Two years later...Back in DC for ALA Annual 2022 (Part 1)

For the first time in years I got on a plane. I suffered turbulence and travel anxiety to head all the way to Washington, DC for the ALA Annual Conference, along with over 13,000 other people. And for the first time since starting my term as Kansas Chapter Councilor, I wasn't on Zoom furiously taking notes whilst shoving snacks, I was among a sea of tables and chairs in a ballroom...furiously taking notes and drinking coffee.

Now, this was a hybrid format with Councilors logging in on Zoom like we had done so many times in the past, but while paying $250 (almost $100 more than last year's fully virtual conference) would have saved me a plane ride, if we're shelling out that kind of money, might as well just go all out for in-person (for the record, that was $380 for early-bird registration). At least then I'd get to actually see people and they can see what my face looks like when something absurd happens.

And it did.

While I had originally meant to publish these while I was there, my other ALA commitments left little to no time and the jetlag back to Kansas was just too much.

So here's Day 1, in all it's glory.

ALA Information Session and Membership Meeting

ALA President Patty Wong gave her report to the members in attendance addressing the growing civil unrest and threats currently facing librarians. That report came with a new development, the ALA Fund for Social Justice.

Tracy Hall, ALA Executive Director told of the 2022 Urban Library Trauma Study that just got released by Urban Librarians Unite. I was not able to get a physical copy, but you can download the report here. She also mentioned about ALA turning 150 in 2026, which I'm sure will be huge and tickets will likely be $500 to Zoom in, unless you're an ALA employee, then it will only cost you your blood, sweat and tears. If that's your jam, check their website because there are a lot of openings in a number of areas. While you weigh your options, let's move onto the resolutions:

A resolution was passed in defense of the right to engage in political boycotts. This came a day after the decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. Such news shocked the nation and with so many in DC for Annual, many adjusted their plans to include rushing to the Supreme Court in protest. I was in the middle of overseeing the Spectrum Leadership Institute's session on EDI Backlash when one of the new scholars mentioned it during the Q&A, asking "what will happen to us?" It was a very sobering moment. When this came to the Council floor, it was argued whether this could negatively impact libraries already facing threats and battling censorship. It became a will this backfire debate that lead to the motion being denied.

A resolution condemning the damage and destruction of libraries, schools, and cultural institutions in Ukraine was presented in solidarity urging financial relief and assistance by the US government. There was a concern in the discussion about how it will look from a PR standpoint. A representative from the Gamers Roundtable immediately went up to the mic and said "you want us to put our focus on libraries and library related things? This is it. It's a perfect example and opportunity." The motion passed.

Council I

Now this one had me throwing up my pen because there might as well have been a flashing "trigger warning" on the projector as the first action item was about calling to cancel student loan debt.

This resolution called on President Biden to cancel student load debt for all borrowers. Responses were coming from all sides and modalities (both at the mic and via Zoom). One particular Councilor at Large made a point that student loans are often used for more than just books and tuition, and the resolution was too broad. That's fair, but when he suggested to specify to include certain borrowers for certain reported expenses, that's when I had to watch my face. I have several years worth of student loans, some dating back to when I was an undergrad in 2004. I don't have those receipts, sir, and it's ridiculous to assume that everyone would. So thankfully that was dismissed because I'm not itemizing crap, and the original resolution was passed as written.

The next resolution was calling for continuing virtual access to ALA Membership Meetings. I must have had a sugar crash because I did not expect this to be such a topic of discussion. Silly me, this is governance. The resolution would offer free access to all to take part in the ALA Membership Meeting. Such a change would require a revision of the Bylaws, but apparently offering free access to anything had people clutching their purses. To be clear, it's free virtual access to one 90 minute meeting, not for the entire conference. A motion to refer to the Budget Analysis and Review Committee was proposed and passed to look at the financial impact of making that one session available to all members. I'm not even sure how that would be measured. I guess looking at past attendance and revenue from this conference and probably the last few virtual ones. So fingers crossed that they deem it won't bankrupt the Association to let everyone in on the meeting without requiring them paying hundreds of dollars.

On a lighter note, the Jason Reynolds/Simon & Schuster travel grant was brought to Council for approval. This would establish a sponsorship to fund give Black school or youth services librarians to attend ALA Annual conferences. Thankfully this prompted no debate and was passed quickly.

You really think I wasn't going to bring up TAG?

Ah, last but not least, the bringer of meeting extensions, Transforming ALA Governance. Once again, the task force brought to the floor their recommendations, which was an extra 30 minutes of the role of Council, and the amount of representation on the Executive Board. By the end of the discussion, I'm pretty sure the TAG chair wanted to throw herself off the dais. In the end, Council retained its role as a policymaking body instead of the "advisory" label they kept trying to throw at us. Also a designated Rainbow Round Table representative was also given a spot on the future, expanded Executive Board. With those two amendments, TAG's action item (the first of several) passed. And the meeting adjourned as people ran far, far away.

That's a wrap on Council I, only two more to go.