Words from the Chair Elect

Pam Klipsch

            As the new vice chair/chair elect of IFRT, I’ve been asked to share a few thoughts and ideas with you about my hopes and plans for the future.  The first thought I want to share is:

            Participation!

            This organization is membership-driven. That means, plain and simple, that nothing gets done unless members are willing to do it. IFRT has a number of committees that are responsible for carrying out the on-going work of the organization: award committees, program committees, process committees.  In order for the committees to get their work done, they need members.  My first job is those committee appointments.  I know a lot of IFRT members are not able to attend conferences on a regular basis, but electronic communication means this is no longer a bar to active participation in the work of the committees. 

I’d like to suggest that our OIF staff establish a list-serve for each committee, so that work can be done between conferences. IFRT members who would like to observe the committee’s work can also ask to be subscribed to the list.  The committee chair would be the list monitor, to make sure that the list discussions stayed focused on the work of the committee.  ALA members who are not IFRT members could ask to be subscribed as Read Only.  Only committee members could participate in committee votes. 

If you are interested in an IFRT committee appointment please contact me at prklipsch@netscape.net.  I’ll be working on committee appointments this fall.

The second thought I want to share is:

Recruitment!

IFRT, like ALA and like the library profession generally, is rapidly graying.  We are working hard as an association to recruit new, diverse, young people into the profession, and we need to make sure that these new librarians understand and are committed to intellectual freedom as essential to libraries and librarianship.  IFRT is the organization that serves the continuing education and mentoring needs of the IF community. 

We have already made a start in direction.  In Orlando , the IFRT Executive Committee voted to fund a luncheon meeting and orientation session at Midwinter in Boston for the divisional IFC liaisons and reps attending the Freedom to Read Foundation meeting on Friday.  This is an opportunity to learn how the process works, network with other IF groups, and discuss upcoming issues and events.

The IFRT Executive Committee also voted in Orlando to make a major change in the big Saturday afternoon IF program at the 2005 Annual Conference.  In Chicago the program will be preceded by a reception for all IFRT members to meet the 2005 award winners and the program speakers. The reception will include light refreshments, and will be held in a room adjacent to the program room.  This gives you an opportunity to grab a bite to eat, meet and mingle with others who share your interest in IF issues, and attend the program all in one easy package. 

I’d like to see IFRT establish a Mentoring Committee that would work with new members, especially new student members, to teach them how the IF community within ALA works, to be role models and help them become IF advocates inside and outside the profession.   

And my final thought to share is:

Awareness!

One of IFRT’s charges is to provide continuing education in IF issues for librarians, library workers and library advocates.  A major part of our CE effort is the Annual Conference program on Saturday afternoon organized by IFRT.  Our current chair, Barb Jones, is working with her committee to put together a great program for Chicago .

 I am just beginning to put thoughts together for the program in New Orleans in 2006.  Specifically, I have spent some time recently learning about the controversial efforts of Native American scholars and activists to recover the histories and the historical perspectives of the indigenous peoples and to incorporate these alternative viewpoints of events into the history of the United States as it is taught in our schools, preserved in our museums and libraries, commemorated in our monuments and holidays, and perpetuated in our assumptions and attitudes. There are important issues of equality and equity of access and intellectual freedom embedded in this controversy that have implications for libraries and librarians in our recruitment efforts, our funding priorities, our collections, programs and services. I plan to make this the subject of the 2006 program, and again, ask anyone interested in helping with this program to contact me at prklipsch@netscape.net.

I look forward to meeting many of you and working with all of you to continue to make IFRT a vital part of ALA.