ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries April 1 9 9 2 /2 4 9 ALA candidates share their plans for the future Be a n inform ed voter in the ALA elections F o r this exclusive C&RLNews feature, candi­ dates for ALA president an d treasurer w ere asked w hy they are seeking office an d w they h o p e to accom plish if elected. C&RL News ho p es these statem ents will aid you w h en you vote for ALA officers in this spring’s ballots. Hardy Franklin W hy do y o u w a n t to be president o f ALA? The unifying principle o f my career has b e e n to m easure everything I do in terms o f custom er service. It will b e the c e n tr a l th e m e o f m y presidency. The publics w e serve n eed m ore at­ tention, incentive, o p ­ p o r t u n it y , a n d e v e n m o r e p r o m p t i n g to m ake them feel invited, w e lc o m e d , a n d a c ­ cepted. I have dem onstrated m y ability as a leader Hardy Franklin w h o can b e visionary an d innovative, yet able to com bine traditional services w ith n ew creative approaches. I am able to motivate and w ork effectively w ith staff, trustees, elected officials, an d the general p u b ­ lic to provide quality and equitable services, program s, and activities. My career steps have b een the right ones to qualify m e to take th e m antle o f leadership of ALA. I have sacrificed an d w orked creatively, efficiently, an d effectively in these changing times. At this juncture o f m y career I can be an effective sp okesperson an d m odel for the p ro ­ fession. W hat do y o u hope to accom plish as presi­ dent? In these chaotic times, th ere is an im por­ tant role for libraries an d w e n eed to carve out h o u r space, prom ote our role, organize our su p ­ port, an d broaden, refine, and target our ser­ vices. T here are many types o f librarians and kinds of libraries doing really fantastic w ork an d providing excellent service. As national sp okesperson I w an t to raise the nation's con­ sciousness an d heighten aw areness of the es­ aste ntial custom er service role of today's librar­ ies in American society. My goal is sim ply to fill university an d other types o f libraries w ith m ore people. A know l­ edgeable, supportive com m unity of users will help level o u r paths in hard times, stave off budget cuts, an d provide influence an d sup­ port on m any levels. Adequate funding, literacy, cultural diversity, equal access, networking, and resource sharing are vital to service. Intellec­ tual freedom must be genuine and include train­ ing for librarians before problem s occur. Librar­ ies an d library schools m ust b e k e p t open, sufficiently funded, and staffed by qualified and equitably p aid personnel. As president of ALA I will pursue these goals even more strenuously than I have o n the local level. Kathleen de la Peña McCook (Heim) W hy do y o u w a n t to be p resident o f ALA? Vnis q u e stio n is inextricably e n ta n g le d in q u e s­ tion tw o. For each p o ­ sition I have sought in m y career— d ean o f a school o f library and in­ form ation science, dean o f a g rad u ate school, president o f ALISE— my reason has b een to ac­ co m p lish goals th a t I view ed as crucial and that I felt I h ad devel­ o p e d th e right com bi­ Kathleen de la Peña nation o f skills to move McCook (Heim) tow ard accomplishing. I have b een a librarian for 20 years; I have been April 1 9 9 2 /2 5 1 a university administrator for nine. I am faced w ith the choice at this time to move to higher levels of university administration that take me farther from my hom e discipline or to turn my attention to the mission of enhancing learning an d e n su rin g access to inform ation for all through the venue o f the American Library As­ sociation. I have chosen to try for the latter. W hat do y o u hope to accomplish as presi- dent? T hroughout my career my daily w ork has been a syncopated counterpoint o f expansive action to im plem ent policy and one-on-one interaction w ith students and colleagues. O n a given day I might present a plan to the state Board of Regents to enhance minority recruit­ m ent and then m eet in my office w ith a stu­ dent w hose research project has gone awry. If I had to characterize my w ork life it w ould be as a daily juxtaposition of the general and the particular. The presidency of the American Li­ brary Association w ould present a similar w ork life. The president sets an agenda, m akes com ­ mittee appointm ents, an d represents the m em ­ bership in the context o f one-on-one interac­ tions w ith users and colleagues. As a librarian I have continued to w ork on issues o f basic literacy through one-on-one tu ­ toring of minority children while at the sam e time writing and developing articles and stud­ ies on how basic education can prom ote life­ long learning. As president of the American Li­ brary Association my goals would be to articulate my very strong daily awareness of the needs of users for access to information and life-long learn­ ing through intensive development of the priorities set for the “Decade of the Librarian.” If I’m elected, my presidency w ould take place midway through the “D ecade o f the Li­ brarian” an d it w ould be my intent to develop program s and studies along the lines o f the vision statem ent o n librarians as fighters, lead­ ers, partners, experts, models, and profession­ als em pow ering others. My ALA involvement has provided m e substantive association ex p e­ rience in this area as I have served as chair, mem ber, o r task force m em ber o f the various comm ittees of the Office for Library Personnel Resources for 15 years. I also have solid ex p e­ rience o n gender issues as chair o f the Com­ mittee on the Status o f W om en in Librarian- ship, mem ber of the ERA Task Force, and author of books and articles o n issues relating to affir­ mative action and pay equity. Commitment to m ulticultural diversity— a requisite b ed ro ck foundation for an effective presidency—may b e seen in my w ork developing an ALA Goal Award for Minority Recruitment, service on the Giles Scholarship jury, and writing on the need for greater ethnic diversity in m y recent book, O ccupational Entry. As a university administrator I have broad experience w orking w ith faculty in dozens of disciplines and have h ad responsibility for their professional developm ent. Combining this ex­ perience w ith my primary w ork— education of librarians—positions me well to w ork to achieve the goals set forth by the ALA m em bership for the “D ecade of the Librarian.” I ho p e to accom plish m uch as ALA presi­ dent. In addition to advancing a personnel-re­ lated agenda, I look forward to identifying a multicultural cadre o f comm ittee appointm ents looking for colleagues w hose daily one-on-one comm itment is realized through their effective m ovem ent of best practice to policy. The mission statement o f the American Li­ brary Association is to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. It is my hope that during my presidency I will lead the associa­ tion toward the accomplishment of these ideals. Norman D. Stevens Why do y o u w a n t to he president o f ALA? Why not? As a boy getting m y first library card I dream t of som eday being president o f ALA. As a student in the G radu­ ate Library School at R u tg e rs m y c o n ta c ts w ith several presidents f u r th e re d m y d ream . Now I have a chance, albeit a slim one, to ful­ fill that lifelong am bi­ tion. As director o f the Molesworth Institute, I w an t to be president of ALA so that I can bring Norman Stevens to AIA the sam e com ­ bination o f fun, m adness, and true reality that pervades the w ork and play of the Molesworth Institute. I w ant to be president o f ALA to dem ­ onstrate to the entire m em bership that anyone can aspire to, and perhaps attain, the highest office o f O ur Profession. W hat do y o u hope to accomplish as presi­ dent? Not much! ALA has far too m any activi­ ties, agenda items, committees, programs, and other ventures as it seeks to b e all things to all o f its members. I ho p e that ALA might benefit from a pause in its frantic rush. By doing less, 2 5 2 /C&RL News even if only for a brief time, a n d enjoying the fun of librarianship, ALA could b eco m e a m ore enjoyable organization. As a life m em ber, but an outside casual observer w h o has h a d n o direct involvem ent w ith ALA for m any years, I believe that I can accom plish m uch that those w h o have becom e en m esh ed an d entren ch ed in ALA’s organizational bureaucracy an d m o­ rass cannot. W hile I w o u ld m ake every effort to red u ce the sco p e o f ALA’s activities during m y term o f office, I recognize that there are limits to the long-term im pact o f such an effort. I w ould, therefore, p ro p o se th e ad o p tio n o f severe limitations o n term s of office o n th e ALA Council a n d all o th er official positions includ­ ing com m ittee m em berships. I w o u ld also p ro ­ p o se th a t serious co n sid eratio n b e given to dism antling th e central b u reau cracy o f ALA an d setting th e divisions a n d ch ap te rs free to go th e ir o w n w ay en ab lin g th e m to form , if th e y w ish , a c o m m o n w e a lth stru c tu re th a t w o u ld b e tte r serve th e ir n e e d s a n d th e n eed s of ALA’s m em bers. Bernard A. Margolis W hy do y o u w a n t to be treasurer ofA L A ? I w ant to b e th e treasurer of the American Library As­ sociation b ecau se I believe that I can m ake a difference! ALA is re ­ sp o n d in g to th e tough tim es w hich m any o f us face in o u r o w n institu­ tions. W ith a total b u d ­ get o f over $25 million, o u r association e n d e d th i s y e a r w ith ju s t $22,000. If som eone had sn eezed w e could have b e e n in the deficit col­ umn. As a m anager w ith Bernard Margolis extensive experience in the use o f financial resources, I w an t to help o u r association. I direct a library w ith a $10 m illion budget. I serve as o n e o f ALA’s three en d o w m en t trustees, m anaging alm ost $5 mil­ lion. Inside an d outside of m y library w o rk I have com m itted m yself to using m y financial m anagem ent skills. I w as treasurer of th e Michi­ gan Library Consortium . I w as chairm an o f the U nited Way Allocations C omm ittee, spending over $3 million for com m unity services. As ALA is forced to co p e w ith today’s financial reali­ ties, tough decisions will n eed to be m ade which will perm it o u r association to address a n d re­ sp o n d to m em ber needs an d to the values which w e believe are im portant. I believe m y experi­ ence, skills, a n d desire can bring o u r associa­ tion thro u g h the tough tim es ahead. W hat do y o u hope to accomplish as treasurer? I h o p e, first an d forem ost, to bring creativity to the position o f treasurer. As a m em ber o f ACRL, I have seen the creative energies o f our m em ­ bers p u t to g o o d use. I believe o u r association can benefit from the creative talents of our m em ­ bers. Rather th an looking at dim inishing w hat w e d o for o u r m em bers an d for the larger com ­ m unity, I think w e n eed to look at the o p p o r­ tunity to b e m ore efficient a n d to use o u r re­ sources m ore creatively. Rather than discussion, for instance, o f elim inating o u r toll-free m em ­ b e r line, I im agine sh o p p in g for alternative 800 carriers w h o can provide the sam e service at a low er cost. Rather th an considering elim inat­ ing conference shuttle buses, I envision co n ­ ducting fundraising to su p p o rt the cost o f this im portant service. And th e list goes on. I b e ­ lieve m y m ost im portant accom plishm ent will b e fiscal restraint c o u p led w ith the effective use o f creativity. Judith A. Sessions W hy do y o u w a n t to be treasurer o f ALA? The position of ALA treasurer is critical to ensuring the future success an d integrity o f the associa­ tion. ALA has becom e so large and com plex an organization that there is a d an g er that the b u ­ reaucracy will drive the m em bers instead o f b e ­ ing driven by them . A grassroots ap p ro ach to m anagem ent will foster a m ore satisfied an d ac­ tive m em bership, result­ ing in a healthier, m ore Judith Sessions fo c u s e d o rg a n iz a tio n . As treasurer I w an t to play a key role in reas­ sessing the values a n d carrying o u t the priori­ ties an d vision of its m em bers thro u g h th e b u d ­ geting process. D u rin g m y tw o d e c a d e s o f service to ALA a n d th e library p rofession, I h av e g ain ed th e financial k n o w led g e, e x p e ri­ en ce, p lan n in g skills, an d lead e rsh ip ability to h elp g u id e th e fiscal affairs o f ALA to w ard th a t goal. W hat do y o u hope to accom plish as treasurer? As treasurer o f ALA m y first goal will b e to develop a b u d g et that supports th e priorities o f th e association, as stated in th e ALA Strate- We’ll give you a spectacular view o f the science world. NEW IN 1992: Science Citation Index® Compact Disc Edition with ABSTRACTS The best thing is, you need go no farther than your computer terminal — where you’ll see it all in the Science Citation Indent Compact Disc Edition. With simple keystrokes, you’re viewing the bibliographic records o f 3,100 leading science jour­ nals...and running lightning-fast searches to retrieve data on thousands o f research topics. Another keystroke activates Related Records™, the powerful searching mechanism available only from ISI®. W hen you find one pertinent article, you’re automatically led to many more, even if they have no title words in common! I t ’s information you’d find no other way — information that could have a dramatic impact o n your research. And newly available in 1992, searchable abstracts to make your search session even more complete. Reserve a free trial copy or demo diskette o f the SCI® CDE by calling 8 0 0 -3 3 6 -4 4 7 4 , o p erato r R 4 6 7 , o r write the ISI office nearest you. Institute for Scientific Information® 3501 M a rk e t S tre e t, P h ila d e lp h ia , P A 1 9 1 0 4 -3 3 8 9 U .S .A . T e le p h o n e : (2 1 5) 3 86 -0 1 0 0 , Fax: (2 1 5) 386-2911 ISI European B ranch: 132 High Street, Uxbridge, UB8 1DP U. K. Telephone: +44-895-270016 Fax: +44-895-256710 Telex: 933693 UKISI 2 5 4 /C&RL News gic Plan. It is essential that the association ana­ lyze its fiscal affairs in a systematic m anner in order to ensure that its valuable resources are u sed to further the essential values shared by its members. As treasurer of ALA I will endeavor to de-politicize the relationship betw een the elected an d staff leadership o f the association and prom ote a positive w orking atm osphere w hich perm its the free exchange and evalua­ tion of ideas. I will strive to develop a positive and mutually respectful team relationship b e­ tw een the ALA treasurer, the ALA financial staff, an d top m anagem ent. I will search vigorously for creative ways to generate additional income, thereby strengthening the association’s finan­ cial base while offsetting the n eed for dues in­ creases. To provide m ore timely, correct, and com prehensible financial inform ation, I will w o rk w ith staff to integrate n ew autom ated systems for fiscal m anagem ent an d planning. During uncertain financial times, our associa­ tion can only rem ain healthy through sound financial planning. With m y experience, skills, and proven leadership, ALA can m aintain tra­ ditional values and prepare itself for th e transi­ tion to the 21st century. Ann Symons W hy do y o u w a n t to be treasurer o f ALA? I seek y o u r vote because I care about library services in my hom etow n and I care about library ser­ v ic e s in y o u r h o m e ­ tow n. ALA is a rich as­ s o c i a t i o n ; ric h in financial assets, rich in p e o p le re s o u rc e s. As y o u r treasurer I will en ­ sure that o u r assets are protected and that w e use our resources to sig­ n ifican tly a d v a n c e li- brarianship and benefit library users. Ann Symons ALA is not a library, it is a com plex association w hich runs several businesses to m eet m em ber needs. Each year w e m ust raise all o f the dollars w e n eed to fund o u r priorities. O u r collective resources can becom e even m ore pow erful if w e view every dollar o f m em ber dues— and every h o u r o f vol­ u n teer time— as an investm ent in the future o f library services. W hat do y o u hope to accomplish as treasurer? As your treasurer my comm itment is to make s u r e o u r v a lu e s u n d e r l ie o u r f in a n c ia l decisions, im plem ent sound financial planning systems, build a full-fledged developm ent pro­ gram, ensure that our dues are affordable and our divisions an d offices healthy, m ake infor­ m a tio n a v a ila b le a n d u n d e r s ta n d a b l e so that w e have a basis for so u n d decision m ak­ ing, an d enhance our endow m ent. As a chapter councilor, a m em ber o f the Executive Board and its Finance and Audit Com­ mittee, and Chair o f the Executive B oard Pro­ cedures Review Committee, I know my way around th e com plex ALA financial and organi­ zational structure. My proven record at local, state, and national levels has resulted in my elec­ tion to the following offices: ALA Executive Board, ALA Council as Alaska’s chapter coun­ cilor, treasurer of the Alaska Library Associa­ tion (AkLA), president o f AASL/Alaska, and AkLA’s Executive Board. As a school librarian, a form er academ ic librarian, and a public li­ brary friend, I understand the issues facing all types of libraries. I know the questions to ask. I will use my know ledge an d experience to b e sure that ALA has the answ ers and the financial resources to fund solutions—solutions to problem s like p u b ­ lic aw areness, funding, censorship, diversity, access, professional status, and education. I will w ork w ith you to m ake a difference. ■ Call for sci/tech abstracts ACRL’s Science an d T echnology Section’s Forum for Science and Technology Research Committee invites abstracts describing recent research or w ork in progress o f interest to science a n d /o r technology librarians. Indi­ viduals will be selected to present reports of their research at the 1993 ALA A nnual Con­ ference in New Orleans. Research should fo­ cus o n timely, relevant, an d significant as­ p e c t s o f s c i e n c e a n d / o r t e c h n o l o g y librarianship. Proposals should be limited to one page and contain an abstract of no more than 250 w ords, the researcher’s nam e, in­ stitution, p h o n e num ber, and e-mail address (w hen available). D eadline for submissions: January 1,1993. Send abstracts to Katie Clark, H ead, Life Sciences Library, E2O5 Pattee Li­ brary, Pennsylvania State University, Univer­ sity Park, PA 16802; fax (814) 865-3708; or bitnet: kec@psulias.