Annoucements, Reminders and Suggestions

If you haven't yet voted, now is the time. If you are inclined to vote for candidates who are supportive of intellectual freedom, you might try using your browser's "find" function for "intellectual," "freedom," "censorship," "IFRT," or "IFC" when reviewing the candidates' statements. It takes a bit of time but it's much faster than reading every line of every bio.

Before entering the ALA election website you might want to review the list of candidates for IFRT positions. It is available at

Thanks to Marylaine Block for recommending the following website of censorship quotations. All are attributed though none are documented.

Doug Archer

Editor, IFRT Report

Acknowledging Native Perspectives on the American Experience

Pam Klipsch

The Intellectual Freedom Roundtable Committee

 and American Indian Library Association

invite you to our program on Saturday, June 24, 2006 at 1:30 pm.

Morial Convention Center

The historic and contemporary experiences of America's indigenous peoples have been excluded from mainstream American scholarship and culture. A self-perpetuating cycle of bias has dismissed Native viewpoints, perpetuated stereotypes, and diminished their part in America's history and heritage. This program will look at ways in which libraries and librarians can preserve and promote access to Native perspectives.

Co-sponsored by the American Indian Library Association

and the OLOS Subcommittee on Library Services to American Indians.

Speakers:

Richie Plass, Poet, lecturer, human rights activist, Menominee Indian Reservation;

Arline Naquin, Pointe-au-Chein Tribe;

Christine Rose, Executive Director, Students and Teachers Against Racism;

Rennard Strickland, Legal historian, University of Oregon;

Carlene Engstrom, Library Director, Salish Kootenai College, President of AILA;

Maria Escalante, Tribal Librarian, College of Menominee Nation Library, Kenshena, WI;

Richenda Wilkinson, Social Sciences & Humanities Librarian, Oregon State University;

Naomi Caldwell, Assistant Professor, University of Rhode Island, Past President of AILA.

The 8 scholars, activists, and librarians participating in this program realize the importance libraries play in recognizing the contributions of Native Americans. This program promises to be an outstanding venue and is held in the Morial Convention Center, Room # to be announced. There will be time for a question and answer period following the speaker’s statements and we strongly encourage your attendance and support.

Intellectual Freedom: Views Through A Cross-Cultural Lens, 2006 IRRT Chair Program

Julia Glynn

Intellectual Freedom is a concept that is fundamental to many US librarians. However, the understanding of intellectual freedom varies from country to country and may or may not be considered to be an important part of a library's philosophy.

At the ALA Annual Conference, in New Orleans, LA, on Monday, June 26, the International Relations Round Table will be presenting, with IFRT as a co-sponsor, a program titled, Intellectual Freedom: Views through a Cross-cultural Lens. The three invited panelists will explore how the concept of intellectual freedom is perceived by our colleagues in China, the Middle East, and Africa, and how intellectual freedom is implemented in their libraries. Topics to be discussed include: How is intellectual freedom viewed and supported around the world? Are technology and globalization trends changing the dialogue about intellectual freedom in other countries?

The keynote speaker is Robert Wedgeworth, President and CEO of ProLiteracy Worldwide (http://www.proliteracy.org/). Mr. Wedgeworth has served as President of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), Executive Director of ALA, University Librarian and Professor of library administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Dean of Library Science at Columbia University. He has been editor of three editions of the World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services. Mr. Wedgeworth is an international specialist in the library and book field who served on President Ford’s National Commission on Copyright and President Reagan’s Advisory Committee on the U.S. Information Agency.

The panelists representing three areas from around the world are

·   China: Yue Li, Resource Services, University of Florida Library. Mr. Li recently traveled to China, where he visited the China National Library and interviewed journalists. His research interests are in Sino-American libraries with a focus on intellectual property and intellectual freedom.

·   Middle East: Jordan Scepanski, former Dean, Zayed University Library, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Mr. Scepanski has worked in several Middle Eastern countries during his career. He represents IRRT and other Round Tables on ALA Council, is past chair of IRRT and the International Relations Committee, and served as ALA staff liaison to IRC and IRRT.

·   Africa: Angel Batiste, Area Specialist, African and Middle Eastern Division, Library of Congress. Ms. Batiste is currently serving as Chair of IRC Africa Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Society for International Development, Development Information Workgroup.

Program Details

Title: Intellectual Freedom: Views through a Cross-cultural Lens

Date: Monday, June 26, 2006

Time: 1:30 - 3:30

Program will also include the presentation of the John Ames Humphry/OCLC/Forest Press Award for significant contributions to international librarianship and the presentation of the Bogle Pratt International Travel Fund award at the beginning of the program.

Report from the 2006 Chair of IFRT

Pam Klipsch

            I’d like to highlight a few things that happened at the Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio that I think are of interest to the IF community.

I. At the Midwinter Meeting, ALA Council voted to adopt a Resolution in Support of Academic Freedom:

http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/ifresolutions/academic freedom.htm

            This resolution is a response to the “Academic Bill of Rights” that is being promoted to state legislatures and academic institutions by David Horowitz and his Center for the Study of Popular Culture, a self-described conservative nonprofit organization. ABOR would impose standards other than relevant scholarly standards on academic institutions in relation to course content, classroom conduct, research process, and hiring and tenure decisions. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and other scholarly organizations are on record in opposition to ABOR. This is an issue of serious concern to academic institutions nationwide, and has implications for academic librarians who have tenure and for collection development in academic libraries. The IFRT Executive Committee voted to support this resolution. Additional background information is available at the following links:

David Horowitz:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Horowitz

Center for the Study of Popular Culture:

http://cspc.org/

FrontPageMag.com:

http://frontpagemag.com/

Political Intrusions into the Academy:

http://www.aaup.org/Issues/ABOR/Political%20intrusion1.htm

also:

http://cas.umkc.edu/aaup/abor.htm

http://www.unitedfacultyofflorida.org/pdf/Summer2005-Update.pdf

http://www.studentsforacademicfreedom.org/archive/2005/November2005/BSUWolfeLectureTranscript110305.htm

II. At the Midwinter Meeting ALA Council voted to adopt a Resolution on the USA Patriot Act Reauthorization:

http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/ifresolutions/patriotreauthorization.htm

This resolution was presented by the Committee on Legislation with the support and endorsement of the Intellectual Freedom Committee. It is the latest in a series of resolutions that ALA Council has adopted to lobby for revisions in Sections 215 and 505 of the USA Patriot Act, to limit the reauthorization of Sections 215 and 505 to four years, and to urge Congress to intensify its oversight of the USA Patriot Act and other government surveillance programs. The IFRT Executive Committee voted to support this resolution in principle.

During the Council debate of this resolution, Lynne Bradley of the ALA Washington Office was asked to comment on this issue, and whether ALA and its allies had any realistic expectation of influencing Congress. Bradley reported that the library community is recognized for its efforts in shaping public opinion and Congressional action on this issue. Unfortunately we have subsequently learned that the Republican members who had cooperated in a bipartisan effort to add some safeguards and protections for civil liberties to the legislation have come to a “compromise” with the Administration that would allow the Patriot Act provisions to be renewed for another four years. ALA has issued a statement opposing this compromise language as insufficient to meet its concerns, but it appears at this time that the legislation will be adopted.

http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2006/february/patriotcomp.htm

III. The ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee held two hearings at the Midwinter Meeting, one on proposed guidelines for implementing RFID technology in libraries, and one on a Q&A in support of the recently revised Interpretation on Labels. The committee received considerable comment on both these documents, and will be reviewing the comments and revising the documents at its spring meeting in Chicago. IFRT Executive Committee members attended both hearings. The IFRT liaison to IFC, Margaret Rohdy, will be attending the spring meeting.

IV. The Office for Intellectual Freedom of ALA has received a Ford Foundation grant to fund a workshop to train librarians on intellectual freedom issues and First Amendment law. The workshop will be held at ALA HQ in Chicago April 4-6. The chairs of all state chapter IFCs have been invited to attend, and their costs will be covered by the Ford Foundation grant. The purpose of the workshop is to train IFC chairs to go back to their state chapters and conduct at least two similar workshops for chapter members.

V. During the Midwinter Meeting, the trustees of the Merritt Fund organized a “Conversation” to discuss ways in which ALA provides support for individual library workers. The Merritt Fund was established many years ago by ALA to provide financial assistance to library workers who find themselves in difficulty and/or in danger of losing their jobs due to standing up for intellectual freedom or due to discrimination in the workplace. The fund is supported by voluntary contributions from ALA members and is administered by three trustees.

Other segments of ALA participated to explain how their work benefits library workers. Those included were Judith Krug, Office for Intellectual Freedom; Jenifer Grady, ALA-Allied Professional Association; Tessa Perry, Office for Diversity; Julie Brewer, Recruitment Assembly; Ma’lis Wendt, Merritt Fund Trustee; and Pam Klipsch, IFRT. Other interested members also attended. The group agreed to keep working together with the goal of providing a program at annual conference to inform ALA members of the resources available to them through ALA.

VI. As reported elsewhere, IFRT Program Committee Chair Lauren Christos presented the plans for the IFRT-sponsored IF program at 2006 Annual Conference in New Orleans. We are indebted to the American Indian Library Association for co-sponsoring this program, and to AILA members who agreed to serve on the program committee and assisted in planning the program and securing speakers.

This is an important and timely topic. The Washington Post, in an article published on February 2, 2006, quoted Joe Garcia, the new president of the National Congress of American Indians, who presented a “State of the Indian Nations” address at the National Press Club. Garcia said the Indian Nations face four areas of great challenge: law enforcement, public safety and illegal immigration on tribal lands; health care (Native Americans’ average life expectancy is five years less than other Americans); education and the economy (only 50% of Native students complete high school); and the Indian trust lawsuit (a class action suit against the federal government for mismanaging Indian lands held in trust that has now dragged on for ten years). Stereotypes and misinformation about Native Americans continue to prevent equitable solutions to these problems.

Prior to the program, IFRT is sponsoring a membership reception. The reception will be held in a room adjacent to the program room in the Morial Convention Center. The annual IF awards sponsored by IFRT will be presented at this reception, and IFRT members who are attending conference are invited to meet the award winners and our program speakers, and to enjoy a light lunchtime buffet.

IFRT Councilor’s Report Midwinter 2006

Carolyn Caywood

I thought that I would describe Council business in the order it occurred to give a better picture of what the IFRT Councilor does, since we'll be voting on a new Councilor this spring. I would be very glad to talk further with anyone considering running for IFRT Councilor. Contact me at ccaywood@vbgov.com.

10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Council I - Sunday January 22

Council I is usually devoted to internal Association business and thus kind of boring, but not this time. There were two floor nominations for Executive Board: Ling Hwey Jing and Joann Pinder, though neither was elected. A resolution on the Instructional Classification of School Librarians passed unanimously after some amending. This was in response to the 65% solution proposals in state legislatures that than percentage of school funding be spent on classroom instruction. School librarians are seeking to be included as classroom instructors.

10:15-11:15 a.m. ALA-APA Council - Monday January 23

Councilors of ALA also serve as Councilors of the Allied Professional Association (APA), the 501(c)6 organization that ALA set up for advocacy and continuing education. This was very much internal business and about the only item of note was passage of a provision that any Division/Round Table/Chapter Councilor whose job forbids serving as an officer of a 501(c)6 can be replaced by an observer who can speak but not vote.

8:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Council Forum - Monday January 23

This is an informal meeting of those Councilors who choose to come. Melora, as chair of the Committee On Organization, told us that COO had been asked to create two additional members of the Budget Analysis and Review Committee to be chosen by Division presidents. BARC looks at the financial implications of Council actions, the budget of ALA, and the Operating Agreement between ALA and its units, e.g. Divisions and Round Tables. The Divisions felt that they needed more communication with BARC and indeed the committee is so small that its members may not fulfill their liaison obligations. There seemed to be more to the story but that's all that we heard. This raised a lot of concern among the Councilors present and we ran past 10pm.

9:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Council II - Tuesday, January 24

Council rejected an amendment that would have earmarked new funds and passed the dues increase proposed by the Membership Committee, which sends it to the spring ballot. COSWL, the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship, came with a surprise resolution opposing appointment of Judge Alito to the Supreme Court because his track record on women's employment issues does not look promising. This passed. Robert E. Stueart was made an Honorary Member of ALA. The Budget Programatic Priorities passed - they are unchanged from previous years. The Freedom to Read Foundation reported as is customary at Council II. And the resolution to add four Round Table Councilors, so that all Round Tables having at least 1% of ALA members have Councilors, passed after considerable discussion. It too will be on the spring ballot. This resolution, which IFRT endorsed, was prompted by one Round Table (IRRT) growing larger than another (GODORT) which had had a Councilor. If ALA's members agree on the ballot, there will be Councilors for GLBTRT, GODORT, IFRT, IRRT, LIRT, LRRT, LSSIRT, NMRT, & SRRT. The remaining Round Tables will still share a Councilor. The resolution in support of Academic Freedom was held over to Council III.

4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Council Forum - Tuesday, January 24

We resumed discussion of the BARC proposal with background from YALSA. A little time was also spent on the Academic Freedom resolution.

8:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Council III - Wednesday January 25

Council elected Terri Kirk, Mario Gonzalez, and Roberta Stevens to the Executive Board. IFC reported but had no action items. The Committee on Legislation made up for this with six, all endorsed by IFC. Most relevant to us was a resolution seeking changes to the USAPATRIOT Act to require constitutional protections in sections 215 and 505. All six passed. The International Relations Committee brought back from Annual a modified resolution urging that library workers be permitted to travel in and out of the US on library business. This passed. COO brought the BARC proposal which was amended to add two members to BARC without making them Division members. The resolution on Academic Freedom passed and a resolution to study a graduated dues structure was postponed to Annual. And, we finished an hour early!

American Library Association

Intellectual Freedom Round Table

Executive Committee Minutes

2006 Midwinter Conference

San Antonio, TX

IFRT I

January 21, 2006 1:30-3:30 PM

Present:

Officers:

Pam Klipsch                       Chair

Rosanne Cordell                Chair-Elect

J. Douglas Archer              Director

Robert P. Holley                 Director

Sylvia Jayne Turchyn         Director

Carolyn Caywood              Councilor

Julia Glynn                         Treasurer

Carol Gulyas                      Secretary

Committees/Liaisons:

Margaret Rohdy                 IFC liaison from IFRT

Melora Ranney Norman     Chair, Membership Promotion Committee

Lauren Christos                 Chair, Program Committee

Fred Stielow                       Oboler Memorial Award Committee

Elizabeth Dailey                 Oboler Memorial Award Committee

Christopher Bowen            ProQuest/SIRS State/Regional Achievement Award Committee

Joan Beam                         Bylaws and Organization Committee

Nanette Perez                    IFRT Staff Liaison

Jonathan Kelley                 OIF Staff 

Members/Guests: Xima Avalos, Keith Michael Fiels, Melanie Hetrick, Janice Rice, Joel Robinson, Michael Santangelo, Kristl Torres, Janice Tsai, Malis Wendt

Call to Order:

Klipsch called the meeting to order at 1:35 pm.

Review and Approval of Agenda:

Klipsch indicated that Jones’ Nominating Committee Report would be moved to Monday. Turchyn moved, Glynn seconded, that the agenda be approved as amended. The motion was approved by acclimation.

Review of the 2005 Annual Conference Minutes:

The minutes were reviewed and approved as distributed.

Announcements:

Klipsch announced that several Open Hearings would be held at Midwinter, as follows: “Code of Ethics,” “Guidelines for Implementing RFID Technologies in Libraries,” and “Q&A on Labels and Rating Systems.”

Program Planning Committee:

Christos reported that 7 out of 8 speakers have confirmed their participation in the IFRT ALA Annual program entitled “Acknowledging the Native Perspective on the American Experience.” She will be meeting with the Program Chair of the American Indian Library Association to determine the final speaker. There will be a responder panel and a Q&A opportunity at the event. Christos is developing a “webliography” to accompany the event and plans to have it accessible some time after Midwinter and will solicit input on the site before finalizing. Klipsch expressed hope that the program will draw in additional people not usually attending IFRT programs.

Co-sponsoring Other Intellectual Freedom-related Programs:

The International Relations Round Table asked IFRT to co-sponsor their program entitled “Cross-cultural Perspectives on Intellectual Freedom” which will feature speakers from China, the Middle East, and Africa, on Monday, June 26, 2006 from1:30 to 3:30. Stielow moved, Cordell seconded, and it was

VOTED, that IFRT co-sponsor the program.

IFRT will co-sponsor with SRRT and EMIERT a program at ALA Annual entitled “The Ethnic Press, Libraries, and Community: How We Can Strengthen the Ties,” featuring Nancy Kranich, George Curry (NNPA), and Juana Ponce de Leon (IPA-NY), as well as a local speaker still TBD, on Sunday, June 25, 2006, from 1:30 to 3:30pm.

Another request for co-sponsorship came from REFORMA’s Committee on Children and Young Adult Services. The program is called “English Only: Censorship in School and Public Libraries Serving Children and Young Adults,” and it would be scheduled for ALA Annual 2007. Stielow moved, Caywood seconded, and it was

VOTED, to co-sponsor the REFORMA program. Klipsch requested an update from REFORMA on planning for this program at ALA Annual 2006.

Law for Librarians:

Kelley shared information on the planned ALA seminar called "Law for Librarians."  OIF state chairs will come to Chicago for 2.5-day training covering cases that helped make up the intellectual basis of IF. ALA will pay for housing and travel. State chapter officers are also invited. Holley, Klipsch and Stielow suggested more collaborative programming with school librarians in future, as school librarians face many legal issues related to IF.

Merritt Fund:

Wendt announced that Jim Kuhn will lead a conversation on IF, Discrimination and the Library Workplace on Sunday at this conference. The goal is to let people know about ALA and Merritt Fund resources to assist people regarding these issues. This is the first attempt to hold such a conversation and it may be repeated in other venues in future.

Preconference Planning:

Norman proposed a Preconference on Fair Use. Discussion centered on how important it is to make a preconference vital to librarians in order to justify the extra cost and time involved in attending. Klipsch suggested a group convene online to help clarify the topic for a possible 2008 program. Glynn, Stielow, Dailey, Rohdy and Holley volunteered to participate. Norman will report on progress at ALA Annual in New Orleans.

Dues Increase:

ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels spoke on salary increases and asked for IFRT support of a dues increase.

Publications:

Archer reported that the last issue of IFRT Report was published just in time for the conference. Archer will be converting to using style sheets so that it will be easier to update copy. He also plans to split up some of the tasks so that another person can concentrate on copy generation while he can edit and publish. Next issue planned for publication in mid-March, for which copy is needed by February 24^th.

IFRT Preliminary Budget:

Projected budget for FY 2007 was reviewed, and the following amendment was made: the IFRT Report is published 4 times a year, so that line item needs to change from $400 per year to $800 per year. Holley moved, Beam seconded, and it was

VOTED, to approve the budget as amended.

Round Table Coordinating Assembly (RTCA):

Caywood reported the ALA is starting a new publication called ALDirect. The RTCA is lobbying for the inclusion in the publication of features, opinion columns, and a monthly profile of a different Round Table in each issue. Caywood suggested that IFRT prepare an article on what IFRT is and why one should become a member. Caywood also indicated that IFRT needs to appoint a member to represent IFRT on the RTCA, from which key appointments are made at each conference. Caywood will write a report on this to present at Annual 2006. Caywood suggested that IFRT support the resolution calling for each Round Table with at least 1% of membership to have a Councilor. Archer moved, Christos seconded, and it was

VOTED, that IFRT would support the resolution in principle.

Closed Session. Sirs/Proquest and Oboler Award awards were discussed.

Adjournment. Klipsch adjourned the meeting at 3:33pm.

American Library Association

Intellectual Freedom Round Table

Executive Committee Minutes

2006 Midwinter Conference

San Antonio, TX

IFRT II

January 23, 8:00 to 10:00 AM

Present:

Officers:

Pam Klipsch                       President

Rosanne Cordell                Chair-Elect

J. Douglas Archer              Director

Robert P. Holley                 Director

Sylvia Jayne Turchyn         Director

Carolyn Caywood              Councilor

Julia Glynn                         Treasurer

Carol Gulyas                      Secretary

Committees/Liaisons:

Barbara Jones                   Past Chair, IFRT; Chair, Nominating Committee

Carrie Gardner                   Nominating Committee

Margaret Rohdy                 IFC liaison from IFRT

Martin Garnar                     GLBTRT Liaison

Melora Ranney Norman     Chair, Membership Promotion Committee

Lauren Christos                 Chair, Program Committee

Jim Teliha                          Program Committee

Laura Koltutsky                  Chair, John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award Comm.

Nanette Perez                    IFRT Staff Liaison

Members/Guests: Loida Garcia-Febo, Peg Oettinger, Janice Rice

Call to Order: Klipsch called the meeting to order at 8:06am.

GLBTRT Liaison Report:

Garnar reported that people from various round tables had met to propose ideas on what should be included in an IFRT/GLBTRT TOOLKIT and a report will be issued in time for ALA Annual 2006. Their goal is to utilize existing materials where possible. It is their intention to also include opposition viewpoints and a FAQ sheet for librarians and trustees. The kit will not be an “online only” resource; where print resources are more appropriate, those will be included. In response to Garnar’s question regarding the issue of storing GLBTRT materials in adult sections, much discussion ensued.

Though normally it would not be considered appropriate to store such materials in the adult section, some exceptions were noted. Caywood observed that the most important consideration is ease of access. As small children like to reshelve books themselves, many stories with relevant subject matter may be mis-shelved. An option might be to shelve books on “real life” topics in the Parenting section. In some libraries it makes sense to shelve duplicate copies: one in the adult section and one in the children’s section. The librarian may also want to avoid the situation in which the child picks out a book dealing with a GLBTRT issue in the storybook section and the parent is not aware of the topic until she/he gets home, and feels duped. Librarians must also be aware of patrons’ sensitivity. Klipsch related the story of a person who waited until everyone left the library to ask the librarian if she had a book about same-sex parents for children. The patron had been told at her home library that “we don’t carry that kind of book.” In this case the librarian was able to go directly to the children’s nonfiction area and find several books on the topic. It was agreed that it is not only where the book is on the shelf, but how the librarian responds when asked, and how the book is catalogued in the library, that affect access. One solution is to have multiple copies and use multiple call numbers. Cordell stated that the issue that should concern the GLBTRT is when the only copy of a children’s book is stored in the adult section, so that children can’t find it. Garnar acknowledged that this input was very helpful and will take to the Toolkit committee.

Membership Promotion:

Norman reported that the Membership Survey will be posted to the list and will appear in the next issue of the IFRT Report. Norman plans to have results to share at ALA Annual. Klipsch will send a letter to the membership via the list and IFRT Report to encourage participation.

Councilor’s Report: Caywood moved, Turchyn seconded, and it was

VOTED, that IFRT endorse in principle the Resolution on the Reauthorization of the Patriot Act.

Caywood moved, Turchyn seconded, and it was

VOTED, that we endorse in principle the Resolution on the Academic Bill of Rights. Caywood moved, Glynn seconded, and it was

VOTED, that IFRT endorse the Resolution in Memorial to Gerald Hodges.

Nominating Committee:

Jones reported that progress continued on developing a slate of candidates. Still needed are candidates for Chair, Chair-Elect, Councilor, and four directors, and Secretary. The slate will be published in the newsletter.

Gordon Conable Festschrift:

Gardner encouraged those present to consider contributing the Festschrift; scholarly articles are needed. The publication will be juried by a committee of anonymous reviewers who have agreed not to submit anything

Pamela Bonnell-Mihalis:

Klipsch announced that Pamela Bonnell-Mihalis has retired and resigned all postings in ALA. A greeting card was circulated.

National Patriot Act Call-in Day:

Caywood noted that Wednesday, January 25^th is National Patriot Act Call-in Day and encouraged all to call government representatives to inform them how to vote on the reauthorization of the Patriot Act. Turchyn noted that even if you know that your congressperson is unsympathetic it is important that they understand the volume of resistance, and to generate publicity.

RTCA Representative from IFRT:

Caywood requested that IFRT formally appoint a liaison to the RTCA.

Publications Committee:

Archer requested copy for the IFRT Report. Christos agreed to help solicit articles and Archer will concentrate on copy editing and publishing.

RFID Hearing:

Concern was expressed that work on the RFID issue is proceeding on parallel tracks and the main and subcommittees are creating redundancy. Gardner cautioned that this is understandable given the complexity of RFIDs and that this issue will take a lot of time to resolve, much as it took a lot of time to work through issues surrounding internet usage in libraries, filtering, etc.

Closed Session:

Koltutsky reported on the activities of the Immroth Memorial Award Committee.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 9:50am.

Round Table Coordinating Assembly: an Introduction and Report

Carolyn Caywood

The Round Table Coordinating Assembly was established to share information and coordinate activities among the Round Tables.. Each RT is represented by the president or a designate of the RT. The Assembly selects a convener annually and meets twice a year, at the beginning of the ALA Midwinter Meeting and the ALA Annual Conference.

Danielle Anderson lead the San Antonio meeting.

1) RTCA discussed who would be appointed from the Round Tables to various committees. Note: we need a better mechanism to have people ready to nominate for the various committees where Round Tables have a designated slot. In fact, we need an official representative to the RTCA!

2) AL Direct, ALA's new electronic publication, may be more willing to do features on Round Tables than American Libraries has been. We need a publishing schedule and assignments, but it would be wise to have an article ready to submit.

3) John Chraska(sp?) passed out and discussed a table of overlapping memberships - PLA has the highest IFRT membership, but SRRT has the highest percentage of overlapping members.

4) The resolution to add Councilors for all Round tables that exceed one percent of ALA membership was discussed and unanimously endorsed by the RTCA.

Carolyn Caywood: Carolyn has been a librarian since 1972 when she graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit. She manages a Virginia Beach Public Library branch and a Subregional library for the blind. She is IFRT Councilor, a member of the IFC subcommittee on privacy, and a past Board member of the Freedom to Read Foundation.

Lauren Christos: Lauren is an IFRT Director and is a member of the Program Committee. She is a Reference Librarian at the Biscayne Bay Library of Florida International University and a member of the FLA IFC. In her spare time she is raising a teenage daughter who is already an IF activist.

Carol Gulyas: Carol is the IFRT Secretary and an active member of SRRT. She is Reference & Instruction Librarian at Columbia College, Chicago.

Pam Klipsch: Pam is a long-time, take-no-prisoners, intellectual freedom advocate and current Chair of the IFRT Board. She is the Director of the Jefferson County Library, High Ridge, MO and is glad to say that John Ashcroft is her former senator.

Doug Archer: Doug is Editor of the IFRT Report and an IFRT Director. He has been recently appointed to both the ALA and ILF Intellectual Freedom Committees.