WHY RUN FOR ALA COUNCIL?

FACT: Unless LIRT members are elected as at-large councilors, LIRT has no voice when ALA Council makes policy affecting LIRT, up to and including the existence of the round table.

ALA Council is the governing body of ALA. ALA Handbook of Organization (Chicago, American Library Association, 1994, 5) states that "Council determines all policies of the Association and its decisions are binding unless set aside by a three-fourths vote at any meeting of the Association membership or a majority vote by mail" Council consists of 174 members, including elected officers of ALA, the Executive Board, one representative from each division, one representative from each state, and one hundred councilors elected at large. Neither LIRT nor any other round table is automatically, officially represented on Council. Because of this, LIRT encourages members to run for Council and assists those who decide to run.

LIRT also encourages members to run for Council because round table members are especially qualified to contribute to the work of Council. Since LIRT members come from all types and sizes of libraries, active participation within LIRT exposes them to a broad diversity of opinions, issues and concerns within the profession. Through working on the planning and delivery of LIRT programs, publications and communications, LIRT members update knowledge and skills necessary for leadership roles in the profession. As a result of their active involvement in LIRT, members are well qualified to participate in the growth and development of ALA and the profession.

Any LIRT member can run for Council. All personal members of ALA are eligible to run for ALA Council. ALA elects twenty-five "at large" councilors each year. Councilors normally serve four year terms.

An individual is nominated to run for Council in one of two ways. The first is to be one of the 50 candidates nominated each year by ALA's Standing Committee on Nominations. The second is to be nominated via a petition signed by 25 current ALA members. There is no limit on the number of candidates nominated by petition each year. LIRT members are only rarely nominated to run by ALA's Standing Committee on Nominations. Virtually every LIRT member who has run for Council did so via the petition process.

LIRT will assist members to run for Council via petition. The Chairperson and members of LIRT's Elections Committee are thoroughly familiar with ALA's petition and ballot processes. They will advise and facilitate the necessary paperwork. Please notify the chairperson of LIRT's Elections Committee of your interest in being a petition candidate for ALA Council.

To run for ALA Council via petition, you will need to:

• Get copies of two ALA forms, Petition Proposing Additional Nomination and Biographical Information. These forms are available from the Elections Committee, from the Executive Office table in the ALA Offices during Midwinter conventions, and from the Executive Office at ALA Headquarters in Chicago.

• Secure the signatures of 25 current ALA members on the Petition Proposing Additional Nomination form. Elections Committee will help collect signatures during All Committee and other LIRT meetings.

• Fill out the Biographical Information form. (This form includes the "Statement of Professional Concern" you have seen on ALA ballots. In effect, your "Statement of Professional Concerns" is your campaign platform.)

Submit both completed forms to ALA. They can be returned to ALA Offices at Midwinter Convention or mailed to ALA Headquarters in Chicago. BOTH FORMS ARE USUALLY DUE TO ALA BY MID-FEBRUARY. (For example, the deadline for 1996 elections is February 1996.) The Elections Committee can submit your forms for you.

LIRT members on ALA Council benefit ALA, LIRT and the professional/personal growth of any member so elected. LIRT encourages members to run for election. If you are interested in running for Council, please contact Mary Popp, the chair of LIRT's Elections Committee before Midwinter conference. Please contact her at:

Mary Popp Electronic Resources and Services Department Library E172
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405
Work: (812) 844-8170 (you can leave a message if Mary is unavailable)
FAX: (812) 855-1649
E-mail: popp@indiana.edu