CLA Weblog Submissions
Do you have information that would be of interest to the library community? Please send your weblog submissions to the CLA office at lfisher@cla-net.org.
Inside CLA
April 23, 2008
Communications Tool Kit
The CLA PR Committee Announces the Communication Toolkit to aid you in all your Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations activities.
Posted by claadmin at 1:15 PM
March 19, 2008
CLA Governance Boards to Meet
The CLA Assembly and the CLA Executive Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at the Sacramento Public Library, 828 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, in the west meeting room of the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria. The Assembly meeting will begin at 10:00 am and will run until 12:30 pm. The Executive Committee will be meeting from 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm in the same room. The meetings are scheduled to allow CLA leaders to participate in Library Legislative Day on April 16.
This is your opportunity to submit agenda items for these meetings on the attached form. All agenda items need to be submitted to the CLA office no later than April 1, 2008. Agenda items may be submitted via email to info@cla-net.org, or by fax to 916-447-8394. All CLA meetings are open to members who wish to observe. Contact Sue Negreen, Executive Director, if you have questions.
Posted by claadmin at 2:13 PM
March 7, 2008
CLA's Nominating Committee Wants You
The Nominating Committee of the California Library Association is looking for members to run for office in CLA. Positions to be elected in the spring 2008 election include Vice President/President Elect, ALA Chapter Councilor and six positions elected at-large for the Assembly for three-year terms. All seven CLA sections will be electing Vice-Presidents/Presidents Elect, Secretaries, and the Academic, Management Services and Public Library Sections will be electing representatives to the Assembly.
If you are interested in serving your association in one of these positions, or if you have questions, please contact Margaret Todd Chair of the 2008 Nominations Committee or your section President. Please feel free to nominate yourself for one of these positions! Nominations forms may be found at http://www.cla-net.org/included/docs/ElectionVolunteerForm.pdf
Serving in an elected position is rewarding, professionally and personally. We hope to hear from you.
Margaret Todd, Chair
2008 Nominations Committee
Posted by claadmin at 10:33 AM
November 15, 2007
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.
Continue reading "Proposal to Reorganize CLA to Enhance Member Participation and Relevance"
Posted by claadmin at 8:14 AM
November 14, 2007
California Summer Reading Website
The California Summer Reading Program has a new website!
Here you will find:
- All the latest news about summer reading in California.
- Information about upcoming training workshops, and handouts and videos from previous workshops.
- A new "getting started" section with resources for planning your summer reading program, data you can use when advocating for summer reading, and practical information about the CSLP materials, including ordering deadlines for program incentives.
Coming soon!
A discussion forum where California librarians can ask questions and share information and ideas about summer reading.
Programming ideas and resources will be added through the year, so check back often!
If you have comments or feedback about the website, please contact Natalie Cole at ncole@cla-net.org.
Thank you!
Posted by claadmin at 3:30 PM
August 6, 2007
CLA Mentoring Program
The California Library Association's (CLA) Mentoring Committee is pleased to announce the Mentor-Protégé Program has transitioned from an annual program to a more user-friendly time span: 7-months (November - May). See http://www.cla-net.org/membership/mentorship.php.
Why this change? To provide you with more value with less time commitment.
Read the Guidelines to see the benefits for both Protégés and Mentors. Submit the online application between August 1 - October 15. We'll try to contact you with a potential match by November.
All CLA personal members are encouraged to apply. If you are a new library manager, please consider submitting both applications! If you are a student and not a CLA member yet, here's a special offer for joint membership with the American Library Association good through August 2007: http://cla-net.org/included/docs/ALA-CLA_membership_form.pdf.
In the past, we had more Protégé applications than Mentors. Mentors, hope you'll lead the way and help make a difference in the leadership of the future of California's Libraries!
Questions? Please contact: Christina Wainwright at cwainwright@sandiego.gov.
Dr. Connie Costantino
Chair, CLA Mentoring Committee
Posted by claadmin at 3:29 PM
May 1, 2007
Your Opinion Counts!
The California Library Association's leadership wants to involve you in assisting us in creating a more dynamic, effective, and efficient association. By gauging your thoughts and opinions, we can ensure that the CLA is focused and organized appropriately to meet the evolving needs of the California library community. If you would like to participate in this survey, go to http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/39dfg2811b.
This survey takes about 15 minutes to finish. Your responses will remain anonymous. The survey will be available until Wednesday, May 9. If you have difficulties while completing this brief survey, please contact pmeyer@tecker.com.
Thank you!
Margaret Donnellan Todd
CLA President
Posted by claadmin at 10:51 AM
January 29, 2007
California Chapter Councilor Report on ALA Mid-Winter
Submitted by Jackie Griffin, CLA Chapter Councilor
Seattle, January 18-25, 2007
The 2007 Mid-Winter Conference proved to be a very busy and interesting conference. Seattle worked well for the conference. The weather was mild and the conference center was well located for people attending meetings all hours of the day and evening. Total conference attendance was 12,196. This compared with 11,084 for San Antonio Mid-Winter, 2006 and 13,232 in Boston, 2005. Typically, conferences on the East Coast are better attended than West Coast conferences due to proximity to several large metropolitan areas.
- From this councilor's perspective, the most important issue at council was the lively and respectful debate at Council II on the role of ALA in political issues. This debate emerged from resolutions submitted on funding the war in Iraq and impeaching the President. A summary of the debate and outcome is included under Council II on Tuesday Jan. 23rd.
- Also important, with long-term consequences was the "Diversity Counts" report. Our profession is failing our younger members and we must find solutions or lose our most valuable resource.
- Michael Gorman was honored with a tribute from the California Library Association for his tremendous volume of work in our field.
- None of the resolutions voted on at Mid-Winter were available before the start of conference. This created much frustration, especially for state chapter councilors as we were unable to consult with our constituencies before voting. Therefore, any feedback on how I decided to vote on these issues would be appreciated for insight into how to proceed in the future.
- I have not included information on resolutions that I regarded as housekeeping more than policy. In cases where I have given information on resolutions I have only provided the resolved clauses rather than the full resolutions including whereas clauses. If there is a particular resolution that you would like to see in full please let me know and I will attempt to fax it to you.
Sunday January 21, 2007
ALA Council/Executive Board/Membership Information Session
Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC)
Total revenue for ALA was $1 million over projections for FY07 with a total budget of $56.54 million.
ALA Endowment Trustees Performance Report
Endowments showed a gain of approximately $3.6 million (10.9%) to $29,028,000 in 2006. The trustees have begun placing some funds in socially responsible funds in response to member concerns. Unfortunately these funds did not do as well as more general funds during this investment year.
Nominating Committee Report
Only 20% of all members approached agreed to run for council. There is general concern about lack of involvement, lack of diversity, lack of front-line staff etc.
Polls will open March 15th.
"Diversity Counts" Report
A demographic survey is available at www.ala.org/membersdemog Salary survey www.ala.org/ala/ors/reports/Librarian
Salaries1982-2003-091605.pdf Complete report www.ala.org/ala/ors/diversitycounts/divcounts.htm
- The number of librarians age 45-54 has grown by 95% in the last 10 years.
- We're retaining older librarians who do not retire or advance.
- We're losing younger librarians who have few opportunities to advance.
- We have less diversity in the workforce.
- We are developing a huge leadership gap.
However, it should be noted that this report ends (2003) before Spectrum Scholarships took effect (2003).
ALA-APA Information Session
APA was created by ALA to create more knowledge and information about library employee salaries, to help create opportunities for advancement in the profession and to be an advocate for improving library salaries. All members of ALA Council are also members of APA council.
ALA-APA is struggling with becoming a self-sustaining organization. FY06 showed a deficit of $39,552. However, income did increase by 68% last year and APA hopes to begin repayment of the "seed loan" of $250,000 from ALA by FY09.
Librarian salaries nation-wide and classification-wide range from 22,000-253,500.
ALA Council I
EPA Library Closings
The Bush Administration introduced an FY07 budget that included a $2 million cut to EPA that would reduce that agency's library network budget by 80% and force closure of many of the regional EPA libraries. Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City were closed in 2006 and the Main EPA library in DC was closed to the general public. These closures were done before the FY07 budget was passed.
The EPA insists that these closures will not affect access to environmental information. Many librarians, scientists and EPA staffers disagree.
The EPA sent several officials to Mid-Winter and they met with ALA staff, concerned librarians and others in an attempt to reach a compromise. Much discussion happened although no outcome was announced.
Hot Topic Discussion
President Burger introduced a new idea for council where a "hot topic" would be discussed in small groups in an attempt to resolve a problem. President Burger described it as being based in "speed dating".
Council discussed the reasons that members do not participate in council and ways to encourage new participation.
Monday Jan. 22, 2007
APA-ALA Council
California Councilor at Large, Michael McGrorty, brought a resolution to council on minimum salaries for professional librarians.
"RESOLVED, that the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association endorses a minimum salary for professional librarians of not less than $40,000 per year; and be it further RESOLVED, that the details of this endorsement shall be published and otherwise disseminated by the Director of the ALA Allied Professional Association as appropriate."
I voted yes. Motion passed unanimously.
Tuesday Jan. 23, 2007
ALA Council II
Budget Analysis and Review Committee
Defer graduated dues study recommendations from Annual, 2007 to Mid-Winter 2008.
I voted yes. Motion passed unanimously.
ALA Treasurer's Report
Net assets grew 9%. Total assets $59.25 million. Total liabilities $28.4 million.
Publishing, meetings and conferences make up 75% of revenue. CEPA and CDA loans have been repaid. Net assets have grown from $367,000 in 2002 to $1.64 million in 2006. Audit gave ALA its highest rating. The increase in dues led to no loss in membership.
Freedom to Read Foundation
This year, the Freedom to Read Foundation took part in several lawsuits in which First Amendment rights were under attack both federally and in individual states. More information is available at www.ftrf.org.
The work the Foundation does is incredibly important to all of us. I encourage individuals and institutions to join the FRF.
Honorary memberships were given to four individuals for their work in libraries. David Cohen, Alice Hagemeyer, Anita Schiller and Alphonse Trezza.
At this point, three resolutions were brought before council that caused much debate and discussion about council's role in political discussions. The debates were well informed, passionate, respectful, useful and thoughtful.
Resolution to Advocate Ending Funding for the War in Iraq.
"Therefore be it resolved that ALA support efforts in the US Congress to stop the Iraq War by withholding funds for military actions in Iraq, except for funds necessary for a safe, quick and orderly withdrawal."
I argued against this resolution. Not only do I not think that the resolution itself speak to ALA's mission, I also think that these types of resolutions are expressly opposed to our core principle of intellectual freedom. Any time we take a political position we risk having a chilling effect on our ability to be a resource for our users who are seeking information on these subjects. Others spoke of their concerns that this measure did not even address libraries in its resolve clause. It might have been easier to support this resolution if it mentioned funding for libraries.
Chapter Councilors expressed concern that these resolutions were not given to us before we came to council so that we might poll our constituents.
Members who spoke in favor of this resolution did feel that it met our core principles.
The resolution was defeated 95-48. I voted no.
Resolution on Impeachment of George W. Bush.
"THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the American Library Association considers that George W. Bush, by such conduct, warrants impeachment".
Before this resolution could be debated the chair asked for a vote on whether the majority felt that these types of resolutions met the purview of the organization. A vast majority voted no. However, we were surprised to realize that the vote had ended debate on the issue which was not the intent of the body. Hearing the majority express a desire to allow the debate to go on (I said that I would like to have the issue debated and then I would vote against it) the chair rescinded the vote and debate was held. This debate reflected most of the same issues from the previous one.
The vote was overwhelmingly against the resolution. I voted no.
A final resolution of the day called for a reaffirmation of ALA's policy of not affiliating with the Boy Scouts of America until such time as they end their exclusionary policy with regard to religious beliefs or sexual orientation.
This resolution grew out of concern because the Association of Library Service to Children has a liaison to BSA listed on its website. ALSC asserts that it simply provides booklists and other support of the same type that it provides to any organization that provides service to children. Questions were raised about what did the word "affiliation" mean in this resolution (no support at all?) and what does ALSC
mean by "liaison." The resolution was deferred until the Annual Conference.
Council III
Tribute to Michael Gorman
I had the opportunity to present a resolution from CLA on behalf of Michael Gorman on the occasion of his retirement. I talked about how proud I was of ALA's leadership after Katrina and how we appeared as heroes in New Orleans because of Michael's leadership. I presented him with a token of our appreciation and the resolution that was passed at CLA in November listing his numerous achievements in the field. Michael seemed very pleased and touched.
Election to the Executive Board
Larry Romans and Charles E. Kratz, Jr. were elected to the Executive Board
Intellectual Freedom Report
Concern was expressed that some states are dropping their Intellectual Freedom Committees. IFC Chair Kent Oliver asked that states continue to support IFC committees.
Committee on Legislation
Resolution in Support of "Orphan Works"
"RESOLVED, That the American Library Association urges Members of the US Senate and the US House of Representatives to introduce legislation to amend the Copyright Act to facilitate the use of "orphan works" if the user has made a reasonably diligent, good faith search to locate the owner of the work but was
unable to find the owner."
After discussion of what "reasonably diligent, good faith search meant" and hearing from ALA staff that it was standard legal language for such searches, measure passed. I voted yes.
Resolution in Support of Immigrant Rights
RESOLVED, that ALA strongly supports the protection of each person's civil liberties, regardless of that individual's nationality, residency, or status; and be it further
RESOLVED, That ALA opposes any legislation that infringes on immigrant's rights to use library resources, programs, and services on national, state, and local levels.
After discussion of language and what was meant by "immigrant" this resolution passed.
I voted yes.
Resolution Affirming the Role of Libraries in Providing E-Government and Emergency Services.
RESOLVED, that the American Library Association urge governments at all levels to acknowledge and support the essential role local libraries play in providing e-government and emergency response/recovery services, as well as include libraries in relevant legislative or other policy actions; and, be it further
RESOLVED, that the American Library Association encourage continued research documenting library needs and capacity to provide effective e-government and emergency response/recovery services, and help libraries develop best practices and train staff to deliver these essential services.
Motion passed. I voted yes.
International Relations Committee Report
Council voted to appoint an ALA representative to the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield, an organization established Jan. 2006 with the mission of protecting cultural property in times of war.
I voted yes.
Report from the Parliamentarian
Eli Mina is the Parliamentarian for ALA Council and he has provided much support in making Council a more effective body.
There was much discussion about the shutting off of debate during Council II.
The sense of the group seemed to be that we are an organization that values free and open speech and we do not wish to cut off debate.
Accessible Digitalization Projects Resolution
This resolution came very late to Council and it lacked necessary information. The intent of the resolution was to encourage all libraries that are digitalizing collections to make them accessible to our disability populations. However, the sense of the body was to refer it to the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies for their input.
Motion to refer passed. I voted yes.
Discussion on Earlybird Registration
Earlybird registration comes too soon. There is earlybird and early earlybird and registration and late registration and on-site registration.
The earlybird registration period is too short which penalizes school librarians.
Earlybird comes too early and penalizes young librarians who are struggling to make ends meet and must wait months to be reimbursed by their libraries.
Posted by claadmin at 10:13 AM
July 3, 2006
It's Time to Vote!
Once again, CLA is offering online voting! To vote online, you are required to log on with your member ID and password. This information is on your member card. It was also emailed to eligible voters. If you would rather vote by mail, contact the CLA office at 916-447-8541 or info@cla-net.org by July 26 to receive a paper ballot.
Once you log in, you will be able to vote for the General Election as well as for any Sections that you belong to. Links to the the candidate biographies are provided on the ballot, but if you wish to look at them in advance, they are available on our website at http://www.cla-net.org/aboutcla/election.php.
Please join us in thanking the 2006 CLA Nominations Committee, ably chaired this year by Danis Kreimeier, and the section Nominations Committees, for all their hard work in putting this ballot together. Thank you also to all the CLA members willing to step forward and be considered for leadership positions in CLA.
We encourage you to exercise your membership privilege, and VOTE in the election! CLA depends on member involvement to carry out our programs and services. Your participation in this effort will shape the direction of CLA in the years to come. Thank you for taking time to exercise this important membership right.
The election ends on August 3. VOTE TODAY!
Posted by claadmin at 7:53 AM
May 30, 2006
A Guide to CLA Dues Reimbursement for Your Employer
By Kit Willis, Chair, Membership Committee
If you're not the only one benefiting from your CLA membership, then why are you the only one paying for it?
Your CLA membership isn't just valuable to you, it's valuable to your library, too. As a CLA member, you know you receive top-quality professional publications, gain opportunities for essential continuing education, and have access to a unique set of resources to improve your own worklife. But is your employer aware of how these benefits can advance your entire library's mission and work?
By demonstrating how your CLA membership improves your work, and therefore your workplace, you can encourage your employer to pay your CLA dues. Here are 4 simple steps to help you build a compelling case with your boss, board, or library "Friends" group to pay for your professional memberships:
- Make a list of all member benefits that directly AND indirectly benefit your library. We've included some ideas at the end of this article to help get you started.
- Review your library's mission and strategic goals. Match up specific organizational or departmental objectives with CLA resources that help you meet those goals.
- Talk with your supervisor about why membership has been valuable to you, and go through the list of ways that CLA benefits 'match' your library's goals.
- Ask your supervisor to cover all or part of your CLA dues as an investment in your own professional development, and as a benefit to the entire library.
Don't be shy. Remember, for pennies a day in dues, your library gets a well-connected and informed staff member who is up-to-date on new trends around the library world and understands how the latest technology, legislative issues and new media affect your patrons. Plus, you get the personal bonus of an employer who understands and acknowledges this in a special way.
You know how important your membership is. Here are a few facts about membership benefits to share with your employer:
- Your membership will help you stay up-to-date with the latest news focused on the work you do every day through CLA's weblog and new bi-annual journal, Clarion and the list-servs for CLA's Sections.
- CLA offers a members-only discount on conference attendance. This discount helps the library stretch its budget for purchasing and continuing education.
- CLA offers scholarships and awards that can directly subsidize the library budget for conferences, continuing education and special programs.
- You are eligible to serve on CLA committees and work groups that set the course for the future of libraries. Boards and community leadership are proud of, and find added value in, staff members who are recognized by their peers for outstanding service.
- Your own staff development goals can be enhanced through the continuing education, skills training, and mentoring programs offered by CLA. Plus, you bring back new ideas to your coworkers from every outside training.
- Members have unique opportunities to contribute articles, propose new publications, become a reviewer and bring your library's best-practices to a new audience. This brings recognition to your library in the wider community of professionals.
- You and your library have networking opportunities through CLA's online members-only directory that enables you to share experiences, develop professionally, and interact with library leaders throughout California.
For more information on CLA member benefits, or to learn more about the opportunities described above, visit www.cla-net.org or call (916) 447-8541. We are glad that you are a member and support your efforts to gain the recognition from your employer that you deserve.
Posted by claadmin at 2:25 PM
May 9, 2006
Library Cheer!
By popular demand, we are providing the text to the cheer led by Margaret Miles, CLA President, at our Annual Library Legislative Day:
(leader says what's in caps, crowd say what's in lower-case. Everybody says hip-hip-hooray!)
L-I-B-R-A-R-Y
l-i-b-r-a-r-y
I SAID L-I-B-R-A-R-Y!
l-i-b-r-a-r-y
WHERE DO YOU GO FOR POETRY?
l-i-b-r-a-r-y
WHERE DO YOU GO FOR HISTORY?
l-i-b-r-a-r-y
WHERE DO YOU GO IF YOU'RE OLD AND SHY?
l-i-b-r-a-r-y
WHERE DO YOU GO TO LEARN HOW TO FLY?
l-i-b-r-a-r-y
I SAY LIBRARY, YOU SAY CARD
LIBRARY
card
LIBRARY
card
I GOT ONE, AND IT WASN'T TOO HARD
LIBRARY
card
LIBRARY
card
BIG BRICK BUILDING HOW SWEET IT LOOKS
SO TAKE ME IN TO THE LAND OF BOOKS
TO THE L-I-B-R-A-R-Y
l-i-b-r-a-r-y
IT'S BEEN IN YOUR TOWN FOR A HUNDRED YEARS,
LET'S GIVE YOUR LIBRARY THREE BIG CHEERS!
hip-hip-hooray!
hip-hip-hooray!
hip-hip-hooray!
CLA President Margaret Miles leads the Annual Library
Legislative Day attendees in a cheer before they head
out to their meetings with legislators.
Posted by claadmin at 12:00 PM
April 5, 2006
Nominations Being Accepted for Member of the Year and President's Award
The Member of the Year/President's Award Committee is seeking nominees for this year's awards. Sing the praises of someone you think deserves to be recognized.
Member of the Year Award is given to a current member of CLA who has held membership for at least 3 years and must be, or have been, working in a recognized library position or teaching in library education. Elected officials of CLA are excluded while in office. The purpose of this award is to recognize an individual member for his/her outstanding contributions, leadership and achievements in service to California libraries.
President's Award is given to a Trustee, friend, Elected Official or lay person(s) who has given his or her time and talents to further the advancement of California Libraries. CLA membership is not required.
Nomination forms are available on the CLA website. The deadline for the receipt of applications is September 30, 2006.
California librarians and library supporters are amazing people. Take this opportunity to help recognize some of them!
Barbara Roberts
Chair, Member of the Year/President's Award Committee
Posted by claadmin at 2:36 PM
April 4, 2006
National Library Week
To: CLA Members/ Systems/ Network Contacts
From: Mike Dillon, CLA Lobbyist and Christina Dillon, CLA Lobbyist
RE: News From the Capitol
SENATOR TORLAKSON INTRODUCES RESOLUTION CELEBRATING
"NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK"
At CLA's request, Senate Democratic Caucus Chair, Tom Torlakson, has introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 110, celebrating April 2 through April 8, 2006 as "National Library Week." The resolution "applauds the vital impact of California's public libraries, librarians, and all library workers," and contains several important "WHEREAS" clauses that highlight the numerous contributions that public libraries make statewide.
You may recall, Senator Torlakson has carried past legislation relative to ERAF relief for libraries, and has served as the former Chair of the Senate Local Government Committee, where he became one of the principle architects of Proposition 65 (later became known as Proposition 1A), which provided ERAF relief to cities, counties, and special districts. A special "thank you" to Senator Torlakson and his Legislative Director, Jennifer Swenson, for their work on our behalf!
The bill was amended on April 3, 2006 to include an important "WHEREAS" that was crafted in conjunction with the literacy community, and Carey Gross of the CLA Legislative Committee. The bill will head to the Assembly this week so that principal co-author, Assemblywoman Wolk, will have the opportunity to take it up in her house as well, and then it will be returned to the Senate.
You may view a copy of the resolution at www.senate.ca.gov. Click on "legislation" and enter "scr 110" in the subject box.
Posted by claadmin at 1:05 PM
March 7, 2006
Campaign for Prop 81 Gears Up
Librarians and library advocates across the state have organized a grassroots effort to pass Proposition 81, the $600 million library construction and renovation bond measure that will be on the ballot in June 2006.
The campaign steering committee, chaired by Solano County Librarian Ann Cousineau, has mobilized a system of regional and county coordinators to pass the measure. Advocates will be stressing the following key messages about the importance of approving the bond:
- Local libraries are in need. A needs assessment by the State Library has found that there are more than 500 public library projects needed in the next five years. Many communities have no local library, despite significant population growth.
- Libraries are safe places for children. We see this in libraries all over the state as children pour in to seek homework help, work on research projects, and study.
- The bond measure is not a tax increase. It is bonded with indebtedness the state repays over a number of years, but is not an increase to either property or sales tax. None of this funding can be used for local governments for administrative overhead.
- Local dollars for local services. The bond reduces the amount that cities, counties, and library districts need to devote to capital costs, thus increasing the amount of local dollars that can be used to fund operational programs including collection development, literacy, senior services, and children’s programming.
We need your help. The library bond measure will NOT simply pass on its merits. It will take the involvement of many people across the state. Please consider helping in the following ways:
- Give to the campaign, if you have not done so already. The campaign is still far short of its goal for the resources needed to effectively push for the measure.
- Hold a fundraiser in your area and invite other people to come and contribute to the campaign.
- Talk to your co-workers and ask that they also support the bond.
- Friends and foundations--urge these groups to make a contribution and to generate support for the bond.
- Secure endorsements from city councils, boards of supervisors, school boards and other local groups.
- And finally--Vote for Prop 81.
For more information on the campaign to pass Prop 81, please go to Yesforlibraries.com.
Posted by claadmin at 9:35 AM
January 10, 2006
A Financial Snapshot of the California Library Association
Do you ever wonder how your CLA dues are spent when you join or renew your annual membership? We occasionally receive some questions about CLA's finances, so we have prepared some charts that illustrate where our revenue comes from and where it goes. CLA's annual income and expenses are expected to be close to $750,000 for the current fiscal year.
In Chart 1, you will see that the annual conference is responsible for 50% of CLA's income, with dues representing 30%. Job Mart, rental income from the building, and interest and dividends represent another 18%. 
In Chart 2, you will see that expenses for the conference, which include speakers, meeting room rental, the receptions and meals, the exhibit hall expenses and contracted services are 33% of our planned expenses. Close behind that expense is personnel, the staff in the CLA office. CLA spends 13% of our revenue on legislative expenses, primarily CLA's lobbyists, and 8% of the budget is spent on administration and another 8% is spent on the building. Governance and membership expenses run to 7%.
A longitudinal view of the organization's income and expenses is shown in Charts 3 and 4. As you can see in Chart 3, Income Trends, there have been some wide fluctuations in conference income over the last ten years, while dues income has been more stable.
On the expense side (Chart 4), the cost of the conference varies primarily due to location and speaker honoraria. For example, the conference in Ontario (2003-04) cost significantly less than the conference in San Jose (2004-05) because of the difference in convention center rental. 
Members of the Finance Committee or the staff would be happy to answer any questions about CLA's finances. Finance Committee members include Annette Milliron, Treasurer, North Bay Cooperative Library System, Joan Allen Hart, San Diego County Public Law Library, Jackie Griffin, Berkeley Public Library, Diana Paque, John F. Kennedy University, Jean Scully, Redondo Beach Public Library, Sally Tseng, Chinese American Librarians Association, and Diana Wu, San Jose State University.
Annette Milliron, Treasurer
annetnbc@sonic.net
Posted by claadmin at 2:59 PM
December 21, 2005
Results Announced for Management Services Section Election
The CLA Management Services Section Election is now complete. Heather Pizzuto, Library Director at Carlsbad City Library has been elected Vice President/President Elect for the Section. Other new officers include Rosanne Macek, Secretary, and Stephanie Beverage, Assembly Representative. The newly elected representatives take office immediately, as CLA's elected terms of office begin with the conclusion of the Annual Conference. Current President of the section is Melinda Cervantes, County Librarian for Santa Clara County Library.
The election was conducted on-line, and 75 members of the section voted, for a 40% participation rate. Final results are as follows:
Vice President/President
Heather Pizzuto 62%
Lisa G. Rosenblum 38%
Secretary
Melissa Browne 46%
Roseanne Macek 54%
Assembly Representative
Stephanie Beverage 65%
Jean Hofacket 35%
Posted by claadmin at 4:34 PM
October 4, 2005
CLA Governing Bodies to Meet in Pasadena
The CLA Assembly and Executive Committee will be meeting next month in conjunction with the CLA Conference. The CLA Executive Committee will meet on November 4, from 9:00 am - noon. The 2005 Assembly will meet on Friday, November 4, 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm, and the 2006 Assembly will meet on Monday, November 7, 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm. These meetings will be held at the Westin Pasadena, 191 North Los Robles, Pasadena, California 91101. Agenda items for these meetings must be received in the CLA office by 5 p.m. Friday, October 14, 2005. Please contact Sue Negreen, CLA Executive Director, if you would like more information about these meetings, or if you would like to submit an agenda request. All CLA meetings are open to members.
Posted by claadmin at 2:52 PM
September 13, 2005
California to Participate in National Summer Reading Collaborative
Susan Hildreth, State Librarian of California, and Danis Kreimeier, CLA President, have submitted the following announcement:
The California State Library (CSL) is very happy to announce a new partnership with the California Library Association (CLA). CSL has joined the Collaborative Summer Library Program as a state member; and CLA will facilitate this summer reading program opportunity for 2006 and future summers for all interested public libraries.
The National Collaborative Summer Library Program is a grassroots consortium of 32 state agencies and associations working together providing high-quality summer reading program materials for children and teens at the lowest cost possible for libraries. Some libraries in California have participated in this program previously; and it has been quite successful and cost effective.
CSLP hires a writer to develop a program manual each year. Personnel from libraries in member states are encouraged to contribute ideas and materials to this creative process. By combining resources and working with a commercial vendor (currently Upstart) to produce the manual, working with well-known artists to develop art, and suggesting incentives to support the program theme designed exclusively for CSLP members, libraries in participating states can purchase posters, reading logs, bookmarks, certificates, and a variety of reading incentives at significant savings.
For the summer of 2006, CSL has funded a membership fee for every public library and will purchase a program manual for every public library branch in California. Library staff can review the manual and determine if your library would like to participate.If so, the cost of any material relating to the summer reading program will be a local responsibility. Participation in this program is not required for any public library; you may chose to use these materials, or continue to develop your own program.
This collaborative works in a very democratic manner; and California, as a state member, has an official voting member of the cooperative. Currently, that member is CLA Vice-President/President-Elect Margaret Miles. When Margaret becomes CLA President in November, Danis Kreimeier will assume that role. Hopefully, future representatives will be identified through the CLA Children's Services Section.
A website, www.summerreading.cla-net.org, is now available to support library participation in the summer reading program.
Posted by claadmin at 3:31 PM
September 9, 2005
Volunteers Needed to Guide Summer Reading Program
Do you have the secrets to a successful summer reading program? Would you like to share your expertise with your colleagues throughout California?
CLA and the State Library have announced a statewide summer reading program and now we need experts from CLA's membership to assure its success. Representatives are needed from every part of the state. Possible volunteer opportunities include serving on an advisory committee, assisting with workshops throughout the state and participating on committees at the national level.
If you would like to help chart the success of the first statewide summer reading program in California, contact Danis Kreimeier at danisk@ylpl.lib.ca.us.
For more information about the Summer Reading Program, visit http://www.summerreading.cla-net.org/
Posted by claadmin at 2:41 PM
September 8, 2005
Section Election Results
ACADEMIC SECTION
Eligible voters: 201
Ballots received: 68
Voting percentage: 33.8%
Vice President/President Elect
Barbara Quarton 58.8%
Robert Sage 38.2%
Secretary
Linda Peabody 100%
Assembly Representative
Melissa Browne 44.1%
Kathy Headtke 51.5%
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ACCESS, COLLECTIONS AND TECHNICAL SERVICES SECTION
Eligible voters: 142
Ballots received: 66
Voting percentage: 46.5%
Vice President/President Elect
Xiaoli Li 100%
Secretary
Sheila Wekselbaum 100%
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CHILDREN'S AND YOUNG ADULT SERVICES SECTION
Eligible voters: 301
Ballots received: 117
Voting percentage: 38.9%
Vice President/President Elect
Paula Knop 100%
Secretary
Stephanie Stokes 100%
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTION
Eligible voters: 170
Ballots received: 69
Voting percentage: 40.6%
Vice President/President Elect
Anthony Costa 100%
Secretary
Lisa Bartle 100%
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LITERACY SERVICES SECTION
Eligible voters: 91
Ballots received: 33
Voting percentage: 36.3%
Vice President/President Elect
Monica O'Hara 67.6%
Beverly Schwartzberg 29.4%
Secretary
Shanti Bhaskaran 100%
---------------------------------
PUBLIC LIBRARY SECTION
Eligible voters: 523
Ballots received: 235
Voting percentage: 44.9%
Vice President/President Elect
Paymaneh Maghsoudi 46.0%
Cynthia Pirtle 53.2%
Secretary
Dolly Barnes 100%
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REFERENCE SERVICES SECTION
Eligible voters: 230
Ballots received: 90
Voting percentage: 39.1%
Vice President/President Elect
Sean Aragon 100%
Secretary
Jennifer Sweeney 100%
Posted by claadmin at 9:53 AM
September 6, 2005
CLA 2005-06 Election Results
Statewide Positions
CLA Voting Members were informed of the ballot through a postcard announcement
Eligible Voters: 1990
Ballots received online and paper: 770
Percentage voting 38.7%
Vice President/President Elect
Margaret Donnellan Todd 60.6%
Mark Smith 36%
ALA Chapter Councilor
Jackie Griffin 60.8%
Norman Reeder 32.9%
Assembly Members-at-Large
A coin toss resolved the tie between Ja-Lih Lee and Nancy Messineo. Names were drawn for the candidates who filled unexpired terms on the Assembly. All terms are three years unless noted.
Lisa Bartle 42.6%
Karen Dyer (2 year term) 57.8%
Al Escoffier 40.4%
Keri Botello 42.3%
Ja-Lih Lee 40.9%
Louise Mazerov 34.2%
Dave Tyckoson 31.9%
Ana-Elba Pavon (1 year term) 42.5%
Lucy Salvado 37.9%
Gail McPartland 47.5%
Maida Lin Wong 33.4%
Sarah Houghton 49.9%
David McFadden 45.6%
Nancy Messineo 40.9%
Barbara Flynn 37.3%
Michele A. Huie 24.7%
Section election results will be available shortly.
Posted by claadmin at 3:25 PM
August 4, 2005
Vote in CLA's Election!
Have you voted in this year's CLA election? If not, please consider casting your vote today. Every year, the Assembly race comes down to just handful of votes. Every vote DOES count, including yours!
To make voting as quick and easy as possible, we are once again offering online voting.
In order to vote online, you will need your member ID and password. If we have your email address on file, you have been sent this information twice since the election began. It is also on your CLA membership card. If you can't locate your emails or card, contact the CLA office at info@cla-net.org or 916/447-8541.
Once you log in, you will be able to vote for the General Election as well as for any Sections that you belong to. Links to the the candidate biographies are provided on the ballot, but if you wish to look at them in advance, they are available on our website at http://www.cla-net.org/aboutcla/election.php. If you rather vote with a paper ballot, please contact the CLA office no later than next Monday, August 8.
Voting ends August 15. Don't miss out on choosing CLA's leaders. VOTE TODAY!
Posted by claadmin at 1:45 PM
July 22, 2005
Members Suggest Priorities for the Association
Submitted by Danis Kreimeier, CLA President
During the recent long range planning survey, 439 members took the opportunity to tell CLA that a public relations campaign to education Californians about the libraries, a compelling state conference and strengthening the fiscal position of the association were their top three priorities. Members responding to the survey were least interested in a program for retirees and a master speakers' series. Assembly members who took the survey at their April meeting ranked the conference, a proactive legislative agenda and increasing membership as their top three priorities. The Assembly also ranked a retirees program at the bottom of their list. A complete report that compares these results can be found on the CLA website. Many thanks to the members who participated in this survey. I was delighted by the response!
This is the first time that CLA was able to get feedback on our long range plan directly from our members. Some of you may have found the survey a little cumbersome; however I found that the format of the survey forced me to really make a choice among priorities that at first glance seemed equally important.
We have already begun work on many of your priorities. Cynthia Olsen and the Public Relations Task Force are working to lay a foundation for a PR Campaign, and the association has committed to meeting space for the conference through 2012, ensuring that there will be a statewide conference. We ended the last fiscal year in the black, despite a budget that planned a small deficit and we expect to have our first major new source of income shortly through an LSTA grant. As we move through the long range plan, we will keep you up to date on these priorities.
I would like to thank Gail McPartland and the Long Range Planning Committee for all their hard work in moving us through the planning process. Last September, Gail and the committee started with a laundry list of wishes and were able to distill a wide variety of ideas into a cohesive plan. I imagine that they felt like they were trying to herd kittens through much of the process. I am continually amazed at the willingness of our members to take on difficult tasks and create such quality products.
If you would like to be involved CLA activities, consider running for office or volunteering for a committee. A committee volunteer form can be found at http://www.cla-net.org/aboutcla/volunteerform.php. Election information will be available in September. Again, thank you for participating in this survey.
Posted by claadmin at 2:50 PM
May 16, 2005
Academic Librarians Meeting
Submitted by Kathlene Hanson, Academic Section President on behalf of Les Kong, Assembly Member and Past CLA President
On April 20, CLA Assembly members affiliated with academic institutions -- Carl Bengston, CSU Stanislaus; Rebecca Culbertson, UC San Diego; Kathy Headtke, Alan Hancock College; Sue Kendall, San Jose State University; Les Kong, CSU San Bernardino; Diana Paque, John F. Kennedy University; Rosalind Van Auker, CSU Sacramento; Diana Wu, San Jose State University; and Kathlene Hanson, CSU Monterey Bay, and President, CLA Academic Section -- met at the Inn Off Capitol Park, in downtown Sacramento. We had a wide-ranging discussion covering such issues as how to recruit more academic members into CLA, collaboration and co-sponsorship opportunities with other groups (e.g., CARL), strategies to recruit students as potential academic librarians and/or CLA Academic Section members, developing a list of the benefits of CLA membership specifically for academic librarians, the importance of academic librarians becoming more involved in the lobbying process (and Legislative Day), the continuing process of ensuring that the annual conference program content has strong relevance and resonance for academic librarians, and the role of mentors in developing academic librarians. We observed that both collaboration with other library organizations and recruitment of new members ties in with the CLA Draft Long Range Plan.
We also discussed strategies to determine why many academic librarians in the state are not currently members of CLA and will be considering ways to advocate for membership at the annual conference. We were particularly interested in focusing upon newer members to the academic library profession. We discussed ways in which each of us, in our respective organizations, can actively encourage membership in professional associations, such as CLA, to our colleagues. In particular, we wanted to focus again on the newer librarians to the profession and to acertain their expectations of association membership. We concluded with the thought that a meeting like this was long overdue, and that we should definitely follow up with another meeting in the Fall at Conference, and possibly make this a regular event. Many good ideas came out of our discussions, and we all thought it was very energizing to get together as a group.
Posted by claadmin at 10:36 AM
May 4, 2005
Technology Core Competencies for CA Library Workers Online!
Submitted by Sarah Houghton, IT Section President
Technology Core Competencies for California Library Workers Library staff deal with technology every day. Technology competencies serve to help staff understand what is expected of them in terms of technological skills and knowledge. Technology competencies can also assist libraries in assessing staff training needs and developing an appropriate training program.
For the last few months, a taskforce from the Information Technology Section and the Continuing Education Committee have been working toward developing a set of Technology Core Competencies for California Library Workers. The Assembly and Executive Board approved the competencies, and they are now in place for all of the California Library Association.
This set of competencies is intended to serve as a base model for technology competencies among California Library Workers. California's libraries are incredibly diverse; there are many different types and sizes of libraries, different staffing, and different technology. The purpose of these competencies is not to be the guidepost by which all libraries measure technology skills, but rather to serve as a starting point for libraries to use in assessing their staff's technology proficiencies, and to assist libraries in building their own sets of tailored competencies to fit with their unique staff and library.
Posted by claadmin at 9:21 AM
March 23, 2005
Editor Announced for New CLA Magazine
The CLA Reasearch and Publications Committee is pleased to announce the appointment of ANNE M. TURNER to the position of editor for the forthcoming CLA magazine. The inaugural issue is planned for Fall 2005.
Ms. Turner is the Director of Libraries of the Santa Cruz City County Library System in Santa Cruz, California. She has also directed libraries in Amherst and Lowell, Massachusetts, and did a brief stint as a reference librarian at a small college before escaping to management. Her Master of Science and Doctor of Arts degrees are both from the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science in Boston.
Despite these East Coast credentials she is a second generation Californian; she was born and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.
She was the 2002 President of the California Library Association, and was a long time columnist for CLA's newsletter. She also wrote a column for Library Journal. She has written three books for the library professional market. The latest is a new edition of It Comes with the Territory, about handling problem situations in libraries.
Posted by claadmin at 1:11 PM
March 14, 2005
Name CLA's New Magazine!
Submitted by Shawna Thorup
CLA will unveil a new print magazine later this year, and it needs a title. Can you help?
CLA's Research and Publications Committee invites you to submit up to three suggestions for an upbeat, catchy magazine title that captures the unique nature of California libraries, California librarians and library staff, and the California Library Association.
Please keep in mind that this will be the official publication of the California Library Association. The magazine will have practical and interesting articles of varying length built around a theme, with attention paid to design, layout, and illustrations. It will be sent to all CLA members as part of their membership, and possibly available to non-members and institutions via subscription.
Email your suggestion(s) with the Subject line, "CLA Magazine Title Suggestion" to info@cla-net.org by April 2, 2005. The Research and Publications Committee will provide a short list of recommendations to the CLA Executive Committee, which will make the final decision.
Thank you in advance!
Posted by claadmin at 8:03 AM
January 4, 2005
Welcome to the CLA Weblog
In the coming months, we will be adding articles to each of the main categories to your left. Our most recent articles will appear here on our weblog home page. You can also scan through the archives by Month or Recent Entries or use the Search this site tool to your left.
We hope you enjoy reading our articles!
Posted by claadmin at 6:00 PM