I'm Home!

Almost everyone returning home from ALA's Annual Conference has had horror stories about the trip. Mine wasn't as bad as some - at least I reached my destination less than 24 hours after I left. However, Mother Nature has a lot to atone for!

When I got to Southwest's gate at Baltimore-Washington Internatinal Airport (also known as Thurgood Marshall Airport), I learned that there might be delays or cancellation of my flight because of weather. We took off a bit behind schedule, made our planned landing in Columbus, OH, and then headed to Las Vegas, where I was to board a plane for Burbank.

I checked the "flight information screen" and learned that the estimated time of departure was 11:45, not the 8:15 previously scheduled. To make a long story short, the aircraft scheduled for this flight was still on the ground in Pennsylvania (I heard both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as the location). Another Southwest flight to Oakland was delayed for the same reason.

The airline somehow found aircraft to fly to Vegas for the the two flights at our gate. Oakland's plane took off around 10:30, and ours arrived shortly after. We took off about 11, and reached Burbank around midnight. (My fear was that because of noise restrictions we wouldn't be able to get into Burbank.)

Bob Hope Airport (i.e., Burbank) was d-e-a-d. Of course, nothing was open. When I finally reached baggage claimed (and I probably should have asked for a wheelchair; I was huffing and puffing by that time), I couldn't find my suitcase. Fortunately, there was a Southwest employee there, who retrieved my bag (which was sitting on the other side of the carousel). Then the fun really began.

I went to the island where shuttle service vans usually park. Nothing. I tried calling SuperShuttle on my cell phone, but it was so noisy outside (some kind of construction which called for using jackhammers at midnight) that I wound up shlepping my bags back to baggage claim and calling SuperShuttle from there. In a further piece of luck, I had my confirmation note with me. They sent a van for me, which arrived about 12:30.

I made my next mistake by telling the driver how to get me home. I got us lost. (I had thought traveling on the Golden State Freeway would have been easier. I should have suggested he go on the Hollywood Freeway which had the advantage of having an offramp at my street.

Anyway, I staggered into my apartment around 1:30. I got about four hours' sleep Thursday morning, and snoozed off and on during the day - to the extent that I missed a grocery delivery.

I'm a tad more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed today. My grocery delivery has been rescheduled.

The Envelope Please!

And the winners are ...

President-Elect: Jim Rettig

Treasurer: Rod Hersberger

and ... [drumroll, please]

Councilor at large: MOI!

Thanks to everyone who voted for me. I'm looking forward to working with Jim and Rod.

My Name Is Sue, and I'm a Councilholic

Here's my statement of concern as it will appear on the ALA ballot:

"Council faces new issues as it carries out ALA’s mission “to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services…in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.” In the 21st century, we are faced with the effects of technology, not only in our libraries but also in diversifying participation in ALA itself. The greatest barrier to increased involvement in ALA is the cost of attending Midwinter and Annual Conferences. Breaking that barrier is imperative if there is to be an ALA in the next decade.

"ALA must be proactive in giving libraries the tools to place a value on our services. We need to educate our stakeholders about the costs of library service. It’s the money – or lack thereof - that deters many people from seeking library careers.

"Public and school libraries continue to be targets of those who would force their beliefs on all library clients. As an association, we must maintain vigilance against would-be censors. We must remind our stakeholders that libraries are the only institution that offers access to information on all sides of issues.",

About ten years ago, I surveyed a group of librarians, asking why they did or did not belong to professional organizations.[1] Thirty percent of respondents did not join because of the cost of dues. Lack of employer support - both financially and paid leave - were the second most-cited reasons.

As we talk in Council about making ALA more accessible, we must remember that many of our constituents don’t care about serving on committees or holding elected office. For these people, we should consider making all programs at Annual conference accessible in real-time and cached formats.

Many of us on Council and elsewhere in ALA are concerned about what and who will come after us. So many active members are retiring from their jobs and leaving gaps on committees, boards, and Council. We are seeing a change in the organization culture, as it appears newcomers to the profession seek to participate at no direct cost to them. How can we address their concerns and needs without destroying ALA? Some of these novices may not realize the value of face-to-face meetings with their colleagues and vendors, and the opportunity to create networks. (Whenever I go to an ALA meeting, I frequently run into people who live in the same area as I, but never see in the course of day-to-day business.)

I am always open to communications with my constituents. (My constituency is self-defined: Front-line librarians in all types of libraries.) Post a response to this blog, and I’ll try and answer any questions.

[1] “To Join Or Not To Join: How Librarians Make Membership Decisions About Their Associations,” Library Trends, v. 45, October 1997.