ALA 2010 Meetings

This posting is meant only as a summary of highlights of the various meetings. Full Council information such as agenda, documents and reports can be found at the ALA Council Web site: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/governance/council/index.cfm

Washington, DC is hot, hot, hot! Excitement in the air and meetings have begun.

CHAPTER RELATIONS COMMITTEE I
June 26, 2010

Joseph Eagan, Executive Board Liaison
· ALA Personal Memberships holding steady
· Exec. Board will adopt 2015 Strategic Plan at this conference
· IMLS Grants received
o Office of Diversity received $430,000 for Spectrum Scholarship Program
o Received $590,000 for Library Support Staff Certification Program
· Capwiz – now reaching 100,000 individuals
· Annual Conference attendance by Thursday is 12,500
· ALA Virtual Conference will be July 7-8, 2010 (http://www.ala.org/ala/conferencesevents/upcoming/annual/registration/index.cfm)
· President Roberta Stevens has appointed a Task Force to look at the relationship between ALA & Chapters - more details to follow

Chapter Relations Office Conference Report – Michael Dowling, Don Wood
· Chapter Leaders Orientation – Probably change name to Forum
· Libraries Build Communities – Helped Habitat for Humanity, Washington, DC Food Bank, 11 schools and 3 public libraries
· Student to Staff - 40 spots for library school students to work with ALA staff behind the scenes and in exchange get free registration, lodging per diem

Keith Michael Fiels, ALA Executive Director
· Good to see efforts to do more formal needs assessments of members
· Kudos to Michael Dowling for such strong promotion and use of Capwiz
· Exciting developments coming in Advocacy programming - announcement later

CRC Strategic Plan Discussion
· ALA Strategic Plan Goals (http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/missionhistory/plan/index.cfm )
o Advocacy, Funding and Public Policy
o Building the Profession
o Transforming Libraries
o Member Engagement
o Organizational Excellence
§ Responsibility falls to various appropriate committees and sections
§ Executive Board and senior management team responsible overall coordination
· CRC Strategic Plan Goals
o Communication
o Leadership

OPEN DISCUSSION
· Use of CRC list and ALA Connect isn’t very high – why? What should be done differently? No good answers…
· Emerging Leader program successful and is continuing – is there a project CRC would like to put forward for this program?
· Past EL group reported environmental scan data from new members last year. John Chraska, Membership, is using this information to inform practice – particularly to use more social media for contact and to create more opportunities to engage in conferences. Don Wood will send wiki link of the Chapter results.
· Multiple places to get information makes things confusing. Now encouraging shift to use of ALA Connect as that one spot.
· Mark Humphrey, Committee on Literacy, (North Carolina has Literacy Committee on state library association). How can Committee encourage state associations to begin Literacy Committees? One association’s committee does webinars for education; work with state library. Literacy is on ALA plan as a priority so states should participate. Want each state to participate in Literacy training at ALA conferences. Want more efforts from Chapters in literacy efforts. National Literacy Day is September 9th. That may be an opportunity to promote events and participation.
· How do we reach more chapter leaders who cannot attend conference? Did webinar on officer orientation last spring. What other topics would be useful? Finance? How do local conferences reach vendors? Vendors are beginning to bring in programs. Association evaluates prior so remains local connection (not business-building; architect / library partnerships, stories). Literacy efforts? 21st Century Skills? Membership retention? Restructuring local associations and organizations?
· Look at Camila Alire’s website for detailed plans.
· Chapter councilors need to promote newly developed products to local chapters.
· Ala.org/frontlineliteracy – use information here for state conference programs
· Mobile giving has been established by ALA so Chapters can take advantage of text donations – scholarships, etc. – contact Michael Dowling / John Chraska.

Membership I
June 26, 2010

A quorum was not met so no action was taken at the meeting. Reports on forming strong alliances were given by Judith Russell, ASERL (Assoc. of SE Regional Libraries) and Barbara Jones, Office for Intellectual Freedom.