ALA ANNUAL REPORT 2011 i WATCH US MOVE THE WORLD the digital age left yesterday. this is the age of connections. With information moving faster than the speed of life America’s libraries are running ahead of the curve. They are opening their doors to new ways of thinking, learning, engaging, working. New ways of connecting. Giving space to a cadre of entrepreneurs who want to share ideas. Training thousands in financial, health and digital literacy. Teaching students what it means to be a citizen of the 21st century. Creating a welcoming place for families to grow. Building bridges among diverse populations. Working with communities, schools, universities, foundations and corporations to make them stronger, more inspired, more connected to the world around them. And strengthening all these connections is the American Library Association. Want to know more? Read this annual report. Watch us move the world. ii ALA ANNUAL REPORT 2011 ALA ANNUAL REPORT 2011 1 WATCH US MOVE the WORLD merica cannot afford to wait for the economy to pick up. We cannot wait for This is just a small snapshot of what ALA is doing to strengthen communities. technology to slow down. We cannot hope things will get better some day. Our annual conference draws thousands of librarians, educators, publishers and businesses to discuss issues such as e-books, information, financial, health ASome day is now and America’s libraries are creating a powerful force to and digital literacy, how to advocate for library funding despite the brutal waves of recharge Americans to learn, work, innovate and connect as if their lives budget cuts and how to provide students and the public with the cutting-edge depend on it. Because they do. information services required to be a citizen in the 21st century. Libraries play a critical role in the health of our nation and no one understands This annual report is filled with powerful that better than the American Library Association (ALA). stories of our leadership, partnerships, advocacy, programs and support as we While libraries are delivering services at the local level, ALA is working from a strengthen communities, libraries and national platform to create substantive, far-reaching support for America’s libraries. the profession. ALA is identifying the information issues that need our attention and advocat- Want to know more? Read this ing funding for real solutions. In 2011, ALA received a grant from the Open Society annual report and watch us as we Foundations to fund “News Know-how: Libraries and News Literacy for a Better move the world Democracy,” a program to increase critical thinking and information-evaluation skills needed for an informed society and create a global connection among libraries and young citizen journalists. ALA is building partnerships that strengthen the work of libraries at every level. For example, thanks to ALA’s relationship with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Foundation, a number of grants ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 have been awarded to libraries to develop programs that address financial literacy. ALA is training the next generation of librarians to meet the challenges of the ALA champions our nearly profession through its Emerging Leaders program. In 2011, 83 individuals were 60,000 members, their chosen to participate in project planning workgroups; network with peers; gain an inside look into ALA structure; and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a profession and the public leadership capacity early in their careers. they serve through two national ALA is addressing the pressing need to better serve communities with diverse conferences, 11 professional populations. ALA awarded 53 Spectrum Scholarships of $6,500 (includes financial support for the Spectrum Leadership Institute) to support students from racially and divisions, research, national book ethnically backgrounds pursuing a master’s degree in library and information science. Molly Raphael Keith Michael Fiels ALA President ALA Executive Director awards, literacy campaigns, ALA is addressing early childhood literacy through Every Child Ready to Read® 2011-2012 student scholarships, professional @ your library ® developed by the Public Library Association (PLA) and the Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC), divisions of ALA. This updated and expanded development workshops and second edition of Every Child Ready to Read® @ your library® provides new curriculum webinars, and protecting First and materials to continue the effort, supporting parents and caregivers with the early literacy development of their children birth to age five. Amendment freedoms. 2 ALA ANNUAL REPORT 2011 ALA ANNUAL REPORT 2011 3 top ten library stories of 2011 (American Libraries magazine, 01/12/2012) 1 2 6 7 Occupying CUTBACKS: School Librarians’ HARD times E-BOOK meet Cuts hit school libraries around the country, perhaps most severely in California, where the number of certified teacher- LIBRARIES ADVOCACY librarians dropped to 895 this year. Los Angeles Unified School ESCAPADES District laid off dozens of library staff, interrogating them for a Guerrilla libraries sprang up in the numer- Across the country, advo- HarperCollins imposed an arbitrary 26 loans cates united to persuade chance to be reassigned to a classroom. In 2012, advocates will per e-book license and Penguin refused to let li- ous camps of the Occupy movement, most notably in Zuccotti Park in New York City, politicians that libraries seek support for school libraries in the reauthorized Elemen- braries lend its new titles altogether. Even good matter enough to fight for tary and Secondary Education Act. e-news had a catch: Patrons who could now bor- where Occupy Wall Street protesters set up the People’s Library. By the time police them. Zombies crawled row Kindle-formatted ebooks had to disclose in Oakland, California their identities before downloading. Rejecting cleared the park on November 15, it held more than 5,500 volumes, showing that in- (“Zombies love brains”), 8 e-book licenses, Kansas State Librarian Joanne cute kids and parents held Budler struck a deal to ensure consortial owner- formation is an essential ingredient to any community, however temporary. read-ins from Chicago to PRIVATIZATION ship of what taxpayer money buys. California, and 200 folks pushback held hands and hugged the Savings-conscious administrators in at least two states got an New York Public Library. earful from constituents worried about outsourcing their librar- The third trip to the ballot 3 Colleagues worldwide coped with sudden calamity. Japan lost lives and libraries ies. A new California law mandates that proponents make their Rising box was the charm for Troy in a tsunami. Libraries shifted into community-relief mode in New Zealand and case with hard numbers as of January 1, 2012. Meanwhile, of- (Mich.) Public Library, and ABOVE Virginia after enduring earthquakes, as well as on the East Coast after Hurricane volunteers collected cash ficials of Santa Clarita, California, and Osceola County, Florida, natural Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Library associations and library workers aided col- in shifts to reopen Central signed library privatization contracts with LSSI. DISASTERS leagues with funds and tech assistance. Falls (R.I.) library. 9 10 4 Transforming 5 Taking COPYRIGHT DIGITAL to COURT PRIVACY MOUNT destiny LIBRARIES’ IMAGE In September, the Authors Guild sued concerns HathiTrust and several universities, As e-reader sales soared, “ebooks” and “digital” became Librarians and technophiles are currently fighting the The ambitious Digital Public claiming that book digitization in- Library of America began a two- mots du jour. When content creators changed the lend- Stop Online Piracy Act, a sweeping bill that would require fringed on copyright and calling into internet service providers to police users’ activities for year endeavor in October to find ing rules, librarians responded by seeking digital work- question the fate of millions of scans at potential copyright infringement. Librarians cheered the a way to make the US cultural arounds. Libraries embraced crowdsourcing as a way to research libraries. Authors are seeking September announcement that OverDrive would allow li- and scientific record available enlist volunteers in deepening digital research potential. a class-action suit against the Google brary customers to lend ebooks to patrons with Kindles, online, while the Europeana ALA launched Library Boing Boing, libraries sprouted Books project and a judge is weighing but the fine print raised ethical concerns. ALA’s Office for Foundation launched a plan to hackerspaces and 3D printers, and Chicago’s YOUmedia whether Georgia State University pi- Intellectual Freedom hosted a Conference on Privacy and aggregate and distribute the lab inspired similar teen spaces at other libraries. rated its e-reserves. Youth in March to discuss how best to raise awareness. continent’s cultural heritage. 4 ALA ANNUAL REPORT 2011 ALA ANNUAL REPORT 2011 5 ALA STRENGTHENS COMMUNITIES From coast to coast, ALA is partnering with libraries to help patrons navigate the information age. A LIBRARY’S PURPOSE IS SIMPLE: BELONG TO EVERYONE. Service Innovations Reveal a New Future for Libraries The American Library Association believes that every day that a library In just five years, Smart investing @ your library® has awarded $6 million in grants is open – the door of opportunity opens for someone’s life to be changed. through a collaborative partnership between the FINRA Foundation and the The uniqueness of ALA lies in its long-term commitment to invest in the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of ALA. The result is individual through library innovations and leveraging private, public and a network of more than 80 programs in over 800 locations that reach a service area population of nearly 27 million. government collaborations to help people learn, work, create and connect. Smart investing @ your library® grantees are at the forefront of financial education programs that reach all economic and interest levels. Through creative partnerships IT WAS A REMARKABLE YEAR.