NHLA: New Hampshire Library Association

Part II of ALA Councilors Midwinter 2013 report

Amy Lappin | January 31, 2013 | 0 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

ALA, ALA Council, Midwinter

Greetings from ALA Midwinter 2013

Amy Lappin | January 28, 2013 | 0 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

ALA; ALA Council

Quilt Raffle at the CHILIS Spring Conference

Nancy Lang | January 27, 2013 | via CHILIS: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire

This beautiful, full size quilt, featuring the beloved children’s book character Olivia, will be raffled off at the CHILIS Spring Conference on March 7. The colors are black, red, and white. The quilt raffle will be separate from the regular 3-4 tickets for $1 raffle, so be sure to plan accordingly.

Conferences, Quilt, Raffle

Flume Readers Needed!

Jenn Hosking | January 16, 2013 | via YALS: Young Adult Library Services of New Hampshire

If you read YA/teen books, please consider becoming a part of the Flume wiki discussion. We have over 50 nominated titles for the 2014 Flume Award (and more, I hope, on the way), and we need readers for these books. Please visit http://flumeaward.wikispaces.com/ and sign up to join the wiki. Once you are a member, you can add to the discussion of the nominated titles. We are especially looking for readers and feedback for those titles without comments on the discussion pages, but if you want to add to an active discussion page, we welcome those comments, too.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your support of the Flume Award!

Ann

A New Year; A New Direction

Gail Zachariah | January 8, 2013 | via CHILIS: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire

At this time of year I often try to focus and redirect. I look at what I’ve been doing to see if it works and I ask myself how can I do better. Here’s my quick list of what I’ll like to do in 2013.

Busy families drop in to make a craft anytime on summer Fridays at the Keene Public Library

Meet Library Users Where They Are. Do we offer programs in the right time and place for busy working families? If not, why not? And what can we do to make it easier to use the library and to attend events? One way could be to turn more structured library programs into passive drop-in programs. During December and the summer months, we have a drop-in craft Friday. Almost everyone that comes into the department on these days participates. Perhaps we should do this more regularly. This year I want to consider why our evening family programs have not always had the numbers we anticipated. Perhaps evening programs may need to be a bit bigger and brighter than our weekly daytime offerings. And maybe the timing is wrong. At the Keene Public Library, we offer a number of big draw Saturday afternoon programs like our annual Family Ladybug Book Award Festival, Star Wars Day, and Family Gingerbread House Workshops. If we had add occasional high impact evening programs to our schedule of events, would we reach a whole new population that has been too busy to make a trip to the library?
Lego brings in new families at the Keene Public Library

Make New Friends. I want to bring new people into the library and to have them return regularly. This evening I noticed families asking for directions in the library. “Where’s the Trustee’s Room?” It dawned on me that if these people are probably new to the library and whatever program was happening in the Trustee’s Room had achieved something I wish all my programs did. It brought new people into the library. This year I want to make sure I’m offering some programs that will bring in new people. Our monthly Lego program does but what other programs can I offer that will bring in people that have to ask for directions? I recognize that I’ve been guilty of taking the easy way out and offering my the programs I like without taking the trouble to find out what my patrons want. Sometimes it is too easy to do last year’s successful program again this year. And then after a decade you realize maybe the program isn’t so hot anymore. I just found some good suggestions on how to make sure my programs are relevant to my current patrons on Bryce Don’t Play. He suggests that we watch a little of the new shows on Nick Jr., PBS, and the Cartoon Network and to pay attention to kids’ shirts. Read more »

Goals, Outreach, Planning, Storytime

Summer’s coming…

Jenn Hosking | January 3, 2013 | via YALS: Young Adult Library Services of New Hampshire

Now that 2013 is here, I’m sure you are all thinking about this year’s summer reading program. If you would like to get some tips to help you plan your “Beneath the Surface” teen summer reading program, you can register for an hour-long webinar on the CSLP website.

You must be logged into CSLP as a member before accessing the webinar information and registration. If you are not yet a member, it’s easy to sign up. Go to http://www.cslpreads.org/ and check out the summer reading webinars.

Ann

Flume Committee Needs You!

Jenn Hosking | December 17, 2012 | via YALS: Young Adult Library Services of New Hampshire

The Flume Committee is looking for people to read and comment on the nominated titles for the 2014 Flume Award. Nominations are coming in (until January 25, 2013) and we need input from the library community so that we can choose 10 titles for the nomination list this spring.

If you are willing to read YA books and comment on them, please join the Flume wiki at http://flumeaward.wikispaces.com/home. Once you have become a wiki member (it’s easy to sign up), you can add your comments to the discussion pages. We only have a few nominated titles so far, but it’s not too early to start reading and discussing the books.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks for your support of the Flume Award.

Ladybug Picture Book Award — Nominations Wanted

Nancy Lang | December 12, 2012 | via CHILIS: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire

Calling all New Hampshire Children’s Librarians!

Nominate your favorite picture book(s) for the 2013 Ladybug Picture Book Award. Please nominate a picture book that meets the following criteria:

be published within the last three years (2010-2012);
be in print;
have both the book’s author and illustrator reside in the US;
possess strong child appeal;
have artistic quality with text that supports the illustrations;
not be a title previously nominated.

Please submit your nominations no later than Friday, January 25, 2013 by completing the form at the link below.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dExrb2dKWkVsU1N6Q3BsTW10Ukh4VVE6MQ#gid=0

If you cannot get the link to work, please click here: nomination form

Thanks for your support of the Ladybug Picture Book Award, sponsored by the Center for the Book at the NH State Library!

PLEASE NOTE: Nominations are ONLY accepted from NH Librarians. Nominations from authors, publishers, and those from outside New Hampshire will not be accepted or considered.

Awards, Ladybug Award

NHLA supports joint statement regarding e-content pricing

NHLA | December 3, 2012 | 2 Comments

The NHLA Executive Board has voted to support a joint statement with other state library chapters and ALA regarding the pricing of e-content. Additionally, ALA has just launched an E-book Media and Communications toolkit that may help libraries become better advocates for fair pricing that can be found at this link.

An article that discusses the joint statement in American Libraries’ “Inside Scoop” can be found here.

The text of the joint statement approved by the NHLA Board is as follows:

The New Hampshire Library Association has approved the following joint statement:

The American people long ago realized the importance of creating and maintaining a literate and informed citizenry. Publishers, authors, distributors and literary agencies have long recognized the important role played in our society by our libraries. In the past, they have supported libraries by providing purchasing discounts of printed materials, promoting authors and working with librarians to increase accessibility and enjoyment of the written word.

In this technological age, libraries must stay responsive to the public and deliver the written word in both electronic and print formats. The Indiana Library Federation, the New Jersey Library Association and the Montana Library Association are increasingly concerned about the publishers and distributors whose policies withhold e-content from library users.

Libraries, like other consumers, should be free to buy any published e-content at competitive prices, to keep these items in their collection and to loan them to their patrons. Anything less violates basic democratic principles of a free market, freedom of speech and equitable access. If financial barriers are removed in libraries, all citizens would have equal access to this material.

The Indiana Library Federation is in agreement with the Montana Library Association which asks publishers of e-content to place libraries on a level playing field with other consumers of e-content. The cooperative relationship among publishers, authors, distributors and agents must be restored.

We are aware that the American Library Association is our national voice to advocate for access to content for all members of our society and that the ALA has a Working Group on Digital Content in Libraries examining many of the issues identified above.

The Indiana Library Federation, the New Jersey Library Association and the Montana Library Association strongly oppose the actions by publishers and distributors who set unfair conditions for the sale of e-content to libraries. These conditions include unfair pricing, controlled distribution, restricted ownership and reduced access of e-content.

We join with the American Library Association and the other state chapters to speak out and vigorously oppose these discriminatory policies. We applaud the work of the Working Group on Digital Content in Libraries and urge them to identify strategies for libraries to address the significant barriers to equitable access to content created by these discriminatory policies.

Diane Lynch, New Hampshire Library Association, President

ALA, e-book, e-content, ebook, New Hampshire, NH, NHLA, pricing

2014 Flume Award Nominations Wanted

Jenn Hosking | November 29, 2012 | via YALS: Young Adult Library Services of New Hampshire

The Flume Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2014 Flume Award. We welcome suggestions from teens in grades 9-12 of fiction and nonfiction books with teen appeal, with publication dates from 2010-2012. The nomination deadline is January 25, 2013.

To nominate a book, teens can complete an online form at the YALS website. Librarians will also find print nomination forms on this page, which can be sent to Ann Hoey* by the deadline.

If you have any questions, please contact Ann Hoey.

*Send print nomination forms to:

Ann Hoey
Youth Services Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library
20 Park Street
Concord, NH 03301

Van Stop: New Hampshire State Library