Tennessee Chapter Councilor Report

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June 2014

ALA’s Midwinter Meeting was held June 26-July 1, 2014 in Las Vegas, NV.  My apologies for the late report – what happens during ALA Council in Vegas should not, in fact, stay in Vegas! ALA’s Council meets three times at each conference. I have included below a list of links to the various documents and information that are involved in Council. There’s even an audio recording of each Council meeting if anyone is interested in hearing the actual discussions.

A number of resolutions were discussed by Council in these sessions.   Resolutions passed included the action items in the Report of the Presidential Task Force on Electronic Communication for the ALA Council (CD#10).  These included guidelines for the council electronic list, guidelines for the posting of Council Documents, and a resolution for the future review of the guidelines.  Also passed was the Resolution in Support of Stable Funding for Air Force Libraries (CD#43) which states “That the American Library Association, on behalf of its members:

  1. urges the United States Congress to direct the Department of Defense (DoD) and United States Air Force (USAF) to restore funding to Air Force Base and Command Libraries to FY2011 levels for staffing, materials, services and programs; and
  2. urges the Administration, DoD and USAF to develop responsible information and budget management strategies for Air Force Base and Command Libraries that aligns them directly with appropriated funds, rather than through base operations, where library funding is vulnerable to additional local cuts.”

ALA Council also discussed and passed resolutions emphasizing the importance of receiving reports from ALA or Council Committees and the importance of having meeting minutes and other reports available from various Divisions and Roundtables.   These included an addition to the ALA Policy Manual, section A.4.3.16.1 and action items from CD#27.1, Report of the Committee on Organization

Council also adopted the Resolution on Granting the District of Columbia Government Budget Autonomy to Allow City Services, including Libraries, to Remain Open during a Federal Government Shutdown (CD#45).  This resolution states “That the American Library Association, on behalf of its members, urges Congress to grant the District of Columbia budget autonomy in order to prevent the unnecessary closing of city government facilities, including public libraries, in the event of a federal government shutdown.”

ALA Council also adopted the Resolution on Digitization of U.S. Government Documents (CD#20.6), the Resolution Reaffirming Support for National Open Internet Policies and “Network Neutrality,”(CD#20.7), and the revised interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights (CD#19.4-19.17).  Also adopted were CD#40.1, The Copyright: An Interpretation of the Code of Ethics (the first interpretation of the Code of Ethics), and CD#18.1, directing ALA to become a signatore on the Lyon Declaration of Access to Information and Development.

Memorial and Tribute resolutions were passed honoring Eliza Dresang, M-#5; Marilyn Lea Miller, M-#6; Emily Stewart Boyce, M-#7; Margaret Mary (Maggie) Kimmel, M-#8; Birdie MacLennan, M-#9; Nancy Garden, M-#10; Esther Crawford; M-#11; Crenetha Session Brunson, M-#12; and Ernie DiMattia (no document).ADOPTED, Tribute Resolution Honoring 75th Anniversary of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).

 

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