• Two Perrot librarians killed in Denver crash (Greenwich Time)
• A Great Loss in ALSC (ALSC Blog) – “ALSC officials have created space for posting tributes to the two women at the ALA division’s blog.”
• Two Librarians Killed in Denver Car Crash (American Libraries)
• ALA leaders release statement regarding the deaths of ALSC members Kate McClelland and Kathy Krasniewicz (ALA statement)

• AL Direct, Special Tough Economy Issue
• Libraries and the Economic Stimulus Package
• Tough Economy Toolkit
• Building Statewide Coalitions for All Libraries in a Tough Economy Panel Discussion
• Add It Up: Libraries Make the Difference in Youth Education and Development
• ALA and Univision Radio Partner on First-Ever PSA Campaign to Target Latinos
• Registration Opens January 20 for AASL National Conference
• William J. Brennan, Jr. Award for Judith Krug.

And here’s some good news from the report:

“ALA Membership through the first quarter 2009 stands at 67,045, a 2% increase over the same period last year. Personal membership renewals are a key indicator of the membership ‘health’ of the association. Through November, personal renewals are 8% ahead of last year. In addition, new memberships are up by 3%.”

We should point out that there is a lot of good news. The association remains financially strong and our membership continues to increase. Registration for the 2009 Midwinter Meeting in Denver is off to a great start. We are looking forward to successful annual conferences over the next two years in two of the association’s record-breaking sites: Chicago and Washington DC. We continue to increase and strengthen our advocacy efforts and to develop new and improved services for libraries and members. And our growing advocacy efforts will be needed more than ever.  We believe that we have adopted a prudent approach to the Fiscal Year 2009 budget. Our goal is to weather whatever rough waters lie ahead, while at the same time maintaining our services to members, as well as maintaining forward momentum on the many new and expanded ALA programs and services that benefit all librarians and all libraries.   

We’ll keep you posted as any new developments occur.

–Rod Hersberger, ALA Treasurer, and Keith Michael Fiels, ALA Executive Director

Faced with a tight budget for the coming year, and seeking increased efforts by the Association to reduce energy consumption and be more environmentally aware, the Executive Board made the decision to conduct the election online. It is anticipated that the change will save half million pieces of paper and $90,000 in postage and printing–allowing those funds to be used to support other member services.

In the next few weeks, we’ll be asking all our members to provide us with an email address or verify that the one we have on file is accurate. Then, in March, 2009 we’ll e-mail out information on accessing the ballot in order to vote–or send a paper mailing with information on the election web site and an individual election password. The final calendar for the election will soon be posted on the Election Information page.

Participation in the election is important. “Those without internet access at home or work,” Jim points out, “can easily access the site through a visit to their local public (or in many instances academic or school) library. A printed version of a paper ballot will continue to be readily available upon request to members with disabilities and no internet access. At this point, you can help us all prepare for our first online election by logging on to the ALA web site (that’s in the upper right hand corner of the home page) and adding your email address to your member record (instructions on how to do this are provided on the site).”

You’ll be hearing more about how to participate in this election. My colleague Juanita Rodriquez, Member Services Director, or I will be happy to answer your questions.

The statement above will appear on the *current* ALA website during the month of August. You will also note two other changes on the current website:

• * The graphic image – the cube – from the preview site is now appearing on the current ALA website.
• * Below that – in the area where announcements have previously been posted – are three news tabs:
  1. Inside ALA includes news from across the entire Association. This news section is dynamically updated from ALA press releases – with the most recent news appearing at the top.
  2. Legislation & Advocacy includes news from the ALA Washington Office and ALA Office for Library Advocacy.
  3. U.S. & World Views includes a news feed from American Libraries.

The rest of the current ALA website will remain static during the month of August, giving ALA staff and volunteer content creators and managers an opportunity to make the transition to the new information architecture. If you visit the preview site during August, you will continue to see changes and updates as work moves forward.

Right after the Labor Day weekend, ALA will “flip the switch” – and turn on the new ALA website, along with an enhanced search feature. No, it won’t be 100% complete. There will still be a lot of work going on as we complete a significant redesign. During the next 30 days, however, staff and volunteers are focusing on getting the most-frequently accessed pages into the new architecture.

Thanks to the many volunteers who, along with staff, create and manage content on the ALA website. Thanks also to all of you who spent time responding to surveys and critiquing preliminary stages in the redesign.

If you’re at all involved with ALA, you’ve probably met or talked with the 40-year folks at least once. Neida de la Torre is in our Member and Customer Service unit, and very easily could be the person who helped you join ALA, or helped to untangle a conference registration glitch, or maybe corrected your membership record the last time you moved. Lois Ann Gregory-Wood receives boisterous applause from the ALA Council members she serves. Bob Hershman, publishing operations manager, oversees the ALA Store at both Midwinter and Annual–and is often at the checkout desk, selling you a serious professional book … or maybe just a conference souvenir for your kids.

Going back through the years, there’s Jimmie Bowens who runs the mailroom (35); Doris McKelvin in accounting (30); Cathleen Bourdon, Communications and Members Relations (but formerly ASCLA/RUSA, and even before then, ACRL) and Betty Morrissey in Reprographics (both 25); Darlena Davis, currently in HRDR, but formerly in LAMA and ACRL, Leonard Kniffel, American Libraries editor, and Pat May in the Washington Office (all 20); and Evelyn Butts-Elam in the CHOICE office in Connecticut (15).

After the service awards, two special Staff Achievement Awards for specific exemplary service were presented: to John Chrastka, Director of Membership, for his work on the Membership Pavilion at last year’s conference, and to George Eberhart, for his work on the weekly AL Direct. And finally, the Betty Obey Award, which enables a staff member with more than five years of service, but who has not attended a conference, to attend the Annual Conference; watch for Angela Smith when you’re in Anaheim!

Its my pleasure to work with these and all the other ALA staff! Their dedication, knowledge, good humor, and corporate memory contribute to our workday “quality of life.” Thanks, all.

What do I mean by that? “ALA resources” would include any use of ALA titles (like councilor, chair of…, president of...); ALA discussion lists, blogs or wikis (including those of ALA divisions, round tables and other groups that are part of ALA); stationery; publications or websites; headquarters or conference meeting rooms; or, staff time. And, what kinds of activities might be included in “political speech”? The law is broad — and the threshold for “political speech” is relatively low. “Political speech” includes activities such as soliciting or making campaign contributions, providing a forum for a candidate (in print or at a conference, for instance), expressing “support for or opposition to” a candidate or political party — even if that candidate is a librarian, even if that candidate is a member.

Finally, “political speech” happens within an election year — which starts January 1 of the year in which the election will be held. That’s why members often say to me, “but we had him/her speak just a few years ago.” True. Not this year, though.

The absolute prohibition on “political speech” by associations like ALA is serious — and the “zero tolerance” enforcement policy of the IRS has been upheld by the courts. It is important that the law be observed. It is also important, though, to understand that “political speech” is different from “lobbying,” which seeks to influence legislation or regulation. Even during an election year, ALA continues to lobby for legislation and regulation that will benefit libraries and the public. For instance, during recent months, you have received requests from the ALA Washington Office to contact legislators regarding appropriations, legislation in support of school libraries and other issues. There are regulations and limitations on lobbying by organizations like ALA, of course — and ALA works within the applicable laws.

Many ALA members may not be comfortable with these rules, may see them as infringements on their personal free speech. I understand that. ALA’s intent is not to limit what any individual may do personally in the public arena — but to be clear that the resources of an organization like ALA, an association tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, may not be used for that purpose. The consequence is revocation of tax exempt status. There are no “intermediate” or “warning” consequences.

Judith Krug, the long-time director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, points out that the law imposes many restrictions on speech — and these laws are one example. We — ALA staff and members — are required to comply with these laws until such time as Congress may choose to change them. In doing so, we protect the interests of the American Library Association and its members, present and future, and ALA’s ability to advocate aggressively on behalf of libraries and the public.

Want more details? Over the past several years, a number of background documents have been developed to guide ALA leaders and staff through a complex legal environment. Four such documents are available here (PDFs): ALA Legal Framework, Election Year Rules, Election Year Rules – Additional Notes, and Lobbying and ALA: Fact Sheet.

Still more? Call or email me. I may not know the answer — but I do know where and how to find out.

Participation in the Forum is free and is not limited to ALA members. Anyone can create an account and post a new topic or reply to an existing one. As any good discussion site would do, we encourage you to read the posting rules before posting to one of the seven forums currently available.

• Spanish-language Collections
• RDA
• 2007 year in Review
• Midwinter Meeting 2008
• Local Referenda
• Annual Conference 2008
• Suggest a Topic

If you’re interested in tracking the various projects ALA’s IT department works on, you can stay current by reading the blog. There’s an RSS feed available, or you can sign up on the blog to receive email updates of new posts. I work half-time in that department, and I can tell you things are really hopping there these days (not that they weren’t before my arrival). If nothing else, you may find the notes from the monthly update meetings we hold for staff interesting. Having said that, I don’t think there is one scheduled for January because of the Midwinter Meeting, but we’ll resume them in February.

The other caveat is that while we do post some information about the website redesign there, the project is larger than just ITTS, so there is a separate Web Planning blog (and wiki) where you can track happenings as we start down the road of actual implementation.

Back to the two specific ITTS posts I want to note:

• For the first time ever, we’re offering hands-on training sessions at Midwinter. More info here.
• At each Midwinter and Annual, the Web Advisory Committee meets to discuss various web-related issues and activities. This is the group that gives us direct feedback and input regarding ALA’s web-based services. Every six months, we prepare a report for this group in preparation for the face-to-face meeting. The Midwinter report is now available online.