Homedefault.xml Annual Report Letter to the Membership

Letter to the Membership

This has been another full year for America’s librarians and libraries—and for the Association that represents them. All types of libraries flourished, both in traditional ways and in the rapidly expanding universe of the Internet. Library use continued to increase, continuing a decade-long trend. Libraries still weathered budget woes and delivered new programs to their customers—while still providing the nuts-and-bolts services that people need to lead full lives. This report can convey only the highlights of the activities of a profession that has shown itself once again to have its communities’ interests at heart—and the courage and expertise to act on its convictions.

On the legislative front, librarians and the public won a victory in June when Congress ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to restore its library network, threatened by a $2 million cut proposed by the EPA itself and included in President Bush's budget proposals for fiscal 2007. The cut reduced the 35-year-old EPA Library Network's budget by 80 percent and forced closure of several regional EPA libraries. The ALA Washington Office worked with both Congress and the EPA to stem the tide of information loss from what 2006–2007 ALA President Leslie Burger, in testimony in the Senate, called “a virtual National Library on the Environment.” In the fiscal year (FY) 2008 Interior Appropriations bill, the Senate Appropriations Committee ordered the EPA to reopen the closed libraries.

The Association also continued its active role in the debate over the use of National Security Letters (NSLs), administrative subpoenas issued with no judicial oversight under provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001. In June, ALA Council urged ALA members, state chapters, and all library advocates to ask Congress to restore civil liberties and correct the abuse and misuse of NSLs, and the Campaign for Reader Privacy, whose members include ALA, praised the National Security Letter Reform Act of 2007, introduced by Senators Russ Feingold and others. That bill responds to a report by the Department of Justice's inspector general that documented misuse of NSLs and to two federal court decisions that struck down the NSL provisions of the Patriot Act as unconstitutional. A similar bill was introduced in the House in July.

In a historic first, more than 1,100 librarians and exhibitors gathered in Dallas in October for the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color. The conference, “Gathering at the Waters: Embracing Our Spirits, Telling Our Stories,” was co-sponsored by the five ALA minority-population affiliates. One program focused on the ALA-sponsored first national study of gender, race and age in the library profession; other sessions were geared to librarians of color and those who serve multicultural populations. “I hope we don’t make this conference the last and make sure that diversity is part of everything that we do,” said Carla Hayden, the third person of color to serve as president (2003-2004) in the Association’s 120-year history.

American Libraries, one of the chief perquisites of ALA membership, marked 100 years of existence in 2007, and a Special Centennial Issue in June/July featured a composite vision of ALA’s future, drawn from the wisdom of 17 visionary ALA presidents of the past. The magazine had already moved decisively into the future with the launch earlier in the year of its online weekly newsletter, American Libraries Direct.

During her presidential year, 2006–2007 ALA President Leslie Burger focused her activities on helping libraries transform their communities by better articulating librarians’ needs and their positions on key issues. Burger, director of the Princeton (N.J.) Public Library, set an agenda of guiding the ALA’s work in recreating libraries of all types; holding a “transformation summit” to provide practical tips for how everyone can revolutionize their libraries, regardless of budget constraints; publishing a transformation toolkit; and establishing a “librarians without libraries” volunteer program to match people who have talents and skills with libraries that can use them. Burger extended ALA’s national advocacy effort through a Web-based initiative called ilovelibraries.org.

For the year ahead, we have identified new areas of interest and established a task force for each. One will develop a national database of field work experience options for LIS students; a second is gathering examples of library services for underserved communities; and a Workplace Wellness Task Force is planning a Wellness Fair and other events for the 2008 ALA Annual Conference. These and other initiatives—including an Emerging Leaders group and an oral history project—promise to make 2007–2008 an exciting year for the Association.

Loriene Roy ALA President
Keith Michael Fiels ALA Executive Director