Tag: council

What I wanted to be when I grew up

Posted on by jessamyn

There was an interesting thread on ALA Think Tank where people talked about what they wanted to be when they grew up. I never wanted to be a librarian, though I liked the librarians that I knew. I wanted to be a writer though I wasn’t sure how you did that. I liked writing and I had the same name as a writer so I figured that would help. I was just digging through some old paperwork and I found my statement of professional concerns from when I ran for ALA Council. This is from 2002, so nearly 15 years ago

ala council statement

With the exception of the slightly over-the-top “family farms” aside, I still stand by this 100%, possibly even more now than I did then. And since then I’ve felt a lot more able to actually implement my ideas about the way the world of libraries and technology should work. I am very grateful that I work within a profession where I can be relevant and useful and effective in my late 40s and work with both older and younger members of my profession to create meaningful change. I even get to write a little as well. I’ve been updating my resume lately, not because I’m looking for work but just because it is a good thing to do, and will try to find a way to work this in there somewhere.

freedom: the powerful and the powerless

Posted on by jessamyn

I think Sarah said it best when she posted about Michael Gorman’s latest piece [pdf] in American Libraries: Michael Gorman alienates and divides our profession. More in the comments over at Library Crunch, Free Range Librarian, and See Also….

The whole thing depresses me, honestly. I’ve respected Michael’s politics historically, and I voted for him for ALA President and for that I apologize. I’m beginning to realize just how important tone can be, in myself and in others. I don’t care how good people’s politics are, if they can’t at least make an effort to discuss things with me as if I were worth talking to, I worry about their ability to lead and inspire others who aren’t already on board with their ideas. This affected my choices for Council this year, as much as I respect Greg McClay’s honest attempt to change ALA from within and as much as I like talking to him personally, the tone of his posts makes me question his ability to bridge-build with people who don’t share his beliefs. I have similar feelings about current Councilors on both sides of the spectrum, it may be true that they feel the same way about me, some of them certainly seem to.

However, with Greg and myself and other people with blogs, it stands to reason that we’ll let more of ourselves shine through. You have the choice to read or not to read. I’m not the boss of you. In fact, due to my position on Council, my readers are more the boss of me than vice versa in some sort of quirky aggregate way. One would think, then, that being “the boss” of ALA — though as we all know it’s pretty tough to get anything done with a one year term — you’d pay special attention to the fact that you represent everyone. Maybe I think this because I exist in a constant state of performance anxiety: I want to do well on Council, on this blog, in my talks, at my job, in my relationship, in my town. I can’t imagine it being otherwise. Who doesn’t want to Do Good? Who doesn’t want to Fix the Problem(s)?

If I was the boss of you, I would want you to be happy. I don’t understand how it’s supposed to work otherwise.

ALA Election Finals

Posted on by jessamyn

The ALA elections are over. 14,441 people voted. The new ALA President Elect is Loriene Roy. The dues increase passed by a fairly close margin. The new incoming Councilors At Large are Rosie L. Albritton, Cassandra G. Barnett, Beth E. Bingham, Carolyn Sue Brodie, Kate Ann Corby, Bob R. Diaz, Heidi W. Dolamore, David L. Easterbrook, Ann Dutton Ewbank, Amy Gonzalez Ferguson, Nancy Fredericks, Carolyn P. Giambra, Michael A. Golrick, Michael Gutierrez, Rochelle L. Hartman, Beth K. Hill, Dora T. Ho, Patricia M. Hogan, Dennis J. LeLoup, Ginny B. Moore, Andrea M. Morrison, Ria Elizabeth Newhouse, Nancy C. Pack , Jo Ann Pinder, Ellen M. Riordan, Larry Romans, Frances R. Roscello, Mark C. Rosenzweig, Gail A. Schlachter, Barbara Silverman, Margie J. Thomas, Shixing Wen and Nancy P. Zimmerman. More election results are on this page and Michael has the numbers for the At Large Councilor votes.

ALA Election Time

Posted on by jessamyn

I’m not certain if I selected a paper ballot or an electronic ballot this year. I seem to recall that in the last two years I’ve opted for a paper ballot, which did not get properly forwarded to my home address (my permanent address is not the same as my current address) and I had to get some last minute paper ballot. This year it’s going to be easier because whenever I get my ballot, I’ll have a list of candidates ready. These are the people I am voting for, and you can vote for whomever you want. Some of these people are relative newcomers to the field who impressed me with their moxie when I met them at Midwinter and others are people I’ve known for a long time. Please take a good long time with the candidate bios, it’s always a fascinating look at parts of the profession you may not personally be involved with. Thanks to everyone for running. I look forward to watching you from the sidelines.