MemberBlog

The ALA will be announcing a new Member Benefit discount with Books A Million on purchases in-store and online next week.

As a preview, members can simply use your member ID number to get 10% off at www.booksamillion.com/ala or 20% off at over 220 store locations around the US. Other details for Organizational members will follow soon. And keep your eye on the mail for a special discount card from Books-A-Million, exclusively for ALA members.

We hope that this new benefit program will help you stretch your personal and library budgets. Contact John Chrastka, Director for Membership Development, for more information at jchrastka@ala.org.

American Library Association
Spring 2009 Executive Board Meeting, Chicago, Illinois
Report of James Rettig, President

This has proved to be a fascinating time to serve ALA’s members as their association’s president. The nation’s economic crisis has provided opportunities and challenges for libraries that in turn has focused public attention on libraries and the services they deliver. I have had the to privilege in numerous interviews with reporters to make the case that America’s librarians are helping to put the nation back to work and that librarians have been first responders to the economic crisis. Librarians understand their communities and the needs of the people in those communities. They adapt existing programs and create new ones to meet changing needs. We can only hope that when state and local governments recover from their current fiscal hardships that citizens will retain their newfound appreciation for the contributions their libraries make to their communities and will demonstrate that appreciation by restoring and expanding funding for library services.

Representing and Speaking for ALA
Each month I send an informal report to the Council and Member Forum lists. These reports provide details about the events at which I have represented ALA and the interviews I have given on behalf of ALA.

Noteworthy among recent opportunities, on March 4, in Washington, D.C., I spoke to members of the Washington Office’s Library Business Alliance and thanked them for their support before they dispersed to Congressional offices to lobby their senators and representatives on behalf of ALA and libraries. Jessica McGilvray, Assistant Director, of the Office of Government Relations (OGR) at the Washington Office, and I met with Rep. Rob Wittman (1st district Virginia) and one of his aides for twenty minutes. We also met with a legislative aide to Sen. Jim Webb, a member of the Joint Economic Committee.

I doubt that any state library association conference demonstrates the value of our chapters more dramatically than the Alaska Library Association. The distances are so great and the transportation links so limited among some towns in Alaska that the AkLA annual conference is the only opportunity some Alaska library workers have to interact face-to-face with peers. I had a conversation with two Alaska Natives who serve villages in the far north. One village has a population of 230 and the other a population of 890. These solo librarians provide invaluable service to their communities.

An ALA president’s travels have memorable moments that come not from the library world:
• The eagles in Kodiak in mid-March are abundant and simply magnificent!
• During the opening session of the Texas Library Association (TLA) conference in Houston on April 2, comedian Paula Poundstone, having established that she was addressing an all-Texas audience, suffered presidential straight man/woman whiplash. Singling me out in the first row and, after inquiring where I am from, she asked why someone from Virginia was at a conference for Texas librarians. I explained that visiting state conferences is part of my duties as president of the American Library Association. When Ms. Poundstone’s time was running out, Melody Kelly, TLA president, made appropriate hand signals to conclude the performance. After asking, “And who are you?” and learning that Ms. Kelly is president of TLA, Ms. Poundstone, pointing at me, said, “I thought he’s the president!” President Kelly replied, “He is merely president of the American Library Association. I am president of the Texas Library Association.” That line got more applause and louder cheers than the award winning comedian received for her entire performance. It is good to know that Texans do not suffer from low self-esteem.

Presidential Initiatives
Most of my presidential initiatives are experiments designed to increase opportunities for members to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from their association. These initiatives are meant to create connections among members and between ALA and its members.

One initiative is especially noteworthy. A call for program proposals for the 2009 Annual Conference attracted 118 proposals. That is a very positive response for a first-time venture that departs from long established practice.

To strengthen connections between ALA and its student members, I asked the student ALA chapters at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) to serve as the first round jurors. In early February I met with both groups of students. They were very enthusiastic about their assignment and the quality of their questions demonstrated their engagement. Each group received half of the proposals and selected the ten they thought best. Members of my presidential initiatives advisory committee selected ten of these twenty for presentation in July. The authors of the proposals selected are very pleased that they will get to share their ideas at the Annual Conference. I even received appreciative messages from some of those whose proposals were not selected. All of this demonstrates the value members place on the juried grassroots initiative. I am optimistic that it will continue in 2010 and beyond and I hope various ALA units will consider this approach to their program planning for Annual Conference.

I met with students at the University of Washington’s Information School while I was in Seattle for the ACRL National Conference in March. The students had many questions and many ideas to share; our session ran well beyond its scheduled concluding time.

For additional information on my initiatives please consult http://jimrettig.org/content/initiatives/initiatives.htm.

President’s Programs in 2009
Dr. Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, spoke at the President’s Program at the Midwinter Meeting in Denver in January. Members appreciated Dr. Yunus’s presentation. Leonard Kniffel summed it up well in the AL Inside Scoop blog:

Could ALA President Jim Rettig have picked a better speaker for this Midwinter President’s Program than Muhammad Yunus? I don’t think so. With American capitalism failing at numerous levels, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and author of Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty told the amazing story of his crusade to end world poverty with a lending system that defies the traditional notion of how banks do business.

Mr. Tomas S. Blanton, director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University, will speak at the President’s program at the Annual Conference in Chicago, in July. He directs the National Security Archive at George Washington University. He will speak on access to government information.

A brief reporting of Jim Rettig's activities as ALA President during April:

CONFERENCES & EVENTS
April 1: Texas Library Association annual conference, Houston.
Spoke on trends in reference service during the past three decades.
April 2: Oregon Library Association annual conference, Salem.
Spoke on trends affecting librarianship and voluntary membership associations.
April 7: Participated in the “Literacy for All: Advocacy, Libraries, and Literacy” Webcast sponsored by ALA’s Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS) and the National Institute for Literacy.
April 9: Alabama Library Association, Auburn.
Invited as the speaker for the president’s program; spoke on trends affecting librarianship and voluntary member associations.
April 12-18: National Library Week
April 14: National Library Workers Day
April 16-17: Washington Library Association, Spokane. Participated in an ALA strategic planning member forum with Jonathan Betz-Zall, Washington chapter councilor.
April 20-21:Oklahoma Library Association, Oklahoma City.
Spoke on trends affecting librarianship and voluntary membership associations and participated in an ALA strategic planning member forum with Anne Prestamo, Oklahoma chapter councilor.
April 29: New Jersey Library Association.
Panelist in the "Future Reference Visions" program with Dr. Marie Radford, associate professor at the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies at Rutgers, and Michael Maziekien, adult services senior librarian at the Nutley Public Library.

PRESS INTERVIEWS
April 6: Deb Valentine of WGHT-AM in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey on National Library Week and increased use of public libraries and the nation’s economic downturn
April 7: Adrienne Mitchell of MarketWatch radio on increased use of public libraries and the nation’s economic downturn
April 8: Greg Jordan of WCNN-AM, WFOM-AM, and WUCO-AM in Atlanta on National Library Week and increased use of public libraries and the nation’s economic downturn
April 13: WVNJ-AM in Teaneck, New Jersey, “The Sam Greenfield Show” on National Library Week and increased use of public libraries and the nation’s economic downturn
April 13: Michael Harvey of WCON-FM in Cornelia, Georgia on National Library Week and increased use of public libraries and the nation’s economic downturn
April 14: Mike Mullaney of WBMX-FM in Boston for the “Sunday Morning Interview Show” on National Library Week and increased use of public libraries and the nation’s economic downturn
April 15: Dick Haefner of WJR-AM in Detroit on National Library Week and increased use of public libraries and the nation’s economic downturn
April 21: Caleb Fort of the Morning News (Springdale, AK) on increased use of public libraries and the nation’s economic downturn
April 22: Dave Roepke of The Forum (Fargo, ND) on the opening of new downtown library in Fargo and on increased use of public libraries and the nation’s economic downturn

GOVERNANCE ACTIVITIES
April 6: Presided during a conference call of the Executive Board’s executive committee
April 24-26: Presided during the Executive Board’s spring meeting in Chicago

The ALA 2010 Nominating Committee is soliciting nominees to run on the 2010 spring ballot for the offices of ALA President-elect, ALA Treasurer and Councilor-at-large.

The Nominating Committee will select two candidates to run for President-elect, two candidates for Treasurer, and no fewer than 50 candidates for the 33 at-large Council seats to be filled in the 2010 spring election.

The President-elect will serve a three-year term: as President-elect in 2010-2011, as President in 2011-2012, and as Immediate Past President in 2012-2013.

The Treasurer will serve a three-year term, beginning after the 2010 ALA Annual Conference and ending at the adjournment of the 2013 Annual Conference.

The Councilors-at-large will serve three-year terms, beginning after the 2010 ALA Annual Conference and ending at the adjournment of the 2013 Annual Conference.

The ALA President, Treasurer and Councilors also serve in corresponding roles in the ALA-Allied Professional Association [ALA-APA]. Individuals considering ALA-APA office are encouraged to consult with their employer regarding any restrictions regarding lobbying activities or service on the governing body of a 501(c)6 organization.

Members who wish to make nominations should submit the following information: nominee name; present position; institution; address; telephone; fax; and e-mail address. Self-nominations are encouraged. All potential nominees must complete the Potential Candidate Biographical Form available at beginning June 1. Nominations and forms must be received no later than August 15, 2009.

Nominations may be sent to any member of the 2010 Nominating Committee. Committee members are:
• Nancy Allen, Chair, Dean and Director, University of Denver, Penrose Library. E-mail: nancy.allen(at)du.edu.
• Kathleen E. Bethel, African American Studies Librarian, Northwestern University. E-mail: kbethel(at)northwestern.edu.
• Wayne Bivens-Tatum, Librarian, Princeton University Libraries. E-mail: rbivens(at)princeton.edu.
• Sarah I. Flowers, Morgan Hill, CA. E-mail: sarahflowers(at)charter.net.
• G. Victor Johnson, President, Board of Library Trustees, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, Arlington Heights, IL. E-mail: gvicjohnson(at)sbcglobal.net.
• Haipeng Li, Reference Librarian/Outreach Coordinator, Oberlin [OH] College. haipeng.li(at)oberlin.edu.
• Patricia Montiel Overall, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ. E-mail: overall(at)u.arizona.edu.
• Janice M. Rice, Outreach Coordinator, University of Wisconsin-Madison. E-mail: jrice(at)library.wisc.edu.
• Kathryn M. Toon, Hawkins, TX. E-mail: kmtoon(at)juno.com.

To encourage diversity and leadership development, the Committee will refrain from nominating any current Councilors for election to another term. However, the Committee encourages all current Councilors who wish to continue their service to the Association to file as petition candidates. Petitions will be available from Lois Ann Gregory-Wood, Council Secretariat, ALA, 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611, Email: lgregory(at)ala.org, or during the 2009 Annual Conference or 2010 Midwinter Meeting. Petitions require 25 signatures for names to be included on the 2010 ballot.