ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 182 / C&RL News ■ March 2003 C o l l e g e & R e s e a r c h L i b r a r i e s Meet the candidates for ALA President Vote in the election this spring by Carol Brey, Robert R. Newlen, and Herman L. Totten The ACRL Board of Di­rectors posed the fol­ lowing questions to the can­ didates for ALA President, and C&RL N ews is pleased to publish their responses. Each candidate was given 1,200 words in which he or she could choose to of­ fer a brief opening state­ ment and to respond to the Carol Brey questions; the responses are identified under each of the six questions. Questions fo r A LA candidates 1. W h at are th e tw o m o st im p ortan t issues th at will assu re th e stren g th o f o u r p rofession in th e future? W hat ideas do you have to address th ese issues as ALA president? Brey: As reported in A m ericαn Libraries, a re­ cent query on the Chapter Relations list found that “members want their [ALA] dues invested in helping the public realize how valuable libraries … and their librarians … really are.” I believe that advocacy for libraries and the people who work in them is one of the most important issues that will assure the strength of our profession in the future. I would address this issue by strengthening the ALA Library Advocacy Network and cam- Robert R. Newlen Herman L. Totten paigns such as the Campaign for America’s Librar­ ies with its distinctive your library” brand. The second issue is the importance of literacy and intellectual freedom in our communities. I am currently the director of the El Paso (Texas) Pub­ lic Library, in a community where 37 percent of our adults cannot read or write well enough to function in our society. Through literacy programs and lifelong learning initiatives, we must assist those who cannot fully participate in our democ­ racy. We must also protect our patrons’ privacy, now threatened by the USA Patriot Act and other laws. I support a recent resolution passed by the ALA Council, which asks that Congress “amend, change or eliminate” those sections of the law that compromise our patrons’ privacy. Newlen: This question gets at the very reason I decided to run for ALA President by petition at About the authors Carol B rey is dire cto r o f the E l Paso Public Library, e-mail: breycx@ ci.el-paso.tx.us; R o b e rt R. N ewlen is he a d o f the Legislative Relations Office, Congressional Research Service at the Library o f Congress, e-mail: rnewlen@crs.loc.gov; and Herman L. Totten is regents professor o f library and information sciences and faculty executive assistant to the president at University o f North Texas, e-mail: totten@unt.edu mailto:breycx@ci.el-paso.tx.us mailto:rnewlen@crs.loc.gov mailto:totten@unt.edu C8,RL News ■ M arch 2003 / 183 the last minute. If elected, I will bring the association’s full focus on the number one issue facing every library in America today: funding. Libraries are seeing decreases in every type of rev­ enue they receive. We can only reverse these fund­ ing cuts if we immediately strengthen and sup­ port the work of our Washington office, both financially and through strategically coordinating the voices of our 65,000 members and millions of users. Working on Capitol Hill for more than 25 years, I know the value of ALA’s presence in Washing­ ton and the need to leverage our strength with carefully chosen partners. If elected, I would make supporting these efforts my number one priority because without success in the legislative arena, all of ALA’s other efforts on behalf of our nation’s library users are moot. I would work hard to mo­ bilize the talents of our members: librarians, li­ brary support staff, trustees, vendors, and other friends of libraries and library users to help per­ suade policymakers. The second issue I want to address as ALA president is ensuring intellectual freedom for li­ brary users. I believe this is best done by building a strong financial future for ALA. Intellectual free­ dom underlies everything libraries stand for. It is the raison d’etre of our mission. Without intellec­ tual freedom, there is no value in making informa­ tion and ideas readily available. ALA has incurred enormous legal bills defending against such threats. As president, I will commit myself to leading a much better-coordinated, ongoing vehicle for build­ ing a strong financial base. As an Executive Board member and Endowment Trustee, I have advo­ cated for strategic and business planning for the association, expansion of fundraising and planned giving activities, and development o f new rev­ enue sources. Totten: The two most important issues that will assure the strength of our profession in the future are two of the five planks in my platform: 1) cultural diversity and 2) access of information. Libraries provide services to increasingly di­ verse populations. We must understand that di­ versity not only includes ethnicity, but also age, gender, social class, sexual orientation, or physical disabilities. The need for equity of access—free access for everyone to libraries and information, is para­ mount. American libraries will play a fundamen­ tal role in applying information to the needs of the economic, technical, political, and natural en­ vironments. I believe th at advocacy fo r libraries and the people w ho w o rk in them is one of the m ost im portant issues that w ill assure the strength o f our profession in the future.—Carol Brey 2. Academic and research libraries and librarians a re n o t highly visible in ALA publicity, m aterials, and advocacy efforts. W hat will you do to generate m o re know l­ edge and appreciation o f the role academic libraries play in advancing research , edu­ cation, and civic and econ om ic develop­ ment? Brey: I worked in an academic library while in college and worked as a law librarian in my consulting firm, V isions. I have also worked closely during my career with many academic librarians in communities all across the Mid­ west and Southwest. I know that academic and research librarians face many of the same issues as public librarians when it com es to making their communities aware o f the ser­ vices they provide, and educating administra­ tors regarding the importance of libraries within their organizations. ALA is currently working with ACRL to develop a “Campaign for Academic Libraries,” which will help our profession draw more attention to academic and research libraries across our nation. Newlen: Having spent my entire career in a research library, this question is near and dear to my heart. I understand the challenges aca­ demic and research libraries face in the advo­ cacy and public relations arena. As president, I would more aggressively pro­ mote the critical roles academic librarians play in several ways. First, I would work with ALA’s fine public information office staff to communicate and cooperate more closely with other associa­ tions and agencies who work with the higher edu­ cation community. Second, having served as ALA Awards Committee chair, I see a number o f excellent opportunities to give more vis­ ibility to awards related to academic and re­ search libraries. I will also be interested to see how the @your library campaign can focus on research libraries. T otten : Academic librarians play an inte­ gral role in the development and administra- 184 / C&RL News ■ March 2003 tio n o f lifelong learn in g . In m y 32 y ears as an educator teaching academ ic librarianship, I have a n d w ill c o n tin u e to m a in ta in m y affiliatio n w ith academ ic libraries a n d will em p h asize the distinctive cap acities a n d c o n trib u tio n s o f th e a c a d e m ic library — this e m p h a s is will initiate th e aw aren ess n e e d e d to p ro m o te academ ic li­ braries as th e vehicle to carry th e conventional values o f library service into the academ ic com ­ m unity a n d beyond. 3. D o y o u th in k the @ you r library c a m p a ig n h as b e e n e ffe c tiv e ? W h a t changes w o u ld y ou suggest? Brey: T h e C am paign for A m erica’s Librar­ ies h a s c ertain ly b e e n effective, w ith libraries in all 50 s ta te s n o w p a rtic ip a tin g . It h a s a ls o in s p ir e d “T h e C a m p a ig n fo r th e W o rld ’s Li­ b ra rie s,” w h ic h is n o w o p e ra tin g in n e a rly 20 foreign countries. I believe w e c a n d o m o re to b ring this cam p a ig n to th e A m erican p e o p le . I h av e b e e n a m e m b e r o f th e Library A dvocacy N e tw o rk sin c e its in c e p tio n , a n d I h a v e s e e n advocacy tech n iq u es w o rk — w ith City Council m em bers, state legislators, b o a rd m em bers, an d o th e r decisio n -m ak ers. I h a v e b e e n th e d irec­ to r o f th e El P a so P u b lic L ibrary fo r a b o u t 2' years, a n d in th at tim e w e h av e in c re a se d o u r library b u d g e t b y nearly 30 p e rc e n t. We h av e acco m p lish ed this b y h elp in g librarians a n d li­ brary su p p o rte rs in o u r co m m u n ity find a co l­ lective v o ice in sp e a k in g u p fo r libraries. N ewlen: T h e @ y o u r lib ra ry c a m p a ig n is enormously exciting because it has p ut “library" as a concept in front o f nonlibrary users w here they are: at Major League baseball games, o n television ads, a n d in n atio n al advertising m edia. As it is rolled o u t for academ ic a n d research libraries at the ACRL National Conference in April, it will b e im p o rtan t to ev alu a te h o w w ell it translates to the specific marketing needs o f the academic com­ munity. If it is n o t successful, w e n eed to explore alternatives. I am m ost anxious to see @y o u r li­ b rary m o v e o u t o f th e library a n d in to th e community-at-large. For exam ple, o n th e side of dorm buildings, in faculty office buildings, an d in the chancellor’s office. But fundamentally, I need to hear from you. Does it w ork in your college and university? Totten: T he @your library cam paign is still in its beginning stages, how ever, it prom ises to b e a successful e n d e a v o r. B o th th e ALA E xecutive B oard an d th e ACRL Executive B oard are very supportive o f the campaign. I cannot see any nec­ essary changes at this time. 4. A m ajority o f librarians are n ot members o f ALA. Is ALA relevant and vital to librarians? H ow can ALA position it­ self to provide com pelling relevancy to the profession in a different future? Brey: O u r association has d o u b le d in size in the past 30 years an d has nearly 64,000 m em bers today—so it appears that ALA must be doing some­ thing right. We can build o n o u r past success by continuing initiatives that appeal to o u r m em ber­ ship, such as th e B etter Salaries a n d Pay Equity Initiative, b eg u n by current ALA President Mitch F reedm an. I have b e e n a m e m b e r o f the Better Salaries Task Force for m ore than a year an d have h e lp e d train librarians a n d library w orkers from all o v er th e country to advocate for b etter sala­ ries. ALA do es rep resen t a majority o f librarians from som e types o f libraries, particularly public and academic libraries. This may b e d u e in part to th e excellent w o rk that divisions, su ch as ACRL an d PLA, d o to reach mem bers. Newlen: T h a t ALA is, in fact, re le v a n t is a proven fact demonstrated by the fact that its m em ­ bership continues to grow dramatically amidst both a challenging econom y an d after a significant dues increase. ALA’s effectiveness in meeting m em ber needs is reflected by o n e of the highest m em ber­ ship renew al rates am ong all professional associa­ tions. If elected, I w o u ld h e lp ALA b e tte r p o si­ tio n itself for co n tin u in g to successfully attract new members and retain existing members by con­ tinuing em phasis o n increasing library w orkers’ salaries. Totten: T h e m ajority o f lib rarian s a re n o t m e m b e r s o f ALA b e c a u s e th e y b e lie v e th a t ALA h a s n o t f o c u s e d its a tt e n ti o n o n th e librarian’s w elfare. Instead, ALA has p ro m o te d th e im p ro v e m e n t o f lib raries a n d lib rary s e r­ vices. H o w e v e r, th e ALA C o u n cil, in its M id­ w in te r 2003 M eetings o f C ouncil, p a s s e d b y ­ law s fo r th e n e w o rg a n iz a tio n , ALA-APA (Al­ lied P rofessional A ssociation). T his n e w o rg a ­ n iz a tio n w ill p e rm it ALA, fo r th e first tim e in its h isto ry , th e o p p o rtu n ity to fo c u s its a tte n ­ tio n o n tw o o f th e m o st im p o rtan t issues faced b y librarians: 1) certification a n d 2) a d e q u a te salary com pensation. (ALA-APA d o e s n o t place ALA’s ta x -ex em p t status in jeo p ard y by lo b b y ­ ing fo r certification a n d b e tte r salarie s.) N ow th a t ALA h a s f o u n d a w a y to fo c u s its a tte n ­ tio n o n th e lib rarian ’s w elfare, it is m y sincere b e lie f th a t ALA c a n a n d w ill p la y a re le v a n t a n d vital ro le th a t w ill s u p p o r t b o th lib raries a n d librarians. C&RL News ■ March 2003 / 185 5. As ALA president, you will preside over ALA Council. H ow can Council best spend its time together in the best inter­ est o f the association? What issues are and are not appropriate for Council discus­ sion and debate? Brey: I hav e b e e n a m em b er o f ALA C oun­ cil fo r n early six years, first as c h a p te r c o u n ­ cilor from Illinois a n d currently as a councilor- at-large. In th at time I have seen Council enact a nu m b er o f changes to help its m em bers w ork to g e th e r m o re effectively. T h e C ouncil ele c ­ tronic list allows mem bers to discuss issues and re v ie w d ra ft re s o lu tio n s p rio r to c o m in g to C ouncil sessions, w hich helps us to m ake b e t­ te r u s e o f o u r tim e o n ce o n th e C ouncil floor. A n e w parliam entarian w as hired this year, Eli Mina, w h o is teaching Council m em bers w ays to use parliamentary procedure m ore effectively to a cco m p lish th e w o rk o f Council. I believe that any issue related to libraries and th e w o rk o f library stakeholders is appropriate for C ouncil discussion an d debate, particularly those issues o f greatest interest to our members. As chair o f the Council orientation comm ittee, I have been encouraging Council members, particu­ larly councilors-at-large, to develop a constitu­ ency that can provide them feedback o n Council issues and actions. Newlen: C ouncil sh o u ld focus o n th e big ticket items that impact our profession an d asso­ ciation. Less energ y should be devoted to “house­ keeping” activities, which consum e an enormous am ount o f time. T w o strategies can facilitate ef­ fective use o f Council’s limited in-person meeting time. First, use online discussion before an issue reaches the floor. Second, use the committees to thoroughly vet resolutions and proposals. The pas­ sage o f th e APA in Philadelphia is o n e exam ple w here both strategies w orked well. Totten: T h e only ap p ro p riate issues for Council to discuss and debate are policy issues. My abilities as a skilled parliamentarian enable m e to k eep the Council agenda focused o n policy issues. I believe that Jam es B. Stewart, library director o f the Victoria Public Library in Victoria, Texas, said it best w h en he w rote a tribute for m y ALA candidacy Web site (http:// w w w .u n t.e d u / t o t t e n / tr ib u t e s .h tm ) : “O v e r the years I have know n Herman, I have often agreed w ith him, but I have also disagreed with him o n association matters. As a rule, I agree and disagree strongly. H erman can handle dis­ agreement, debate ideas, and remain a colleague Intellectual freedom underlies everything libraries stand for. It is the raison d'etre of our mission. Without intellectual freedom, there is no value in making information and ideas readily available. —Robert R. Newlen an d a friend. I think this is extremely important in a leader for th e ALA.” 6. What can ALA do to address/facili­ tate m em ber participation during this period o f reduced professional travel op­ portunities? Brey: T h e re are a n u m b e r o f w ays to a d ­ dress th e issue o f in v o lv em en t in ALA during this period o f red u ced budgets for professional travel. ALA has b e e n exploring different w ays to involve m em b ers, th ro u g h su c h m e a n s as videoconfer-encing, W ebcasts, a n d electronic meetings. A nother possibility might b e regional meetings such as those conducted by th e Texas Library A ssociation (TLA). T h e state o f Texas is p ro b a b ly a b o u t th e sa m e size as N ew E n­ g land, a n d TLA has d iv id ed o u r state in to re ­ g io n s to facilitate m o re o p p o rtu n itie s to n e t­ w o rk w ith c o lleag u es. E ach re g io n h o ld s its ow n annual meeting, an d in m y region o f Texas w e m e e t w ith th e B order Regional Library As­ so ciatio n as w ell, w h ic h re p re se n ts so u th e rn New Mexico, El Paso, and Cd. Juarez in Mexico. Newlen: T here are m any opportunities for involving m em b ers virtually, a n d w e n e e d to identify an d m arket these m ore aggressively in ALA m e m b e rs h ip in fo rm a tio n . A g re a t e x ­ am ple is the opportunity I h a d as Awards Com­ m itte e c h a ir w h e re m a n y o f th e m e m b e rs I a p p o in te d n e v e r m et in p erso n . Instead, they com m unicated via e-m ail an d conference call. T h e W ashington Office is especially skilled at involving m e m b e rs virtually, b u t fo r Legisla­ tive D ay th ere is n o substitution for in -p erso n contact. If elected, I am com m itted to e x p lo r­ in g n e w w ays th a t w e c a n b rin g m o re o f o u r m em bers to W ashington, D.C. Totten: ALA must provide more virtual w ork­ shops and conferences. I recently attended a Par­ liamentary Procedures Workshop devoted entirely to parliamentary procedures for virtual meetings http://www.unt.edu/totten/tributes.htm 186 / C&RL News ■ March 2003 Libraries provide services to increasingly diverse populations. We must understand that diversity not only includes ethnicity, but also age, gender, social class, sexual orientation, or physical disabilities.—Herman L. Totten o f legislative bodies, boards, task forces, an d com m ittees. I kn o w from ex p erien ce that vir­ tual m eetings are a viable alternative for face- to-face meetings. 7. As ALA president, h ow w ill you address the recruitm ent and retention o f librarians in the profession ? H ow m ight retired librarians be encouraged to remain involved in the w ork o f ALA? Brey: I b eliev e th at initiatives su c h as the ALA Spectrum Initiative are extrem ely im por­ tant to the grow th a n d diversity o f o u r profes­ sion, an d should receive ev en greater support. We c a n w o rk to g e th e r to c re a te local initia­ tiv es as w ell, s u c h as th e “G ro w Y our O w n Librarian” program w e h av e at El Paso Public Library, w h ic h e n c o u ra g e s s u p p o r t staff to p u rsu e a m aster’s d eg ree in library an d infor­ m ation science through tuition reim bursem ent an d o th er incentives. Retired librarians should b e surveyed to de­ te rm in e w h a t issu e s a re m o s t im p o rta n t to them , in o rd e r to m aintain th e ir involvem ent in ALA. I p e rs o n a lly d o n o t b eliev e th a t an y librarian ev er truly “retire s,” b e c a u se m o st of u s hav e d e v o te d o u r lives to this p ro fe ssio n an d c o n tin u e to b e d e d ic a te d to literacy a n d information access long after w e leave o u r pay­ ing jobs. Newlen: O v e r th e last se v e ra l d e c a d e s , ALA has tried an incredible array o f techniques to attract n ew librarians— b o th n ew librarians generally an d a m ore diverse w orkforce in par­ ticular. W hile all o f these have m et w ith som e degree o f success, n o n e has b e e n m ore clearly successful th a n th e S p ectru m Initiative. As I lo o k b a c k o n m y y ears o n ALA’s E xecutive B oard, I ’m p r o u d th a t I u n e q u iv o c a lly s u p ­ p o r te d S p ectru m w h e n M artin G o m e z b ril­ liantly p ro p o s e d this initiative. A n o th er v ery practical re c ru itm e n t strateg y is w o rk in g for better salaries. If elected, I w o u ld carry o n the lo n g -o v e rd u e im p o rta n t focus a n d atten tio n ALA P re sid e n t M itch F reed m an h as b ro u g h t to th at area. In term s o f a different ap p ro ach , I believe w e have n ev er m ark eted the full range o f ca­ reers that are possible w ith a library an d infor­ m ation studies degree. Thus, potential candi­ dates c a n ’t se e th e truly w id e ran g e o f career p o ssib ilitie s a n MLS affords. I ’m a g o o d e x ­ am ple, m y library d eg ree o p e n e d u p a w hole ran g e o f ca re e r o p p o rtu n itie s fo r m e an d al­ low ed m e to go in multiple directions. Finally, w e d o n ’t start recruitment efforts early enough. We n e e d to d o m o re at a y o u n g e r ag e w h e n children an d teens are looking at role models. As for retired librarians, they bring an incred­ ible w ealth o f institutional know ledge to the as­ sociation. There are many ways they can be used, such as grassroots coordinators for legislative ef­ forts and as mentors to new librarians. Totten: As ALA p re s id e n t, I w o u ld u se m eth o d s to recruit a n d retain librarians in the profession that I have u se d successfully as as­ so c ia te d e a n o f a library e d u c a tio n p ro g ra m for th e past 30 years. I w o u ld d ev elo p a strat­ eg y e n a b lin g p ra c tic in g lib rarian s to a tte n d graduate school fairs o n m ajor cam puses to re­ cruit th e b rig h test a n d th e b est in to th e field o f librarianship. A tried an d true retention device is inform­ ing p ro sp e c tiv e library stu d e n ts o f th e avail­ able funds that m any academ ic libraries use to pay tuition and fees in exchange for a two-year com m itm ent o f service to the institution u p o n th e stu d en t’s graduation. T he ALA Retired Librarians R oundtable re­ ally needs to b eef u p its mem bership program ­ ming to attract retired librarians. Also, as presi­ dent, since I feel that retired librarians are o n e o f o u r g reatest assets, I w o u ld initiate a p ro ­ g ram fo r co m m ittee a p p o in tm e n ts m o d e le d after th e N ew M em bers R oundtable, w h ereas each com m ittee w o u ld have a designated slot for a retired librarian, just as com m ittees now have a designated slot for n ew mem bers. 8. W hat knowledge, experience, and skills do you bring to the p osition o f ALA president? How w ill you provide leadership to the m em bers and facili­ tate progress in m eeting the goals o f the association? H ow w ill you provide responsible stewardship o f the m em ­ b ers’ assets? Is there a particular ini- C&RL News ■ March 2 0 0 3 / 187 tiative y ou want to pursue in support o f the ALA strategic plan? W h at do you h o p e to have a ccom plish ed b y the end o f y o u r presidency? Brey: I b rin g to th e ALA p re sid e n c y m o re th a n 22 y e a r s ’ e x p e rie n c e as a lib ra ria n a n d library administrator, an d during that time have b e e n a n active m e m b e r o f ALA a n d its c h a p ­ te rs in M isso u ri, O k la h o m a , Illin o is, N ew Mexico, a n d Texas. I also have ten years’ ex p e­ rie n c e as a strategic p la n n in g consultant, an d w o u ld u se m y skills a n d e x p e rie n c e to w o rk w ith m em b ers to create a vision for th e future o f ALA— o n e th a t w e c a n w o rk to g e th e r o n to accom plish. T here are m any checks and balances in place to e n s u r e fiscal stability fo r o u r organization. As p r e s id e n t o f ALA, I w o u ld w o rk w ith th e B u d g e t A n aly sis a n d R ev iew C o m m itte e (BARC), ALA staff, a n d th e ALA tr e a s u re r to m ak e th e b est u se o f o u r m em b ers’ assets. By th e e n d o f m y presidency, I plan to have m o b iliz e d o u r m em b ersh ip to s tre n g th e n th e Cam paign for America’s Libraries, w hich in turn w ill s tre n g th e n o u r libraries a n d im p ro v e th e p a y lib rary w o rk e rs receive. I w ill also w o rk h a rd to in c re a se diversity w ithin o u r asso cia­ tion, a n d in o u r profession. Libraries are criti­ cal to a su c c e ssfu l fu tu re fo r o u r n a tio n , a n d w e m u st n o t fo rg et th e ro le w e play to en su re a strong democracy. N ew len: I b rin g th re e th in g s to th e p o s i­ tio n o f P re sid e n t: • a b o tto m s-u p u n d erstan d in g o f ALA a n d its m em bers having b e e n a n active m em ber for o v e r 20 years, serving in ev ery p a rt o f th e as­ s o c ia tio n fro m NMRT to ALA’s E x e c u tiv e Board; • a stro n g k n o w le d g e o f W ashington a n d th e legislative arena; an d • a b r o a d k n o w le d g e o f ALA’s fin a n c e s, having served o n the B oard an d m ore currently as a n E n d o w m en t Trustee. I a m a c o n s e n s u s b u ild e r, a n d I h o p e to facilitate pro g ress in m eeting ALA goals b y fo­ cusing o n o u r strategic plan. I am acutely aw are o f o u r scarce resources an d the n e e d to stay o n track. If ele c te d , I w o u ld n o t start co stly n e w initiatives o r p u rs u e activities th a t d istract us fro m to d a y ’s critical n e e d fo r m o re fu n d s fo r library operations. R esponsible stew ardship o f th e m e m b e rs’ assets is central to m y platform . I b e lie v e th a t w e c a n m e e t fu tu re ch allen g es a n d o p p o r tu n itie s o n ly if w e h a v e a s tro n g financial base. T his m ean s th at w e m u st build o u r en d o w m en t, b e d isciplined in o u r sp e n d ­ ing, p u rsu e p la n n e d giving, a n d practice o ther so u n d financial practices. T h e g o a ls fo r m y p re s id e n c y a re cle a rly lin k e d w ith th e ALA Strategic P lan, ALAction 2005: to stre n g th e n a n d s u p p o r t o u r w o rk in th e legislative a re n a a n d to b u ild financial re­ s o u r c e s s o w e w ill n e v e r h e s ita te to d e f e n d intellectual fre e d o m a n d o th e r c o re va lu e s o f o u r p rofession. By th e e n d o f m y p resid en cy , m y goal is to hav e built su p p o rt a n d m ad e sig­ nificant progress in pursu in g these objectives. Totten: I bring to th e table th ree academ ic degrees, the BA, th e MLS, an d th e Ph.D. I have 35 years o f varied experience: four years as an a c a d e m ic librarian, o n e y e a r as a n acad em ic dean, a n d 30 years as a library an d inform ation stu d ies e d u c a to r a n d adm inistrator. My years o f e x p e r ie n c e as a le a d e r h a v e n o t o n ly al­ lo w e d m e in sig h t in to ALA’s ch a lle n g e s, b u t also allow ed m e tim e to develop close associa­ tions w ith th e incredibly talen ted m em bers o f ALA. B oth th e insight a n d th e association p ro ­ vide m e w ith th e n ecessary p re p a ra tio n to re­ s p o n d effectively to ALA’s o p portunities in the 21st century. Many o f m y ALA offices are listed below. M any o f th e offices th ro u g h w h ic h I h av e serv ed ALA are listed below : ALA-ACRL P re s id e n t’s P ro g ra m C om m it­ tee (O rlando C onference), Co-Chair, 2002-04; ALA C o u n cil, 1 9 9 9-02, 1979-83; ALA R eso ­ lu tio n s C om m ittee, 1999-00; ALA M inorities C oncerns C om m ittee, 1994-95; ALA P lanning & B u d g e t A ssem b ly , 1 9 9 3 -9 4 ; ALA L ibrary E d u catio n A ssem bly, 1993-94; ALA C om m it­ te e o n M inority C oncerns, Chair, 1991-93. ALA C o m m itte e o n A c cred itatio n , Chair, 1993-94, 1987-90, m e m b e r, 1986-87, 19 8 3 - 85; ALA L ibrary E d u c a tio n A ssem b ly 1 9 8 7 - 90; ALA P la n n in g & B u d g e t A ssem bly 1 9 8 7 - 90; M em ber Interview P anel fo r th e S election o f th e ALA A c c re d ita tio n O fficer, C h icag o , Illinois, J u n e 3 -5 , 1987; ALA USDE A ccred i­ ta tio n P ro je c t, 1 9 8 4 -8 6 ; ALA B eta P h i Mu A w ards Ju ry, 1979-80; ALA-ISAD A u d io Vi­ sual Section, Vice Chair a n d Chair-Elect, 1976- 78; ALA M in o rity S c h o la rs h ip J u r y C hair, 19 7 6 -7 7 ; ALA-LED B e ta P h i Mu A w a rd s C o m m ittee, 1976-77; A L A -President’s C o m ­ m issio n , 1 9 7 6 -7 7 ; ALA-ISAD N o m in a tin g C o m m ittee, 1974—75; ALA-LED N o m in a tin g C o m m itte e , 1 9 7 4 -7 5 ; ALA-ACRL A d h o c 188 / C&RL News ■ March 2003 C om m ittee to R evise th e 1959 S tand ards for C ollege Libraries, 1973-75; ALA-LED-LOMS, N o n-P rint M edia C om m ittee, 1972-74; ALA- LED Legislative C o m m ittee, 1972-74; ALA- LED-LOMS, R eference Statistics C om m ittee, 1970-72; ALA-LED T each ers Section, M edia R esearch C o m m ittee, 1969-72; ALA-ACRL A udiovisual Com m ittee, Chair, 1969-72; ALA Awards Committee-Clarence Day Awards Sub­ com m ittee, Juror, 1967-68. My p latfo rm c o rre s p o n d s to th e g o als o f th e ALA w ith fo u r o f th e five p la n k s o f m y platform . I h av e u se d th e acro n y m CLASS to stan d for Cultural diversity, Learning, Access, Services, an d Salary. As p re s id e n t o f ALA, I w ould: • C onsistently prom ote diversity. Libraries m u st n o t o n ly e n su re th at diversity is reco g ­ n ized a n d accepted, b u t also u n d erstan d that diversity includes m ore than ethnicity—it also includes age, gender, social class, sexual orien­ tation, o r physical disabilities. • Highly encourage and reward lifelong learn­ ing. Library w orkers are k n ow n for prom oting lifelong learning for both others and themselves. • Join together th ro u g h o u t the nation an d a ro u n d th e w o rld to e n s u re effective u se of a n d eq u al access to inform ation. All libraries will play a fundam ental role in applying infor­ m ation to the n eed s o f th e econom ic, tech n i­ cal, political, an d natural environm ents. • Support the continuation of excellent ser­ vice. Librarians are e x p e c te d to serve o u r di­ verse comm unities quickly, accurately, an d ef­ fectively. I w ould continue to encourage lead­ ership, literacy, intellectual freedom s, an d pri­ vacy. • Embrace the challenges and opportunities surrounding salary issues. T hose w h o provide library services to our comm unities an d educa­ tional institutions are exceptional an d deserve exceptional com pensation—first-class pay for a first-class service. Providing resp o n sib le stew ard sh ip o f th e m e m b e rs ’ a ss e ts is e n s u r e d th r o u g h ALA’s co m p eten t treasu rer a n d th e checks a n d b al­ a n c e s a lr e a d y in p la c e . My in itia tiv e is to c o n tin u e th e w o rk o f th e sa la ry ta s k fo rc e a n d to s u p p o r t th e ALAction 2005. I w o u ld like to s e e an e q u ita b le c o m p e n s a tio n p la n a p p ro v e d by th e ALA C ouncil by th e e n d o f m y presidency. ■ C&RL News ■ M arch 2003 / 189