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Fri, 02 Mar 2007 23:55:53 -0800 - News from the Capitol - Action Requested
TO: CLA Members/ Systems/ Network Contacts
FROM: Mike Dillon, CLA Lobbyist and Christina Dillon, CLA Lobbyist
RE: News from the Capitol
I. ASSEMBLY SUBCOMMITTEE WILL HEAR LIBRARY BUDGET ISSUES ON MARCH 14thThe Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number Two on Education Finance is scheduled to hear the State Library's budget on Wednesday, March 14th at the State Capitol. As we reported to you in our January 30th memo, these six Assembly members are critical. On March 14, they will begin reviewing the Governor's proposed January Budget for the State Library - a Budget which contains: 1)a $52,000 reduction to the Public Library Foundation (which is intended to initiate the California State Library's Integrated Library System Replacement Project), and 2) no increase or recommendation regarding Transaction Based Reimbursement.
These six members will then decide to make a recommendation regarding our library issues, or defer the issue until May, when the May Revision of the Budget is released. If funding for the PLF is not included at the subcommittee level, it is almost impossible to get it included later at the larger Budget Conference Committee level. Thus, these next few months of negotiations in subcommittee will be very important, and your letters to the subcommittee are of great value. Please take a moment to write the members of the Assembly and Senate Budget Subcommittees today!
If you are writing letters on behalf of the PLF, please urge that the members support:
- Restoring the $52,000 that the Governor cut in the Public Library Foundation
- Request that the legislature continue augmenting this program that is woefully underfunded. (Full funding, according to statute would require $94,217,000 - yet the PLF baseline currently stands at $21.3 million!)
Note: CLA will also be working with the Budget Subcommittee members and staff to encourage them to reject the Governor's $52,000 reduction and create a separate Budget line item in the Budget for the State Library Integrated Library System Replacement Project - so that the project is not jeopardized, and that future funding needs for this program comes out of the state General Fund, and not the PLF baseline. (You do not need to include this in your letters if you do not feel comfortable addressing this complex issue.)
ASSEMBLY BUDGET SUBCOMMITTEE NUMBER TWO ON EDUCATION FINANCE
Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, Chair
Assemblyman Michael Duvall, Member
Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally, Member
Assemblywoman Jean Fuller, Member
Assemblyman Gene Mullin, Member
Assemblyman Sandre Swanson, Member(Of the above listed members, Assemblymembers Brownley, Duvall, Fuller, and Swanson are newly elected Freshmen and are new to the subcommittee.)
Hearing Date: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - Support for the Public Library Foundation: Budget Item: 6120-221-0001
Sample address:
The Honorable Julia Brownley, Chair
Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number Two on Education Finance
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA. 95814SENATE BUDGET SUBCOMMITTEE NUMBER ONE ON EDUCATION FINANCE
Senator Jack Scott, Chair
Senator Bob Margett, Member
Senator Joe Simitian, Member
Hearing Date: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 - Support for the Public Library Foundation: Budget Item: 6120-221-0001II. LIBRARY BOND BILL SET FOR FIRST HEARING IN SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Senator Joe Simitian's SB 156, a $4 billion library construction and renovation bond measure, sponsored by CLA, has been scheduled for hearing in the Senate Education Committee. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 28th at 9:30 a.m. in room 4203 at the State Capitol. SB 156 is the work product of an ad hoc committee of CLA members and the Proposition 14 Steering Committee. As mentioned previously, the measure is similar to SB 1161-Alpert, which failed passage on the June 2006 ballot, except for the following:
- The minimum amount per project has been increased from $50,000 to $500,000.
- The maximum amount per project has been increased from $20 million to $30 million.
- 5% of the total bond amount will be made available for joint-use projects, rather than the specific $25 million set-aside in the last bond act.
- There will be no priority given to applicants submitted, but not funded from the 2000 Bond Act (the so-called "Cycle 3" Applicant priority), as the committee felt that too much time will have elapsed with construction costs, etc. to make this provision appropriate. Thus, everyone will start on an even, competitive playing field with SB 156.
Over the last few weeks, Senator Simitian has been actively gathering names of potential co-authors to add to the bill. Many of you had excellent meetings with legislators during your "Day In the District" events, and some legislators noted that they wanted to be co-authors on the bond bill during your meetings. Thanks to several of you for passing that information on to our offices - we, in turn, gave that information to Senator Simitian.
Please take a moment today to write the members of the Senate Education Committee and urge their strong support for SB 156-Simitian. The committee will need to receive hundreds of support letters in order to make the necessary impact, as there is tremendous competition this year for bonds, including the Governor's own $41 billion Strategic Growth Plan, a massive infrastructure bond package that would complement last year's successful bond deal.
MEMBERS OF THE SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Senator Jack Scott, Chair
Senator Mark Wyland, Vice Chair
Senator Elaine Alquist
Senator Jeff Denham
Senator Abel Maldonado
Senator Alex Padilla
Senator Gloria Romero
Senator Joe Simitian (* Bond Bill Author)
Senator Tom TorlaksonSample address:
The Honorable Jack Scott
Chair, Senate Education Committee
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA. 95814
Fri, 02 Mar 2007 09:14:53 -0800 - Library Legislative Day Registration has Begun!
Please join us in Sacramento for Library Legislative Day on Wednesday, April 18th!
We have some exciting issues to discuss with Legislators this year, including:
- Full funding for the Public Library Foundation
- Full funding for Resource Sharing and Transaction Based Reimbursement
- A new Public Library Construction Bond Act
- Funding for the California State Library
- State purchase of electronic resources for school libraries
Sponsored by the California Library Association (CSLA), the California School Library Association (CLA), and the California Association of Library Trustees and Commissioners (CALTAC), Library Legislative Day is an opportunity for library staff and supporters to meet with your state Legislators and/or their staffs in their Capitol offices.
We will brief Legislators on issues affecting public and school libraries, tell them how libraries are making a difference in the lives of their constituents, and learn more about the current situation in Sacramento and the outlook for State assistance to libraries in 2007 and 2008.
Registration for Library Legislative Day is a 2 step process:
1. Register online or by fax or mail, using CLA's registration form.
A small registration fee will help offset the costs of this event. An important briefing will begin promptly at 8:30 AM – please make travel arrangements to ensure you are there on time. You will need to make your own arrangements for accommodation if required.
2. In the next couple of weeks, registrants will receive an email with instructions for signing up for appointment dates and time. This link will also be available on CLA's Library Legislative Day web page.
As you plan your participation in Library Legislative Day, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Fact sheets are being developed for key legislative issues and will be posted on the CLA website. Prior to traveling to Sacramento you are encouraged to check the website to help you prepare for your meetings with legislators.
- You may wish to bring brief handout materials (such as a brochure or newsletter highlighting the services provided by your library) that can be left behind for future reference. Messages from constituents such as letters or drawings from the children who use your library are always much appreciated!
- Trustees, Commissioners, Board members, Friends, parents, students or other supporters are encouragedd to attend. Please ensure that the names and affiliations of all representatives of your library are registered on the appointment website so that the contact person can let the legislator know who will be attending the meeting.
See you in Sacramento!
Kathy Gould
Legislative Day Coordinator
Thu, 01 Mar 2007 07:58:28 -0800 - The CLA Nominating Committee Wants You!
The Nominating Committee of the California Library Association is looking for people to run for office in CLA. Positions to be elected in the spring 2007 election include Vice President/President Elect and nine positions elected at-large for the Assembly for three-year terms. CLA sections will be electing Vice-Presidents/Presidents Elect, Secretaries, and some Assembly representatives.
If you are interested in serving your association in one of these positions, or if you have questions, please contact Margaret Miles, Chair of the 2007 Nominations Committee or your section President. Please feel free to nominate yourself for one of these positions! Nominations forms may be found at http://www.cla-net.org/included/docs/ElectionVolunteerForm.pdf
Serving in an elected position is rewarding, professionally and personally. We hope to hear from you.
Margaret Miles, Chair
2007 Nominations Committee
Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:36:45 -0800 - Revised 1040 X Form and Instructions
The Form 1040X (Rev. December 2006), Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, and Instructions for Form 1040X (Rev. December 2006) are being revised. Please immediately dispose/recycle the December 2006 revision of both the form and instructions. The revision date is located under the form number or title on each product.
A small quantity (10-25) of the new February 2007 revision of both the form and instructions will automatically be sent to you in early
March. They may arrive in separate shipments. No action on your part
will be necessary. Please allow time to receive your shipment before re-ordering through normal channels.The February 2007 revision will be posted to www.irs.gov. If necessary download and print copies.
The Internal Revenue Service apologizes for any inconvenience this may
have caused.
Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:09:02 -0800 - Take the Summer Reading Program Survey!
We Need To Hear From You! Take the Summer Reading Program Survey!
Did you participate in the 2006 Paws, Claws, Scales & Tales Summer Reading Program?
If so, the California Library Association would like to know about your experience with the program and materials. Please follow the link below to take our survey.
Your responses are confidential and only aggregate results will be published. If you have any questions, please contact Susan Negreen or Jennifer Sweeney.
Approximate time to complete: 15 minutes
If possible, please have handy approximate information on your library's program attendance and costs.
Click here to start the survey!
Tue, 06 Feb 2007 09:35:11 -0800 - Library Bond Measure and Budget Committees Announced
TO: CLA Members/ Systems/ Network Contacts
FROM: Mike Dillon, CLA Lobbyist Christina Dillon, CLA Lobbyist
RE: News from the CapitolI. SENATOR JOE SIMITIAN INTRODUCES $4 BILLION LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION BOND BILL, SPONSORED BY CLA
Late yesterday afternoon, Senator Joe Simitian, who is one of the most vocal library supporters at the Capitol, introduced a $4 billion library construction and renovation bond measure. The bill, SB 156, is entitled the California Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 2008. SB 156 is sponsored by the California Library Association. Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, who, as members know, was very active in last year's bond campaign, is a principal co-author of SB 156.
SB 156 is the work product of an ad hoc committee of CLA Members and the Proposition 14 Steering Committee. The measure will be similar to the last proposed bond act (SB 1161-Alpert, which failed passage on the June 2006 ballot), except for the following:
- The minimum amount per project has been increased from $50,000 to $500,000.
- The maximum amount per project has been increased from $20 million to $30 million.
- 5% of the total bond amount will be made available for joint-use projects, rather than the specific $25 million set aside in the last bond act.
- There will be no priority given to applicants submitted, but not funded, from the 2000 Bond Act (the so-called "Cycle 3" Applicants), as the committee felt too much time will have elapsed to make this provision appropriate. Thus, everyone will start on an even, competitive playing field with SB 156.
Upon hearing of the introduction of this bill, CLA President Margaret Donnellan Todd said, "The California Library Association is pleased to have such a strong library champion in Senator Joe Simitian, and we thank him for his willingness to shepherd this important library construction and renovation bond measure. The state is simply not keeping pace with the infrastructure needs of California's 20 million library users."
The Senator's bill will need to be in print for 30 days before it may be heard in its first policy committee. As has been standard practice, CLA's bond bills are typically assigned to the Senate Education Committee in the Senate. We will alert you when the bill is, in fact, assigned to committee and when you may begin writing members of the committee to urge their support of this important legislation. SB 156 will face substantial competition from other bond measures this year, as well as the Governor's own proposed $41 billion Strategic Growth Plan, a massive infrastructure bond package he is shopping, based on the success of his last bond package. Thus, the policy and fiscal committees will need to receive hundreds of letters on behalf of SB 156 in order to make the desired impact.
Special Note: In the coming days, Senator Simitian will be sending around a letter to his colleagues in the Legislature, asking them to be co-authors of his bond measure. If you are meeting with your legislator on Friday for "Day InThe District," please encourage him or her to sign on to the co-author letter or to call Senator Simitian's office directly. If you have already met with your legislators, you may wish to follow up with them.
II. BUDGET COMMITTEES ANNOUNCED - OVERVIEW OF GOVERNOR'S 2007-08 BUDGET BEGINS
The Assembly Budget and Senate Budget Committees have been named for the 2007 session. In the Senate, Denise Ducheny will serve as the Chair of the Senate Budget Committee while Senator Dennis Hollingsworth will return as the Vice Chair of the Budget Committee. In the Assembly, John Laird resumes his post as the Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, while Assemblyman Roger Niello will be a new face as the Vice Chair of the Budget Committee. These four appointments are significant, as they will likely be the designees for the powerful Budget Conference Committee that will convene over the summer months to debate the differences between the Assembly Budget, the Senate Budget, and the Governor's Budget.
In addition, Budget Subcommittees have been named in each house. The Education Budget Subcommittees have the jurisdiction over State Library issues, including the Public Library Foundation and Transaction Based Reimbursement. These important subcommittees will begin reviewing the Governor's January Budget in March, and will hear our library issues in March or April for a preliminary discussion. They will then make their final decision on the majority of the issues pending before their subcommittee after the Governor's May Revision is released in mid-May. You will recall that when the Governor released his January Budget, he was silent on any increases for the Transaction Based Reimbursement, but he did make a small reduction to the Public Library Foundation in the amount of $52,000. The $52,000 is intended to "initiate the California State Library's Integrated Library System Replacement Project," according to the Budget document. However, CLA believes that borrowing from the PLF source for this purpose is not appropriate, and we will be lobbying to request that the Administration, in working with the California State Library, create a separate Budget "line item" so that the monies come out of General Fund revenues to fund this program and not out of the Public Library Foundation baseline. In addition, CLA will be lobbying for a restoration of the $52,000 to the PLF, and will be requesting that the PLF baseline be increased. (The PLF currently stands at $21.3 million.)
Please take a moment today to write the members of the Assembly and Senate Budget Subcommittees and urge their support to 1) restore the $52,000 that the Governor cut to the PLF, and 2) request that they continue increasing funding to this program that is woefully underfunded. (Full funding, according to statute, would require $94,217,000.)
SENATE BUDGET SUBCOMMITTEE NUMBER ONE ON EDUCATION FINANCE
Senator Jack Scott, Chair
Senator Bob Margett, Member
Senator Joe Simitian, MemberHearing Date: TBA
ASSEMBLY BUDGET SUBCOMMITTEE NUMBER TWO ON EDUCATION FINANCE
Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, Chair
Assemblyman Michael Duvall, Member
Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally, Member
Assemblywoman Jean Fuller, Member
Assemblyman Gene Fuller, Member
Assemblyman Sandre Swanson, MemberHearing Date: TBA
SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION:
BUDGET ITEM #: 6120-221-0001Sample address:
The Honorable Jack Scott, Chair
Senate Budget Subcommitee Number One on Education Finance
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814We will let you know when official hearing dates are assigned and more details become available.
Tue, 30 Jan 2007 11:02:24 -0800 - CLA PR Committee and Marketing and PR Round Table Joint Meeting
Submitted by Mary Beth Train
November 11, 2006 at CLA
Much of the meeting time was spent on clarifying the confusion surrounding the attendees' understanding of the differences between a CLA committee, a round table and a section. Due to some mis-communications, neither of the incoming 2007 chairs for the PR Committee and Round table were there, nor were their names known. Details on this structure are at the end of the following highlights from the meeting.
Marketing 103, taught by Dianne Bish, Roseville PL; Andrea Woodruff, Lodi PL; Michael Beener, Yorba Linda PL; Ann Miller, Solano County PL, and Suzanne Walchli, UoP. This workshop, sponsored by the PR Committee and Marketing and PR Round Table, with presenters from each, is one of a continuing series based upon the ttendees' feedback. It's a very popular hands-on presentation and Q&A. This year's topics were how to get started in marketing and promoting your library. Bernadette Swanson, Instruction Librarian, Shields Library, University of California Davis, attended and made a video of the session, available via Google video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=198731897418639260&hl=en. The streaming video is 1 hour, 12 minutes in length.Marketing listserv: All members of the PR Committee Marketing and PR Round Table are subscribed. The marketing_pr@lists.cla-net.org mailing list has been created to be used as a tool for sharing information and planning activities among members of the CLA Marketing & Public Relations Round Table.
To post to this list, send your email to: marketing_pr@lists.cla-net.org.
General information about the mailing list is at:
http://lists.cla-net.org/listinfo.cgi/marketing_pr-cla-net.org.The incoming PR Committee chair is Julie Warren, PR Manager, Palm Springs PL. The Marketing and Public Relations Round Table chair for 2007 is Barbara Flynn, Orange County Public Library. The round table has 269 members.
Transition meeting: There was a suggestion that the incoming and outgoing chairs hold a transition, or "hand-off," meeting at CLA.
Committee: Chair is appointed by the president who will be in office in the same year the CLA conference is held. The president decides if the chair must reside in, or work in, the section of the state in which the annual meeting is held. Therefore, the chair for 2007 is from Southern California since the CLA conference/annual meeting will be held in Long Beach.
The Committee, formally known as Public Relations and Information, manages the annual PR Excellence Award. The committee's purpose is "to address issues that affect the whole CLA organization and membership" (from the CLA website.) One of the committee members must be a member of the related round table and/or section to represent those groups' interests to the committee. Committee members are appointed by the incoming CLA president and they are normally limited to three-year terms. Their responsibilities directly affect the CLA organization and membership.
Round tables, on the other hand, are open to all voting members and members may rejoin them year after year. They are based on specific interests of library staff and their communities, e.g. Marketing. Round tables are formed to encourage the sharing of ideas; details are at http://www.cla-net.org/faqs.php#about03.
Round tables and sections may sponsor workshops and presentations, post to the blog, and participate in the Awards Dinner planning et al. Round tables are encouraged to have a web page; see links to examples at http://www.cla-net.org/aboutcla/sectionstables.php.
The Round table chair is not the same person as the Committee chair. Round tables are strongly advised to communicate with the committee, which is why a committee member usually participates in the Round table. Round tables whose members aren't active or very few are discontinued.
A list of round table chairs is at http://www.cla-net.org/aboutcla/roundtablechairs.php. The rosters of a section, committee or round table, are in the CLA member directory at http://rsmart.ca/CLA_Members/CLA-Start.asp (the link is on CLA's home page).
Meeting attendees were:
* Loren McCrory - Yuba County Library, outgoing PR committee chair
* Dianne Bish - Roseville PL, Marketing series
* Andrea Woodruff, Lodi PL, Marketing series
* Donna Pontau - Rincon Branch, Livermore PL,
* BJ Combs - student, Carmichael, CA,
* Bernadette Swanson, Instruction Librarian, Library Graphics,
* Cheryl Gratano, South San Francisco PL,
* Mary Beth Train, PLS, PR Committee member,
* Eileen Penson,
* Carole Hull, Whittier PLSome of the prior committee's accomplishments: Marketing series (Diane Bish & Andrea Woodruff). Slide show of the PRexcellence winners (Michael Beener), Re-design of the PR excellence entry form (Michael Beener). Display of the winning PRexcellence entries on the Swap & Shop table (Deborah Doyle, PRexcellence chair & Michael Beener) New CLA new program "Getting to Win" in which selected PRExcel Awardees share the secrets of their success.
PRexcellence Award winners: See CLA Blog Post of November 22, 2006. Includes all awardees - http://www.cla-net.org/weblog/mt/archives/2006_11.php.
Report of 2006 Committee chair, Loren McGrory CLA Blog Post of November 07, 2006.
Tue, 30 Jan 2007 10:31:14 -0800 - California Chapter Councilor Report on ALA Mid-Winter
Submitted by Jackie Griffin, CLA Chapter Councilor
Seattle, January 18-25, 2007
The 2007 Mid-Winter Conference proved to be a very busy and interesting conference. Seattle worked well for the conference. The weather was mild and the conference center was well located for people attending meetings all hours of the day and evening. Total conference attendance was 12,196. This compared with 11,084 for San Antonio Mid-Winter, 2006 and 13,232 in Boston, 2005. Typically, conferences on the East Coast are better attended than West Coast conferences due to proximity to several large metropolitan areas.
- From this councilor's perspective, the most important issue at council was the lively and respectful debate at Council II on the role of ALA in political issues. This debate emerged from resolutions submitted on funding the war in Iraq and impeaching the President. A summary of the debate and outcome is included under Council II on Tuesday Jan. 23rd.
- Also important, with long-term consequences was the "Diversity Counts" report. Our profession is failing our younger members and we must find solutions or lose our most valuable resource.
- Michael Gorman was honored with a tribute from the California Library Association for his tremendous volume of work in our field.
- None of the resolutions voted on at Mid-Winter were available before the start of conference. This created much frustration, especially for state chapter councilors as we were unable to consult with our constituencies before voting. Therefore, any feedback on how I decided to vote on these issues would be appreciated for insight into how to proceed in the future.
- I have not included information on resolutions that I regarded as housekeeping more than policy. In cases where I have given information on resolutions I have only provided the resolved clauses rather than the full resolutions including whereas clauses. If there is a particular resolution that you would like to see in full please let me know and I will attempt to fax it to you.
Sunday January 21, 2007
ALA Council/Executive Board/Membership Information Session
Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC)
Total revenue for ALA was $1 million over projections for FY07 with a total budget of $56.54 million.
ALA Endowment Trustees Performance Report
Endowments showed a gain of approximately $3.6 million (10.9%) to $29,028,000 in 2006. The trustees have begun placing some funds in socially responsible funds in response to member concerns. Unfortunately these funds did not do as well as more general funds during this investment year.
Nominating Committee Report
Only 20% of all members approached agreed to run for council. There is general concern about lack of involvement, lack of diversity, lack of front-line staff etc.
Polls will open March 15th.
"Diversity Counts" Report
A demographic survey is available at www.ala.org/membersdemog Salary survey www.ala.org/ala/ors/reports/Librarian
Salaries1982-2003-091605.pdf Complete report www.ala.org/ala/ors/diversitycounts/divcounts.htm
- The number of librarians age 45-54 has grown by 95% in the last 10 years.
- We're retaining older librarians who do not retire or advance.
- We're losing younger librarians who have few opportunities to advance.
- We have less diversity in the workforce.
- We are developing a huge leadership gap.
However, it should be noted that this report ends (2003) before Spectrum Scholarships took effect (2003).
ALA-APA Information Session
APA was created by ALA to create more knowledge and information about library employee salaries, to help create opportunities for advancement in the profession and to be an advocate for improving library salaries. All members of ALA Council are also members of APA council.
ALA-APA is struggling with becoming a self-sustaining organization. FY06 showed a deficit of $39,552. However, income did increase by 68% last year and APA hopes to begin repayment of the "seed loan" of $250,000 from ALA by FY09.
Librarian salaries nation-wide and classification-wide range from 22,000-253,500.
ALA Council I
EPA Library Closings
The Bush Administration introduced an FY07 budget that included a $2 million cut to EPA that would reduce that agency's library network budget by 80% and force closure of many of the regional EPA libraries. Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City were closed in 2006 and the Main EPA library in DC was closed to the general public. These closures were done before the FY07 budget was passed.
The EPA insists that these closures will not affect access to environmental information. Many librarians, scientists and EPA staffers disagree.
The EPA sent several officials to Mid-Winter and they met with ALA staff, concerned librarians and others in an attempt to reach a compromise. Much discussion happened although no outcome was announced.
Hot Topic Discussion
President Burger introduced a new idea for council where a "hot topic" would be discussed in small groups in an attempt to resolve a problem. President Burger described it as being based in "speed dating".
Council discussed the reasons that members do not participate in council and ways to encourage new participation.
Monday Jan. 22, 2007
APA-ALA Council
California Councilor at Large, Michael McGrorty, brought a resolution to council on minimum salaries for professional librarians.
"RESOLVED, that the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association endorses a minimum salary for professional librarians of not less than $40,000 per year; and be it further RESOLVED, that the details of this endorsement shall be published and otherwise disseminated by the Director of the ALA Allied Professional Association as appropriate."
I voted yes. Motion passed unanimously.
Tuesday Jan. 23, 2007
ALA Council II
Budget Analysis and Review Committee
Defer graduated dues study recommendations from Annual, 2007 to Mid-Winter 2008.
I voted yes. Motion passed unanimously.
ALA Treasurer's Report
Net assets grew 9%. Total assets $59.25 million. Total liabilities $28.4 million.
Publishing, meetings and conferences make up 75% of revenue. CEPA and CDA loans have been repaid. Net assets have grown from $367,000 in 2002 to $1.64 million in 2006. Audit gave ALA its highest rating. The increase in dues led to no loss in membership.
Freedom to Read Foundation
This year, the Freedom to Read Foundation took part in several lawsuits in which First Amendment rights were under attack both federally and in individual states. More information is available at www.ftrf.org.
The work the Foundation does is incredibly important to all of us. I encourage individuals and institutions to join the FRF.
Honorary memberships were given to four individuals for their work in libraries. David Cohen, Alice Hagemeyer, Anita Schiller and Alphonse Trezza.
At this point, three resolutions were brought before council that caused much debate and discussion about council's role in political discussions. The debates were well informed, passionate, respectful, useful and thoughtful.
Resolution to Advocate Ending Funding for the War in Iraq.
"Therefore be it resolved that ALA support efforts in the US Congress to stop the Iraq War by withholding funds for military actions in Iraq, except for funds necessary for a safe, quick and orderly withdrawal."I argued against this resolution. Not only do I not think that the resolution itself speak to ALA's mission, I also think that these types of resolutions are expressly opposed to our core principle of intellectual freedom. Any time we take a political position we risk having a chilling effect on our ability to be a resource for our users who are seeking information on these subjects. Others spoke of their concerns that this measure did not even address libraries in its resolve clause. It might have been easier to support this resolution if it mentioned funding for libraries.
Chapter Councilors expressed concern that these resolutions were not given to us before we came to council so that we might poll our constituents.
Members who spoke in favor of this resolution did feel that it met our core principles.The resolution was defeated 95-48. I voted no.
Resolution on Impeachment of George W. Bush.
"THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the American Library Association considers that George W. Bush, by such conduct, warrants impeachment".
Before this resolution could be debated the chair asked for a vote on whether the majority felt that these types of resolutions met the purview of the organization. A vast majority voted no. However, we were surprised to realize that the vote had ended debate on the issue which was not the intent of the body. Hearing the majority express a desire to allow the debate to go on (I said that I would like to have the issue debated and then I would vote against it) the chair rescinded the vote and debate was held. This debate reflected most of the same issues from the previous one.
The vote was overwhelmingly against the resolution. I voted no.
A final resolution of the day called for a reaffirmation of ALA's policy of not affiliating with the Boy Scouts of America until such time as they end their exclusionary policy with regard to religious beliefs or sexual orientation.
This resolution grew out of concern because the Association of Library Service to Children has a liaison to BSA listed on its website. ALSC asserts that it simply provides booklists and other support of the same type that it provides to any organization that provides service to children. Questions were raised about what did the word "affiliation" mean in this resolution (no support at all?) and what does ALSC
mean by "liaison." The resolution was deferred until the Annual Conference.
Council III
Tribute to Michael Gorman
I had the opportunity to present a resolution from CLA on behalf of Michael Gorman on the occasion of his retirement. I talked about how proud I was of ALA's leadership after Katrina and how we appeared as heroes in New Orleans because of Michael's leadership. I presented him with a token of our appreciation and the resolution that was passed at CLA in November listing his numerous achievements in the field. Michael seemed very pleased and touched.
Election to the Executive Board
Larry Romans and Charles E. Kratz, Jr. were elected to the Executive Board
Intellectual Freedom Report
Concern was expressed that some states are dropping their Intellectual Freedom Committees. IFC Chair Kent Oliver asked that states continue to support IFC committees.
Committee on Legislation
Resolution in Support of "Orphan Works"
"RESOLVED, That the American Library Association urges Members of the US Senate and the US House of Representatives to introduce legislation to amend the Copyright Act to facilitate the use of "orphan works" if the user has made a reasonably diligent, good faith search to locate the owner of the work but was
unable to find the owner."After discussion of what "reasonably diligent, good faith search meant" and hearing from ALA staff that it was standard legal language for such searches, measure passed. I voted yes.
Resolution in Support of Immigrant Rights
RESOLVED, that ALA strongly supports the protection of each person's civil liberties, regardless of that individual's nationality, residency, or status; and be it further
RESOLVED, That ALA opposes any legislation that infringes on immigrant's rights to use library resources, programs, and services on national, state, and local levels.
After discussion of language and what was meant by "immigrant" this resolution passed.
I voted yes.Resolution Affirming the Role of Libraries in Providing E-Government and Emergency Services.
RESOLVED, that the American Library Association urge governments at all levels to acknowledge and support the essential role local libraries play in providing e-government and emergency response/recovery services, as well as include libraries in relevant legislative or other policy actions; and, be it further
RESOLVED, that the American Library Association encourage continued research documenting library needs and capacity to provide effective e-government and emergency response/recovery services, and help libraries develop best practices and train staff to deliver these essential services.
Motion passed. I voted yes.
International Relations Committee Report
Council voted to appoint an ALA representative to the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield, an organization established Jan. 2006 with the mission of protecting cultural property in times of war.
I voted yes.
Report from the Parliamentarian
Eli Mina is the Parliamentarian for ALA Council and he has provided much support in making Council a more effective body.
There was much discussion about the shutting off of debate during Council II.
The sense of the group seemed to be that we are an organization that values free and open speech and we do not wish to cut off debate.
Accessible Digitalization Projects Resolution
This resolution came very late to Council and it lacked necessary information. The intent of the resolution was to encourage all libraries that are digitalizing collections to make them accessible to our disability populations. However, the sense of the body was to refer it to the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies for their input.
Motion to refer passed. I voted yes.
Discussion on Earlybird Registration
Earlybird registration comes too soon. There is earlybird and early earlybird and registration and late registration and on-site registration.
The earlybird registration period is too short which penalizes school librarians.
Earlybird comes too early and penalizes young librarians who are struggling to make ends meet and must wait months to be reimbursed by their libraries.
Mon, 29 Jan 2007 10:13:04 -0800 - Day in the District Talking Points
Day in the District is fast approaching! I hope you will be able to join the effort to make sure every California State Legislator has an opportunity to meet with library representatives on January 26th or February 2nd. Remember to register for appointments at www.legiday.net (username=member, password=member)!
The primary focus of Day in the District is to strengthen the relationship between legislators and the libraries in their District, however it also provides an opportunity to encourage the Legislator to support better funding for libraries state-wide.
The following "talking points" may be helpful as you prepare for your meetings:
- Libraries across California provide reading resources, lifelong learning opportunities, career development, educational support, and access to technology and information to every California resident
- Historically approximately 0.05% (or 1/2 of 1/10 of 1%!) of California's general fund moneys are directed to California libraries through the State Library for important services and programs such as:
- The Public Library Foundation (PLF) which provides a small amount of funding distributed on a per capita basis to every public library in the state. In 2006 PLF funding was approximately $0.57 per capita
- Transaction-based reimbursement (TBR) which promotes sharing of resources by reimbursing academic, public, and special libraries for a small portion of the cost of serving people from other jurisdictions through Inter-Library Loan and reciprocal "over the counter" borrowing arrangements
- Adult and Children's Literacy programs
- Library services and access to information for the blind, disabled, and other under-served populations
- Library services for the State Legislature and employees
- Preservation of historical documents, photos, and other resources
- Studies in other states show that every $1 invested in library services delivers at least $4 in economic value to citizens
- The California Library Association is working with Senator Joseph Simitian to prepare a new Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act for consideration by the Legislature. Please ask your Legislators for their support.
Remember that it can take some time for the Legislative Contact to set up the appointment. If the database does not yet list an appointment date and time with your Legislator please keep checking.
Thank you!
Kathy Gould, CLA Day in the District Coordinator
Tue, 23 Jan 2007 13:32:56 -0800 - Call for Proposals: CLA Conference 2007
You are invited to submit a proposal for the 2007 CLA Conference. The conference is scheduled for October 26-29, 2007 in Long Beach (earlier dates than usual!). You should submit your proposal at http://cla2007.abstractcentral.com.
This year's conference theme is "Opportunity Knocks." The Conference Planning Committee is interested in programs that demonstrate the vision, energy and creativity behind extraordinary library service to all population groups. The committee is particularly interested in sessions that will help library staff develop the skills and programs needed for 21st Century librarianship and libraries. One of the goals of this year's conference is to present programs "out of the box," programs that suggest new ideas in all areas of service. Some topics that have been suggested include:
- Using wikis, blogs, or social networking to reach library
- patrons
- Library 2.0
- Web 2.0
- Library branding
- Instilling a commitment to customer service
- Creating community partners
- Adding for-profit ventures to the library
- Transparent financial reporting
- Lessons learned from joint use
- Collection development for special populations
- Developing political advocacy skills
- Effective PR and outreach to Latino communities
While you are not limited to the above suggestions, we are interested in cutting-edge proposals that will inspire and inform the library community. Proposals specific to all service areas are needed. Do you have a fresh, new idea? We want to hear from you!
For the first time, all proposals must be submitted electronically online. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, February 28, 2007.
Please let us know if you have questions about the process for submission or about the conference. If you have problems using the submittal website, a Tech Support button is located on each webpage. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me at snegreen@cla-net.org.
Susan Negreen, CAE
Executive Director
California Library Association
717 20th Street, Suite 200
Sacramento CA 95814
916-447-8541
snegreen@cla-net.org
Mon, 22 Jan 2007 13:36:50 -0800 - Governor Releases Jan. 2007-08 Budget: Minor $52,000 Cut Proposed to PLF
TO: CLA Members/ Systems/ Network Contacts
FROM: Mike Dillon, CLA Lobbyist; Christina Dillon, CLA Lobbyist
RE: News From the Capitol
Shortly after 1 p.m. today, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, aided by a set of crutches since his ski accident over the holidays, took to the stage at the Secretary of State's auditorium to present his January 2007-08 Budget. He joked with reporters briefly about the ski accident, noting that he has "pain, ongoing pain, 24 hours a day." But for the most part, the press conference took a serious tone as the Governor referred to his Budget as a "responsible Budget," and a "prudent and realistic Budget."
The Governor's Budget proposes to eliminate the net operating deficit completely, however he suggests doing so through ratifying controversial pending Indian gaming compacts (that failed during last year's end-of-session deliberations), recommends $324 million in cuts to the state's CalWORKs welfare-to-work program, repeal of the Teacher Tax Credit for a savings of $165 million, funding shifts in major transportation programs, etc. The Budget also notes there will be a "Budget reduction of $100 million to be allocated to all departments. The Department of Finance will work with Agency Secretaries and other cabinet members to achieve General Fund savings of $100 million in 2007-08."
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, in a press conference held shortly after 2:30 p.m., called the Governor's Budget "basically on the right track," but noted his strong opposition to some of the cuts, particularly in the areas of CalWORKS. Noted the Speaker, "The last thing we want to do is balance this Budget on the back of poor children and single mothers."
The State Library budget was held relatively harmless from reductions, as the overall State Library budget baseline remains essentially what it was last year. With regard to the Public Library Foundation and Transaction Based Reimbursement, despite our lobbying efforts of the Administration during the winter, we knew it would be difficult to see any increases in funding for these two programs in the January version of the Budget. The Transaction Based Reimbursement remains at approximately $19.5 million (no change) and the Public Library Foundation is funded in the amount of $21,308,000.
Please note that the PLF is proposed for a small $52,000 reduction to fund a State Library project, which is explained by the Governor's Office in the Budget document, as follows:
MAJOR PROGRAM CHANGES
- The Budget provides $52,000 General Fund to initiate the California State Library's Integrated Library System Replacement Project.
- The Budget shifts $52,000 from the Public Library Foundation in order to fund the initial stage of the Integrated Library System Replacement Project.
In February, the Legislative Analyst will release her "Perspectives and Initiatives" review of the Governor's Budget, and then in approximately mid March the Budget Subcommittees will begin the task of reviewing the Governor's Budget. Once the Subcommittee members are named, we will alert the field so that you may begin writing letters on behalf of increased funding for the Public Library Foundation.
Wed, 10 Jan 2007 15:39:16 -0800 - Day in the District
Library Legislative Day in the District will take place on Friday, January 26, 2007, and Friday, February 2, 2007. Day in the District provides an opportunity to meet with Legislators and their staff in their local offices and inform them about the important role libraries play in the lives of their constituents.
Often legislators are not aware of the broad range of services provided by libraries and the number of lives we touch every day. Day in the District provides a wonderful opportunity for you to establish a dialogue with legislators and their staff, to highlight the services that are important to residents of the communities you serve, and to discuss issues and challenges you face in providing those services.
This year over 1/3 of the members of the Assembly and over 1/4 of the members of the Senate are brand new! Day in the District is the perfect opportunity to introduce them to all of the great things your library is doing and help ensure their support.
Our network of legislative contacts is hard at work setting up appointments.
To register for an appointment with your legislator go to the Library Legislative Day in the District Online Database at: http://www.legiday.net.
At the login screen enter:
Account Name: member
Password: memberAfter you hit enter you will be taken to a new screen. Click on "legiday" to enter the database. This will take you to the Home Page for the Day in the District 2007.
Click on "Legislators". This will take you to a listing of all legislators in the database. Legislators are listed in district order by default. By clicking the headers of the columns you can sort the list by individual field. Also note there are other navigation tools in the header of list of legislators, e.g. alphabetical shortcuts and links to individual legislative houses.
For each legislator, click on either "View" or "Sign Up" to the left of the legislator's name to bring up a screen with the legislator's appointment information. You will then be prompted to enter your name and contact information. NOTE: If you are a member of CLA, CSLA, or CALTAC the database will automatically retrieve the contact information on record for you.
IMPORTANT #1: Always click the on-screen buttons to post information. Simply hitting the Return or Enter key on your keyboard may not work.
IMPORTANT #2: Always click the | Log Out | link when you are finished. If you leave the screen idle for more than 5 minutes you will be automatically logged out. The database can accommodate only 100 simultaneous users.
IMPORTANT #3: It can take some time for the Legislative Contact to set up the appointment. If the database does not yet list an appointment date and time with your Legislator please keep checking.
As you plan your participation in Day in the District, here are some things to keep in mind:
- The focus of Day in the District is on fostering dialogue between local libraries and the legislators who represent the communities served by those libraries. Unlike Library Legislative Day in Sacramento we do not present formal position papers at Day in the District. Please come prepared to talk about your library and how you are making a difference in the lives of the Legislator’s constituents.
- You may wish to bring brief handout materials, such as a brochure or newsletter, that highlight the services provided by your library and can be left behind for future reference by the legislator or staff.
- Trustees, Commissioners, Board members, Friends, parents, students or other supporters are encouraged to attend. Please ensure that the names and affiliations of all representatives of your library are registered on the appointment website so that the contact person can let the legislator know who will be attending the meeting.
I hope you will be able to participate in this year's Day in the District!
Kathy Gould, Day in the District Coordinator
Wed, 10 Jan 2007 10:31:15 -0800 - California State Library Offers Television Listings
Visually impaired Californians can now independently access their local television listings through one telephone call thanks to an expanded service supported by the California State Library's Braille and Talking Book Library (BTBL).
The television listings are a new feature of NFB-NEWSLINE®, a free electronic newspaper service for the visually impaired which carries 242 newspapers and magazines including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. By simply entering their zip code, source of television reception, and time zone, visually impaired customers have quick and easy access to their local television listings.
NFB-NEWSLINE®, a service of the National Federation of the Blind, uses Zap2it television listings, a product of Tribune Media Services and the leading source of entertainment listings in the country.
Eric Duffy, a blind parent of two children, says: "It is so important to find quality television programming for young children. Now I can choose appropriate television shows for my children, just like any other sighted parent."
State Librarian of California Susan Hildreth says, "I know that our sight impaired customers will enjoy this new service provided through California State Library's BTBL. Disseminating information to our customers is a key mission of the California State Library and this new feature of NFB-NEWSLINE® gives us an excellent opportunity to do that."
For more information about BTBL's NFB-NEWSLINE® service please contact BTBL at 800-952-5666 or email at btbl@library.ca.gov.
Tue, 09 Jan 2007 11:53:19 -0800 - CLA Office Closed From Christmas to New Years Day
The CLA office will be closed from December 25, 2006 through January 1, 2007. We will re-open on January 2. If you wish to contact us during that period, please leave a message on our voice mail at 916-447-8541 or email us at info@cla-net.org. We will respond to your message upon our return. Happy Holidays!
Tue, 19 Dec 2006 07:48:37 -0800
