Aaron the Librarian

Hm… two posts in a row with embedded gCals; maybe I’ll share the link this time for variety?

Lots of people wonder what ALA-APA (the ALA Allied Professional Association) is. Long story short, this is the group charged by ALA Council to “manage certification of individuals in specializations beyond the initial professional degree” and advocate for the “mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers.”

Anyway, ALA-APA is sponsoring a bunch of events at Annual; hopefully some of which will interest many of you. Catch you in Anaheim, if you’re going…

People on several lists have asked for a calendar of Council related events at Annual 08. Here’s all the Council related events I found. (If I missed a few, please let me know in the comments & I’ll add them!)

Where in the World is Aaron the Librarian?!

edit: btw the “**” means I **must** attend the meeting & “*” means I sorta oughta attend

ok, a beef with the “Agenda” view: Why does only one meeting with the same start time show up?! I know I’m double-booked for at least three “must attend” meetings, but only the alphabetically 1st one shows up

In case you didn’t know, I’m an ALA Council junkie. Back when I wasn’t a Councilor (all of 6 months ago as well as years prior) I would still attend the Council sessions and listen in, occasionally comment from the peanut gallery, and sometimes stroll through the Councilors’ seats talking to people I know or would like to know based on their comments on issues in which I was/am interested.

One of the things I noticed (aside from the coffee, which I don’t drink - blech) was there’s no way for a member (who wasn’t at the Council session) to know what kinds of discussion and other considerations
took place before any votes. Parliamentary procedure requires an opportunity for discussion before a formal vote is taken. The Council minutes and Councilor voting histories (not on the web) are all well and good, but which Councilors made cogent points or shared a good story supporting one action or another? What story might have been shared? All that community interaction is currently lost.

While wearing my (soon to be doffed) LITA Web Coordinator for Committees hat, I got involved in a process to draft up a resolution from the ALA Website Advisory Committee (WAC) requesting the already retained “rough draft” transcripts of ALA Council sessions be posted to a members-only web page. A no-brainer, for me.

Knowing the hive-mind will come up with more ideas and catch errors, etc., I wikified the the text of a resolution Billie Peterson-Lugo, George Porter, and I worked up at the end of the WAC meeting at midwinter. And, lo, there was much activity after it was announced on the WAC and Council email lists.

Finally getting to my point… Please take a look at the proposed resolutions (1 for Council Transcripts & 1 for Council Session Recordings/Streaming) and share any insights you have on them.

Heck, while you’re at it, leave a comment here telling me this is something you want or what you’d rather have instead.

The ALA Washington Office will host Virtual Library Day on the Hill at the ALA Annual Conference.

Virtual Library Day on the Hill will take place on Tuesday, July 1 from 8 a.m. to noon. Conference attendees will have the chance to both email and fax their Members of Congress on important library issues and learn how they can register to vote, using computer terminals located on the exhibit floor.

If you’re familiar with CapWiz, ALA WO’s Legislative web tracking service, please consider volunteering to help new CapWiz users — details about this on the District Dispatch post above.

For folks who haven’t heard, ALA started and will be continuing the ALA Ambassadors program at Annual 2008.  I’ve been doing this since the last time we were in Chicago (2006?) and would encourage people interested in helping new conference attendees make the most of their first conference or two.

I’m squeaking in my two hour ALA Ambassador shift at the Membership Pavilion (on the Exhibits Floor) on Saturday right after Council I wraps up (~12:15).  I’m not yet sure who the new conference-goers are who I’ll be contacting - I should know in a week or so.

If you’re a new conference attendee, feel free to stop me in the halls — not that you’ll likely recognize me.

If you’re not a new conference attendee, please consider signing up as a potential ALA Ambassador next year.  I’m told 200+ conference-experienced people signed up for Anaheim & there is a waiting list already started…

See you in Anaheim!

Ars Technica has cited pieces of ALA Washington Office’s comments to the FCC (regarding Comcast’s actions toward BitTorrent) highlighting how “libraries now provide an enormous stream of legal digital material to millions of patrons, including huge collections of pictures and music.”

Why is ALA WO even getting involved? one may ask… The closing statement in ALA WO’s comment addresses how libraries “need to be assured that they will be able to access legitimate Internet content or use Internet services or applications without fear or concerns that such access or use will be blocked or degraded by any entity with the means and control to do so.”

Personally, the ALA Washington Office is a large part of why I rejoin ALA every year (to the tune of >$340/year). Policy battles are where the fight for network access is and libraries are right at the forefront. The public at large isn’t really tracking the debate, but I’m glad we (libraries & ALA) are in there shaping (or at least informing) the debate.

Please be not fooled by the paucity of events and overlaps thereof, I have several instances of being 8-12 events deep at a given hour — *which I cannot attend due to having (or really wanting) to be at these listed below* (asterisks indicate the session I’m most likely to attend when there is an overlap on this list)
Any suggestions on juicy receptions with free food are, of course, welcome. It’s a crime against one’s wallet to pay for more than one meal at a conference…

1/11/2008 Friday
9:30 AM - 11:30 AM | OITP Advisory Committee I @ PCC 203A
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM | ALA Legislative Assembly @ PCC 108B
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM | ALA Committee on Legislation I @ PCC 108B
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM | ALA Committee Interns Orientation (speaking) @ PCC 111AB (*)
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM | LITA Happy Hour/LSW meetup @ Cebu - 123 Chestnut St (* after ^)
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM | NMRT Meet & Greet @ Hampton Inn, Centercity 1301 Race St (* after ^)
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM | LITA ERMIG @ Courtyard Downtown, Salon II
1/12/2008 Saturday
7:00 AM - 7:30 AM | Bfast w/SerSol Rep @ Loews (12th & Mkt)
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM | LITA Joint Comm/IG Chairs mtg @ PCC 110 AB
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM | LITA Comm Chairs mtg @ MAR 302 - 4 (*)
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM | LITA IG Chairs mtg @ PCC 101 (* if I’m asked to cover instead of ^)
9:30 AM - 12:30 PM | LITA Board @ PCC 309
11:00 AM - 11:59 AM | ALA Presidential Candidates Forum @ PCC BR B (*)
12:01 PM - 1:00 PM | EBSCO Luncheon @ MAR GBR Salon H
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM | Diversity Discussion: White Privilege @ Loews, Lescaze (* for part)
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM | LITA Leg/Reg Committee @ PCC 109A (* for part)
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM | LITA Web Coordinating Committee @ MAR 415
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Camila Alire Presidential Campaign Kickoff @ Marroitt Rm 501 (*)
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM | NMRT Midwinter Social @ Buca di Beppo, 258 S 15th St (* after ^)
9:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Council Reception @ MAR Salon A
11:00 PM - 11:59 PM | ALA After Hours @ Moriarty’s Irish Pub - 1116 Walnut Street
1/13/2008 Sunday
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM | JSTOR Participants’ bfast & mtg @ Crowne Plaza, Liberty C
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM | LITA Top Tech Trends @ Loews, Congress B (* for early part)
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM | ALA Council/EB/Memb Info Session @ PCC BR B (*)
10:30 AM - 11:59 AM | LITA BIGWIG @ PCC 307B (*)
10:30 AM - 11:59 AM | LAMA Leaders not Mgrs @ MAR 404
10:30 AM - 11:59 AM | RUSA/RSS Ideas For Making Your Catalog The Best It Can Be @ Crowne Plaza, Liberty C
10:30 AM - 12:20 PM | ALA Council I @ PCC BR B
2:15 PM - 2:30 PM | Stressing about LITA Web Manager Interview @ Near ALA Offices in PCC
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM | LITA Web Manager Interview @ ALA Offices, LITA Table
3:30 PM - 5:30 PM | ALA Presidential Program @ PCC BR B (* early part)
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM | COL/OITP Joint Telecom Subcommittee @ Courtyard Downtown - Salon III (*)
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM | LITA NexGenCat IG @ HIL - Salon AB
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM | ALA President’s Program Reception @ MAR Liberty BR (* middle part)
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM | ExLibris Customer Reception @ Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (*early part)
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM | ALA Interns Dinner @ Hard Rock Cafe (*)
1/14/2008 Monday
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM | OITP Advisory Committee II @ PCC 106AB (*)
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM | ALA Leg Assembly @ PCC 110AB
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM | LITA Town Meeting @ PCC 103A (soo *want* to be here, but OITP & WAC mandatory)
9:30 AM - 11:59 AM | ALA Website Advisory Committee @ PCC 309
1:00 PM - 4:30 PM | LITA Board II @ PCC 309
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM | ALA Committee on Legislation II @ PCC 110AB
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM | ALA Council Forum @ MAR 407 - 9
1/15/2008 Tuesday
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM | ALA ITTS Training session (Collage? Communities? Other?) @ PCC 302
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM | ALA Council II @ PCC BR B
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM | ALA Committee on Legislation III @ PCC 110AB

I’ll be off & on Twitter as I have power and wifi, follow me, and wish me luck in my quest to be LITA Web Manager!

Dialogue Notes

Per my previous post these are my notes from the Dialogue on Government Information meeting.

Summary:
While several participants had differing views on why we all assembled, good discussion happened. ALA has mostly good processes for moving issues to and through Council for offical comment, which can break when stressed by the need for both speed and expertise. Generally, these processes work fine for issues which affect small groups of interest but strain when several large groups of interest have opposing views on an issue needing a swift response.

Suggestions for smoothing the rough patches included: providing mechanisms for year-round, asynchronous, online communication; raising awareness of issues which affect parts of ALA subgroups; identifying which groups are doing what about an issue, and fostering collaboration among disparate groups with similar interests.

Several related problems were identified and some ideas for mitigation/routing around were offered. The impression I got from the participants at this meeting is that ALA needs to specifically acknowledge and encourage the online collaborative tools already in use by ALA subunits *and provide an excellent way to host services which allow for this.* (ALA Communities was indicated as “not acceptable” when mentioned as an existing tool)

Started out acknowledging the basics:

• ALA is a complex organization
• Many members = many points of view
• Hoary old line “ALA has been successful *because* it has been unable to move quickly” mentioned (received a marked lack of enthusiasm)
• Recognized that “newer” members also have points of view, willing to make contributions, and a tendency to not respond well to in-action on issues

Wide ranging discussion:

• ALA has a very strong process in place to handle “low-impact” issues; however when a “high-imapct” issue comes along, the process breaks down. “Impact” here is breadth of membership impacted — if some issue affects only one division or round-table the standard process works well; However, when more than a couple interest groups are affected the standard process is no wher enear adequate to do justice to all sides of an issue.
• ALA likened to “Democracy” and then to “Summer Camp” and then to “Rich Kids’ Summer Camp.” Generally everyone knows ALA members’ core beliefs, but we (”ALA and sub-groups volunteer leadership”) need to practice inclusion; need to make ALA less complex; need to make or encourage funding availability for remote, poor, and underheard library folks.
• ALA is lots of small, informed groups; we need to get related groups together to come to consensus and bring a broad view to issues.
• What “Dialogue” vs “Discussion” vs “Deliberation” are or can be seen as, and what tools might be usable to foster better communication between and among the various ALA subgroups.
• Discussed “self-reliance” and “cooperation” and “collaboration”
• Transparency: ALA process management hasn’t always been fully transparent, often transparency appears political.
• Policy, process, politics, and how a blend of this should/can be used
• Respecting minority opinions: Deliberations & discussions should be allowed to continue after a decision is made - to be sure decision is monitored and remains relevant. When a minority (quanitity, not ethnic/racial) view is not adopted, this does not mean the minority’s views are negated or ignored - it means there is an honest difference of opinion which can be talked through.
• Debate then Deliberate then Decide: “Debate” is where each side puts forth its views in the best/strongest argument. “Deliberate” is were each side discusses points made by all sides and works toward a common understanding. ALA often “Debates,” rarely “Deliberates.” The result, hopefully, should be a mutually acceptable (or at least not objectionable) decision about an issue at hand. Suggetsed reading: _Hearing the other side_
• Compromise, Consensus, and Common Ground (for Action) Handout: The group felt we should add: communication, inclusion, community, and outreach to this group of ideas to encourage within ALA. Determine when is it appropriate for member representatives (elected ALA leaders) to handle issues? When should full membership (of subgroup or of ALA in toto) be consulted? How should ALA/staff/subgroups determine what kind of expertise to rely upon? (personal, aggrigate, etc.) How should ALA/staff/subgroups determine what kind of voice to use to express opinions or make statements? (official, personal, on behalf of (whom)?) Who decides about these and how is what is decided? Need to have procedural path_s_ laid out and indications for when to use which path. Maybe need a decision-making grid.

So what is the problem?

• When ALA needs quick action to make an expert opinion/statement on issues that affect more than one or two subgroups — is often where things get bogged down
• How do we improve communications in and among ALA units, people, groups, etc.?
• Need to become aware of how to get things done
• Need a way to see where the issues are, which groups are following/impacted by an issue, and what is being done about an issue
• Where are the roadblocks to the various processes?
• Who speaks for ALA? (see policy manual for official answer)
• What process do speakers use to gather data nad opinions? to write policy statements?
• ALA has lots of structure, but very little navigational aids
• When ALA stuff happens across silos “we don;t play well together”
• How do we improve ALA cross-training and dialoguing?
• What can and can’t a Round Table do?
• Legislative Assembly is not as effective as it could be, need to get LegAssReps to report back to subgroup Boards and bring up items of concern to their subgroups at LegAss meetings
• Communications; who & how do we get the word out? who & how pulls groups together?
• mentioned in the communications piece, several people complained that ALA only meets twice a year; others proposed making activity year-round via asynchronous online tools that could/should be hosted by ALA.
• ALA often errs on the side of participation, at the cost of being quick & nimble

Take away comments / impressions:

• ALA processes mostly work, most of the time - unless more than two ALA subgroups are involved
• Need an ALA101 / Intro to ALA processes session or two
• ALA has been an effective voice over the past decade or so as a good, authentic voice for the public good

Observations

• ALA only “meets” twice a year; open, members-only, virtual participation would allow for asynchronous discussion and deliberation
• COL and COL Gov’t Info Subcommittee need to have balanced representation from the various government focussed groups, such as GODORT, the Divisional Legislation Committees, etc.
• The COL email list needs to have a read-only option like alacoun does

Critical factors which need addressed:

• Timeliness vs Inclusive — need to strike a careful balance between these
• Proactive vs Reactive

Deliverables?

• ALA Gov’t/Legislative issues wiki?
• ALA 101 Wiki? Intro to the association and how to navigate around it?
• ALA Council 101 Wiki? Intro to Council and how to get stuff done?
• Explore options about alternatives to “offical statements”? Maybe “interim statements”? (most folks didn’t like this one)
• “More tha twice a year” processes for legislation, COL, & Legislative Assembly activities?
• Strong interest in online asynchronous methods for participation
• Council orientation committee looking into streaming Councilor Orientation information
• How do we identify stakeholders on issues? (assigned to COL?)

It takes a leader to face the reality of change; especially to face it, embrace it, and look for fresh views from people who might have some insights on how things could or should be - instead of being focused on how things are and why they should stay the same.

A week or two ago, Jim Rettig — you know, the incoming ALA President — asked two sets of questions on NMRT-L.

Here’re the Questions:

Set 1:
What have your best, most rewarding experiences in ALA been?
What made them the best?
How can ALA offer opportunities for such experiences to all of its members?

Set 2:
If ALA didn’t exist today and we wanted to create a library association that would work on behalf of all types of libraries, all library users, and all library workers, what would it look like and how would it operate?

I responded once to set 1 and twice to set 2.
(I’d forgotten I’d responded to set 2 & got pumped up by some of the ideas expressed in the other responses)

Full Q&A after the fold…
See the pdf Q&A
(more…)