ALA Annual, Washington DC June 24 - 28, 2022

NH Chapter Councilor report

ALA Council is the membership governing body for the American Library Association (a 501(c)3, consisting of 184 councilors). Representation comes from state chapters, ALA divisions, and ALA Roundtables. NH Library Association is a chapter of ALA.

This was the first time that ALA Council sessions were hybrid in nature, allowing for both in-person and virtual participation. All voting, whether virtual or in-person, was conducted using an online voting portal. Overall, this hybrid approach was very successful.

The Executive Summary for the Council sessions appears below. To read the entire report, click here.

Executive Summary

The major discussion/voting in ALA Council sessions revolved around the organizational restructuring process, as well as dealing with virtual access and how to be inclusive in organizational/governance processes. I will say that I am disappointed that the amended resolution to keep policymaking in ALA Council instead of vesting it in a proposed expanded Executive Board was passed. However, this is a long-term effort and I have no doubt that the issue will be raised again, since changes to governance have to go through two Council votes as well as a membership vote to be ratified, and we are not even at the first Council vote stage to change the by-laws and Constitution (that should come at LibLearnX in January 2023).

None of the resolutions passed at this annual meeting have particular impactful implications on our public libraries in NH. I will say that the resolution related to BDS boycotts would have been impactful if it had passed, and I did speak against this resolution given that ALA Council actions such as this could easily have been used as fodder by library opponents in our smaller communities who wish to defund libraries. This is the third time this resolution has come before Council (albeit with slightly different wording, and with previous approval at the ALA membership meeting held during this conference). I have heard that it will be presented again at a future meeting of Council.

I would encourage all NHLA members to read the five reports from the ALA committees (legislation, advocacy, intellectual freedom, sustainability, and diversity) linked at the end of my report.