Council of the American Library Association

Council of the American Library Association
Name	Council of the American Library Association
Formation	1876
Type	Deliberative body
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Parent organization	American Library Association
Region served	United States

Council of the American Library Association is the primary deliberative and policy-making body within the American Library Association framework, charged with oversight, governance input, and implementation of association policies. It operates alongside the American Library Association Council components and interacts with entities such as the ALA Executive Board, various ALA divisions like Reference and User Services Association, national organizations including the Library of Congress, and external stakeholders such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Council's deliberations affect professional standards, advocacy priorities, and association governance across institutions like the New York Public Library, Boston Public Library, and academic systems such as the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign.

History

The Council emerged from 19th-century professional organizing that included founders from the American Library Association inaugural meeting in Philadelphia and later conferences in Albany, New York and Chicago, Illinois; early leaders included figures associated with the Boston Public Library, the Library of Congress, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Throughout the 20th century, Council proceedings intersected with national debates involving the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Civil Rights Movement, and policy initiatives such as those influenced by the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Foundation. Postwar shifts saw interactions with federal programs like the Works Progress Administration legacy, the National Endowment for the Arts, and accrediting efforts related to the American Library Association accreditation of library schools at institutions including Columbia University, University of Michigan, and Syracuse University.

Structure and Membership

Council composition reflects representation from ALA divisions—such as Association of College and Research Libraries, Public Library Association, and Young Adult Library Services Association—and units including round tables like the Bibliographic Instruction Section and state chapters including the California Library Association and the Texas Library Association. Members include elected officials, delegates from chapters, division chairs, and representatives similar to delegates sent by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions affiliates or library consortia like the OCLC. Officers work with committees analogous to those of the American Library Association Executive Board, and leadership often overlaps with people affiliated with institutions such as the Harvard Library, Yale University Library, and the University of California, Berkeley. Terms, eligibility, and voting rights mirror governance practices found in organizations like the American Association of School Librarians and professional societies such as the American Historical Association.

Powers and Responsibilities

Council authority includes adoption of association policies, oversight akin to that exercised by the American Library Association Board, stewardship of documents like the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement, and actions that affect collaborations with bodies such as the American Booksellers Association, the Association of Research Libraries, and the National Coalition Against Censorship. The Council can approve budgetary recommendations affecting grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and positions on legal matters related to statutes like the Children's Internet Protection Act and litigation contexts involving organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It directs standing committees, issues resolutions comparable to those of the American Association of University Professors, and sets priorities for advocacy campaigns that interface with the U.S. Congress, the Department of Education, and the Federal Communications Commission.

Meetings and Procedures

Council meets at times aligned with ALA midwinter and annual conferences in cities such as San Francisco, Chicago, and New Orleans, following parliamentary guidelines related to procedures used by bodies like the American Bar Association and drawing on rules akin to those of the Robert's Rules of Order. Agendas coordinate with ALA units including the Office for Intellectual Freedom and committees analogous to the Committee on Accreditation, and minutes record motions, votes, and roll calls similar to practices in the National Education Association. Electronic participation, proxies, and quorum rules have evolved in dialogue with technology providers such as OCLC and institutional partners like the Smithsonian Institution.

Relationship with the American Library Association Board

The Council functions as a deliberative assembly that reviews and approves actions proposed by the American Library Association Executive Board while maintaining distinct roles comparable to bicameral relationships seen between boards and councils in organizations like the Boy Scouts of America and the American Medical Association. Interaction includes referral of resolutions to committees analogous to those of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, joint meetings with officers connected to the ALA President's office, and coordination on strategic plans that affect collaborations with entities such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Notable Actions and Resolutions

The Council has adopted significant positions on issues tied to the Library Bill of Rights, censored works controversies involving titles debated in public systems like the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative and the Broward County Library System, and policies addressing privacy and surveillance resonant with cases involving the Electronic Frontier Foundation and debates around the USA PATRIOT Act. Council resolutions have influenced partnerships with foundations such as the Carnegie Corporation of New York, statements on diversity that engage organizations like the Association for Library Service to Children, and advocacy campaigns in concert with the National Coalition Against Censorship and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Criticism and Controversies

Council decisions have provoked debate among constituencies including chapters like the Texas Library Association and divisions such as the Reference and User Services Association over stances on controversial titles, labor disputes mirroring tensions seen in the AFL–CIO context, and governance disputes paralleling controversies in organizations like the American Historical Association. Critiques have addressed transparency, representation, and procedural fairness, with external scrutiny from media outlets that report on cultural controversies involving institutions like the New York Public Library and advocacy groups such as the Freedom to Read Foundation.

Category:American Library Association