ALA 2012-2013 Annual Report
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2012–2013 Annual Report Copyright © 2014 by the American Library Association. All rights reserved except those which may be granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. 2012–2013 Annual Report Contents Letter to the Membership | 2 About ALA | 4 Year In Review | 8 Washington Office |24 Programs and Partners | 29 2013 ALA Conferences | 40 Other Conferences | 51 Publishing | 56 Leadership | 66 Financials | 67 Awards and Honors | 73 Other Highlights | 94 In Appreciation | 102 Letter to the Membership continued to address its and ACRL Content Strategist Kathryn Deiss. The strategic goals in 2013 curriculum included leading in turbulent times, ALA by maintaining its strong interpersonal competence, power and influence, emphasis on the role of libraries in connecting the art of convening groups, and creating a culture and transforming communities. Among the year’s of inclusion, innovation, and transformation. highlights was a new initiative that provides librar- The program allowed participants to return to ies of all types with the tools and training they their institutions with greater self-awareness and need for innovative problem-solving and library- self-confidence, equipped with better skills for led community engagement. leading, coaching, collaborating, and engaging 2012–2013 ALA President Maureen Sullivan within their organizations and in their communi- continued the work of her predecessor, Molly ties, and to be better leaders, prepared to identify, Raphael, in the area of community engagement. develop, and implement solutions that will benefit Sullivan’s presidential year included several impor- all stakeholders. tant events that supported this agenda. Among Our current initiative, “Libraries Change them: Lives,” is framed around three areas of transforma- tive practice that enable community members to • An Advanced Leaders Training workshop that change their lives: literacy, community engage- empowered participants to use community ment, and innovation. We will concentrate on engagement practices in their own library set- sustaining and strengthening ALA initiatives in tings and helped develop resources and training these three areas, including an ALA-wide focus on materials for use by other libraries of all types advocacy for school libraries, a portal to ALA’s lit- and sizes. eracy efforts across the Association, and continued • The President’s Program at the 2013 Midwinter investigation and advocacy around digital content. Meeting, which featured Peter Block, best- We will also continue ALA’s community selling author of Community: The Structure engagement initiative, “The Promise of Libraries of Belonging. Block facilitated an interactive Transforming Communities,” being implemented discussion about the nature of transformation in partnership with the Harwood Institute. in communities and the kind of leadership Initially funded through a grant from the Institute required to achieve it. of Museum and Library Services, the goal of this • A three-day symposium called Library multiphase presidential initiative is to provide Leadership in the Digital Age, which was held thousands of libraries of all types with the tools at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. and training needed to help their communi- The symposium brought together library leaders ties find innovative solutions through library-led from a variety of settings with other senior-level community engagement. The Promise of Libraries educational leaders to reimagine the role of enables libraries to turn outward to their commu- the library and to identify effective leadership nities and rethink the way they connect with and strategies. A second symposium will be held in serve individuals and the community at large. March 2014. Now is the time for us to build the public will for libraries of all types. As part of this effort, we Finally, the first “Leading to the Future” ALA have planned a campaign called America’s Right Leadership Institute, held in August, brought to- to Libraries and have developed a Declaration gether a diverse group of 40 ALA members for an for the Right to Libraries, modeled on the U.S. intensive four-day program facilitated by Sullivan Declaration of Independence and the United 2 2012–2013 Annual Report Letter to the Membership Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. more diffused and the goal of management is to This will serve as a strong public statement of the capture the creativity of team members. value of libraries for individuals, communities, and With all this in mind, ALA, with a grant from the nation. Through this initiative, libraries of all the Institute of Museum and Library Services, types will have the opportunity will establish a Center for the to hold signing ceremonies at Future of Libraries that will which community members, “Inclusion, innovation, provide library planners and organizations, and officials can and transformation”—these community leaders with infor- visibly stand up for their right mation and resources that will to have vibrant school, public, “are the words that best help them better understand academic, and special libraries characterize our efforts as the trends reshaping their in their community. we look to the future. libraries and communities and “Inclusion, innovation, and incorporate foresight into their transformation”—these are the planning processes. words that best characterize our efforts as we look Aiding this process will be a National Summit to the future. And transformation means that we on the Future of Libraries, to be held in May 2014 are thinking and planning far beyond quantitative in Washington,” D.C. The Summit will identify the change and are fundamentally reshaping the very societal and technological trends that will influence nature of what we do and how we do it. and shape the communities and society that librar- The dramatic growth in the use of ebooks and ies of all types serve, explore what these trends other digital content has occupied the spotlight in mean for libraries in light of our values as educa- recent years, but deeper, more dramatic transfor- tors, librarians, and community members, and mation is well under way—and will continue—in determine ways to engage the public in achieving a almost every dimension of our work. We are wit- better future based on these values. nessing fundamental changes in our communities Transformation is a central theme of the ALA and community relationships, in user expectations Strategic Plan, alongside advocacy and education. and services, in how we think of collections, in the Our strength is in the collective creativity we bring library workforce and leadership, and even in how to the challenges we face and the opportunities we design our physical space. we envision as individual library practitioners. We Library leadership is also transforming itself, pledge to sustain and build on the progress we with the traditional hierarchical organization giv- have made in these critical areas, and we count on ing way to a team approach in which technical your support as we work together to transform our knowledge, empowerment, and responsibility are libraries and strengthen our communities. Keith Michael Fiels Barbara Stripling ALA Executive Director ALA President 3 About ALA he American Library Association—the oldest, largest, and most influential library as- sociation in the world—was founded in 1876 in Philadelphia and later chartered in the T Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The ALA’s more than 57,000 members include librar- ians, library trustees, and other interested people from every state and many nations. The asso- ciation serves public, state, school, and academic libraries, as well as special libraries for people working in government, commerce and industry, the arts, and the armed services or in hospitals, prisons, and other institutions. Mission The ALA’s mission is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learn- ing and ensure access to information for all.” Headquartered in Chicago, the ALA is governed by an elected Council, which is its policy- making body, and an Executive Board, which acts for the Council in the administration of estab- lished policies and programs. In this context, the Executive Board is the body that manages the affairs of the Association, delegating management of the Association’s day-to-day operation to the executive director. The ALA also has 37 standing committees, designated as committees of the Association or of the Council. The Association’s operations are directed by the executive director Divisions The ALA’s member divisions are: • American Association of School Librarians (AASL) • Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) • Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) • Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) • Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) • Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) • Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) • Public Library Association (PLA) • Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) • United for Libraries • Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) 4 2012–2013 Annual Report About ALA and implemented by staff through a structure of programmatic offices and support units. The ALA is home to 11 membership divisions, each focused on a type of library or library func- tion, and 20 round tables for members