Posted on 06/29/2003 12:16:41 PM PDT by radical librarian
As a graduate student in library science, I am constantly encouraged to join the America Library Association (ALA). Although the ALA is SUPPOSEDLY designed to help librarians network and to provide new sources of information, it is in actuality anything but.
At the ALA's conference in Toronto this past week, guest speakers included Ralph Nader, Gloria Steinem, and Naomi Klein. While I disagree with everything these speakers stand for, I support their right to free speech. However, I do not support their right to speak at a convention designed for librarians.
The current governing body of ALA consists of nothing more than socialists, communists, and diversity obsessed misfits. I am not familiar with how ALA conducts their elections (I have yet to join, considering I don't want my membership dues going to support people like those at the last convention), but there has to be some flaw in the system. One of the current governing board members is a registered member of the communist party, and denies that Cuba is a dictatorship (there have been several articles printed in mainstream papers and on FreeRepublic recently in response to the ALA's decision to invite representatives from Cuba's government owned library system, while the ALA continues to refuse to support independent librarians that have been jailed under Castro's regime).
Friday, in an email from a law librarian listserv I belong to, a message arrived denouncing the current radical regime in charge of the ALA. Since it appears others are finally getting tired of the ALA's nonsense, I am trying to locate other librarians that have information on the ALA election process, and to see if anyone has any information on organized efforts to install new leadership at the next election.
Just as I wouldn't expect liberal ALA members to sit and pay to listen to conference speakers such as Rush Limbaugh, Thomas Sowell, and Michael Savage, I don't expect to have to listen to anti-globalization nuts, eco-weenies, and femi-nazis. Hopefully, I will find some people on the law librarian listserv who wish to install better leadership at the next ALA election as well. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone who has information on this subject would contact me. Thank you.
Here is the Nominations and Elections information taken from the ALA Bylaws and Constitution page:
Article III. Nominations and Elections
Sec. 1 Prior to each annual conference of the Association, the Executive Board, upon recommendation of the Committee on Appointments, shall appoint an ALA Nominating Committee, no one of whom shall be a member of the Board, to nominate candidates for elective positions.
Such committee shall nominate candidates from among the general membership for the position of president-elect annually; for the position of treasurer, whenever this is required by Article VIII, Sec. 1 of the Constitution; members of Council as provided in sections (c) and (d) below; and to fill vacancies.
Such committee shall nominate annually not fewer than sixty-six candidates for thirty-three members-at-large of the Council for three-year terms. Every third year there shall be not fewer than sixty-eight candidates for thirty-four members-at-large of the Council for three year terms. The position of the candidates on the ballot shall be determined by lot conducted by the Nominating Committee. Such committee shall also nominate and place on the ballot candidates for a vacancy in the membership of Council, representing the Association at large as provided in Sec. 1 (c) of this Article,to complete an unexpired term.
No person may be nominated for or serve on the Council unless that person is a personal member of the American Library Association; no candidate may accept nomination from more than one group.
Sec. 2 The ALA Nominating Committee shall report its nominations in the American Libraries not less than three weeks before the midwinter meeting of the Council. At that meeting, the names of the candidates shall be announced.
No person shall be nominated by the committee whose written consent has not been filed with the executive director of the Association.
Sec. 3 Nominations determined as herein provided shall be placed before the members of the Association on a printed ballot which shall be prepared under the direction of the Nominating Committee and which shall be known as the "Official Ballot."
The ALA Nominating Committee shall also include on the official ballot other nominations filed with the executive director by petition of any twenty-five members of the Association at least four months before the annual conference, provided written consent of these nominees shall have been filed with the executive director of the Association.
The professional address of each nominee shall be given on the Official Ballot.
Sec. 4 The Executive Board shall appoint a Committee on Election which shall have charge of the conduct of the regular elections of the Association and the divisions, and the counting and tabulation of all votes cast.
At least six weeks prior to the annual conference the executive director shall mail a copy of the ballot to each member of the Association in good standing. Voting by mail shall be deemed to be by postal services or electronic mail as determined by the executive director who shall be responsible for ensuring the integrity of the ballot."
Sec. 5 For each office the candidate receiving the largest number of votes shall be elected and shall be so reported to the Association by the Committee on Election. In the case of a tie vote the successful candidate shall be determined by lot conducted by the Committee on Election. In the event that a candidate for election to Council withdraws from candidacy in the period between the mailing of ballots and the beginning of the new term of office, and the candidate is successful in the election, the Council seat affected will remain vacant until filled in the following annual election.
Sec. 6 There shall be a Council Committee on Committees made up of four Councilors elected for one-year terms by Council as provided for in Article III, Sec. 6(b) of the Bylaws. The president-elect shall be the fifth member of this committee and its chairperson.
The four elected members of the Council Committee on Committees shall be elected by ballot of the Councilors present and voting at the annual conference from a list of eight candidates submitted by the president-elect and included in the agenda mailed to Councilors before the annual conference. Additional nominations for the Committee on Committees may be made by Councilors from the floor. Such committee shall nominate annually candidates for three members of the Executive Board for three-year terms, and every third year two members of the Executive Board for three year terms for election by the Council from among the members of the Council. Candidates shall be nominated from among the members of the council who are serving by virtue of election to it, as provided in Article IV, Sec. 2(b), (c), and (d) of the Bylaws, and who will have served at the midwinter meeting and the annual conference immediately preceding their prospective terms as Executive Board Members. Additional nominations for the Executive Board may be made by Councilors from the floor. Upon election to the Executive Board the member shall continue to serve as a member of the Council for the duration of the term for which elected to the Council and thereafter as a voting member ex officio for the duration of the term for which elected to the Executive Board.
Cuba's independent librarians: Their supporters
The Friends of Cuban Libraries
Foremost among the supporters of the independent libraries are the Friends of Cuban Libraries (FCL). FCL was founded on June 1, 1999 and its press releases declare that it is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organisation that supports Cuba's independent libraries. FCL opposes censorship and all other violations of intellectual freedom as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, regardless of the ideology or leadership of whatever Cuban government is in office57.
FCL aims to encourage librarians everywhere to defend their Cuban counterparts by bringing the issue to the attention of the international library bodies. By using emailed newsletters and postings on listservs FCL is able to highlight abuses against the independent librarians while at the same time maintaining a criticism of the Cuban government, something that has led observers to question their supposed non-partisanship58.
The founders of FCL are Robert Kent and Jorge Sanguinetty. Robert Kent is a New York librarian with a special interest in Cuba and has visited the country many times. His biography on the press release that accompanied the start of FCL's campaign declares: "During his visits to Cuba Robert Kent has assisted Cuban, American, and internationally-based human rights organisations with deliveries of medicines, small sums of money, and other forms of humanitarian aid. On four occasions he has taken books and pamphlets to Cuba for Freedom House and the Center for a Free Cuba (sic), human rights organisations which have received publication grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development; on three occasions his travel expenses were paid wholly or in part by Freedom House or the Center for a Free Cuba. On his last trip to Cuba in February, 1999, Robert Kent was arrested and deported from the country.59"
Jorge Sanguinetty's biography states that he resides in Miami and "was the head of Cuba's Department of National Investment Planning before he left the country in 1967. He was later associated with the Brookings Institution and the UN Development Programme. He is the founder and president of Devtech, Inc. He is also a newspaper columnist and a commentator on Radio Marti60". Mr Sanguinetty is also a speaker on returning the free market to Cuba and is against the lifting of the US embargo on the grounds that this would give more power to the Castro regime.
Both men's backgrounds and positions warrant further investigation, especially as FCL is committed to being an independent and non-partisan organisation. To do so their connections with institutions openly mentioned in FCL press releases, such as Freedom House, The Center for a Free Cuba, Radio Marti and the US Agency for International Development must be questioned and, in turn, the significance of these organisations in the wider picture of the US's relationship with Cuba can be considered.
It is a much, much smaller organization, and more professional in intent.
Of course there are one or more more liberal committees within the ALLA, but they are not so influential as in the ALA.
If you are sticking with the ALA, remember, it wasn't always this way. The transformation began in the late 60s, when so much else went awry, and so... reversing course will be like-wise a decades-long project.
Work on your contacts, and remember, you can choose pretty much how active you want to be with such a group. Good luck!
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