As ALA's governing body, Council determines policies and makes decisions for the Association. In the past, Council has been composed of ALA's Officers and Executive Board members; Councilors at Large selected from the entire membership of ALA; Division Councilors, one elected from each ALA division (AASL, ACRL, etc.); and Chapter Councilors, one elected from each state, provincial, or territorial chapter. Round Tables were, until now, the only ALA groups with no official representation on ALA Council. Round Table members were on Council only if elected as Councilors at Large. Round Table officials have been working since the late 1970's to get Council representation. One of the major reasons for founding the Round Table Coordinating Committee (RTCC) in the early 1980's was to organize the effort to establish Round Table Councilors.  LIRT's President and Vice President serve on the RTCC.

Having Round Table Councilors is truly recognition that Round Tables are an integral part of the Association.  The fact that LIRT has been given a Council seat of its own is in recognition of its size and stature among Round Tables. We are really excited about this new opportunity to be involved in the governance of ALA!
 

Gale Burrow is President of LIRT and Coordinator of Library Instruction in the Honnold/Mudd Library, The Claremont Colleges.  Mary Pagliero Popp is Information Technologies Public Services Librarian at Indiana University Bloomington Libraries.

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