ALA and Innovation

Alliance Library System

October 5, 2007

Association “citizenship”

“To be a citizen is to show up – to accept the invitation to participate, or to create it is it is not offered, to act as a co-designer….I am responsible for the health of the institution and the community even though I do not control it. I can participate in creating something I do not control.”

Peter Block, The Answer to How is Yes

Web Server Database RelationshipsDatabase Servers Web Applications

iMISDatabase

Web CMSDatabase

Online CommunitiesDatabase

Career Center(Job Postings)

Career Center

Online Communities(Online Committee Work)

Dues Manager(Membership Dues)

Event Manager(Conference Reg.)

Web CMS(ALA Website)

Server w

Server x

Server y

Server z

The Wiring Perspective

A LA Organizational ChartFY 2007 - 2008

Divis ions Conference Services

ALA O ffices Roudtables

ITTS Aw ards Programs

O ffice of Accreditation O LOS

O ffice of Inte llectual Freedom HRD R

M ary G h ikasS e n io r A E D M e m be r P rog ra m s & S erv ic es

Jo an Cla ffeyD ire c to r

D e ve lo pe m en t O ff ice

C yn th ia V ivianD ire c to r

H u m an R e so u rc es

Jo An n e K em pfIn te rim D ire c to r

G o vern a nc e O ffice

F in an ce

B u dg e t

A c c ou n ts R e ce iva b le A c c ou n ts P aya b le

P a yro ll C o lle c tio ns

A c co u n ting

O p era tion s & S ta ff S u pp o rt

G reg Ca llo w ayA E D F in an ce & A c c o un ting

O ff ic e o f T ec h n o lo g y P o licy

G o vern m e n t R e la t io ns

E m ily S heke to ffA E D W a sh in g to n O ffice

C u s tom e r S e rv ice

In te rn a tion a l R e la t io ns

P IO

L ib ra ry

O R S

P u b lic P ro g ra m s

C h a p te r R e la tio ns

C ath leen Bo u rd onA E D C om m u n ic a tio ns

A L A E d it io ns

B o o k list

A L A Te c h S o u rce

P ro du c ts & P ro m otio ns

P ro du c tion S erv ices

A m e rica n L ib ra ries

D o n C h ath amA E D P ub lish ing

K eith M ich ael F ie lsE x e cu tiv e D ire c to rG o vern a nc e O ffice

Personnel Relationships

ALA FUND STRUCTURE

R ound T able F und

Divis ion F und

G enera l F und

OP E R A T IN G F U N D

T ec hno logy F urn/E quip &

B uilding

C apita l

F urniture & E quipment

H uron P laza & WO

Operating

H eadquarters

B uilding

P L A N T F U N D

P ermenently R es tric ted

T emporarily R es tric ted

U nres tric ted

L ON G -T E R M IN V E S T M E N T F U N D

N on-G overnment

G overnment

G R A N T S & A WA R DS

TOTAL ALA BU DGE T

A Financial Perspective

The “Hairball”

“Orbiting is responsible creativity: vigorously exploring and operating beyond the Hairball …all the while remaining connected to the spirit of the corporate mission. To find Orbit around a corporate Hairball is to find a place of balance where you can benefit from the physical, intellectual and philosophical resources of the organization without becoming entombed in the bureaucracy of the institution.”

Gordon MacKenzie, Orbiting the Giant Hairball

Finding Orbit

MacKenzie on Models “Why models? Well, in an effort to cope with the

incomprehensibility of infinite reality, we ever-curious, ever-pondering, compulsively controlling Homo sapiens create theoretical models….Sometimes elegantly structured, usually self-confirming, our models are like the headlights of a car, designed to light our way. Whatever is illuminated becomes our truth, and we organize our lives around it. But this light can also blind us. Too often we are blinded into believing that our models are the whole reality, forgetting that they are simply useful fact/fiction coping devices.”

Gordon MacKenzie, Orbiting the Giant Hairball

ALAThe ECOSYSTEM

COMPLEXITY?COMPLEXITY?

Assets ?Assets ?

People and Relationships

>60,000 individual members >5,000 organizational/corporate members 280 staff in three locations 11 specialized divisions 18 round tables 5,000 ALA members “officially” involved 57 ALA chapters – with 60,000 members 24 affiliated organizations

Structures for Persistence

Legal structures & standing Physical presence AND virtual presence Governance structures Processes and systems Records Institutional memory Financial assets Established name & reputation

“Persistence” and Library Funding1923 – Committee on Federal and State Relations & Committee on Library Legislation1939 – Federal Aid for Libraries was published, urging federal support for libraries.1945 – The ALA Washington Office was first established1946 – The Public Library Services Demonstration Bill was proposed (defeated – 1950). 1951 – The Library Services Bill was introduced (passed in 1956).

1957-1964 – The Library Services Act extended library service to more than 40 million people living in areas with less than 10,000 population.

1959 – In Goals for Action, ALA Council urged advocacy to convince the public “to fund programs of library service nationally and locally.”

1962 – The Depository Library Act extended access to government publications.1963 – ALA Council urged support for President John F. Kennedy’s proposed National Education

Improvement Act.1963 – The Library Services and Construction Act was the first bill considered when the U.S. Senate

resumed deliberations on November 26, 19631963 – The Academic Facilities Act made funds available on a matching basis to publicly and privately

funded universities.1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Library Services and Construction Act. 1984 – LSCA was extended for five years, with funding at a record $118M.1996 – The Library Services and Technology Act (replacing LSCA) was passed.1996 – As part of the implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Universal Service

Program for Schools and Libraries (e-rate) was established, supported by ALA and the Education and Library Networks Coalition (EdLINC).

1997 – The Reading Excellence Act was passed and funded at $260M, including funding opportunities for both public and school libraries.

…This thread continues today and into the future. Similar threads can be traced in advocacy, in standards and models for library service, in education and so forth. Persistence.

The Cross-Section

See “Hooks”

Member Initiative Groups

Flexible interest group structures

Learn to “work” the structure 7.4.7 Membership Meetings A membership meeting shall be held during the first two days of the Annual

Conference, excluding days when preconferences are held, and at such times as may be set by the Executive Board, Council, or by membership petition, as provided for in Article II, Section 4 of the Bylaws. Agendas of membership meetings shall provide priority to discussion of membership resolutions. Guidelines for Preparation of Resolutions for Membership Meetings:

A resolution should be complete so that, upon passage, it becomes a clear and formal expression of the opinion or will of the assembly.

The resolution must indicate the names of the mover and seconder, and their local telephone numbers. The resolution should address only one topic or issue. The terms used in a resolution should be readily understandable or have specific definition. The intent, objective, or goal of the resolution should be clear to all. The resolution form should state whether the

resolution sets forth a general policy, an ALA viewpoint, or a specific call for action. All ALA position statements shall set forth their relationship to libraries and library service. If the resolution calls for a specific action or course of action in certain circumstances, the resolution should specify

the resources needed to carry out the directive. If the resolution calls for specific action or program with a timetable, the timetable shall be clear and achievable. If the resolution is addressed to or refers to a specific group or groups, it shall name the group or groups in the

"resolved" clause. The mover of a resolution shall state on the resolution form whether the resolution amends or creates policy and shall

identify the policy being changed and/or indicate the portion of the resolution to be cited as policy. If a policy set forth conflicts with another policy, provision to resolve the conflict shall be made.

Any member of the American Library Association may prepare and submit for consideration resolutions at any membership meeting.

All resolutions, except those from ALA committees, to be considered by the ALA Membership must be submitted for review by the Council Committee on Resolutions at least 6 hours prior to the convening of the membership meeting in order to allow time for reproduction and distribution.

Members assembled at any membership meeting may waive the submission time requirements by a majority vote. All resolutions approved by the membership will be presented to the next meeting of Council by the chair of the

Resolutions Committee. The chair will indicate which membership resolutions are clearly policy matters. The presiding officer of Council will call for Council's guidance on the disposition of each membership item in turn.

Note: Consistent with parliamentary authority, an item that is not completed at the membership meeting(s) of an Annual Conference lapses, but then may be reintroduced as a new item at a subsequent convention.

If a quorum is not present for a called Membership Meeting, those members who are present may convene themselves into a Membership Forum for the purpose of discussing matters of concerns. The person who would have presided at the Membership Meeting may appoint a member to preside at the Membership Forum. Those members attending the Membership Forum shall determine their own agenda of matters to be discussed.

…including the new structures

Pebbles and Ripples

Meredith Farkas 2005 Post Why do we need the ALA? Is ALA really relevant anymore? Does

anyone really feel like ALA represents their interests? At my job, none of my colleagues has been to an ALA Conference and have no interest in going. They seem to consider the ALA pretty irrelevant. And that perspective is only confirmed when the only thing the ALA Council can seem to accomplish is passing a resolution on Iraq!!! The ALA is a huge organization that is hard to understand, hard to feel a part of, and hard to know what it stands for. I paid out-of-pocket for my membership this year, but it will certainly be the last unless the ALA changes. But they won’t. They made more on dues in 2004 than in 2003. It’s basically a ringing endorsement for politics as usual.

Meredith Farkas, Information Wants To Be Free, December 11, 2005

Unofficial 2005 ALA Annual Conference Wiki

Official ALA 2006 wiki – hosted by Meredith Farkas

ALA Midwinter 2007 wiki

“The Library as Conversation”

Second Life Librarians

Purpose of ALAL2Engage a group of ALA members and staff in a group exploration of “2.0” tools and approaches:

- for the “next generation” of ALA ce- for collaborative development of

ALA information resources- for increased interactivity in web- based applications

Participants

50 participants were recruited Member/staff teams from 10 of 11 divisions Member/staff teams from OIF, HRDR, OA,

OLOS, OFD, MPS-AED, ITTS, Conf Svcs Staff from ALTA, PIO, APA Diversity of experience, age, background 2 2006-2007 division presidents

Getting Started

Using New Skills

Projects: Team 3 Recommendations

Team 3 defined the advocacy “opportunity”: “ to create a National Library Advocacy Campaign that is scalable and accessible for libraries and grassroots advocacy,” with the goals of providing a “single destination for library advocacy resources and discussion” and allowing “greater input and transparency for members and the general public into library advocacy efforts.”

Team 3 members, along with other staff and members, are continuing this work, focusing on the “I Love Libraries” site.

Texas Forums Blog

Team 9 Results – from LITA Wiki

Team Ten PowerPoint

RUSQ on a blog platform

IWA Links

YALSA Teen Tech Week wiki

AASL Blog

Gayle Keresey’s lens on Squidoo

BBW Badges in the blogosphere

5 Weeks to a Social Library- preliminary program

23 Things at PLCMC

…so anyone can join in

Founding Purpose & Mission

Founding Purpose: The object of the American Library Association shall be to promote library service and librarianship. (ALA Constitution, Article II)

Mission: To provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. (ALA Policy 1.2)

CORE VALUESThe foundation of modern librarianship rests on an essential set of core values,

which define, inform, and guide all professional practice. These values reflect the history and ongoing development of the profession ….Among these are:

AccessConfidentiality/PrivacyDemocracyDiversityEducation and Lifelong LearningIntellectual FreedomPreservationThe Public GoodProfessionalismServiceSocial Responsibility

(ALA Policy 40.1)

Family Connections

People I Knew at University People I Know Professionally

People I Work With

My Reading Club

ME

ALA Connections

PSC’s FamilyPeople PSC Knows Professionally

PSC’s Work Colleagues

PSC’s Film Group

Person on the Same Committee

Jim RettigALA President-Elect

“If ALA didn’t exist today and we wanted to create a library association that would work on behalf of all types of libraries, all library users, and all library workers, what would it look like and how would it operate?”

From The Twilight Librarian – Jim Rettig’s ruminations on libraries, librarianship, the infosphere, and more.

August 6, 2007