Dear SRRT Members:
With the start of the 2024-2025 ALA committee service year, SRRT is seeking liaisons from SRRT to:
- Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) - one liaison needed
- Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE) - one liaison needed
- Committee on Legislation (COL) – one liaison needed
SRRT Liaisons to IFC, COPE and COL serve a one-year term (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025). It is important that as many voices as possible are "at the table," to have a comprehensive understanding of the issues libraries and librarians are facing every day.
If interested, please email April Sheppard at banhatenotbooks@gmail.com or Charles Kratz at Charles.Kratz@scranton.edu.
Thank you and please let us know if you have any questions.
Best wishes,
April Sheppard and Charles Kratz, SRRT Co-Coordinators
Additional Information on the committees:
Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC): https://www.ala.org/aboutala/committees/ala/ala-if
To recommend such steps as may be necessary to safeguard the rights of library users, libraries, and librarians, in accordance with the first amendment to the United States Constitution and the Library Bill of Rights as adopted by the ALA Council. To work closely with the Office for Intellectual Freedom and with other units and officers of the association in matters touching intellectual freedom and censorship.
Meeting: Monthly virtual meeting, via Zoom, plus in-person meetings at LibLearnX (January) at ALA Annual Conference (June). Regular communication and updates via ALA Connect.
2024-2025 Chair: Eldon Ray James
Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE): https://www.ala.org/aboutala/committees/ala/ala-profethic
The council committee on professional ethics shall augment the Code of Ethics by explanatory interpretations and additional statements, prepared by this committee or elicited from other units of ALA. When units of the association develop statements dealing with ethical issues, a copy will be sent to the committee on professional ethics for review so that it may be compared to the existing ALA code of ethics in order to determine whether or not conflicts occur.
Code of Ethics: https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics
COPE meets regularly, once a month, via Zoom, plus in-person meetings at LibLearnX (January) and at ALA Annual Conference. Later this summer, after ALA Annual Conference, the committee will find a regularly scheduled time to meet. Regular communication and updates via ALA Connect.
2024-2025 Chair: Julia Warga
Committee on Legislation (COL) https://www.ala.org/aboutala/committees/ala/ala-lg
The ALA Council Committee on Legislation (COL) is charged with the responsibility for the association's legislative agenda. Specifically, to:
· Identify, for the Public Policy & Advocacy Office (formerly known as the Washington Office), the association's strategic priorities.
· Recommend, annually, based on consultation with the Public Policy & Advocacy Office, a legislative and public policy agenda.
· Review and advise on, any policy statements and/or resolutions that have an impact on federal legislation, policy, or regulations.
· Provide a forum within ALA to share information and legislative analysis of current and impending federal laws and regulations to keep ALA units apprised of current issues affecting libraries.
· Be available to consult, collaborate and offer assistance to state and local library entities when federal legislation has implications at the state and local level.
Meeting: virtual, via Zoom and in-person meetings
2024-2025 Chair: Ed Garcia