Hello from your ALA representative! I hope you have all had a great start to 2023 so far.
I wanted to talk a little about LibLearnX and some of the happenings both during the conference and at the Council meetings.
First of ALA’s LibLearnx had around 2,600 attendees. Numbers haven’t been broken down into those who attended virtually and those who attended in person. It is a little down attendance wise from it’s predecessor ALA Midwinter, but again, this is only the 2nd year of LibLearnX. There were also many great speakers and sessions. Keynote speakers included Ani Di Franco, Ibram X. Kendi, and Nic Stone. There were learning labs, shoptalks, places to exchange ideas, exhibitors, etc. If you attended LibLearnX either virtually or in-person, I would like to hear your experience.
Some highlights:
There were three Council meetings that took place over the weekend. A lot of work has been done on ALA’s Constitution and Bylaws. At this meeting, Councilors were asked to look over the changes and to have the Constitution and Bylaws Committee make any housekeeping changes. The Resolution on Human Rights and Freedom of Speech and Expression in Iran was passed by Council. FY 2024 ALA Budget priorities include rebuilding membership base and developing new budget metrics.
ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee reported on the creation of a Challenges to CRT and Diversity Training Toolkit. “The Challenges to CRT and Diversity Training Toolkit subgroup, under the able leadership of Rhonda Evans, has nearly completed the final draft of the toolkit. The toolkit will be an aid to library workers addressing censorship resulting from challenges to "critical race theory" claimed to be in school and university curricula, as well as challenges to anti-racist materials and staff trainings addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion. The subgroup will present their draft to the Intellectual Freedom Committee for review and approval at ALA’s Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois.”
Check out my weekly updates for more information!
Next year’s LibLearnX will be held in Baltimore, Maryland.
Sara Westall, ALA Chapter Councilor