Report of Seasonal Goods

————————————————- American Library Association From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia American Library Association| ALA Logo| Abbreviation| ALA| Formation| 1876| Type| Non-profit NGO| Purpose/focus| â€Å"To provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. â€Å"[1]| Headquarters| Chicago, Illinois| Location| Chicago, Illinois  andWashington, DC| Region  served| United States| Membership| 59,675[2]|CEO| Keith Michael Fiels| President| Maureen Sullivan| Budget| $33. 5 million[3]| Staff| approx. 300| Website| American Library Association| The  American Library Association  (ALA) is a  non-profit organization  based in the  United States  that promotes  libraries  and library education international ly. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world,[4]  with more than 62,000 members. [5] * | ————————————————- [edit]History Founded by  Justin Winsor,  Charles Ammi Cutter,  Samuel S. Green, James L. Whitney,  Melvil Dewey  (Melvil Dui), Fred B.Perkins and  Thomas W. Bicknell  in 1876 in  Philadelphia  and chartered[6]  in 1879 in  Massachusetts, its head office is now in  Chicago. During the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, 103 librarians, 90 men and 13 women, responded to a call for a â€Å"Convention of Librarians† to be held October 4–6 at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. At the end of the meeting, according to Ed Holley in his essay â€Å"ALA at 100,† â€Å"the register was passed around for all to sign who wished to become charter members,† making October 6, 1876 to be ALA's birthday.In attendance were 90 men and 13 women, among them Justin Winsor (Boston Public, Harvard), William Frederick Poole (Chicago Public, Newberry), Charles Ammi Cutter (Boston Athenaeum), Melvil Dewey, and Richard Rogers Bowker. Attendees came from as far west as Chicago and from England. [citation needed]  The aim of the Association, in that resolution, was â€Å"to enable librarians to do their present work more easily and at less expense. â€Å"[7]  The Association has worked throughout its history to define, extend, protect and advocate for equity of access to information. 8] Library activists in the 1930s pressured the American Library Association to be more responsive to issues put forth by young members involved with issues such as peace, segregation, library unions and intellectual freedom. In 1931, the Junior Members Round Table (JMRT) was formed to provide a voice for the younger members of the ALA, but much of what they had to say resurfaced in the social respon sibility movement to come years later. 9]  During this period, the first  Library Bill of Rights  (LBR) was drafted by  Forrest Spaulding  to set a standard against censorship and was adopted by the ALA in 1939. This has been recognized as the moment defining modern librarianship as a profession committed to intellectual freedom and the right to read over government dictates. [10]  The ALA formed the Staff Organization's Round Table in 1936 and the Library Unions Round Table in 1940. The ALA appointed a committee to study censorship and recommend policy after the banning of  The Grapes of Wrath  and the implementation of the LBR.The committee reported in 1940 that intellectual freedom and professionalism were linked and recommended a permanent committee – Committee on Intellectual Freedom. [11]  The ALA made revisions to strengthen the LBR in June 1948, approved the Statement on Labeling in 1951 to discourage labeling material as subversive, and adopted the Freedom to Read Statement and the Overseas Library Statement in 1953. [11] In 1961, the ALA took a stand regarding service to  African Americans  and others, advocating for equal library service for all.An amendment was passed to the LBR in 1961 that made clear that an individual's library use should not be denied or abridged because of race, religion, national origin, or political views. Some communities decided to close their doors rather than desegregate. [12]  In 1963, the ALA commissioned a study,  Access to Public Libraries, which found direct and indirect discrimination in American libraries. [13] In 1967 some librarians protested against a pro-Vietnam War  speech given by General  Maxwell D.Taylor  at the annual ALA conference in San Francisco; the former president of  Sarah Lawrence College, Harold Taylor, spoke to the Middle-Atlantic Regional Library Conference about socially responsible professionalism; and less than one year later a group of librarians pr oposed that the ALA schedule a new round table program discussion on the social responsibilities of librarians at its next annual conference in  Kansas City. This group called themselves the Organizing Committee for the ALA Round Table on Social Responsibilities of Libraries.This group drew in many other under-represented groups in the ALA who lacked power, including the Congress for Change in 1969. [14]  This formation of the committee was approved in 1969 and would change its name to the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) in 1971). After its inception, the Round Table of Social Responsibilities began to press ALA leadership to address issues such as library unions, working conditions, wages, and intellectual freedom. The Freedom to Read Foundation was created by ALA's Executive Board in 1969. 15]  The Black Caucus of the ALA and the Office for Literacy and Outreach were set up in 1970. [16] In June 1990, the ALA approved â€Å"Policy on Library Services to the Poorà ¢â‚¬  and in 1996 the Task Force on Hunger Homelessness, and Poverty was formed to resurrect and promote the ALA guidelines on library services to the poor. [17] The ALA archival materials, non-current records, are currently held in the University of Illinois archives. [18]  These materials can only be used at the University of Illinois. ————————————————- edit]Membership ALA membership is open to any person or organization, though most of its members are  libraries  or librarians. Most members live and work in the United States, with international members comprising 3. 5% of total membership. [19] ————————————————- [edit]Governing structure the ALA is governed by an elected council and an executive board. Since 2002,  Keith Michael Fiels  has been the ALA executive director (CEO). [20]  Policies and programs are administered by various committees and round tables.One of the organization's most visible tasks is overseen by the Office for Accreditation, which formally reviews and authorizes American and Canadian academic institutions that offer degree programs in  library and information science. The ALA's current President is Molly Raphael (2011–2012). [21]  Notable past presidents of the ALA include  Theresa Elmendorf, its first female president (1911–1912),[22]  Clara Stanton Jones, its first African-American president (1976–1977),[23]  Loriene Roy, its first Native American president (2007–2008),[24][25]  Michael Gorman  (2005-6), and  Roberta Stevens. 26](See  List of presidents of the American Library Association. ) [edit]Activities The official purpose of the association is â€Å"to promote library service and librarianship. † Members may join one or more of eleven membe rship divisions that deal with specialized topics such as academic, school, or public libraries, technical or reference services, and library administration. Members may also join any of seventeen round tables that are grouped around more specific interests and issues than the broader set of ALA divisions. [edit]Notable divisions ALA Editions (book publishing)[27] * American Association of School Librarians  (AASL) * Association for Library Collections and Technical Services  (ALCTS) * Association for Library Service to Children  (ALSC) * Association of College and Research Libraries  (ACRL) * Library Information Technology Association  (LITA) * Public Library Association (PLA) * Reference and User Services Association  (RUSA) * Young Adult Library Services Association  (YALSA) [edit]Notable offices * Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) * Office for Accreditation (OA) Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS) * Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) [e dit]Notable sub-organizations In 1970, the ALA founded the first  lesbian,  gay,  bisexual  and  transgender  professional organization, called the â€Å"Task Force on Gay Liberation†, now known as the GLBT Round Table. [28][29]  In the early 1970s, the Task Force on Gay Liberation campaigned to have books about the gay liberation movement at the  Library of Congress  reclassified from HQ 71–471 (â€Å"Abnormal Sexual Relations, Including Sexual Crimes†).In 1972, after receiving a letter requesting the reclassification, the Library of Congress agreed to make the shift, reclassifying those books into a newly created category, HQ 76. 5 (â€Å"Homosexuality, Lesbianism—Gay Liberation Movement, Homophile Movement†). On July 23, 1976, the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship was established as a Council Committee of the ALA on recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee with the same name (which had been appointed by the Presid ent of the ALA in December 1975) and of the Committee on Organization.The Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship works to â€Å"officially represent the diversity of women's interest within ALA and to ensure that the Association considers the rights of the majority (women) in the library field; to promote and initiate the collection, analysis, dissemination, and coordination of information on the status of women in librarianship; to coordinate the activities of ALA units which consider questions of special relevance for women; to identify lags, gaps, and possible discrimination in resources and programs relating to women; in cooperation with other ALA units, to help develop and evaluate tools, guidelines, and programs designed to enhance the opportunities and the image of women in the library profession, thus raising the level of consciousness concerning women; to establish contacts with committees on women within other professional groups and to officially represent ALA concerns at interdisciplinary meetings on women's equality; and to provide Council and Membership with reports needed for establishment of policies and actions related to the status of women in librarianship; and to monitor ALA units to ensure consideration of the rights of women. †Ã‚  [30][31]  In 1979 the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship received the Bailey K. Howard – World Book Encyclopedia – ALA Goal Award to develop a profile of ALA personal members, known as the COSWL Study. In 1980 the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship was awarded the J. Morris Jones – World Book Encyclopedia – ALA Goals Award with the OLPR Advisory Committee to undertake a special project on equal pay for work of equal value. [31] [edit]National outreach The ALA is affiliated with regional, state, and student chapters across the country.It organizes conferences, participates in library standards development, and publishes a number of book s and periodicals. The ALA publishes the magazines  American Libraries  and  Booklist. Along with other organizations, it sponsors the annual  Banned Books Week  the last week of September. Young Adult Library Services Association  (YALSA) also sponsors  Teen Read Week, the third week of each October, and  Teen Tech Week, the second week of each March [edit]Awards Main article:  List of ALA awards The ALA annually confers numerous book and media awards, primarily through its children's and young adult divisions (others are the  Dartmouth Medal,  Coretta Scott King Awards, Schneider Book Awards, and  Stonewall Book Award).The children's division ALSC administers the  Caldecott Medal,  Newbery Medal,  Batchelder Award,  Belpre Awards,  Geisel Award, and  Sibert Medal, all annual book awards;[32]  the Odyssey Award for best audiobook (joint with YALSA), and the (U. S. )  Carnegie Medal  and for best video. There are also two ALSC lifetime recog nitions, the  Wilder Medal  and the  Arbuthnot Lecture. The  young-adult  division YALSA administers the  Margaret Edwards Award  for significant and lasting contribution to YA literature, a lifetime recognition of one author annually, and some annual awards that recognize particular works: the  Michael L. Printz Award  for a YA book judged on literary merit alone, the  William C. Morris Award  for an author's first YA book, the new â€Å"YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults†, and the â€Å"Alex Award† list of ten adult books having special appeal for teens.Jointly with the children's division ALSC there is the  Odyssey Award  for excellence in  audiobookproduction. [33] The award for YA nonfiction was inaugurated in 2012, defined by ages 12 to 18 and publication year November 2010 to October 2011. The first winner was ‘The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism ; Treachery  by Steve Sheink in (Roaring Brook Press, November 2010) and four other finalists were named. [34][35] Beside the Alex Awards, ALA disseminates some annual lists of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Notable†Ã‚  and â€Å"Best† books and other media. The annual awards roster includes the  John Cotton Dana Award  for excellence in library public relations.In 2000 the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS) launched the  Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture  in tribute to the work of the first OLOS director, Dr. Jean E. Coleman. Barbara J. ford gave the inaugural lecture, â€Å"Libraries, Literacy, Outreach and the Digital Divide. † From 2006 the ALA annually selects a class of Emerging Leaders, typically comprising about 100 librarians and library school students. This minor distinction is a form of organizational outreach to new librarians. The Emerging Leaders are allocated to project groups tasked with developing solutions to specified problems within ALA divisions. The class meets at the ALA Midwinter and Annual Meetings, commonly January and June.Project teams may present posters of their completed projects at the Annual. [36] [edit]Conferences The ALA and its divisions hold numerous conferences throughout the year. The two largest conferences are the annual conference and the midwinter meeting. The latter is typically held in January and focused on internal business, while the annual conference is typically held in June and focused on exhibits and presentations. The ALA annual conference is notable for being one of the largest professional conferences in existence, typically drawing over 25,000 attendees. [37] ————————————————- [edit]Political positions ALA Seal|The ALA  advocates  positions on  United States  political issues that it believes are related to libraries and librarianship. For court cases that touch on issues about which the organization holds positions, the ALA often files  amici curiae  briefs, voluntarily offering information on some aspect of the case to assist the court in deciding a matter before it. The ALA has an office in  Washington, D. C. , that  lobbies  Congress  on issues relating to libraries, information and communication. It also provides materials to libraries that may include information on how to apply for grants, how to comply with the law, and how to oppose a law. [38] [edit]Intellectual freedom See also:  Book censorship in the United StatesThe primary documented expressions of the ALA's intellectual freedom principles are the Freedom to Read Statement[39]  and the  Library Bill of Rights; the Library Bill of Rights urges libraries to â€Å"challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment. â€Å"[40]  The ALA Code of Ethics also calls on librarians to â€Å"uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources. â€Å"[41] The ALA maintains an Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) headed by Barbara M. Jones, former University Librarian for Wesleyan University and internationally known intellectual freedom advocate and author. 42]  She is the second director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, succeeding  Judith Krug, who headed the office for four decades. OIF is charged with â€Å"implementing ALA policies concerning the concept of  intellectual freedom,†[43]  that the ALA defines as â€Å"the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause or movement may be explored. â€Å"[44]  Its goal is â€Å"to educate librarians and the general public about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries. †Ã‚  [43]  The OIF compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted to them by librarians across the country. 45] In 1999, radio personality  Laura Schlessinger  campaigned publicly against the ALA's intellectual freedom policy, specifically in regard to the ALA's refusal to remove a link on its web site to a specific sex-education site for teens. [46]  Sharon Presley  said, however, that Schlessinger â€Å"distorted and misrepresented the ALA stand to make it sound like the ALA was saying porno for ‘children' is O. K. â€Å"[47] In 2002, the ALA filed suit with library users and the ACLU against the United States  Children's Internet Protection Act  (CIPA), which required libraries receiving federal E-rate discounts for Internet access to install a â€Å"technology protection measure† to prevent children from accessing â€Å"visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors. [48]  At trial, the federal district court struck down the law as unconstitutional. [49]  The government appealed this decision, and on June 23, 2003, the  Supreme Court of the United States  upheld the law as constitutional as a condition imposed on institutions in exchange for government funding. In upholding the law, the Supreme Court, adopting the interpretation urged by the U. S. Solicitor General at oral argument, made it clear that the constitutionality of CIPA would be upheld only â€Å"if, as the Government represents, a librarian will unblock filtered material or disable the Internet software filter without significant delay on an adult user's request. â€Å"[50] [edit]PrivacyIn 2003, the ALA passed a resolution opposing the  USA PATRIOT Act, which called sections of the law â€Å"a present danger to the constitutional rights and privacy rights of library users†. [51]  Since then, the ALA and its members have sought to change the law by working with members of Congress and educating their communities and the press about the law's potential to violate the privacy rights of library users. ALA has also participated as an  amicus curiae  in lawsuits filed by individuals challenging the constitutionality of the USA PATRIOT Act, including a lawsuit filed by four Connecticut librarians after the library consortium they managed was served with a National Security Letter seeking information about library users. 52]  After several months of litigation, the lawsuit was dismissed when the FBI decided to withdraw the National Security Letter. [53]  In 2007 the â€Å"Connecticut Four† were honored by the ALA with the Paul Howard Award for Courage for their challenge to the National Security Letter and gag order provision of the USA PATRIOT Act. [54] In 2006, the ALA sold humorous â€Å"radical militant librarian† buttons for librarians to wear in support of the ALA's stances on intellectual freedom, privacy, and civil liberties. [55]  Inspiration for the button’s desig n came from documents obtained from the FBI by the  Electronic Privacy Information Center  (EPIC) through a  Freedom of Information Act  (FOIA) request. The request revealed a series of e-mails in which FBI agents complained about