Keith Fiels on the American Library Association
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I was in Chicago and met with Keith Michael Fiels, Executive Director of the American Library Association. According to\\xa0The ALA Constitution\\xa0the purpose of ALA is \\u201c\\u2026to promote library service and librarianship.\\u201d Stated mission is \\u201cTo 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.\\u201d
In 1998 the ALA Council voted commitment to five Key Action Areas as guiding principles for directing the Association\\u2019s energies and resources: Diversity, Equity of Access, Education and Continuous Learning, Intellectual Freedom, and 21st Century Literacy. Subsequent strategic plans added to these: Advocacy for Libraries and the Profession, and Organizational Excellence.\\xa0
Keith and I\\xa0talk here about these principles, about the benefits of belonging to the ALA, simple actions librarians can take to improve their libraries, the future of the book, the future of libraries, video games, copyright, digitization, the recent Google settlement, library fines, libraries as social centers, amalgamation of libraries and archives, access to databases and dead links, the importance of libraries as purchasers of non best-selling books, and the bounce-back of literary reading.
Copyright \\xa9 2008 by Nigel Beale. www.nigelbeale.com
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