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Proposal to Reorganize CLA to Enhance Member Participation and Relevance
Background
CLA is a volunteer membership organization. The only paid staff is an Executive Director and 2 full time staff members who work at the CLA office in Sacramento. The governance of CLA is done on a volunteer basis with paid staff serving as administrative support. When we discuss leadership throughout this document, we mean those that have been elected or appointed to leadership positions and who work on a voluntary basis.
On September 11, 2006 at the Annual Leadership Retreat of CLA's current officers, Section, Round Table and Committee leaders, the #1 priority identified was the need to examine CLA's structure and decision making process.
With the support of the CLA Assembly, in January, 2007, CLA contracted with Paul Meyer, Principal Partner in Tecker Associates, a well respected non-profit association consulting firm, to survey CLA members and potential members on the organization and its governance structure. An online survey sent to all 2,097 members received 311 responses, and telephone interviews were conducted with 18 individuals. These confidential telephone interviews represented a mix of CLA members and nonmembers. It included librarians of a variety of ages, ethnicities, areas of the state, and library type. Within that mix were past CLA presidents, library directors, library educators, new members who were also new librarians, a vendor, and members of other library related organizations.
Responses from the online and telephone surveys yielded the following issues that we believe must be addressed:
1. The current CLA structure of Executive Committee, Assembly, Sections, Roundtables and various other committees was viewed as cumbersome and a hindrance to productivity and the ability to make timely decisions.
2. There is a lack of clarity about roles and responsibilities of the Assembly and Executive Committee. Questions were raised about where decisions should be made in the organization. The leadership in CLA is perceived as "cliquish."
3. The relevance and value of CLA was questioned: Is CLA really looking at the issues the profession faces in the near future? Where are we going? Strategic direction is missing.
4. Who should the organization represent? Directors? Library staff? Librarians? Public Libraries? All types of libraries?
5. Other library related organizations are perceived to offer more relevance and value for fewer dollars than CLA.
6. Communication is lacking from leaders to members and from members to leaders. Members want a greater voice and easier methods to provide input.
7. Participation requires a commitment of both time and money, which are often in short supply. The geography of the state makes face to face meetings expensive and travel to and from meetings is time consuming.
CLA convened a task force to come up with recommendations to be brought to the membership so CLA can begin to address these issues.
The task force, appointed by 2007 President Margaret Todd, included Barbara Quarton (CSU San Bernardino); Barbara Roberts (Palm Springs Public Library); Cheryl Gould (Infopeople); Danis Kreimeier (Yorba Linda Public Library); Jan Sanders (Pasadena Public Library); Katherine Gould (Palos Verde Public Library); Margaret Miles (Plumas County Public Library and CLA Past President); Melinda Cervantes (Santa Clara County Library); Monique le Conge (Richmond Public Library and CLA President Elect); Paymaneh Maghsoudi (Whittier Public Library); Penny Kastanis (retired school librarian); and Susan Hildreth (Former CLA President). The meetings were facilitated by Paul Meyer (Tecker Associates) with CLA Executive Director Sue Negreen providing staff support.
The task force, chaired by Margaret Todd, met three times between May and September to:
*Examine the research Paul Meyer conducted;
*Consider best practices in the association world;
*Develop recommendations that addressed the issues raised by the members during the research.
Following the first two-day task force meeting, the 2007 CLA Executive Committee joined the task force to hear their preliminary recommendations and to help shape a proposal to bring to the members.
Other considerations that came into play during the task force meetings include:
*Member participation in voting has decreased steadily over the last three years with less than 1/3 of eligible members voting in the most recent election.
*How can we take advantage of new ways to communicate?
*The changing nature of librarianship and the demographic of the workforce is impacting the organization.
*There are changing needs and expectations of a volunteer organization.
*There is competition for members' time and interest.
*Members want to choose their level of involvement and to have clear choices.
*There is a shift from popularity based elections to making choices based on competency to meet the current needs of the organization.
*Associations are streamlining to more easily respond to the changing needs of their organizations and members.
The following recommendations are presented for discussion. This is a working paper. At the CLA conference in Long Beach, input will be sought from the outgoing and incoming Assembly members, Section Presidents, and Round Table and committee chairs. Input will be taken under consideration; the revised document will be discussed at the April 08 Assembly meeting and a decision will be made about whether to present the revised recommendations to a vote by all CLA members. If approved by the membership, a time line will be developed to ensure a smooth transition to the new model.
The six recommendations covered in this document would replace the current CLA governance structure of Executive Committee, Assembly, Sections, Round Tables and Committees. The following recommendations are presented for discussion:
1. Establish a Board of Directors
2. Establish a Leadership Development Committee
3. Form Interest Groups
4. Establish Steering Committees
5. Expand the Finance Committee
6. Establish New Opportunities for Member Input
Recommendation #1
Establish a Board of Directors
This recommendation responds to survey issues 1 through 4 about the structure, responsiveness and perceived cliquishness of the current CLA leadership structure.
Purpose: The purpose of the Board of Directors is to provide strategic direction and operational oversight to the association. This includes, but is not limited to, overseeing the budget, the building, the staff, etc.
Composition: The eleven member Board of Directors would include:
* President
* Vice President/President Elect
* Past President
* Treasurer
* ALA Chapter Councilor
* 6 members elected at large
Election/Appointment
* The Vice President/President Elect, Treasurer and ALA Chapter Councilor are elected by the members on a single slate (unopposed) with the opportunity for write-in candidates.
* The six members-at-large are elected by the members from a competitive slate of candidates.
Qualifications and Term: Candidates for the Board should possess the competencies needed to lead the association. Current or past board service is required for a candidate for President.
* Terms are three years, and are staggered.
* The Vice President/President Elect serves one year, becomes the President for one year, and then becomes the Past President for one year.
* A three-year break is required before a board member is eligible for a second term.
* The Treasurer is eligible for a consecutive three-year term.
Value to CLA members
*More elected positions at the board level provides for greater diversity of board members.
*It's difficult to get people to run for office, and when an individual loses an election, they are generally unwilling to run again. A single slate makes it easier to attract qualified candidates for the very demanding officer positions.
*3 year staggered terms create opportunity for new ideas while retaining continuity.
Recommendation #2
Establish a Leadership Development Committee
This recommendation responds to survey issues 1 through 4 about the structure, responsiveness and perceived cliquishness of the current CLA Leadership structure.
Purpose: The Leadership Development Committee will be responsible for the identification and development of leaders for the California Library Association. The Committee maintains a database of potential leaders and provides mentoring and leadership development opportunities. The Committee develops the slate of candidates, and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors for committees, task forces and other work groups. The Leadership Development Committee participates in strategic planning for the association. As a Standing Committee, the Leadership Development Committee would be incorporated into the bylaws.
Composition: The Leadership Development Committee will consist of the Immediate Past President as chair, and nine additional members. One or two non-voting interns who are new to association work may be chosen by the committee to assist with committee work as a leadership development opportunity.
Election/Appointment: Except for the Immediate Past President, who serves by virtue of the position, the Leadership Development Committee is selected by the Board of Directors based on the needs of the association. Members will be encouraged to self-nominate for this committee, and will be chosen based on the association's needs at the time.
Term and Qualifications: Nine members serve staggered three year terms. The Past President serves a one year term. Knowledge of various parts of the association and leadership development experience are important for potential committee members. Committee members should be reflective of the association's geography, diversity, and interest groups.
Value to CLA members
*Addresses the critical need for leadership development in the library world.
*Helps improve skill based competency in leadership.
*Increases the diversity of the nominating committee to ensure diversity in the organization.
*The increased size of the Board of Directors and the Leadership Committee, combined with enforced term limits, helps breaks down any perceived cliques.
*Provides opportunities for mentoring and member participation.
Recommendation #3
Form Interest Groups
This recommendation responds to survey issues 3, 5, 6 and 7 about relevancy, member value, communication and participation. In addition, Round Tables and Sections are confusing to members. Many existing Round Tables and Sections are inactive with no leadership identified. Because of the bylaws, CLA funds are tied up waiting for groups that are no longer active to spend their money. Time is spent by both CLA staff and leadership encouraging inactive groups.
Purpose: Allow members of like interests to design their own group with maximum flexibility.
Structure: The association will provide interest groups with the resources they need to function, such as:
* Templates; electronic tools such as list serves; opportunities to meet at conference; and opportunities to propose projects for the organization.
* Interest groups may request funds from CLA for special projects or programs.
* Some groups may chose to be solely a networking forum to discuss ideas of interest while others may desire a more formal structure with identified leadership and activities.
* Available interest groups would be listed on the website, and it would be easy to join.
* A "virtual" membership category for individuals who only want to participate in interest groups electronically will be explored.
Composition: Interest groups will be composed of individual members who self-identify around a particular issue or concern. Interest groups are practice-focused. Each group will be self-governed and will evolve and find the level of participation/activity and structure that the members desire. Over time new groups will be created when there is interest and some groups will disappear if there is no interest from the membership.
Election/Appointment: Interest groups may identify a leader who will be responsible for facilitating the interest group.
Term and Qualifications: There are no terms or barriers to participation, nor are there requirements for structure.
Preliminary Transition Plan
*All current Sections and Round Tables would eventually evolve into Interest Groups.
*Sections and Round Tables would maintain their current funds for a length of time to be determined and may use those funds to support their activities. Thereafter, they would request funding for programming or activities from CLA by the same process as will be available to all interest groups.
With the approval of the membership, in order to streamline their organization and structure, and to allow for maximum flexibility in their organization, the Section and Round Table requirements would be eliminated from the bylaws.
Value to CLA Members
*The formation of interest groups will create a member benefit by providing networking opportunities for members on an increased number of topics of interest and/or concern.
*Interest groups become a rich resource for the association. This allows issues of shared concern to emerge more quickly and the association to quickly organize around those issues.
*Interest groups are more flexible than the Sections and Round Tables that are currently in the bylaws.
*They allow members to more easily identify colleagues who have common interests or who can serve as a source of information on a particular topic.
Recommendation # 4
Establish Steering Committees
This recommendation responds to survey issues 1 and 3 about streamlining and relevance of the organization to its members.
Purpose: Steering committees are ongoing committees that represent important work of the association. Each committee has a specific task. The committees are set up by the board of directors and reviewed annually. Other committees and task forces may be established as needed
Election/Appointment: The Leadership Development Committee identifies members based on competency for the specific committee.
Potential Steering Committees include:
* Legislative Committee: monitors California library-related legislation and directs the CLA lobbyist regarding support or opposition. Takes action, if needed, on legislation that impacts the association's ability to serve its members. Informs the Executive Committee at each meeting about legislative activity. Informs the library community about legislative matters.
* Conference Committee: coordinates program and social activities for the CLA annual conference.
* Scholarship Committee with appropriate subcommittees: responsible for all scholarships offered by CLA.
* Intellectual Freedom Committee: expand its charge to include research and member education focus, coordinating with ALA, and to serve as an "emergency response team" for library staff facing challenges to materials. This committee would speak on behalf of CLA on intellectual freedom.
* Membership Committee: responsible for marketing membership, developing a plan for membership development, and providing recruitment tools. CLA staff will provide increased support.
* Awards and appropriate subcommittees: oversees all CLA awards, streamlines procedures as needed.
* Diversity Committee: also integrated into every structure and issue. Diversity will become a stated value of the organization. The Board and the Leadership Development Committee will be charged with ensuring the diversity of the organization.
Value to CLA Members
*Provides a structure to conduct the work of the association.
*Streamlines the current committee structure.
*Increased size of nominating committee (leadership development committee) will create broader member representation on committees.
Recommendation # 5
Expand the Finance Committee
This recommendation responds to survey issues 2 and 3 about the relevance, value and strategic direction of CLA.
Purpose: Under the direction of the elected Treasurer, the Finance Committee assures adequate and correct books and records of accounts, oversees the management of the association's investments, and reports on the financial status of the association to the Board of Directors and membership. The Finance Committee participates in strategic planning for the association. As a Standing Committee, the Finance Committee is incorporated into the bylaws.
Composition: This five person committee includes the Treasurer (Chair), the President Elect, one board member selected by the Board of Directors, and two non-board members.
Election/Appointment: The Treasurer, President Elect and one board member serve on this committee by virtue of their position. The two non-board members are recommended by the Leadership Development Committee.
Term and Qualifications:
*The Treasurer serves a three year term as chair of the committee, elected by the single slate, and is eligible to run for a consecutive three year term.
*The President Elect serves on this committee for her/his term as President Elect
*The board member serves a one year term, with up to three consecutive one year terms possible.
*The two non-board members serve three year terms, with a second three year term possible for continuity. Non-board members will possess expertise in finance and budgeting.
Value to CLA Members
*Expand the representation on the Finance Committee.
*There is a greater tie to the strategic direction of the association.
*Accountability is strengthened.
*Greater fiscal management expertise available to the association.
*Greater checks/balances possible.
*Greater continuity for decision making.
*More fiscally sound.
Recommendation #6
Establish New Opportunities for Member Input
This recommendation responds to survey issues 3, 4, 6 and 7 about relevance, value, participation, representation and communication.
Purpose: The purpose of regularly scheduled membership meetings is to provide members with direct opportunities for input into issues and concern of the California library community. Issues for discussion may be generated by interest groups or other formal CLA bodies or by individual members.
Composition: Voting members of the association are invited to participate in membership meetings. A face-to-face meeting will be held during the Annual Conference. The association will create additional opportunities to communicate electronically and through additional face to face meetings as needed.
Election/Appointment: Members would choose to participate, and thus would be self-selected.
Term and Qualifications: All voting members can participate.
Value to CLA Members
*Allows more members the opportunity to contribute to important professional issues in a timely manner.
*Easier to have voice heard.
*Expands the diversity of thoughts and ideas as part of decision-making.
*Allows members to focus on issues rather than the governance of the association.
*The use of technology allows more flexibility for member participation.
Posted on November 15, 2007 8:14 AM | Permalink
Comments (31)
mary strazdas:The task force has some well-qualified people on it. they have been in library circles for a long time and have good experience. When I saw their names I kept reading.
I like the idea of interest groups, particularly the virtual variety.
Posted by mary strazdas | December 10, 2007 10:16 PM
Posted on December 10, 2007 22:16
Hillary Theyer:I too really like the interest groups structure and the flexibility it brings. I would like to see if interest groups could form blogs or mailing lists, using the available blogging software, but have them be officially recognized as a work product of the group.
Posted by Hillary Theyer | December 11, 2007 1:37 PM
Posted on December 11, 2007 13:37
Deirdre Cerkanowicz:The leadership development committee is a good idea to keep bring new blood into the organization and to train future leaders. I especially like the part about increasing diversity in leaders.
I also like increasing ways of communicating with members and among members.
Posted by Deirdre Cerkanowicz | December 18, 2007 10:49 AM
Posted on December 18, 2007 10:49
Diane Gustafson:I like the idea of virtual membership in interest groups. Many people, myself included, have had to choose just one group (one free with CLA membership) to avoid paying higher dues.
Rather late for this question, and it looks as though the group did a very good job, but why was there only one academic librarian on the task force? One of the complaints about CLA has been that it seems to be more of a public library organization, and having only Barbara Quarton on the task force didn't help the perception.
Posted by Diane Gustafson | January 8, 2008 1:33 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 13:33
Michele Kriske:I have several thoughts on the proposals and findings. People are not voting as often, those who I have spoken to, because it is a hassle to receive a paper ballot now days.
Many of us are either retiring or losing our jobs to media service people instead of Librarian's, Librarian's are too expensive to have on staff it seems.
When we find ourselves unemployed it is often hard to find another Library related job so we are forced to retrain.
When we retire or find ourselves unemployed we are forced to look at paying dues or putting food on the table, unfortunately we know how this goes.
Just some thoughts...
M. Michele Brown Kriske
Former librarian, currently underemployed
Posted by Michele Kriske | January 8, 2008 1:33 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 13:33
Amy Bassett:I believe the leadership development committee and the interest group committees present a wide range for the generation of new ideas and distribution of information. I also like the idea of a board of directors that would help with group guidance and direction. Strategic direction is always a good thing!
Posted by Amy Bassett | January 8, 2008 1:37 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 13:37
Judith Wood:I really like the idea of a leadership committee to identify and mentor/train future leaders for CLA. And interest groups sound good also.
I also like the idea of the the 5th recommendation, the Finance commmittee, so there are more voices about the funding in CLA.
Posted by Judith Wood | January 8, 2008 1:48 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 13:48
Mel Lightbody:There are many good ideas here, workable ones, but I'm going to focus on a couple of concerns.
1. #2, from the composition of the Leadership Development Committee, I'm not sure that cliquishness will lessen. I'd suggest that self-nomination be encouraged, sought after and that the committee members be selected with the idea of professional level, size and location of entity as aspects to be evaluated. The LDC has the possibility of self-perpetuating the perception of the clique-like nature of CLA leadership. See number 2 below.
2. #6, I'd like to see more emphasis on electronic communications, virtual meetings, and other web-based applications for getting membership business done not(IMO) face to face meetings. This also might address the issue of perceived exclusivity. Where I came from, it was those with the travel budgets (personal/professional) who served. In this profession that will always be limited to a certain coterie.
Okay, the good stuff ...
I think the idea of interest groups is an excellent one. In my experience, affinity-based groups tend to be the strongest and most cohesive. As well the BoD idea seems sound and much less unwieldy.
Neutral. I'm neutral on the idea of steering committees. I like the idea but I wonder at the practice. I actually like the idea of more ad-hoc groups.
FWIW, which is probably not much from this newbie. :-)
Posted by Mel Lightbody | January 8, 2008 2:04 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 14:04
Mary Miller:I like the ideas presented in these recommendations. I think members will see that they have a better opportunity to be heard and feel that their membership is validated. As long as the committees are made up of a variety of members from many diverse library positions, I think this will be a more productive way of operating.
Posted by Mary Miller | January 8, 2008 2:05 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 14:05
Ellen Mester:I really like the idea of interest groups and the ability to communicate easily in a virtual setting. It is hard for most of us to travel to meetings (time and money being the obvious reasons)so if we could set up meetings in another way I would be interested in participating.
Posted by Ellen Mester | January 8, 2008 2:10 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 14:10
Stefanie Gyles:As a recent MLIS graduate and a former library paraprofessional, I find that the CLA focuses a lot on Librarians. I would like to see our association reach out to students and library paraprofessionals as the valuable resources they are. Are we thinking of these groups as we form interest groups, and committees? Since these individuals are part of our association and pay dues, we should think of them during this time of reorg.
Perhaps an interest group or committee can be formed to focus on really reaching out to recruite new members from the rich pool of students and library paraprofessionals in our state.
Posted by Stefanie Gyles | January 8, 2008 2:16 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 14:16
Roger Possner:I think the interest groups idea is a good one, takes a self-organizing approach to the current structure and should result in more flexibility and maybe more inclusiveness. The leadership development ideas are also good, but I don't know about the board of directors idea. Perhaps worth a try.
Who can be against virtuality?
Posted by Roger Possner | January 8, 2008 2:39 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 14:39
Roberto Valdez:First, I want to sincerely applaud both our CLA leadership and membership for taking a hard look at themselves. It reaffirms my membership commitment to CLA and makes me feel proud and hopeful that i am a librarian.
Secondly, I also share all the prosposed recommendations and feedback concerns that our dedicated members have expressed about what CLA can do to become a better organization for the benefit of all Californians.
In addition, i just have one concern and suggestion about Recommendation #3 (Form Interest Groups):
Since i am concerned about the adverse impact of special interest groups on CLA, i would like to suggest that an on-going advisory group(elected and non-paid for 1/2 year terms) be formed to provide feedback to both the CLA leadership and special interest groups, so that CLA can have a better sense of direction before it reinvents its governance structure especially the Round tables.
Thank you.
Posted by Roberto Valdez | January 8, 2008 2:41 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 14:41
Karen Dyer:I like the proposed reorganization. As one of the people commenting above noted, I think reaching out to recruit new members such as paraprofessionals is a good idea and needs to include library board members as well. Library trustees and commissioners need to see the association as having a place for them even though they may not be librarians. Perhaps CALTAC could do an article about the benefits of CLA membership in CALTAC's quarterly newsletter.
Posted by Karen Dyer | January 8, 2008 3:06 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 15:06
Rosario Garza:CLA has the potential to be a much stronger organization. This re-organization is an excellent step in the right direction. While it may not be perfect, we need to get started. What the task force has presented is a blueprint. It is not written in stone. We have the opportunity to take what they have done and see how we can improve CLA with the recommendations as our blueprint.
Posted by Rosario Garza | January 8, 2008 3:31 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 15:31
Alison S. Lewis:The rethinking feels good; as a retired Library Trustee who served on the CLA Leg Committee in the 1990s, I appreciate any reorganization that enables the professionals and advocates of the entire complex library world to be more effective. I do agree that self-nomination is a better message than chosen by others, and obviously this proposal will undergo some refining. But congratulations for taking on the challenge of change.
Posted by Alison S. Lewis | January 8, 2008 4:13 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 16:13
Judith Harrison:I like your reorganiztion plan. It is critical to involve professionals and library advocates in all aspects of the organization. I fully agree with Alison Lewis' comments. As a Library Trustee and retired school library media teacher who is still a member of the California School Library Association I can appreciate the task ahead of you, but believe that the change is for the best.
Posted by Judith Harrison | January 8, 2008 4:48 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 16:48
Margot Pasquini:Virtual meetings are a must in todays web 2.0 environment irregardless of one's geographical location. I also concur with the concerns to reach out to students and paraprofessionals that they be treated equitably.
Posted by Margot Pasquini | January 8, 2008 5:56 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 17:56
Yvette Sanchez-Klemm:Two Thoughts:
Virtual Communication. I second Mel Lightbody's interest in placing an emphasis on electronic communications. In our library system, only a very few members ever attend conferences or travel to periodic meetings, or even serve on outside committees. That leaves out a lot of creative people. Discussion boards, virtual meetings, etc. would level the playing field and allow for more democratic participation.
Non-Librarians. To add to the comments made by Stefanie Giles about library paraprofessionals and Alison Lewis about library advocates, there are many points of entry into the world of libraries. We have a mulititude of people working in and for libraries, yet they don't find much relevance in the CLA. What's in it for them? The CLA cannot strengthen as an organization unless it finds a way to allow for and encourage active participation from the much broader pool of individuals that contribute tremendously to the success of their library organizations.
If an interest group forms around recruiting from those ranks, I'm in.
Posted by Yvette Sanchez-Klemm | January 8, 2008 8:37 PM
Posted on January 8, 2008 20:37
Cathy Sanford:As a new member of the Assembly, I was delighted to hear of this reorganization effort. The Task Force did an outstanding job with Paul Meyer in identifying concerns and issues and proposed recommendations. Organizations need to be nimble and able to respond to change and the proposed reorganization lends itself to this capability. It is true that perhaps not everything idea will work; if it does not, I am confident that CLA will adapt and make adjustments. I am most in favor, as the other respondees, of virtual participation and the inclusion of ALL library workers and supporters. We do need to be a Library community and this is an excellent starting point.
Posted by Cathy Sanford | January 9, 2008 12:06 PM
Posted on January 9, 2008 12:06
Derek Wolfgram:Kudos to CLA for taking a serious look at some tough issues, and more kudos for continuing to encourage participation in the discussion. It's a neverending challenge for professional organizations - everyone says they want more opportunities for participation, but then few people actually jump in when they have a chance. (Not just casting stones here - I fully admit my own guilt!)
I won't repeat previous comments, but I think that on the whole all of the recommendations are solid approaches to fixing the issues identified. I particularly appreciate the flexibility of the interest groups. Providing a structure (while limiting the bureaucratic hoops that people have to jump though just to share common interests) is a great idea.
I think the Board of Directors and Leadership Development Committee are both admirable. Has the organization considered adding any elected at-large representatives to the Leadership Development committee? As long as the Board has the authority to appoint people with the skills and diversity required to serve, a couple of at- large reps could reduce the potential for cliquishness (real or perceived).
Finally, I am skeptical about the need for mandating a single unopposed slate of candidates for the officer positions. I'm relatively new to CLA, but I would guess there is a limited pool of candidates for these positions anyway. If candidates run unopposed, I certainly don't have any issue with that. But if we're saying they must run unopposed, then the Board might as well just appoint its officers - they are no longer "elected" positions. Seems like the single slate might also make accusations of cliquishness even worse. Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing more about the rationale behind this decision.
Thanks again for coming up with an excellent set of recommendations and encouraging folks to feed back to you about it!
Posted by Derek Wolfgram | January 9, 2008 12:47 PM
Posted on January 9, 2008 12:47
Carol Simmons:I would support all these recommendations, as they do a good job updating the organization and providing a much simpler and more coherent structure for the activities involved. I would like this group to address the annual CLA conference as an issue -I don't feel that the conferences I've attended have been up to the standards we should expect in California. Many programs are good, but overall I think that both the conference structure and content should be looked at by this group and by the membership to see how we can do better.
Posted by Carol Simmons | January 9, 2008 1:35 PM
Posted on January 9, 2008 13:35
Laurie Johnson, MLIS:I want to commend the task force on their spectacular job of crafting the six recommendations for CLA reorganization. I believe the Executive Committee should move forward with this proposal.
#1 – Board of Directors – Will there be a requirement/suggestion to have representation from all types of libraries from all around the state? How do we get more members to run for office? Appeal to their community involvement side?
#2 – Leadership Development Committee – One of the stated values to CLA members is to improve skill based competency in leadership. I would suggest this take the highest proiority to allow members an opportunity to see measurable tasks/outcomes that they can participate in on a personal level.
#3 – Interest Groups – Would CLA staff be responsible for encouraging inactive interst groups? How/When would an interest group be deemed inactive? Who will be responsible to keep lisservs and other electronic means of participation/communication updated?
#4 – Steering Committees – The proposal states that the Leadership Deveopment Committeee would be responsbiel to identify memvers for this committee, would members-at-large also be able to make suggestions for committee work?
#5 – Finance Committee – The stated purpose says that the Finance Committee participates in “Strategic Planning” for the association. Who else/what other CLA entities will also be responsible for this?
#6 – Membership Input – I support the idea of regular membership meetings. I also envision members being notified to give input on current issues as they appear. RSS feeds, wikis, etc. Let’s use the Web 2.0 tools that we can to the fullest extent.
Posted by Laurie Johnson, MLIS | January 9, 2008 1:51 PM
Posted on January 9, 2008 13:51
Heather Anne Lamb:I like the changes proposed for the organization structure.
I feel we really need to increase ways of communicating with members and among members.
I'm hoping access to virtual interest groups, and other forms of communication like listservs and blogs will help us keep in contact and share ideas. Virtual meetings and webinars would be nice too.
Posted by Heather Anne Lamb | January 9, 2008 3:05 PM
Posted on January 9, 2008 15:05
Ken Dowlin:In my 20 years in CA libraries I was involved in 3 different reorganizations of CLA. They all seemed to have taken an inordinate amount of people’s time and I don’t know that any of them made a significant difference in the programmatic elements of the association. Off the top of my head this one looks complicated and centrist. It starts by saying that people feel that CLA leadership is too much of a clique and then goes on to narrow the choices for leadership by an uncontested ballot, a strong role for a leadership development committee that might well be controlled by the leaders who were picked by a handful of people, and little representation at the grassroots.
Having Interest Groups will make a much more flexible organization, but the committees look pretty familiar and unchanging.
Posted by Ken Dowlin | January 10, 2008 4:07 PM
Posted on January 10, 2008 16:07
Linda Wilson:The comment about lack of communication may be in part due to the elimination of the Newsletter. THE CLARION is a fine, slick publication, but it does not have what is happening in many libraries around the State or what is happening with CLA itself. I understand CLA eliminated it due to cost, but it could have been replaced with an electronic newsletter.
I agree with others who think there should be choices for the officers and not a single slate. If there is a feeling now of a cliques governing CLA, having only one slate will increase this feeling. I would hope that the egos of those who run and lose, can stand to lose and perhaps run again later and win. It also limits the candidate pool for President to someone who has or is serving on the board. Doing this makes it looks like only the select few can run.
I have no problem with a smaller board of directors, but doing this means fewer people are involved in CLA. People who are not involved are more likely to feel CLA is unimportant. We may need to look at how to involve more people.
There is also the point that people can only serve one three year term on the board. I would prefer terms to be two years as three (except for the President-Elect and Treasurer) is a long time. Jobs can change. I also do not like term limits. If the voters of CLA want to elect someone again and again, why not.
I also do not like the idea of a Leadership Development Committee choosing the candidates. It speaks of elitism and cliques.
Would there be membership meetings? What would be the role of membership meetings if they continue? Is member input the membership meeting?
Interest groups sounds like a good idea instead of divisions and round tables. Will the interest groups be responsible for annual conference?
Whatever format CLA uses, we need to look at what will convince people to join CLA. Just yesterday a young librarian asked me why he should join CLA. He wanted to know how it would benefit him. What answer would you give? Professionalism and networking probably will not cut it.
Posted by Linda Wilson | January 12, 2008 3:12 PM
Posted on January 12, 2008 15:12
John Lester Hasha:I prefer Recommondation #1 becuase I feel that a corporate structure would work well for an organization as large as CLA and the values that it has for CLA members. In addition, I prefer Recommnedations #3 and #4 becusae various committees could be formed to address any particular issue facing the library field. The various committees could establish programs and lobbying to address any particular issue affecting library workers. This would be similar to the setup of committees that ALA has.
John L. Hasha
SJSU SLIS student
Posted by John Lester Hasha | January 13, 2008 10:40 PM
Posted on January 13, 2008 22:40
Haleh Motiey:This new structure is an efficient step for CLA to bring flexibility and diversity into the organization. I would like to see Interest Groups using electronic communications such as blogs. I also would also like to involve paraprofessionals in Interest Groups.
The Leadership Development Committee will be able to make a big difference, but I suggest they would work closely with library directors to involve their staff with CLA and to budget for CLA conferences.
With the proposed reorganization, the members will notice that their involvement would make a difference and reaffirm their commitment to our organization.
Posted by Haleh Motiey | January 15, 2008 12:59 PM
Posted on January 15, 2008 12:59
Norm Hutcherson:As a former public librarian (Kern County Library 1996-2000), current academic librarian (Cal State Bakersfield 2000-present), and long time member of both CLA and ALA, I can greatly appreciate the various challenges that a diverse organization like CLA faces. I think that the proposals have merit and should be implemented.
Best regards to all,
Norm Hutcherson
Cal State Bakersfield
nhutcherson@csub.edu
Posted by Norm Hutcherson | January 16, 2008 10:09 AM
Posted on January 16, 2008 10:09
Alan Bern:I am in favor of reorganizing CLA -- all U.S. organizations and clubs are needing to do this at this juncture in order to maintain membership and support. My only question is with
Recommendation #2
Establish a Leadership Development Committee
and perhaps
Recommendation # 4
Establish Steering Committees
I would hope that members of the Leadership Development Committee would be, at least in great part, elected so that it (through the Board) was not a self-perpetuating group. This may apply also to the Steering Committees, but I am not as worried in this arena.
Posted by Alan Bern | January 16, 2008 6:16 PM
Posted on January 16, 2008 18:16
Bessie Condos:A lot of thought and effort has gone into these recommendations. Some comments for your consideration:
--Will there be a marketing plan for these changes?
--Think that changes should go to the membership for approval
--Consider re-working the purpose of the Leadership Development Committee because it sounds cliquish
--A lot of similarity between the Board of Directors and Leadership Committee
--Are steering committees intended to work like task forces?
--Although in some cases, leadership positions involve a single candidate, please don't limit member participation by having an uncontested ballot.
--Really pleased to see the emphasis on electronic communication.
Posted by Bessie Condos | January 22, 2008 3:33 PM
Posted on January 22, 2008 15:33