We sincerely thank all candidates who stood for election this spring. We appreciate their time and commitment to ALSC. We also thank the 2023 Nominating and Leadership Development Committee, including Chair Anna Taylor, Sophia Kenney, Hanna Lee, Susan Dove Lempke, and Cecilia McGowan.
Vice-President/President-Elect
Robert Bittner, Langley, British Columbia
ALSC Division Councilor
Julie Roach, Cambridge (Mass.) Public Library
Board Directors
Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, Portland, Ore.
Allison Knight, Dayton (Ohio) Metro Library
Katie Lawrence, Grandville (Mich.) Public Schools
Proposed Bylaws Amendments
For rationale and background regarding the Bylaws changes on the ballot, please visit the 2023 slate page.
All proposed Bylaws changes were adopted, resulting in the following language (new language is underscored; deleted language is lined out):
ALSC Bylaws ARTICLE III: Membership and Dues, Section 2
The ALSC may charge additional fees in accordance with the ALA Bylaws Article VI, Sec. 6(d), when approval of such fees has been given by the membership by mail vote. The amount of personal member dues shall be determined by the ALSC Board of Directors. Annually, the Board of Directors will review and may authorize a dues adjustment not to exceed the percentage change in the most current Consumer Price Index (CPI) rounded to the nearest dollar. Increases in excess of an annual CPI adjustment are subject to the approval of the membership in a mail or electronic vote. Organizational and corporate member dues shall be determined by the ALSC Board of Directors.
ALSC Bylaws ARTICLE IV: Board of Directors, Sec. 3.
A vacancy in the membership of the directors-at-large and New to ALSC director of the Board of Directors shall be filled by appointment of the president with approval of the Board of Directors. The appointee shall hold office until the next annual election, when nominees at least one nominee shall be presented to the membership for election to complete the unexpired term as provided in Article X, Sec. 2.
ALSC Bylaws ARTICLE VIII: Committees, Sec. 2
Sec. 2. The Newbery Award Committee, the Caldecott Award Committee, the Batchelder Award Committee, the Geisel Award Committee, the Sibert Award Committee, the Legacy Award Committee, and the Notable Children's Books Committee:
a) The Newbery Award Committee shall consist of the following fifteen (15) members: Eight (8) members to be elected annually from a slate of no fewer than sixteen (16), a chairperson appointed by the president, and six (6) members appointed by the president. a) No individual may serve on either Batchelder Award, Caldecott Award, Geisel Award, Newbery Award, Sibert Award, Legacy Award or Notable Children's Books Committees more often than once every four years. The four year period shall begin from the last year of the term of service regardless of length of term. This guideline will apply to Batchelder Award, Caldecott Award, Geisel Award, Newbery Award, Sibert Award, Legacy Award or Notable Children's Books Committees only. This guideline will not apply to the selection of nominees for Chair. This guideline will not apply to other ALSC committees.
b) The Caldecott Award Committee shall consist of the following fifteen (15)k members: Eight (8) members to be elected annually from a slate of no fewer than sixteen (16), a chairperson appointed by the president, and six (6) members appointed by the president.
c) The Sibert Award Committee shall consist of the following nine (9) members: Five (5) members to be elected annually from a slate of no fewer than ten (10), a chairperson appointed by the president, and three (3) members appointed by the president.
d) The Children's Literature Legacy Award Committee shall consist of the following five (5) members: Three (3) members to be elected annually from a slate of no fewer than six (6), a chairperson appointed by the president, and one (1) member appointed by the president.
e) The Notable Children's Books committee shall consist of the following eleven (11) members: a chairperson appointed by the president and ten (10) members appointed by the president.
f)
ALSC Bylaws ARTICLE IV: Board of Directors, Sec. 1.
The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers of the Association;: the president, the vice-president (president-elect), the immediate past-president,; the ALSC/ALA Councilor,; the fiscal officer;, and the executive director (ex-officio); and eight additional directors, which will include a "New to ALSC" director, three to be elected each year for a term of three years each, except beginning in 1977 and every third year thereafter when two shall be elected for a term of three years each.
ALSC Bylaws ARTICLE V: Officers and Duties, Sec. 1.
The officers shall be president, a vice-president who shall also be president-elect, the immediate past-president, an ALSC/ALA Councilor, a fiscal officer, and an executive director (ex-officio). The vice-president (president-elect) shall be elected annually. The ALSC/ALA Councilor shall be elected every third year for a term of three years. The fiscal officer shall be elected beginning in 2006 and every third year thereafter for a term of three years. The executive director shall be appointed by the Executive Director of the American Library Association with the approval of the ALA Executive Board and the concurrence of the Board of Directors of ALSC.
ALSC Bylaws ARTICLE V: Officers and Duties, Sec. 2.
The president, vice-president (president-elect), the immediate past-president, the ALSC/ALA Councilor, fiscal officer, and executive director (ex-officio) shall perform the duties pertaining to their offices and such other duties as may be approved by the Board of Directors.
a) The president shall preside at all meetings of the ALSC, the Board of Directors, and of the Executive Committee; shall be an ex-officio member of all standing and special committees except the Nominating Committee; and shall be responsible for the Association program at the annual conference of the American Library Association.
ALSC Bylaws ARTICLE X: Nominations and Elections, Sec. 2.
The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate to consist of at least one (1) candidate for every anticipated Board vacancy (The Board shall consist of thirteen voting members: president, vice-president (president-elect),; immediate past-president, division councilor, fiscal officer, new to ALSC director and seven directors-at-large. The ALSC Executive Director serves as ex-officio on the Executive Committee and the Board.). In years when multiple director-at-large vacancies are anticipated the slate shall include at least as many candidates as there are slots; and candidates to fill vacancies as approved in Article V, Sec. 3 of these Bylaws. The Nominating Committee will report the slate of candidates to the ALSC Executive Committee in writing by October 1, for the Fall Division Leadership Meeting in the year of the Nominating Committee’s appointment.
ALSC Bylaws ARTICLE VIII: Committees, Sec. 4
Appointments.
c) Members of Standing Committees, except Nominating, Newbery Award, Caldecott Award, Legacy Award, Batchelder Award, Geisel Award, and Sibert Award, shall be appointed for overlapping terms.
d) Designation of chairpersons co-chairs of Standing Committees shall be made annually. A lead co-chair and a “learner” co-chair are appointed in alternating years to each committee; co-chairs serve a staggered, two-year term. This does not apply to the Newbery Award, Caldecott Award, Legacy Award, Batchelder Award, Geisel Award, and Sibert Award committees whose chairpersons are appointed annually.
ALSC Bylaws ARTICLE IX: Discussion Groups, Sec. 2
Discontinuance. The Board, upon the recommendation of the Organizational Effectiveness Committee on Organization and Bylaws, or upon recommendation of the Group itself, may discontinue a discussion group when in its opinion the usefulness of the group has ceased.
ALSC Bylaws ARTICLE XI: Amendments, Sec. 3
The proposed amendment must be sent to the membership not less than one month before the vote on it shall be taken. It may be sent to the membership by inclusion in an official publication of ALSC, the American Libraries, or by direct mail or electronically when so authorized by the Board of Directors (print or electronic).