GODORT (Government Documents Round Table)

last person joined: 6 days ago 

The mission of the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) is to (1) To provide a forum for discussion of problems, concerns, and for exchange of ideas by librarians working with government documents; (2) to provide a force for initiating and supporting programs to increase availability, use, and bibliographic control of documents; (3) to increase communication between documents librarians and other librarians; (4) to contribute to the extension and improvement of education and training of documents librarians.

Learn more about GODORT on the ALA website.

  • 1.  ALA membership dues proposal would use CPI for regular modest rate increases - comments welcome

    Posted Dec 10, 2012 07:58 AM
      |   view attached

    Kay Cassell, Chair, ALA Membership Committee, shared the attached ALA Dues Adjustment Proposal which has been approved by the ALA Membership Committee and the ALA Executive Board.  Here's her brief summary of the proposal.  She will be visiting a number of meetings in Seattle to present this proposal and answer questions.

    The proposal recommends using the national average Consumer Price Index (CPI) http://www.bls.gov/cpi/ to make future adjustments to ALA personal member dues amounts. If the Consumer Price Index goes up, your dues would go up by that percentage. If there is no change or a decrease in the CPI, your dues would stay the same. Under this approach, your dues could go up between $1 and $4 annually, based on your membership type. If the proposal is approved by members, it would take effect on September 1, 2013. The ALA Membership Committee is charged to assess needs and make recommendations concerning membership dues and will be responsible for monitoring the use of the Consumer Price Index to adjust dues.

    ALA Council members have started discussing the proposal.  If GODORT members wish to weigh in, please share your thoughts and concerns with me.  Thanks.

    Attachment(s)

    pdf
    ALA Dues Adjustment Proposal 12-3-12.pdf   121 KB 1 version


  • 2.  RE: ALA membership dues proposal would use CPI for regular modest rate increases - comments welcome

    Posted Dec 12, 2012 10:46 AM
      |   view attached

    ALA HQ released the attached Summary of ALA Membership Dues and Member Types table which may be of interest.  Some Councilors noted that dues increases need not be automatic and cited examples of ALA units/affiliates whose leadership vote to increase dues using CPI data.  Preventing the increases from being strictly automatic reduces the chance of dues going up with CPI but never coming down if the CPI does.

    Discussion continues on the ALA Council list and I found Maggie Ferrell's statement helpful. She wrote "ACRL, as noted in previous emails, went to a dues increase structure that cannot exceed the HEPI unless voted on by the membership.  However, the dues increase is not automatic and the ACRL Board must consider and approve the increase.  Here is the wording from the ACRL Bylaws:

    Section 3. Dues. The amount of personal member dues shall be determined by the ACRL Board of Directors. Annually, the Board of Directors will review and may authorize a dues adjustment not to exceed the percentage change in the most current Higher Education Price Index (HEPI) rounded to the nearest dollar. Adjustments in excess of the percentage change in the most current HEPI are subject to the approval of the membership in a mail or electronic vote. Organizational and corporate member dues shall be determined by the ACRL Board of Directors.


    The ACRL Board is accountable to the membership so this is good "check and balance" process and the increase is not automatic.  However, the ACRL Board thought a gradual increase in dues when necessary would be easier on our members than a large increase."

     

    Attachment(s)

    pdf
    Membership-table-dues-and-types.pdf   146 KB 1 version


  • 3.  RE: ALA membership dues proposal would use CPI for regular modest rate increases - comments welcome

    Posted Dec 14, 2012 11:41 AM

    The ACRL approach sounds reasonable to me.  I don't much like the idea of dues going up automatically without *someone* voting on them.