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Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

  • 1.  Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 24, 2022 03:54 PM

    Hi everyone! As I said when I spoke at our previous meetings, I believe we have an opportunity to shape a new executive board in a way that will ensure that voices from many different sectors of librarianship and many different viewpoints are heard. To start us all thinking about that before our discussion on the 30th I wanted to put forward one possible way to do this. I think that there are even more ways to think creatively about this, so I hope that this idea is just a start in our discussions about how to make sure we have an executive board that truly represents all voices in our organization.

    The current proposal from TAG suggests a 13 member executive board made up as follows:

    • President (nominated by the Nominating Committee or by petition and elected by Membership)
    • President-elect (nominated by the Nominating Committee or by petition and elected by Membership)
    • Past President
    • Treasurer (nominated by the Nominating Committee or by petition and elected by Membership)
    • Executive Director
    • 1 Division member (elected by divisions)
    • 1 RT member (elected by RTs)
    • 1 NALCo Member (Elected by NALCos)
    • 1 Chapter Member (Elected by Chapters)
    • 1 school librarian, (nominated by the Nominating Committee or by petition and elected by Membership)
    • 3 Elected directly from Membership (6-9 candidates identified by the nominating committee & acceptance of petition candidates. Councilors or assembly members could be petition candidates)

    I think that specifying that one seat on the Board be held by a school librarian is a step in the right direction, but I suggest that we should designate all of the seats on the Board so that we can ensure that there is always representation from the different sectors of our profession. If every seat on the Board has a specified constituency it will also ensure that those board members are always approaching the questions before the Board with their constituency in mind, and will hopefully ensure that those constituencies' views are accounted for in the leadership of the organization.

    With that in mind, I propose that the three remaining seats be designated this way:

    • 1 public librarian
    • 1 academic librarian
    • 1 non-MLIS library worker
    • All nominated by the Nominating Committee or by petition and elected by Membership.

    I would also suggest that we include a charge to the nominating committee along the following lines: "The nominating committee shall strive to ensure significant representation on the Executive Board by individuals who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQIA+, and other historically marginalized groups."

    While I think that 13 is a good number for an executive board to have good discussions and board engagement around the issues that are brought before it, I think that it's possible to add a few more seats without the Board becoming unwieldy. The Board probably shouldn't exceed 20 members, but if we feel that there are still segments of our organization that should have representation we could consider a few additional designated seats. Do we want to include a designated seat for librarians under 30? A seat for librarians from rural communities or from urban communities? Are there other ways we can ensure that there are voices on the board who are not just upper-level leadership from larger libraries?

    We have the opportunity to be creative with this structure in a way that will ensure that all voices are heard in the leadership of our organization while still being responsive to a very fast-changing world and profession in a way that Council currently is not. I am certain there are other ways of looking at this structure that I haven't even thought of, and I'm hoping to hear those ideas from you all at the meeting on the 30th.

    Thanks for listening!



    ------------------------------
    Nick Tepe
    Ohio Chapter Councilor

    Director
    Athens County Public Libraries
    He/Him/His
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 24, 2022 04:38 PM
    Nick's message below is very thought provoking.... I'd like reply I hope in a thoughtful way  

    My first comment is that the Executive Director has never been a "member" of the Executive Board.  The Executive Director is an ALA staff member, albeit a very  important one and for the ED to hold a voting position, I believe is a conflict of interest.  

    A quick look LOL on the web to the question - and remember that the ALA Executive Board hires the ED, evaluates the 
    ED, and even in my time on the board - let the ED go.  

    Since your number includes the ED - I believe we should continue with a board of 12 members.






    Next Item:   There is no organization named NALCO.  Please google it.  This is my  pet peeve and I have sent messages Amy about this.  "NALCO" as the term seems to be used included the Polish Library Association, a locally  based San Diego organization, etc.  Please do the research yourself of I can send out my research.
    If NALCO was a 501c3 I I would have a different take on this.  You might want to say one member from JCLC 

    I also believe that everyone on the ALA Executive Board should be a member of ALA

    Having been on the ALA Executive Board for a career total of 11+ years in three different positions, I can guarantee you that you  "leave your hat" at the door.  You are not there representing your constituency.  You are representing ALA.  Members may know more or less about some issues but when you vote you are not voting as a school librarian, or a public librarian or....... etc.

    So thanks for listening!  

    Ann 
    Ann K. Symons
    Councilor at Large at present, GLBTRT Councilor, Chapter Counilor
    Honorary Member
    ALA Past President
    ALA Past Treasurer

















    Hi everyone! As I said when I spoke at our previous meetings, I believe we have an opportunity to shape a new executive board in a way that will ensure that voices from many different sectors of librarianship and many different viewpoints are heard. To start us all thinking about that before our discussion on the 30th I wanted to put forward one possible way to do this. I think that there are even more ways to think creatively about this, so I hope that this idea is just a start in our discussions about how to make sure we have an executive board that truly represents all voices in our organization.

    The current proposal from TAG suggests a 13 member executive board made up as follows:

    • President (nominated by the Nominating Committee or by petition and elected by Membership)
    • President-elect (nominated by the Nominating Committee or by petition and elected by Membership)
    • Past President
    • Treasurer (nominated by the Nominating Committee or by petition and elected by Membership)
    • Executive Director
    • 1 Division member (elected by divisions)
    • 1 RT member (elected by RTs)
    • 1 NALCo Member (Elected by NALCos)
    • 1 Chapter Member (Elected by Chapters)
    • 1 school librarian, (nominated by the Nominating Committee or by petition and elected by Membership)
    • 3 Elected directly from Membership (6-9 candidates identified by the nominating committee & acceptance of petition candidates. Councilors or assembly members could be petition candidates)

    I think that specifying that one seat on the Board be held by a school librarian is a step in the right direction, but I suggest that we should designate all of the seats on the Board so that we can ensure that there is always representation from the different sectors of our profession. If every seat on the Board has a specified constituency it will also ensure that those board members are always approaching the questions before the Board with their constituency in mind, and will hopefully ensure that those constituencies' views are accounted for in the leadership of the organization.

    With that in mind, I propose that the three remaining seats be designated this way:

    • 1 public librarian
    • 1 academic librarian
    • 1 non-MLIS library worker
    • All nominated by the Nominating Committee or by petition and elected by Membership.

    I would also suggest that we include a charge to the nominating committee along the following lines: "The nominating committee shall strive to ensure significant representation on the Executive Board by individuals who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQIA+, and other historically marginalized groups." 

    While I think that 13 is a good number for an executive board to have good discussions and board engagement around the issues that are brought before it, I think that it's possible to add a few more seats without the Board becoming unwieldy. The Board probably shouldn't exceed 20 members, but if we feel that there are still segments of our organization that should have representation we could consider a few additional designated seats. Do we want to include a designated seat for librarians under 30? A seat for librarians from rural communities or from urban communities? Are there other ways we can ensure that there are voices on the board who are not just upper-level leadership from larger libraries?

    We have the opportunity to be creative with this structure in a way that will ensure that all voices are heard in the leadership of our organization while still being responsive to a very fast-changing world and profession in a way that Council currently is not. I am certain there are other ways of looking at this structure that I haven't even thought of, and I'm hoping to hear those ideas from you all at the meeting on the 30th.

    Thanks for listening!



    ------------------------------
    Nick Tepe
    Ohio Chapter Councilor

    Director
    Athens County Public Libraries
    He/Him/His
    ------------------------------






  • 3.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 24, 2022 04:52 PM
    I agree that the ED should not be on the board.  I also think an odd number is needed so there isn't a tie vote.  I like Nick's suggestions.  Perhaps the board goes to 15 to include an under 30 and a rural librarian.
    Andrea Lapsley
    UFL division councilor

    Sent from my iPhone





  • 4.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 24, 2022 05:56 PM
    Please note that the President presides over the Board and does not vote unless there is a tie. There seems to be many misunderstandings about the Board and the role of members of the Board and I suggest all members of Council do a thorough reading of the constitution and bylaws to have a better understanding of the Board and focus on what this body wants to fix or improve. Note that this Board is very diverse in representation including members from ethnic affiliates and library types. Also this body voted for eight of the twelve Board members .

    Julius 

    Sent from my iPhone





  • 5.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 24, 2022 06:01 PM
    Good evening, 

    I thought the primary objective of this exercise (i.e., to ensure financial stability for ALA) would be realized by downsizing Council and increasing the size of the Executive Board (EB). Unfortunately, I have doubts about how ALA will achieve this objective. 

     

    For example, will ALA members continue to cover travel expenses for an EB of 15 - 30 members? What cost and/or savings have been projected for these activities? How will ALA finances benefit from an increase in EB memberships and a decline in ALA memberships?  Both groups directly impact the fiscal well-being of ALA.

     

    Finally, as we contemplate numerous consequences of the vote to make Council an advisement body, could a request from Council for a financial analysis of these numerous proposals, recommendations, and new policies by TAG simply be taken under advisement by the EB, our new policy making body, or tabled?


    Brenda

    Brenda Pruitt-Annisette, MLS, Ed.D. 
    Chair, Coretta Scott King Book Awards Round Table - (2020-2023)

    ALA Forward Together Financial Analysis Committee (2020-2023)
    ALA Policy Monitoring Committee (2020-2023)
    Councilor-at-Large, American Library Association Governance (2019-2022)
    AASL/CAEP Coordinating Committee (2019-2022)
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    404.202.8269 (cell)

    (Sent from Brenda's Apple I-Pad Pro)



     






  • 6.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 26, 2022 12:25 PM

    Dear fellow Councilors,

     

    First of all, I appreciate all the input thus far and look forward to continuing the conversation.  Here's what I've been thinking about as we approach the March 30 session. In my opinion, the methodology to achieve wide representation on both Board and Council is the most difficult task and perhaps the  most vital aspect of the revised size and composition recommendations. It is why I  have been suggesting more (not fewer) at large positions, especially in the Council/"body of knowledge". Such representation allows for caucuses and constituencies to  elect representatives from their affinity groups. This reality has funneled more diverse representation on to the Executive Board rendering it ever more diverse over the past few years. Otherwise we are faced with the challenge of making sure every  sector  is included, which invariably means   someone or ones will be left out. Even with, as has been recommended, a nominating committee charged to strive to ensure significant representation on the Executive Board by individuals who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQIA+, [People with Disabilities (PWD)],  and other historically marginalized groups, how do we evaluate that output measure? If we adopted such a Nominating Committee charge, perhaps This ethos should also be a component for review and action by, as has been suggested by TAG,  an independent review committee to monitor the Board's (and Council's?) composition not to mention TAP and other CD35B concepts?

     

    Addressing the suggestion to convert thee at large elected Board members to library types, if we delegate public, academic, non-MLIS, and school librarians/workers, what about government librarians, archivists, LIS faculty/staff, etc. (surely an incomplete list). We could expand the Board a bit but having served on it I'm pretty sure more than 12 or 13 members is going to become unwieldy. I appreciate all the suggestions thus far and at present I am agnostic about how to retrofit the Board.

     

    Council

     

    Below please find a suggestion for instilling more at large BOK representation and still keeping Council to a manageable size. I fear this suggestion will be unpopular but I offer it in the spirit of compromise. I have attached a map of 10 geographical U.S. regions  AS A CONVERSATION STARTER TO ENABLE THE FOLLOWING SIZE/COMPOSITION FOR THE NEW Council. Regions would be as follows (template only):

     

    1. Northwest: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska
    2. New England: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island
    3. Mideast: Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas
    4. Southeast: South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida
    5. Midlands: Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah
    6. Central: Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming
    7. Southwest: California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii
    8. Atlantic Coastal: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
    9. North 1: Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota
    10. North 2: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin

     

    Revised Council Size and Composition

     

    10 regional chapter councilors

    8 division councilors

    12 round table councilors

    6 JCLC affiliate councilors

    24 councilors at large

    Total# councilors: 60

    If you're feeling generous, 34 Councilors at Large for a total of 70 councilors? I know this is going to be unpopular but I provide this as food for thought to continue the ALA experiment in democracy.

     

     

    Humbly yours,

    Mike L.  Marlin

    Director, California Braille and Talking Book Library

    ALA Councilor at Large

    Sacramento, CA

    Email: mmarlin33.3@gmail.com

    Mobile: (916) 243-9778

     






  • 7.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 24, 2022 04:54 PM
    Hello Council,
    Thank you Nick and Ann for this conversation. 

    I think that the model I shared may have confused matters by not being clear which is leading to confusion regarding voting members of the Executive Board. The Executive Director is an ex officio member of the board and non voting. The Transforming ALA Governance (TAG) Task Force recommends this remains the case. We will make sure any future proposals are clearer. 

    Best,
    Amy


    Amy Lappin
    Deputy Director
    Lebanon Public Libraries
    Lebanon, NH 03766
    603-448-2459

    ALA Councilor-at-Large, 2020-2022






  • 8.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 25, 2022 09:24 AM
    Thanks for the discussion so far everyone! There are a couple points raised that I would like to clarify a bit before the 30th.
    • On the question regarding NALCos: since that was part of TAG's original proposal Amy or someone else from the committee would have to confirm this, but I had assumed that "1 NALCo Member (Elected by NALCos)" meant that one Board seat would be elected by the membership of AILA, APALA, BCALA, CALA, and REFORMA; just as there's Board seats to be elected by all the roundtables and all the divisions. If I was mistaken in that assumption please let me know!
    • I had also assumed that Board members would be members of ALA. I'm not sure that was ever up for debate...?
    • On the point of "leaving your hat at the door," of course Board members are legally required to vote in the best interests of the organization as a whole and not solely in the interests of their constituency. I sit on the Board of our local Community Action Program, and when I make decisions or cast votes as a member of that Board I am voting for what I believe to be in the best interests of that organization, not what might be the interests of the library. However the reason I was asked to join that Board was to bring the perspective, experience, and connections that I have as the director of the public library. The point of having designated seats is to bring a diverse range of experiences to the Board, and to ensure that the groups those individuals are coming from have a voice in the leadership of our organization.
    Finally on the questions about financial impact and the current composition and role of the Board: what I hope that we will all focus on when we meet on the 30th is that we have an opportunity here to remake the leadership and governance of our organization to be more responsive to the situations we are currently facing as a profession, and that we do not need to be bound by the way we have done things before. While it will be important to evaluate the financial impact of any changes we make, our first consideration at this stage should be what sort of governance structure will best serve the organization and our membership? What structures will ensure that all voices are heard and that members understand how their voice is reflected in the leadership of the organization? What structures will help to dismantle the confusion and disenchantment that we have been trying to address over the last several years? What structures will help the membership see that ALA is responding quickly and effectively to their needs, and that their voice is being heard in the leadership of the organization?

    I really hope everyone will bring their best imaginative and hopeful thinking to the discussion on the 30th. Let's make something that we can all be excited about!


    ------------------------------
    Nicholas Tepe
    Director
    Athens County Public Libraries
    He/Him/His
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 25, 2022 10:31 AM
    Just to clarify, this is a discussion only meeting and we will not be voting on the size and composition of the Executive Board, correct? And will this meeting be recorded?

    ------------------------------
    Heather VanDyne
    Online Learning Librarian
    Fort Hays State University
    She/Her/Hers
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 25, 2022 10:36 AM
    Thanks for asking that, Heather. I am hoping for a recording since I will not be able to attend this meeting. I am assuming it is like Council Forums where there can be discussion but there is no voting. 

    Sara
    ~~~
    Sara Kelly Johns
    Online Instructor, Syracuse University iSchool
    American Library Association Councilor-at-Large
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    New York Library Association Past President (2014-15)
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    Saranac Lake, NY 12983
    skjohns@gmail.com
    PH: 518-569-2339
    Twitter: @skjohns 
    "All knowledge is spendable currency, depending on the market"--Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings





  • 11.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 25, 2022 10:42 AM
    Hi Heather and Sara,

    Absolutely for discussion only. And, yes, we will record the meeting! Thanks for asking!

    Amy






  • 12.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 30, 2022 07:20 AM





  • 13.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 30, 2022 09:15 AM
    Jennifer 

    The date of the document?

    Sent from my iPhone





  • 14.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 30, 2022 09:49 AM
    The document was created 6/2/20.






  • 15.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 30, 2022 11:13 AM
    Actually it was submitted on June, 2021

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  • 16.  RE: Composition and size of Executive Board - for discussion on March 30

    Posted Mar 30, 2022 02:25 PM

    I look forward to the discussion later today- thank you to the TAG team and ALA staff for all of their preparation work.

     

    Some questions:   

     

    What is NALCo? 

     

    Am I right to assume all members of the proposed new Council would need to be members of ALA?

     

    I work with rural and small urban and suburban public libraries- is it possible to have a seat on the proposed new Council?

     

    Sorry for the late response.

    Sara

     

    Sara Dallas

    Director

    Southern Adirondack Library System

    22 Whitney Place

    Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

     

    518-584-7300 ext 205

    518-859-0742 (cell)

    www.sals.edu

     

     

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