ALA Chapter Councilor Report
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by Victoria Johnson
Despite the concern over SARS, the dismal economy and travel restrictions imposed by some agencies, the annual conference of the American Library Association (ALA) went forward as planned in Toronto, June 20-25, 2003. The conference, sponsored jointly by ALA and the Canadian Library Association, attracted a total of 17,482 attendees, about 3,200 fewer than the previous year. In several ways this was a different conference experience. There were fewer familiar faces, and many committee meetings and programs were cancelled, as was the Scholarship Bash. Vendors had smaller booths and sent fewer representatives and a significant number were absent altogether.
Nevertheless, this was a good conference with more than its share of good ideas and passion about issues. Major speakers included Representative Bernie Sanders, Ralph Nader, Gloria Steinem, Eleanor Smeal, Margaret Atwood, Elyde Edgerton, Cliff Lynch, Naomi Klein, and Lynn Johnston.
The ALA Council met three times during the conference and the ALA-Allied Professional Association Council met once. In addition, I attended Chapter Relations Committee meetings and Chapter and Council forums. Here are some of the issues that were considered:
Resolution on Libraries and Cultural Resources in Iraq. The resolution, which had been the subject of many messages on the Council listserv prior to conference, passed. Resolved clauses:
- deplored inaction by the U.S. Government which did not prevent loss of cultural resources;
- urged the U.S. Government to comply with the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the event of Armed Conflict;
- urged the U.S. Government to provide funding for reconstruction and rebuilding of libraries and other cultural institutions; and
- urged the U.S. Government to ensure that library experts be included in upcoming missions to Iraq to provide professional evaluation and assessment in the international effort for the cultural reconstruction of Iraq.
ALA Web Site and Electronic Archiving. As those of you who use it know, the new ALA Web site has caused users consternation for a number of reasons. Karen Schneider introduced a resolution addressing the major issues. The resolution, which Council passed, directs the Executive Director to:
- ensure that future revisions to the site adhere to usability and design principles and standards;
- ensure that the membership has an active role in providing guidance to ALA for design and organization of the site; and
- keep the membership informed of the status of proposed modifications and forthcoming changes.
Council also directed the Executive Board to ensure that documents made unavailable by the April 2003 Web site migration be made available in an electronic archive as soon as possible and facilitate the implementation of ALA Policy 10.1.2, Archiving Electronic Publications.
Of course, lots of attention was focused on two issues of major importance, the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) decision and Privacy.
There was widespread disappointment with the CIPA decision on June 23, 2003. Two Supreme Court Justices based their decision on the belief that "adult patrons need only ask the librarian to 'please disable the filter' and need not provide any reason for the request. In light of this, we expect libraries that decide they must accept filters to inform their patrons how easily the filters can be turned off." If it turns out this is not as easy as it sounds there may be grounds for an "as-applied challenge" to the decision. A CIPA Updates link has been established on the ALA home page that will provide the most current information on this topic.
Privacy continues to be a concern nationwide as we all try to live with the USA PATRIOT Act while also trying to change it. The ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee has prepared a report, "Guidelines for Developing a Library Privacy Policy." This document is available on the ALA site. (From the home page search for the document by title-the URL, like most on the new site, is unmemorable). In addition to lots of background on the related issues, the document also includes a model privacy policy, information on how to conduct a privacy audit in your organization, and sample library privacy and confidentiality policies.
Toronto is a beautiful city, fourth largest in North America. Those who live there claim that it is also the most diverse city in the world. In summer the inhabitants seem to spend all their spare time outdoors, undoubtedly to make up for long, cold winters. Late night al fresco dining seems to be a favorite past-time. Toronto is a cultural center, too. A small but popular theatre district is a major draw for locals as well as upstate New Yorkers. During the conference, the annual week-long jazz festival was also in town.
In addition, Toronto has an underground city call Path. This underground network of stores, restaurants, financial institutions occupies the basement level of all the major downtown buildings and connects the major hotels, train station, subway and conference center in such a way that one never need to go outdoors. If you were unable to attend the conference, you might want to consider a visit to Toronto just for fun.