ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 198 / C&RL News ■ March 2002 newsCollege & Research Libraries Meet the candidates for ALA President Vote in the election this spring by Carla D. Hayden and Katina Strauch T he ACRL Board of Directors posed the following questions to the candidates for ALA President, and C&RL News is please publish their responses. Each candidate was given 1,200 words in which she could choose to offer a brief opening statement and to re­ spond to the questions; the responses are identified under each of the six questions. Opening statement Carla D. Hayden: My professional experi­ ences include being a paraprofessional, children’s librarian and young adult services coordinator, a special librarian in a science museum, an assistant professor in a library school, and an administrator in two urban library systems with major research capaci­ ties and responsibilities. I have broad experi­ ence in providing resources for the lifelong learner, serving the different needs of people of all ages and backgrounds, protecting in­ tellectual freedom, the right to information and the privacy of the user, and preserving the record of human knowledge. Throughout these varied experiences, I have found that there is much more that unites us than divides us as a profession. No matter with what type of library we are affiliated, our core values should be maintained and strengthened in the future. Affirming our core values, recognizing our realities, and assur­ ing our future are the basic commitments on which I would be honored to work with you as ALA President. d to Carla D. Hayden Katina Strauch Questions for ALA candidates 1. What are the two m ost important issues that w ill assure the strength o f our profession in the future? What ideas do you have to address these issues as ALA President? Hayden: The two most important issues that will assure the strength of our profession in the future are the needs for increased re­ cruitment and retention. We need to increase the visibility of our profession as an attractive and exciting career choice. As chair of the Committee on Accreditation and the Spec­ trum Initiative, I became acutely aware of the need to engage youth as soon as possible in the profession and make targeted, sustained efforts to attract people from underrepre­ sented groups. As a manager, I have initiated a succession-planning program with men­ toring, job shadowing, leadership develop­ ment training, and support for conference attendance and professional involvement, and About the authors Carla D. Hayden is executive director o f the Enoch Pratt Free Library e-mail: chayden@mail.pratt.lib.md.us, and Katina Strauch is head o f collection development at the College o f Charleston Libraries, e-mail: strauchk@cofc.edu mailto:chayden@mail.pratt.lib.md.us mailto:strauchk@cofc.edu C&RL News ■ M arch 2002 / 199 increased promotion opportunities within po­ sition categories. As ALA President, I would continue to support these types of activities throughout the profession. The status of librar­ ians is key to the future of all types of libraries. As an administrator, I continue to work for pay equity, competitive benefits, and an improved working environment. I would continue to support these issues, particularly the recent initiative by President Mitch Freedman. Strau ch : By 2009, 25 percent of us are expected to retire. We must recruit and train a new generation o f more diverse, skilled, and committed librarians. As president, I will w o rk to c o n tin u e th e w o rk o f M itch Freedman’s Task Force on Pay Equity and appoint a second task force on the Emerging Roles o f Librarians in the 21st Century. We need to adjust and adapt to competi­ tion from the commercial sector. For the first time, libraries and librarians are encounter­ ing business people who want to get in on what we do best. Libraries and librarians have to become more market-savvy, more active, more self-assured, and perhaps more focused than we have been in the past. The profes­ sion has changed as the world around us has changed. Librarians should be— and are— leaders in locating, accessing, and organiz­ ing information regardless o f its format. I believe that ALA needs more input from the grassroots, practicing librarian. As president, I will solicit your help. I would appreciate your input now at my Web site at http://www. katina.info. 2. Academic and re se a rch libraries an lib rarian s a re n o t high ly visible in ALA publicity, m aterials, and ad vocacy efforts. W hat will you do to gen erate m o re know l­ edge an d ap p re cia tio n o f th e ro le a ca ­ d em ic lib rarian s p lay in ad van cin g r e ­ s e a r c h , e d u c a tio n , a n d civ ic an d e c o ­ n o m ic developm ent? H ayden: I would support the continua­ tion of ALA’s media campaigns that raise pub­ lic awareness o f the important role all librar­ ies and librarians can and do play in commu­ nity and economic development. We are all part of the information-seeking continuum. In many cases we serve the same customers as they move from “K to Grey.” As president, I would make sure that aca­ demic librarians’ contributions are also fea­ d tured prominently in promotional materials and advocacy efforts. The public needs to recognize the special contributions o f aca­ demic librarians in their daily lives. From com­ munity colleges retooling and retaining our workforce to working hand-and-hand with public libraries, especially in many rural ar­ eas, academic librarians not only contribute to advanced research and exploration but also help create a comprehensive learning com­ munity across the nation. Strauch: I am an academic librarian and have been for more than 20 years. I agree that academic librarians are not visible in ALA publicity, materials, and advocacy efforts. There is too much apathy in the profession, particularly among academic librarians. I want to do my best to change that. I am a front­ line, practicing academic librarian. Academic librarians need more of a voice on ALA Coun­ cil, on ALA Executive Board, and in A m eri­ c a n Libraries. But, first, academic librarians must vote and make their voices heard. Do you know that less than 7 percent of the mem­ bership voted in last year’s presidential elec­ tion? There are more than 65,000 members in ALA! As president, I will work to make the ALA balloting more straightforward. We are all busy people and the current voting system is cum­ bersome and somewhat of a mystery. I want to change all this, at least by making more information available on the entire voting pro­ cess and procedure and making it easier to vote. I am not holding myself up as a para­ gon. Many is the time I have not voted in ALA elections. We must change this phenom­ enon together. 3. A m a jo rity o f lib r a ria n s a r e n o t m em b ers o f ALA. Is ALA relev an t and vi­ ta l to librarian s? H ow c a n ALA p osition itself to p rov id e co m p ellin g re le v a n cy to th e p ro fessio n in a d ifferen t future? H ayden: As we face challenging times, ALA can be even more responsive to mem­ bers’ needs and concerns, while continuing its advocacy role. At approximately 63,000 members, ALA has almost half of the esti­ mated 150,000 librarians in the United States as members. I know that for many the price of membership, excluding divisions, is beyond the reach of those with an average salary and no institutional support, especially support staff. http://www 200 / C&RL News ■ March 2002 I fa c e m a n y o f th e is s u e s o f o u r p r o f e s s io n d a ily , n o t as t h e o r y o r s u p p o s it io n , b u t a s h a rd r e a lit ie s t h a t re q u ire s o u n d d e c is io n m a k in g a n d c o n s e n s u s b u ild in g . A s p re s id e n t, I w o u ld w o r k f o r m o re in c lu s io n o f d iv e r s e g r o u p s a n d v ie w s , w h ile p r o v id in g a p o s it iv e fo r c e f o r c h a n g e a n d c o n tin u ity . — C a r la D. H a y d e n My experiences as a member for more than 22 years have helped shape my career and contributed significantly to my professional and personal development. Leadership de­ velopment can be shared with chapters, di­ visions, and other associations. We can all work together to improve communications and increase membership. Part of that effort must include demonstrated interest in the real needs of frontline librarians and administra­ tors in all types o f libraries. That knowledge can then be used to create more relevant and timely materials, programs, and regional workshops. Strau ch : I have seen figures that estimate that there are more than 140,000 librarians in the United States. This means that ALA has barely 46 percent o f the librarian popu­ lation as members. In running for president, I have talked to a lot o f people. I would say that, easily, half o f them are not ALA mem­ bers, yet they work in the profession in some sort o f library-related job. They have many reasons which sound valid for the situation. But ALA is a membership organization. It is not an amorphous “they” out there. ALA is you and me. If ALA is not providing relevancy to the profession, it is because we are either not speaking up or not being heard. If you are not a m em ber o f ALA, why? What can w e change to make you want to b e a mem­ ber? If you are a m em ber o f ALA but are thinking o f not renewing your membership, what can we do to make you want to re­ join? And the “w e ” in this situation is you and I, not ALA. I think the profession is at a crossroads. I believe passionately in inform ation lit­ eracy, the im portance o f archiving e le c ­ t r o n ic i n f o r m a t i o n , th e v a lu e o f librarianship as a profession, and the new library as the com munity inform ation ce n ­ ter. But w e are being assailed from many sides. We must work together to make ALA speak for us. 4 . As ALA P re s id e n t, y o u w ill p re s id e o v e r ALA C o u n c il. H ow c a n C o u n c il b e st s p e n d its tim e to g e t h e r in th e b e st in te r e s ts o f th e a s s o c ia tio n ? W h a t is­ su es a r e a n d a r e n o t a p p r o p r ia te f o r C o u n cil d is c u s s io n a n d d eb ate? H a y d e n : The Council has an important role in initiating and prom oting issues for the association and membership to address. These include all matters, foreign and d o­ mestic, that could affect the future o f li­ braries and the information professions. We need unity yet must respect differences of opinion as we com e together to safeguard our values. This is even m ore important now as w e face many com p lex and ch al­ lenging issues. Council should ensure that process and personal agendas do not com ­ plicate the real need to address issues, such as cyberlegislation and threats to user pri­ vacy. As the presiding officer at council meetings, I will m ake sure the discussions remain civil and focused. S tra u ch : Talk about a loaded question! I’ll be honest. I had never b een to an ALA Council m eeting b efo re I was asked to run for president in Novem ber 2001. At ALA Midwinter in New O rleans, I was asked to attend some Council meetings and was also immediately made a m em ber o f the ALA Council electronic list. Surprisingly, I have b ee n really im pressed by ALA Council, its m embers, and its deliberations. ALA Coun­ cil, believe me as an outsider, is an incred­ ibly com m itted group o f m en and women. They care deeply for the profession and for ALA. Yes, in my opinion and many of yours, they do debate som e issues that we consider outside o f the purview o f a group o f professional librarians. As ALA President, I would do my best to confine discussions to real librarian and library issues. But we live in a dem ocratic society, thank goodness, and we have to adhere to the wishes o f the majority. This is why we all need to b eco m e m ore active in ALA. C&RL N ew s ■ M arch 2002 / 201 5. W h at a re th e a p p ro p ria te ro le s o f c o rp o ra te an d individual d o n o r s p o n s o r­ ships in th e su ccess o f ALA? How a re th ese p artn ersh ip s best developed, m aintained, an d n urtu red ? H ayden: Corporate and individual donors can be significant contributors to the mission and programs o f ALA, particularly in media campaigns and scholarship opportunities. By giving companies and individuals the ability to partner with us, w e increase our capacity to reach our goals. As with any fundraising effort, all partnerships should be made with a clear understanding betw een the parties regarding appropriate activities and expecta­ tions. Although gifts may be substantial, es­ pecially by some individuals, ALA must safe­ guard its mission and values at all times. The relationships can be maintained and nurtured by careful and sensitive stewardship. Exten­ sive communication with the donor and in­ clusion in some aspects o f program develop­ ment and implementation are essential to nurturing our relationships. S trau ch : Obviously, corporate and indi­ vidual donors play a role in ALA. I was look­ ing at the ALA 1999/2000 annual report the other night. About 4 percent (nearly a mil­ lion dollars) o f ALA’s budget com es from do­ nations and contributions. As a person who founded and has sustained the Charleston Conference for more than 21 years, I know the importance o f donations in maintaining the budget o f a nonprofit entity. As you say, it’s a partnership. Corporate and individual donors must feel, not resentment at being asked for money, but camaraderie for the good o f the order. I have a strong relation­ ship with many academic librarians, schol­ arly publishers, and vendors of library mate­ rials. We are all in this together. We need to work as partners to make our world viable in the 21st centuiy. 6. W h at know led ge, e x p e rie n c e , and skills d o y o u b rin g to th e p o sitio n o f ALA P resid en t? H ow w ill yo u p ro v id e lead er­ s h i p t o t h e m e m b e r s a n d f a c i l i t a t e p ro g re s s in m eetin g th e goals o f th e as­ so ciatio n ? Is th e re a p a rticu la r initiative y o u w a n t to p u rsu e in su p p o rt o f th e ALA strateg ic p lan ? W h at d o y o u h o p e to have a cco m p lish e d b y th e en d o f y o u r p r e s i ­ d en cy ? B u t A L A is a m e m b e r s h ip o r g a n iz a t io n . It is n o t an a m o r p h o u s “ t h e y ” o u t th e re . A L A is y o u a n d m e. If A L A is n o t p r o v id in g r e le v a n c y t o th e p r o fe s s io n , it is b e c a u s e w e a re e it h e r n o t s p e a k in g u p o r n o t b e in g h e a rd .— K a t in a S t r a u c h H a y d e n : During my career I have b ee n on the frontlines, in library and nonlibrary boardroom s, in political arenas, appointed by ALA Past-Presidents to serve on and chair numerous committees and task forces, taught at four library sch oo ls, written on library issues, and m ade national and in­ ternational presentations. My e xp e rien ces p rep are m e to address the c o n c ern s o f m em bership and b e an effective advocate for the profession and libraries. I face many o f the issues o f our profession daily, not as theory or supposition, but as hard reali­ ties that require sound decision making and consensus building. As president, I would w ork for more in clu sio n o f diverse groups and view s, w hile providing a positive force for change and continuity. ALA Action 2005 contains tw o initiatives that I would like to co n c e n ­ trate on during my presidency: a) devel­ oping a model for 21st-century library prac­ tice encom p assing all form ats, all people, all m eans o f delivery, and all types and sizes o f libraries, and b ) that all ALA m em ­ bers will have a broad range o f service and product ch o ice s (including e le ctro n ic) to support their needs. By the end o f my presi­ dency, I h op e to have provided leadership in in creased inclusion and ch o ice for the m em bership, with progress b ein g made on inform ing the public o f our value and set­ ting the groundw ork for defining the li­ brary o f the future. S tra u ch : People who know me describe me as a high-energy and creative person. T hey call me an innovator, a risktaker, a mentor, and a role m odel. I like to m ake things happen and bring people together to discuss issues and build coalitions. That’s 202 / C&RL News ■ M arch 2002 A C R L m e m b e rs r u n n in g f o r A L A C o u n c il The following ACRL members are either nominated or petition candidates for ALA coun­cilor in the spring 2002 elections. ACRL members are encouraged to vote for these candidates to increase ACRL’s voice in ALA’s affairs. Gladys S m iley Bell, assistant director o f public services, Harvey Library, Hamp­ ton University H erb ert B iblo, Long Island Libraiy Re­ sources Council F ra n k A. B ru n o , library director, Prairie View A&M University J o h n E. B u sch m an , professor/librarian, Rider University Library T ara L. D irst, technology coordinator/ Lincoln Digitization Project, Northern Illi­ nois University David E a ste rb ro o k , curator, Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies, North­ western University Library B ra d fo rd Eden, head o f bibliographic and metadata services, University o f Nevada, Las Vegas D ebra H. Engel, director o f public ser­ vices, Bizzell Library, University o f Oklahoma E d w ard E razo , head of reference and instructional services, Florida International University J o h n W. F o ry s J r ., head, Engineering Library, University o f Iowa B e rn a rd Frad k in , dean o f learning re­ sources, College o f DuPage Library F red Gertler, head o f customer services, Santa Clara University L inda M arie G olian, university librar­ ian/reference team leader, Florida Gulf Coast University Library M ich ael G orm an , dean o f library ser­ vices, California State University R olan d C. H an sen , head o f access ser­ vices, Columbia College Library Heidi Lee H o erm an , instructor, Univer­ sity o f South Carolina, College o f Library and Information Science Ju lia n a G. ( J u l i e ) H u iskam p, coordi­ nator o f learning resources, Northeast Iowa Community College C h arlen e S. H urt, university librarian, Georgia State University J o h n G. Ja ffe , director of libraries and. integrated learning resources, Sweet Briar College J o y c e E. J e l k s , acquisitions referen ce librarian, Auburn Avenue R esearch Li­ brary on African-Am erican Culture and History R ob ert K lassen , consultant, Washing­ ton, D.C. K ath leen L. K luegel, reference librar­ ian and networked resources coordinator for reference, University o f Illinois at Ur- bana-Champaign Leslie K on g, head o f library public ser­ vices, California State University, San Ber­ nardino A m y E. M ark, head o f libraiy instruc­ tion, Jo h n Davis Williams Libraiy, Univer­ sity o f Mississippi P e te r M cD onald, associate university librarian for collection development, Syra­ cuse University Laurel M inott, assistant university librar­ ian for public services, Northwestern Uni­ versity Library P aula M urphy, research sendees librar­ ian, Chicago Historical Society Library S u san n a B a rtm a n n P ath ak , planning and assessment librarian, Virginia Common­ wealth University Libraries V ero n d a J . P itch fo rd , coordinator of membership services and special projects, Chicago Library System R o b ert R idinger, chair o f electronic in­ formation resources management, Founders Memorial Library, Northern Illinois Univer­ sity J o r d a n M. S cep an sk i, executive direc­ tor, Triangle Research Libraries Network P e g g y S e id e n , director o f libraries, Swarthmore College K aro ly n S. T h o m p so n , professor/inter- library loan coordinator, University o f South­ ern Mississippi M ark R. W atson , associate university librarian for technical sendees, University of Oregon B a rb a ra J . W ittkopf, reference/instαic- tion librarian, Louisiana State University Li­ braries C&RL N ew s ■ M arch 2002 / 203 why more than 21 years ago I founded the Charleston Conference, an informal and non­ com mercial annual meeting for publishers, vendors, and librarians, called “the most in­ telligent, provocative and useful of library c o n f e r e n c e s , ” an d a fe w y e a r s la te r published A g ain st th e G rain , a journal link­ ing publishers, vendors, and librarians, which Bill Katz has said is a “must have journal for anyone involved in publishing and/or library acquisitions w ork.” In 1999, with B e ck y Lenzini, G eorge Machovec, Chuck Hamaker, and many oth­ ers, I began Th e C h arleston A dvisor, an ele c­ tronic and print publication that reviews elec­ tronic products offered to the library mar­ ketplace. I think of myself more as a facilitator tha a leader. I try to observe what’s happening and persuade people to talk about what they n think about specific issues. I believe that the best solutions com e about through collabo­ ration and open communication. I believe strongly that w e need more of a blueprint for the librarian and libraries of the 21st centuiy. Many o f the “truths” that we learned in li­ braiy school are being challenged. Just one of the many questions: Should electronic in­ formation be archived? How much o f it? Who should do the archiving? These are com plex questions, and we need to develop a strat­ egy together, as a profession. By the end o f my presidency, I hope to have made all of us aware o f ALA and made ALA aware of us. I hope to see some real changes in how the membership is involved in the association. Please give me the opportunity to serve as your president. Vote! Thank you! See you at http://www.katina.info! ■ A CR L/H arvard L e a d e rs h ip In s titu te Academic libraries exist in a constantly changing environment with many new chal­ lenges and many available opportunities. New demands on academic libraries call for fundamental shifts in leadership know­ how. In response to these challenges, ACRL is collaborating with the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education to offer its popular ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute. At the ACRL/Harvard institute, you will be among your fellow leaders in academic librarianship. The institute is designed for directors o f libraries and individuals in po­ sitions such as associate university librar­ ian, assistant dean, vice president o f infor­ mation resources, university librarian, and college librarian. The institute would also be useful for individuals regularly involved in decision-making that affects the entire library operation and that involves other important relationships on campus. Comments from past participants in­ clude: “For the first time I have understood what I can find and see in myself to be a leader, and I know that I have excellent tools with which to do this. I will learn to build on my strengths.” “I expected excellence and that is ex­ actly what I found. The quality o f the pro­ gram, the faculty, and the participants made for an outstanding experience. Thank you for setting the tone and providing the space and time for open discussion and debate, laughter and learning.” “I think the mix and diversity o f partici­ pants was integral to the success o f the program. I enjoyed the chance to meet li­ brarians from all types o f academic institu­ tions, and all parts o f the country.” The 2002 ACRL/Harvard Leadership In­ stitute will be held in Cambridge, Massa­ chusetts, August 4 -9 , 2002. Registration ma­ terials and com plete details about the in­ stitute are available on the Web at http:// www.gse.harvard.edu/~ppe/. (Under pro­ grams, select “Higher Education,” then scroll down to ACRL Leadership Institute.) Reg­ ister early as spots will fill quickly. ACRL/ Harvard Leadership Institute alumni ben­ efits include a subscription to an ongoing electronic list and annual alumni reunions at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Questions about this institute can be di­ rected to acrl@ala.org; (800) 545-2433, ext. 2519. http://www.katina.info http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~ppe/ mailto:acrl@ala.org