TAG: Transforming ALA Governance, one exhausting meeting at a time.

So I've procrastinated this post long enough. Since the March ALA Council meeting where TAG's recommendations for a restructuring of ALA Council, it's Executive Board, along with several other changes were approved, I had to take a minute. These meetings were exhausting and so getting notified that TAG was going to have a series of Council Discussions about said changes was not something I was eager to sit through. The rush of the spring semester wrapping up and graduations did leave me grateful that two of the three meetings I had to miss and view the recordings later. It saved me from angry typing and my comments being lost in the back and forth of opinions.

So here's three hour-long discussions boiled down into one post that will hopefully give you an idea of what the ALA Council Meetings (which are almost three times as long) will have in store.

March 30, 2022: Discussion on the Composition of Council & the Executive Board

The size of council seems to be a big point of contention. Let me make this clear - states will still have a seat on Council regardless of what the restructuring does. The ones that seem to be more on the chopping block are the councilors-at-large. The discussion of Council's composition seemed to be focused on the number. Right now it's around 175-ish total. One model showed it being cut down to 89 which I think is way too drastic. The entire purpose of having Councilors at Large was to widen representation of the membership on ALA Council, A few people in the discussion suggested 100, which is still a lot but seemed to be a big, round number that didn't cause such an uproar. The floor (or screen?) was given to Councilors-at-Large who shared their experiences and the opportunities that came with the position, such as participation in other committees and divisions. Also ideas were shared as to other possible roles, like regional representation (which did get a little pushback to ensure that smaller states didn't lose their voice) and the possibility of caucuses to help streamline issues and save time during meetings. The debate on how exactly to reduce council size was also brought up and the suggestion of phasing out by allowing some councilors terms to end and not fill those positions in the next election was the one that seemed to make the most sense.

One area that will not see that type of freeze is the ALA Executive Board. It was noted that there were some designated spots in the proposal for a divisions representative, one from Round Tables, a school librarian appointed by the Association of School Libraries, and a representative for the NALCOs (National Associations for Librarians of Color). Some were not comfortable with the designated seats and limiting to just one NALCO representative did not sit well with me either. There are so many ethnic affiliates that it should have a larger voice. And that's what it comes down to...being heard. Without proper representation, the smaller voices will fade while the larger ones continue to steer the ship. And as someone who has spent the last 10 years in small towns and until this last academic year worked only in rural libraries, it matters to me that nobody speaks for us without having our experiences.

This is going to be a big move. Several big moves actually, and it will be then be up to the members to vote once we've talked this to death. The membership vote will be what changes the ALA Bylaws and makes everything final. So consider that when the time comes.

April 20, 2022: Taking ALA Pulse (TAP), Oversight and Review

One of the things that was also voted upon in March was implementing a concept known as Taking ALA Pulse, or TAP. This would be a method for bringing feedback and from members, units, or ALA affiliates back to Council and the Executive Board. This I liked because it is a way to ensure that members are heard and a more frequent form of communication between Council and the overall membership. I stated in an earlier post my desire for a survey or some type of comprehensive analysis to take place to get a grasp on what librarians actually want and need from the professional organization that they are giving their money to, and what they believe they are getting in return. Those perspectives I can almost guarantee have changed since the pandemic hit and especially now, when librarians are under so much scrutiny.

When the floor was opened to discussion, there were some logistical things brought up as to what to ask, and what do we intend to do with the answers, but the thing that struck me is that some were so unaware of what members, especially those new to the association and/or profession don't know. Newer librarians don't know that they can bring concerns to membership meetings. From my early days, I didn't even know I was even allowed into committee, council or round table meetings, let allowed to bring new business onto the floor. That might be the introvert in me, but unless someone specifically says that the floor is open for anyone to bring up new business, issues or concerns, I assume that it's not my place. I know I'm not the only outwardly shy librarian, so TAP, you're going to have to come to us rather than assume we'll always come to you.

A little piece of ALA history I learned during this meeting was that there used to be 2 membership meetings that would happen during a conference. One before council met where members would refer things to Council, then another after the governance meetings to act upon what Council voted for. I agree with Patricia Schuman, the past-president who brought this up because it does present increased opportunities to have an open discussion rather than a survey that may or may not get buried in one's inbox. Though we know the big stuff that's affecting us now, hearing testimonies and giving space can prompt solutions and perspectives that can get overlooked.

Speaking of overlooked, one Councilor-at-Large asked the question of the hour that for those who have been actively involved in ALA governance and leadership for years may not have even thought twice about:

Has ALA or any of its divisions ever done any educational programs for members on the way business meetings work or how to interact at a meeting or presentation at ALA so maybe people can learn the rules, etiquette and the expectations?

The response to that? "I don't know, but yeah, probably."

Now I am approaching my 5th year, so yes, I've got to say, I spent a long time not knowing what I was doing and had signed up for every single mentoring opportunity because I was embarrassingly informed that just being a member and being involved are two very different things (so is being involved and being "actively involved", but let's not split hairs). I wanted to cheer and applaud. Yes, let's make it a thing for all new members, library school students, just have these programs available to anyone because while there have been councilors who have gone from one leadership position, many of us are doing the "fake it 'til you make it" song and dance.

The meeting wrapped up on a talk of transparency and unclear access to councilors. Apparently you have to do a lot of digging to find the contact email of ALA Councilors. Kansas folks, you can find me either here but for a quick response, just go to the FHSU Forsyth Library's staff page. I'm about 3/4 from the bottom. There were also suggestions about a web form that would be directed to us or an ALA staff member. This would be similar to the ALA resolutions form, but that's something I have not tackled. I am curious though how state organizations do their member communication. I know Kansas has our newsletter and our membership meeting, but is there another way you'd want to communicate with association leaders. ALA Connect is an option but honestly, that's a bit too much sometimes and we need something that isn't going to trigger information overload.

Another fun fact...Council meetings used to be covered by American Libraries and Library Journal to be published in the following issues. That's another thing I want to bring back. You all deserve to know what's going on. That's why I started this blog. And you're entitled to conversation. Hopefully Taking ALA's Pulse will allow you the space to be seen and heard no matter where you are, how much you make, or what your job title is.

May 11, 2022: Council Effectiveness

*This one I was unable to stay for the whole discussion and the recording still has yet to be posted

The final TAG Discussion Session before we met for Annual (or on Zoom since they agreed to a hybrid option). The last two things to be discussed were the effectiveness of ALA Council and Council Oversight (a continuation from the last discussion). Since TAG at that point was still working on developing possible action items to vote upon at the next Council meeting, the chair asked a simple "what is Council doing now that really works and what could or should be changed moving forward?"

The big topic of discussion was ALA's Council Forum, this is an informal meeting for Councilors to get more background information about resolutions and things that may be brought to the floor the following day. People have had a lot of opinions on ALA Connect, myself included. While some think it's too time consuming to add meetings on top of meetings, I think the informal nature of Forum allows newer councilors like me to "ask the dumb questions" so I can be fully informed during the next meeting and especially when I make my vote. I personally would also prefer the evening meeting to preview as opposed to tacking on another hour-plus to current Council meetings. I'm already low-key bitter about all the sessions I have to miss at Annual because I know that we'll run over time during Council.

The big problem is that there's always so much to talk about, so the ideas of having more frequent meetings was proposed, as well as making them virtual. Getting everything covered has consistently been a problem, so having meetings more than twice a year makes sense. The virtual aspect also promotes equity so more can be present because, yes, everything is more expensive than ever and our budgets are unable to keep up. So please, make quarterly Zoom council meetings permanent so I don't have to bankrupt myself for one trip. And shout out to the person that suggested alternate dates and times because if we must meet in person, I'd rather it be when there's no conflict with the conference so I can have the same educational experience as other attendees.

Just before I had to log off, I was reminded that it was voted in January that Council is to be made an advisory body and we were also told (warned) to expect one of the action items to be a resolution on Council's composition, which should be roughly 10 minutes of explanation and 48 hours of discussion featuring a roller coaster of emotions and opinions. So if you're in DC for Annual, be sure to stop by and see all this for yourself. Otherwise, I'll be reporting back in July with my post-conference recap, unless Monkeypox takes me out or book-banners who found out about us evil librarians having a big conference beat me to death for promoting intellectual freedom. Yay, traveling in 2022.