Your ideas for ALA
Camila wants to hear your ideas for what would make ALA a better, more powerful, more useful organization. Please share them here as comments and she will respond. Anonymous comments will not be accepted.
Scroll to the bottom for the most recent comments and responses.
December 27, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Hola Camila. As a future school librarian (I just graduated with my MLS), I am interested in how you will help school libraries across the country who are closing by the hundreds, with many school librarians losing their jobs.
In my state, there is a HUGE gap between the rich and the poor neighborhoods, as the state requires they be funded by individual communities. Thus, poor parents do not have the money to pay more in taxes for a school librarian, and their schools do not have them. However, in the richer communities where parents pay the extra taxes, they have school librarians. This is because my state (MA) does not require school librarians (except for high school.) As a result, poor/middle class students are not learning information literacy skills to prepare them for higher education, while the rich are getting these skills and more through their school librarians.
I have often wished that ALA would step into the picture and help this issue. We always hear about the problems public librarians face, but no one talks about the problems school librarians face. Do you have any ideas for how these issues could be addressed? I see it as a diversity issue with the poorer communities being mostly Latino & African American being denied their education. How could ALA help to reverse this very bad trend?
Alma
December 31, 2007 at 12:33 am
Greetings, Alma –
First of all — good for your for your commitment to school libraries! I have a soft spot and a lot of respect for school librarians as that is how I started my career.
Thank you for posting your question and sharing your concerns about the lack of funding to cover school librarian salaries in your district/state; this is a widespread problem across the country. I would agree that there needs to be strong advocacy for school libraries nationwide and as ALA president I would be strongly supporting better funding for school libraries and the hiring of school librarians.
Right now we are really pushing the SKILLS ACT which is co-sponsored by Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ] which would work towards having a school librarian in every school. I chair ALA’s Committee on Legislation and realized when getting ready to make appointments that there were hardly any school librarians on the COL subcommittees especially in grassroots advocacy. I appointed 2 of them to that committee. Additionally, I have been an advocacy trainer for years and hope to continue to train more people in grassroots advocacy.
I have been really pushing for more “grassroots” advocacy — which means everyone getting involved in advocating for libraries [not just library administrators]. There needs to be more advocacy training for “frontline” folks [just like what you will be] to take away the mystery of and intimidation concerning advocacy. We need to be able to “tell our story” well and convincingly. We have to be able to use the power of persuasion to let decision-makers/legislators/policy-makers/school boards/… and the list could go on and on….know how important school libraries are to the welfare of our children and our communities.
I would also agree that there is a real difference between schools that are better funded and, consequently, can afford to hire school librarians and those that can’t. Unfortunately, those that can’t afford to do this widens the gap between children who are information-rich and those who are information-poor. And, unfortunately, this tends to happen more in schools that serve our minority children. If elected, I plan to put together an action task force dealing with school libraries and youth services. I have not forgotten that those of you school librarians prepare the students we deal with in academic and public libraries.
CAMILA
February 5, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Dear Alma,
I am a new school librarian who serves incarcerated youth. I read your homepage with interest and I am very excited to know that a bilingual librarian may take the reins of ALA. I have attended the last two ALA conferences and am honored to be a part of such an excellent professional organization.
Before I communicate my excitement to the other communities I work with, I was wondering if you might speak to where you stand on libraries for prisoners and libraries– particularly school libraries– serving incarcerated youth. I saw no mention of these special populations on your website and, while often invisible to society at large, I am hoping not to elect a president who will contribute to this. I did not notice on your impressive list of career accomplishments if you’ve had any contact serving or advocating for these folks.
Sincerely,
Jessica Fenster-Sparber
Library School Student
ALA student member
YALSA member
ASCLA member
NYLA member
February 12, 2008 at 9:53 am
Hi Jessica –
Thank you for your posting and for your comments/concerns. Although I have no direct experience with library services to incarcerated youth, I do recognize and support those services as part of library services to special populations. My special populations expertise is in library services to the racially/ethnically underserved; however, I am devoted to library services to all special populations because those who fall into this category are many times unserved or underserved. By that I mean there are no aggressive outreach efforts by traditional types of libraries to serve them. One of the strengths I bring to the ALA presidency is my advocacy for library services to special populations no matter the categories that fall under special populations – racial/ethnic, GLBT, incarcerated, differently-abled folks, etc.
As your ALA president, I cannot pretend to be an expert in all areas of our profession. Because of this, I would recognize and consult the experts – those who actually serve incarcerated youth – when I need advice, assistance, and action. That is the mark of a true leader – one who delegates; and one who seeks and trusts the advice of colleagues with the proper expertise. Please know that all special populations are on my radar screen, and I appreciate folks like you who want to make sure that there is someone who will advocate for incarcerated youth at the national level.
CAMILA
February 14, 2008 at 2:46 am
Dear Camila
I am University Library Director Albania.I am only from Albania, ALA MEMBER.In My country libraries are not like as in USA.I would like that you support more international librarians in development countries
I am hoping
Bujar Kocana
March 20, 2008 at 8:34 am
I have been working with Bujar and the ALA International Relations Office to see how/what ALA might be able to do. Bujar has been able to attend ALA at some point, but the issue is the status of libraries in Albania. Will keep you posted….
September 8, 2008 at 5:57 am
I sent this to Jim Rettig — the September 3rd statement on censorship was not enough.
****
I am, as a former librarian, very concerned about reports in the media about the
current Republican vice-presidential nominee’s possible interest banning books at
Wasilla, Alaska’s library when she served as mayor of that city a couple of years ago.
Here is the paragraph from the article, “How Sarah Palin Mastered Politics,” in
the current issue of Time, with Governor Palin on the cover:
Palin saw a larger future and presided over Wasilla’s rapid expansion. Churches
proliferated as well. “We like to call this the Bible Belt of Alaska,” says
Cheryl Metiva, executive director of the local chamber of commerce. Stein says that as mayor, Palin was as much about promoting conservative values as about promoting growth.
“She asked the library how she could go about banning books,” he says, because
some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. “The librarian was
aghast.” That woman, Mary Ellen Emmons, couldn’t be reached for comment. St. George, however, points out that Palin couldn’t have seen everything through a religious lens; like all smart pols, she knows how to appeal to a broad constituency. She did, after all, resist calls to restrict operating hours for the bars in town.
***
No to restricting operating hours for the town’s bars, but a possible interest in banning books at the town library? What a charming juxtaposition of values. It is very
disturbing.
I e-mailed ALA asking why there have been no statements from this librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons. I was told that she no longer works in Wassilla and that she does not care to comment. I also asked why the American Library Association has not made a statement and told that it is not the ALA’s place to make such statements. I was also referred to the Banned Books website. (How ironic that BBW is at the end of this month!)
Well, sorry, but it IS the place of the ALA to make a statement, and as soon as possible. IF the issue of banning books is such an important issue to the most powerful librarians’ organization in this country, it’s time to come out and say so. This is not a political issue, it is a question of intellectual freedom, the freedom to read and borrow books from our public libraries that hold divergent points of view from authors exercising their constitutional right to free speech. Any elected official who dares to ask how one goes about banning books does not deserve to remain in office in the United States of America. Cuba, maybe, Russia, or China, but not the USA!
I am disgusted with what I perceive to be the ALA’s lack of leadership on this immensely important issue of free speech and intellectual freedom.
I was formerly the Library Director at Reader’s Digest General Books in New York City; my library career spanned stints at these corporate libraries: Citibank and ABC News; and academic institutions, including: St. Lawrence University Library, Central Michigan U. Library, Washington State U. Library, the University of Miami Library, and Barry University. I am currently a full-time author of fiction and non-fiction.
Jo Manning
1460 Ocean Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305-538-3270
drmwk@juno.com
http://www.jomanningbooks.com
September 15, 2008 at 6:03 am
HI Jo –
Thank you for your comments. I know how frustrating this must be for you and others. As I have been reading the emails since my return from vacation, I understand that the information (email) that listed the banned books supposedly coming from Palin was not true [See: http://www.snopes.com/politics/
palin/bannedbooks.asp ]
ALA has also set up a forum where issues regarding political candidates can be discussed. [See:
apaforum@ala-apa.org ]
CAMILA
October 1, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Hello, I would like to see the ALA publish the list of donors to the association. People I have talked to argue that many people and organizations they dont like donate to the ALA and i have no way to refute the claim or even understand what contributions are made and by whom. It would be easy to do on the website. If such information is there, I cant find it.
October 14, 2008 at 6:34 am
Hello –
Thank you for your comment. Here is what I understand happens when donors to ALA contribute to ALA.
Individual donor recognition appears in the ALA Annual Report. Please check out the chapter entitled, In Appreciation. http://ala.org/ala/aboutala/governance/annualreport/index.cfm
Under the bold header of Individual Contributions, there is a link to a pdf that lists all individual giving donated in the fiscal year. The names appear in alphabetical order with money amount assigned to it. However, ALA is still experiencing some problems on some of the web page, so many of the links aren’t working right now.
I encourage you to keeping trying the website. I just tried this morning and I still couldn’t get into the Report to access the specific chapter. Nonetheless, do know that the donors are listed; it is just not as easy to get to even when the website is working. I will follow-up on that. CAMILA
October 24, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Hi Camila.
Thanks for opening this up as a space for us to leave comments. I wonder how I could have missed it for so long.
I am a school librarian. My library degree is an M. Ed. from a non-ALA school. I have been an ALA member for several years now. I am passionate about libraries of all kinds and the possibilities they open.
What is hard for me to understand is why so many opportunities, awards and grants from ALA are only available to ALA-accredited MLS graduates. There are so many interested librarians, and library professionals in general, that do not have this badge of honor. At times, it makes me feel like less of a librarian. It seems like a small thing, I am sure, compared to so many of the access and equity problems libraries across the country are dealing with. I agree that the attrition of school library positions is of extreme importance. But I think that, just for ALA itself, we miss a great opportunity for fresh perspectives when we exclude this block of non-ALA-MLS from certain resources. It is a disincentive to continued membership and engagement.
I hope you will consider relaxing some of these rigid rules to allow for more participation and access to resources for the diverse membership of ALA.
Thanks for considering this,
Beth
November 12, 2008 at 8:23 am
Hi Beth –
I absolutely understand your feelings and concerns. Because ALA has a strong division in AASL [American Association of School Librarians], it works hard to deal with this issue. In some cases, requirements might not only be an ALA-accredited MLS but also its equivalent for teacher-librarians. I realize that this is not always the case, though.
Philosophically, I agree with you – the equivalent of an MLS should be considered. For me, school librarians who have their Masters in Ed media [or whatever the equivalent might be] and are ALA members should be considered along with those with an MLS. I can tell you that AASL members who sit on these various committees are pretty assertive about that.
Also for me, being a professional is not dependent on what type of degree one has. I will be diligent about asking the right questions when new category of awards are developed. Meanwhile, I urge you to contact your AASL leaders to see what might be done to consider pushing for changes in the requirements that stand now. Wishing you the best…
CAMILA
November 12, 2008 at 11:22 am
Please comment here on the reason why new students should join ALA:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/profile.php?id=570792417&v=feed&story_fbid=34056251707
I’m seriously leaning toward NOT renewing my membership for the reasons listed and feel that many many students feel the same way.
Thanks!
November 18, 2008 at 11:59 am
Max –
I have read through your various frustrations with ALA and the website etc. I can feel your pain. But, please don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. It is only with the persistence of folks like you that we can make changes. You may want to just throw the towel in, but we need folks like you and others.
There are many benefits to joining and working within ALA. You develop a network of colleagues who can help you in career advancement and in moving around within the ALA structure. ALA and its divisions offer a lot in terms of staff development and continuing education — special conferences, workshops, programs as conferences; webinars, etc. The RNCIII was an official ALA event. You did not have to be an ALA member to attend, but the fact that Reforna could put on the RNC was due partly because of its affiliation with ALA.
We know that ALA is a big structure to deal with. Part of affecting change is to work “within the structure” to change it.” You and other students have a lot to add to our association, so work with us to move it.
December 11, 2008 at 10:12 am
Thank you so much for your response! I am definitely going to stay in the ALA to work for change within the organization. One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is any organization should have a new members guide that instructs new members on how to get involved and what to do in order to make a difference in the organization. I think ALL new members should be automatically included in the NMRT and given solid information about the organization. Also, ALA may want to sponsor New member meet-ups/mixers in several areas of the country in order for people to network locally.
Thank you for your hard work and great leadership!
January 3, 2009 at 8:41 am
Max –
Good for you! I am also looking into whether or not ALA has anything like a “new member guide” that is automatically provided to any new member. If they don’t, this might be something NMRT could work on.
I appreciate your willingness to turn your frustration into a proactive mode. Know that I do understand that frustration. Adelante!
May 26, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Ms. Alire – I again, for the third year, received a note from the national office to inform me that I had not been chosen for an ALA and/or Council Committee. Eager to begin participating in, contributing to, and sharing with others in the organization, I am discouraged that my offer to assist in any group or project has not been acknowledged and/or accepted.
Might I make a few suggestions to discuss at a future Executive Board meeting:
In order to encourage new members and new librarians to become involved in the workings of the ALA:
–assign members willing to serve on committees to the role of observer to help them with networking with others and to develop specific interest areas
–choose mentors from each group to work with new members to find a place where they can contribute
–welcome new members to these groups who have new ideas, new strategies and who have a refreshing new perspective on relevant issues
Thank you for your consideration of these suggestions.
June 15, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Hi Carol Ann –
Thank you for your posting on new ideas. I apologize that you were not selected for a committee. I am responding in general about the process and then specifically to some of your suggestions.
This past year we received almost 1/2 more volunteer applications than last year — more than 600 with a little over 300 slots to fill. Because it is unreasonable to think that the ALA president-elect would know all of these people and because more heads are better than one, we have a Committee on Appointments made up of the ALA president-elect and the 11 division president-elects. Everyone reviews the volunteers’ database particularly at requests for certain committees. They look at the folks who have requested X committee and then make recommendations to me. We then go over the recommendations at ALA Midwinter and after Midwinter, the notifications go out. We do this to look at various factors — geographical distribution, type of library/division, type of work, gender, diversity, new and seasoned, etc. As you can see, it is a very involved process.
I also work with ALA’s Committee on Committees in a very similar process as the one stated above to make appointments to all the ALA Council Committees.
Now in specific response to your comments:
• assign members willing to serve on committees to the role of observer to help them with networking with others and to develop specific interest areas
o Carol Ann – anyone can attend any of the committee meetings except ones that do confidential business like awards committees, committee on accreditation, etc. In fact, many of us have done that early in our career and introduced ourselves to the chair of the committee or members. We do have an intern position for most committees, but that selection goes thru the same process as regular committee assignment. You can also look into ALA Interest Groups…there are quite a few of them and you do not have to be appointed to them. That is also where you can start your “networking.”
Roundtables are also available – we do not make appointments to those. I suggest you check the ALA Handbook to see how to get on a roundtable. Folks will go both of those routes to start developing their ALA network which then gives you the exposure to people who sit on committees or chair committees.
o I encourage you to also look into the New Members Roundtable [NMRT] – that is a great place to get started and to learn about ALA and tips on how to get involved.
o Please understand that it would be virtually impossible for us to go through all the volunteers’ applications to do what you suggest. Believe it or not, the appointment process starts in the fall and doesn’t finish until late May. So I am hoping that some of my suggestions will be helpful to you.
o I also encourage you to look into the ALA discussion groups and roundtables.
• choose mentors from each group to work with new members to find a place where they can contribute.
o I know that some divisions and roundtables have mentoring programs.
o Also, please look into the Emerging Leaders program within ALA. I encourage you to apply for the program. ALA has a commitment to appoint emerging leaders (ELs) to committees as interns or members. I think I was able to appoint all the ELs who completed a volunteer form.
Carol Ann – I know that our process is not perfect. However, I spent hours [probably around 80-90] trying to complete the appointment process after the 11 division president-elects (C on Appts.)and the Committee on Committee spend hours making recommendations to me.
CAMILA
June 25, 2009 at 8:09 am
Carol Ann –
Could you please email me your email address. You can send that to; calire@att.net Thanks!