject to a mail vote of the personal members.”

The intent was to provide more frequent incremental increases in dues in an equitable manner rather than hitting membership with a larger one time increase every five or ten years. After much discussion and compromises both in and outside of Council meetings, the dues adjustment proposal was sent back to the Executive Board to amend the language for Council III on Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday morning, the amended proposal came before the Council. Many people found that the new language lent more to transparency to the proposal. The resolution read,
Resolved, Beginning in September 2013 and continuing annually through September 2017, personal member dues will be reviewed by the ALA Executive Board, which may approve a dues adjustment not to exceed the percentage change in the national average Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest dollar. Any increase beyond the above provision proposed by the Executive Board will require approval by a vote of Council and a mail vote of ALA personal members. This provision shall be formally evaluated by the Executive Board and Council in 2016 with input from ALA personal members. Any subsequent dues adjustment will require approval by a vote of the ALA Executive Board, Council and a mail vote of ALA personal members. Council approved the resolution.

Note: ALA includes email in their definition of mail. Any mail vote including an email vote costs about $130,000.
This will now go to the membership for a vote on the ballot this spring. I will send more information to NHLA about this votes as it approaches. As difficult as a dues increase can be and as expensive as ALA is, I do believe in this measure and will be advocating for your support.

A resolution was presented supporting the application of the First Sale Doctrine of the copyright law to all materials in library collection and urging the U.S. Congress to pass legislation to remedy any judicial decision that limits libraries ability to lend copies of foreign made works under the First Sale doctrine.

Resolved, that the American Library Association: 1) Reaffirm the essential role of the First Sale Doctrine in ensuring that the education, research, and library communities continue to support the constitutional purpose of copyright law by promoting the advancement and sharing of knowledge, innovation, and creativity, wherever made; and 2) Urge the United States Congress to pass legislation to remedy any judicial decision that limits libraries ability to lend copies of foreign-made works under the First Sale Doctrine. Council approved the resolution.

A resolution honoring senator Olympia J. Snowe for her support of America’s libraries passed.
Resolved, that the American Library Association 1) Extends its deepest appreciation to Senator Olympia J. Snowe for her extraordinary service and record of achievement; 2) Thanks her for years of dedicated commitment to libraries and the American public that depends upon them.

A resolution supporting the WIPO Treaty for Improved Access for People Who are Blind, Visually Impaired and with Other Print Disabilities was presented.
Resolved that the American Library Association (ALA) 1) endorses the Obama Administration’s statement that access to information is a universal right; 2) commends the United States delegation to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for their recognition of libraries as critical providers of accessible content; 3) supports the call for a diplomatic conference to enact the WIPO International Instrument/Treaty on Limitations and Exceptions for Visually Impaired Persons/Persons with Print Disabilities. Council approved the resolution.

A resolution urging congress to approve a national interest waiver so the US can again pay its dues, and become a fully functioning member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also passed.

A resolution brought to Council by the Sustainable Living Roundtable asking ALA to divest its holdings in fossil fuel companies was found not to be in order no vote taken.

The final resolution of the Midwinter Council Meeting asked ALA to reaffirm its support for whistleblowers including Bradley Manning and John Kiriakou. The motion was amended to take out individual names. The consensus was generally that the newly amended doc spoke to something we already support as an organization. The motion failed. Next a motion was made to refer the revised Resolution to the Intellectual Freedom Committee with a request for a report at the 2013 Annual Conference. The motion to refer passed.

When they are completed, the full minutes will be available at http://www.ala.org/aboutala/governance/council/minutes.

Other newsy bits that you might find interesting:
Total conference attendance (including vendors): 10,731

Banned Books Week 2013 will take place September 22-28 and Choose Privacy Week 2013 will take place May 1-7.

Thanks,
Amy
Amy Lappin
NH ALA Councilor, 2013-2015

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Greetings from ALA Midwinter 2013

author | timestamp January 28, 2013 | categories0 Comments

Hello NHLA Members,
I am happy to be reporting to you from my first ALA Council Session.

My work here began on Friday at a thorough New Council Member Orientation. For those of you who don’t know much about the work of the ALA Council, in brief, it is the policy-making body of ALA. There are 187 members, one from each state plus at large members. I think many of us from NH would feel right at home in Council meetings as they operate very much like our annual town meetings. Anyone can speak and we all have an equal vote. The Executive Board is made up of Council members and the board is elected by the Council.

Believe it or not the most entertaining part of the orientation was a speech by the official parliamentarian, Eli Mina, a delightful man who clearly loves the rules of order and made me want to love them too. Anyone who has sat through past CHILIS meetings presided over by me, knows the rules of order and I have only a passing acquaintance. That is about to change!

Sunday morning began with Council I. The majority of the meeting was a breakout into small groups re-imagining the future of the ALA organization. What do we all want to see for the future of the organization? It was a productive collective brainstorming session. Emerging themes included engaging new members, making the organization less complex, focusing on literacy, making sure all types of libraries are heard, and defending the freedom to read.

Two things stood out for me in the discussion. One was a suggestion to get members to focus not on what they “get out” of ALA, but also on what they can give to ALA. I also appreciated the sentiments of one group who asked us to not lose sight of the fact that the information profession is not just fundamentally linked to education, but to democracy. Very little actual policy decisions from this morning’s meeting, but very interesting to be a part of this discussion. I wonder, as members of ALA (or even as nonmembers), what do YOU want to see as the future of the organization. I am quite sure this morning was the beginning of an ongoing conversation among not just Council, but the entire membership.

I also attended a forum for the ALA candidates for president and treasurer on Friday evening. It was great to put faces to the names we often see in ALA communications.

It is interesting to learn about how ALA operates which is something we don’t all get to know. I’m truly thrilled to be serving as the ALA Councilor from NH. I appreciate this opportunity. I will be sending updates after Council II on Monday and Council III on Tuesday. I’ll try to keep them briefer than this first report, but I did want to give you an introduction to what goes on here at ALA Midwinter.
Thank you.

Sincerely,
Amy

Amy Lappin
NH ALA Councilor, 2013-2015
Deputy Director
Lebanon Libraries
603-448-2459

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CHILIS Annual Report 2011

author | timestamp November 9, 2011 |  via CHILIS: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire

The 2011 Spring Conference was held in March at SNHU in Manchester. We have found this to be a great place for showcasing the performers for the Kids, Books and the Arts grant. This past year, we weren’t able to work around the college’s spring break, but found we were able to successfully work around classes in session. 155 people attended the conference.

At the Spring Conference, Gail Zachariah from the Keene Public Library was named the 2011 CHILIS Librarian of the Year. In her nominating letter, Gail’s director, Nancy Vincent, wrote, “Gail is at the heart of the library….She works tirelessly fueled only by her ever present cup of coffee. She is deeply, deeply committed to the idea of intellectual freedom and especially committed to the youth of our community. She is their advocate and support. She is intuitive to their needs and concerns, she knows hundreds of our teens and children intimately and they are moved by her compassion and care for them.”

The 2012 Summer Reading Program theme is a night theme following the slogan, “Dream Big—READ!” CSLP Manuals and Upstart supply catalogs were handed out at the Fall CHILIS Conference. Ann Hoey and Amy Lappin represented NH at the CSLP business meeting in Scottsdale, AZ in April. Many items were discussed and voted on at the meeting including the slogan for the 2013 Underground children’s theme, “Dig into Reading.”

The Great Stone Face Committee has once again created a great list of 25 nominees for school year 2011-2012. The GSF Award spans grades 4-6, and maintains a standard of excellence in writing and kid appeal. The 2010-2011 GSF Award was presented to Avi for his book Murder at Midnight. A letter of appreciation from Avi can be found at http://chilis.nhlibrarians.org/.

Maze Runner by James Dashner was the recipient of the 2010-2011 Isinglass Award. The Isinglass Award Committee is chaired by Amy Inglis, Barrington Public Library. The purpose of the award is to encourage middle school level students to read for enjoyment and promote a life-long love of reading.

The 2011 Fall Conference was hosted by the Keene Public Library at the Keene Marriott on Thursday, October 20, 2011. Programs included presentations by NH author Lita Judge and the musical group, Hunt and Allison who sang and encouraged us all to use music in our library programs and story times. The day ended with a charming presentation by GSF winner, Avi, who flew in from Denver, attending our conference waiving his speaking fees. The 74-year old author has written 72 books and continues to write every day.

During the morning’s business meeting the 2011-2012 slate of officers was voted in. The current President is Kathy Tracy from the Tracy Memorial Library in New London. Our new Vice President is Gail Zachariah, Keene Public Library. Nancy Lang, Dunbarton Public Library, continues to serve as the CHILIS Treasurer. Yvette Couser, Merrimack Public Library, is our secretary. Amy Lappin, Lebanon Public Libraries is the Past President. 105 people attended the meeting.

This past year, CHILIS awarded $500 scholarships to members, Lisa Houde and Patty Falconer. Both were for reimbursement of tuition and materials towards MLS degrees.

The 2012 Spring Conference and KBA Performers Showcase will be held on March 8, 2012 at SHNU. The Summer Reading Committee has chosen 10 performers for the roster.

CHILIS Membership stands at a healthy 187 with 44 new members this year.

Respectfully submitted,
Amy Lappin, CHILIS President 2010-2011, Lebanon Public Libraries

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