Post from Kathleen: Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship

This is my first post from the American Library Association (ALA) annual conference in Chicago, also my first-ever blog post. Joyce Latham and I will be blogging about our experiences of women related and feminist meetings at the conference for the Feminism, Librarianship and Information course we are co-teaching for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. As Joyce established the blog and we haven't figured out how to make me a co-blogger I will use her log-in and password so it may seem as if all posts come from her. I haven't figured out how to use all the features available on the blog so forgive any errors and offer whatever advice you think could make this process better.

This morning (Saturday, July 10) from 8 to around 9:30 I attended the first of two meetings held by the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship. The meeting was scheduled to go to 10:00 AM but ended early in part because of the need to file paperwork for 2010 conference programs. Here is some background on the Committee from the ALA website:

History: Established by Council as a Council Committee on July 23, 1976 (on recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee with the same name, which had been appointed by the President in December, 1975, and of the Committee on Organization. CONSISTS OF ELEVEN MEMBERS, WITH THE CHAIRPERSON APPOINTED ANNUALLY.

Charge: Functions as approved by Council in July, 1976, include to officially represent the diversity of women's interest within ALA and to ensure that the Association considers the rights of the majority (women) in the library field; to promote and initiate the collection, analysis, dissemination, and coordination of information on the status of women in librarianship; to coordinate the activities of ALA units which consider questions of special relevance for women; to identify lags, gaps, and possible discrimination in resources and programs relating to women; in cooperation with other ALA units, to help develop and evaluate tools, guidelines, and programs designed to enhance the opportunities and the image of women in the library profession, thus raising the level of consciousness concerning women; to establish contacts with committees on women within other professional groups and to officially represent ALA concerns at interdisciplinary meetings on women's equality; and to provide Council and Membership with reports needed for establishment of policies and actions related to the status of women in librarianship; and to monitor ALA units to ensure consideration of the rights of women.


Take a look at the past meeting minutes posted on the website to get an idea of the kinds of issues dealt with by COSWL. Also consider signing up for the COWSL Cause blog.

There are twelve (12) members of COSWL (these are listed on the COWSL web site) but only three (3) were in attendance. Apparently this is not unusual as there was a reference to quorum issues for the committee – something to follow up on. One person who will be a member in the coming year attended the majority of the meeting and an additional new member came towards the end of the meeting. Lorelle R. Swader, Director, ALA Office for Human Resource Development & Recruitment, the ALA staff liaison for the committee, also attended. I was the only observer.

I remember how hard we fought to have this committee and I was really saddened by the fact that so few committee members were in attendance. I was also reminded of how frustrating it can be to be on an ALA committee. So much of your time is spent on logistical issues like planning for programs at the next conference that there is little time to focus on issues or action.

The first agenda item was discussion of how to continue a survey begun by a previous COWSL member on care giving issues for ALA members. Caring for children and elders is primarily but not exclusively done by women including many librarians. The survey is the work of a former COWSL member. COWSL had a program on this issue a couple of years ago and has agreed to continue the survey. I have all sorts of questions about the purpose of the survey and care giving as an action issue for COWSL but didn’t ask them. An observer at a committee has to follow protocol and not disrupt committee business. I’ll follow up on an individual basis to find out more about COSWL’s inclusion of care giving on the committee action agenda. The survey data is not available and there has been no publication stemming from the conference program or the survey. Committee members and Lorelle Swader discussed how best to proceed for the future – really a logistical discussion rather than discussion of the issue or possible ALA action.
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Diane Chen, ALA Executive Board member who serves as the Board’s liaison to the Committee, came to give a report from the Executive Board and see if there were any issues or concerns for the Board. Most of the report was about the Association’s fiscal status. Committee members expressed concern for ALA staff who will all be taking a one week furlough (meaning no pay) because of budget issues. ALA has also laid off some staff. Denise Chen also mentioned a strategic planning process now underway for the association. I was surprised that no one on the committee asked whether or how women’s issues will be addressed in this plan. Maybe this is taken care of but I doubt it – again, something to follow up on.

Chen also reported on the unanimous support from the Executive Board for a COSWL initiative to include ALA as a supporting organization in efforts to establish a National Women’s History Museum on the mall in Washington DC. This relationship has been strongly encouraged by Kathleen de la Pena McCook, a former COWSL chair (and one of the people who volunteered to be interviewed by one of you in the course). You can learn more about the National Women’s History Museum at:
http://www.nwhm.org. ALA support for such activities may seem like a “given” but the organization is very careful about co-sponsorship particularly when such activities require support of legislative initiatives. Chen reported that on behalf of ALA, ALA President Jim Rettig and ALA Executive Director Keith Fiels had recently signed a document supporting passage of a bill in the House that make available space on the mall to the National Women’s History Museum.

I support these initiatives but I also think it is easier to gain support in ALA for something like a National Women’s History Museum than for legislative initiatives on issues such as pay equity. Lorna Peterson, a library educator with a razor sharp mind and sensibility on issues of race, class and gender, who is one of the new COWSL members, raised concerns about how the museum will handle women’s history. Will all experiences be reflected? For example, some women, particularly those from certain racial and ethnic groups, have always worked outside the home while for other women there has been a choice and sometimes a struggle between a focus on raising children at home and work outside the home. Will issues like this be represented or will the museum focus only on celebrating women’s achievements.

Next year ALA annual conference will be in Washington DC where the National Women’s History Museum organization is located so the remainder of the meeting was spent on dealing with logistics for a program that would feature museum staff.

The meeting closed with housekeeping details on ALA’s from Lorelle Swader and a moving report of her having heard Lilly Ledbetter speak. For more on this heroine and the legislation that bears her name just do a Google search on “Lilly Ledbetter.” I’d love to hear her at an ALA conference!

Throughout the meeting I was reminded of the delicate balance between the ALA member role and staff roles. ALA gives great latitude for membership initiatives like the care giver survey but what happens to these when members move on to new committee assignments? How are such initiatives institutionalized if they are deemed of long lasting interest? I was also reminded of how important committee leadership is. The COSWL chair told the group that she had faced major care giving issues in the past year but hoped to be able to now focus more on COSWL concerns. How many women have had to make statements like this!!!!!

My schedule does not permit me to be at the second COSWL meeting on Tuesday morning but I will try to talk with some of the committee members at the gathering of ALA women’s groups this afternoon.

Kathleen Weibel