Council II Discusses ALA Reorganization Ideas

ALA Council II gathered to discuss a variety of issues during Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits, ranging from special interest groups and inaccessibility to reorganization.

Susan Considine from the Committee on Organization brought CD #27 to the ALA Council for approval on February 12. Item one: Approve dissolution for the Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Round Table (FAFLRT) and its subsequent merger with Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) to create the Association of Specialized, Government, and Cooperative Library Agency (ASCGLA). Merger date is set for September 1, 2018. Brian Green, member of FAFLRT, spoke in favor of the amendment, as did Mike Marlin, executive board, council-at-large. Trevor Dawes, member of the executive board; Pat Hogan, council for the small round table; and current treasurer of FAFLRT Richard Huffine all spoke in favor of the merger. CD #27 Item one passed. Item two: resolving the dissolution of the Joint Committee on Archives, Libraries, and Museums also passed.

Martin Garnar briefed council as a representative of the Committee on Diversity, CD #14 on their charge to encourage and facilitate diversity in ALA membership and the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce in the profession.

As part of CD #22 Martin Garnar briefed council on the activities on the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF). FTRF assisted students in the Tucson Unified School Program in that they were awarded legal counsel for their fight against the elimination of Mexican American studies and the banning of related books.

The second victory for FTRF came when the Animal Legal Defense Fund challenged Idaho’s agricultural gag law. District court in Idaho ruled a ban on recording violated the First Amendment. Idaho was singling out one mode of speech (video). Garner also addressed education as a major initiative of the foundation and its work to expand partnerships for professional education.

Council held small group discussions on how ALA might organize itself to continue to fulfill its mission into the 21st century. ALA President Jim Neal said. “Nothing has been decided. We are at the very beginning of the conversation and need thoughts and guidance.”

Groups of eight to 10 individuals discussed: What does our ideal organization do? What does our ideal organization look like? What are three ways we can get there? Participants were given a structured format for capturing recommendations. After discussions, individuals were allowed 15 minutes to complete their forms.

Anyone who wished to do so shared their thoughts on the discussion. Participants shared that an ideal organization would look out for the greater good and go beyond special interest groups. Another noted that council is perceived as inaccessible and needs to do a better job of demystifying council and making it more accessible. Participants suggested that council keep the communication going, use Connect, and get those represented by council involved, and report out the progress. Participants also discussed governance at ALA, a need to simplify, and the difficulty of becoming involved as a new member. Recommendations were made to invest in technology and virtual meetings, advocate more for members, consider an organizational effective consultant that specializes in in different types of organizations, lower dues, and find a way to help new members find their way into divisions and round tables.

The conversations started at this meeting will be used to bring a report with recommendations forward at Annual in 2019. Neal thanked everyone for their participation in the start of this important process.

By Sanhita SinhaRoy, American Libraries

Criminal Justice reformer keynotes King Sunrise Celebration

“Where Do We Go from Here?” was the theme of the 19^th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Observance and Sunrise Celebration, held every Monday at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.

An estimated 230 people attended the 6:30 a.m. celebration in Denver on February 12, joined by more than two dozen library leaders who read passages, made short speeches, and recited poems that recognized King’s legacy and advocated for peace and social justice. The event was sponsored by the American Library Association’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services; the Social Responsibilities Round Table; and the Black Caucus of the ALA.

Keynote speaker Anthony Graves spoke of perseverance and hope. Graves spent more than 18 years imprisoned – including 12 years on death row – after being wrongfully convicted of murder in Texas. “I was a man with his dreams just like any other man,” he said. “It all changed in a second.”

During his time in prison, Graves was twice given an execution date. They asked what he wanted done with his body and what he wanted for his last meal. But he decided then that he was going to “live until I die. I didn’t just survive; I thrived,” Graves said. “I asked myself, as Dr. King once did, ‘Where do I go from here?’”

Graves turned to writing and reading, corresponding with pen pals who encouraged him to persevere. He said he realized that he enjoyed interacting with people and decided he would commit himself to the service of others and his community. Along the way he read books by King, Malcolm X, Carter G. Woodson, Harriet Jacobs, Sidney Poitier, James Baldwin, and others.

“I lost almost everything,” Graves said. “I did not lose my mind. I did not lose my soul.”

After his conviction was eventually overturned and he was released in 2010, Graves became a community advocate and public speaker, creating a foundation to push for criminal justice reform, with a focus on Texas. In 2016, Graves was able to have the prosecutor of his case disbarred for presenting false testimony and for withholding information that led to his wrongful conviction.

“I would not be the same man today if I didn’t go through hell and come back,” Graves said. “Death row did not take my life, it did not kill my soul. It gave me purpose.”

“I asked myself, as Dr. King once did, ‘Where do I go from here?’”

He encouraged attendees to be active and never give up: “Every person matters.”

Following Graves, Alexandra Rivera, senior associate librarian at the University of Michigan, delivered the call to action, asking attendees to find strength and hope despite frustrations and obstacles. “We are here,” Rivera said. “We are present. Despite the many efforts to silence us, to subjugate us, we are here.”

The event concluded with audience members joining hands to sign “We Shall Overcome.”