Category: A New Division Discussions

A New Division Discussions

Core Is Approved!

| Jenny Levine|1 Comment

We’re thrilled to announce that Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures is moving forward, thanks to our members. The three existing divisions’ members all voted to approve the bylaws change that will unite ALCTS, LITA, and LLAMA to form Core: ALCTS: 91% yes LITA: 96% yes LLAMA: 96% yes The presidents of the three divisions, Jennifer Bowen, ALCTS, Emily Morton-Owens, LITA, and Anne Cooper Moore, LLAMA, shared the following statement: “We first want to thank our members for supporting Core. Their belief in this vision, that we can accomplish more together than we can separately, has inspired us, and we look forward to working with all members to build this new and sustainable ALA division. We also want to thank the Core Steering Committee, and all the members who were part of project teams, town halls and focus groups. We would not have reached this moment without their incredible work.” ALA Executive…

Continue Reading
A New Division Discussions

News Regarding the Future of LITA after the Core Vote

| Jenny Levine|1 Comment

Dear LITA members, We’re writing about the implications of LITA’s budget for the upcoming 2020-21 fiscal year, which starts September 1, 2020. We have reviewed the budget and affirmed that LITA will need to disband if the Core vote does not succeed. Since the Great Recession, membership in professional organizations has been declining consistently. LITA has followed the same pattern and as a result, has been running at a deficit for a number of years. Each year, LITA spends more on staff, events, equipment, software, and supplies than it takes in through memberships and event registrations. We were previously able to close our budgets through the use of our net asset balance which is, in effect, like a nest egg for the division. Of course, that could not continue indefinitely. Our path towards sustainability has culminated in the proposal to form Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures. The new division would come with…

Continue Reading
A New Division Discussions

Update on New Division Discussions

| Jenny Levine
ALCTS, LITA, and LLAMA logos

Dear ALCTS, LITA, and LLAMA Members, As we get ready for the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC, we want to update you on the potential merging of our three ALA divisions into a single, new division dedicated to supporting members working in service areas across all types of libraries. When we began this discussion early last year, we had hoped to bring the proposed merger to a member vote during the spring 2019 election. However, that timeline proved too ambitious. We wanted to make sure the new division could provide far more robust service to members than the three divisions can provide separately. We also needed more time to work through key operational details and to sufficiently involve our members in the discussion. In recognition of this, the three Boards agreed at Midwinter to pause the project. Since then, the Steering Committee has had discussions about how best to…

Continue Reading