Thank you to the members of TAG and the members of the previous groups that discussed options and brought forward recommendations - this has been a long, arduous, and continuous effort.
As highlighted in the background section of the TAG report, this effort started out with an overarching goal to "create a more member engaged and modern organization". Lots of feedback was provided and incorporated, discussions of reports noted that some feedback was less prominent or received less attention in various stages, and discussions around what to do with/for ALA governance have been fairly contentious.
A few observations as we reflect on, discuss, and ultimately vote on the TAG action item:
- ALA Council passes resolutions as they are written, floor discussions, author intent, and personal understandings are not binding -- when these are in disagreement with what is written, what is written is what was passed (possibly as amended, but the final written resolution / action item is what stands)
- ALA Council, as currently defined & as the ALA policy making body, is the most democratic way for members to get engaged with ALA governance and persuade ALA to take action on library-related issues
- Council often votes overwhelmingly (for or against) on action items brought forward and occasionally ends up with narrowly split votes
- This is a feature, not a bug
- When there is an overwhelming or unanimous vote (in either direction) this often reflects broad agreement across the association
- When there is a split vote (anything split closer than 70/30 or 30/70) this often reflects a topic that needs more exploration before direct action is taken or policy changes are made
- When there is not an overwhelming majority, it makes sense to be very cautious about making major changes
- The TAG action item consists of two (2) parts: 1. making ALA EB the new policy making body and redesigning EB membership, and 2. redesigning ALA Council as a new advisory body to ALA EB and redesigning Council membership
- Reflecting on the original charge, to make ALA more member engaged, does the action item succeed?
- does reducing the number of members directly voting on ALA policy and positions (making EB the policy making body) lead to more member engagement?
- does reducing the number of members serving on an advisory body (reducing the number of Councilors) lead to more member engagement?
Voting to approve the TAG action item will 1. start the process to formally enact the ALA Exec Board redesign and transfer policy making to the new EB, and 2. start the process to formally enact the changes to the composition of ALA Council as an advisory body.
- If you support both of these actions, vote yes
- If you do not support both actions, vote no
- If you support one but not the other, you cannot split your vote - a yes vote means you are supporting the whole thing
- If you support some parts but not other parts, a yes vote will enact all parts (even those you disagree with)
Thanks and apologies if any of this sounded obvious,
-Aaron
:-)'
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Aaron W Dobbs (he/him)
Library Support Staff Round Table, President, 2022 - 2023
Library Support Staff Interests Round Table, President, 2021 - 2022
ALA Council, Councilor for Small Round Tables, 2019 - 2022
ALA Resolutions Committee, chair 2021 – 2022, member 2020 - 2022
ALA Constitution & Bylaws Committee, member 2019 - 2023
Round Table Member: GODORT, GNCRT, LearnRT, LHRT, LSSRT (formerly LSSIRT & SORT), MAGIRT, NMRT, RMRT
Division Member: ACRL, Core (formerly LITA & LLAMA), RUSA, UNITED
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Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Professor & Library Department Chair
Scholarly Communication Librarian
Librarian Liaison for Business
Librarian Liaison for STEM
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Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties
Shippensburg University Chapter, President, 2022-2024; Vice President, 2016 - 2022
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Jeffrey W and Jo Anne R Coy Public Library of Shippensburg
Board of Trustees, President 2022; Trustee 2019 - 2024
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Original Message:
Sent: Jun 16, 2022 05:35 PM
From: Amy Lappin
Subject: TAG Report Including Action Item - Discussion encouraged
Hello Council.
I'm looking forward to seeing you all virtually or in person next week. The TAG Task Force found the feedback you contributed to the TAG recommendations since the March Virtual Council session to be extremely helpful.
In advance of discussions related to TAG proposals at the 2022 ALA Annual Conference, I am sharing the report and recommendations of the task force. This report is the culmination of efforts by many over a number of years. TAG has included a timeline in the report for all who are interested in where we started and how we arrived where we are today. This includes links to a variety of reports for those who wish to have a deeper dive. If anyone has trouble accessing any of the linked reports, please let me know and I will send the document(s) to you. There is a link to a Google doc at the end of this email and an attached Word version. Even if you have recently seen a draft of TAG recommendations regarding size and composition of Council and the Executive Board, please take a look at the final recommendations in the report as there have been changes based on discussions over the past few months.
Our time together at Annual will be limited. I encourage all Councilors to share questions, reflections, and responses to the report and the action item here on Connect. Additionally, members of the task force and I will attend Council Forum I and look forward to questions and informal discussion. The report will be formally presented, and the recommendations will be voted upon during Council I.
Many Councilors have asked, "If we vote for the TAG Action Item what happens next?" It is important to note that for any changes to take place, the ALA Constitution and Bylaws will need to be amended. A vote for the TAG Action Item will provide direction to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee in drafting potential new Bylaws, but amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws require certain actions and votes by both Council and the membership. Our parliamentarians are ready to provide more details regarding the amendment process at Forum I and Council I.
Let the conversation begin (or more accurately, let the conversation continue)!
Respectfully,
Amy Lappin
On behalf of the Transforming ALA Governance Task Force
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dIAU4nKFYeNsd0Nxmc6jsaJ1QHashfc_1Bvu-jd35dE/edit?usp=sharing
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Amy Lappin
Deputy Director
Lebanon Public Libraries
She/Her/Hers
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