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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">News from National REFORMA. ALA President’s endorsement.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> Reforma President [mailto:president@reforma.org]
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, January 27, 2016 8:22 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> REFORMANet@googlegroups.com<br>
<b>Subject:</b> REFORMA Endorsement of Jim Neal for ALA President<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif"">Hello Reformistas,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif"">During the General Membership Meeting at ALA Midwinter in Boston we voted to endorse Jim Neal for ALA President. I wanted to share with you his responses to some questions that
are important to REFORMA and our profession. We are excited for Jim and are looking forward to working with him if he becomes our next ALA President!</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif"">Please let me know if you have any questions.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif"">Beatriz</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:teal">Beatriz Guevara</span></strong><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:black">REFORMA President 2015-2016</span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:black"><img id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://conexionesquecuentan.pbworks.com/f/reforma%20clear%20logo.png"></span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><a href="mailto:president@reforma.org" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:#1155CC">president@reforma.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Maiandra GD","sans-serif";color:blue"><a href="http://reforma.org/join" target="_blank"><span style="color:#1155CC">reforma.org</span></a></span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#222222"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>
From: <b>James G. Neal</b> <<a href="mailto:jneal0@columbia.edu">jneal0@columbia.edu</a>><br>
Date: Fri, Jan 22, 2016 at 11:09 AM<br>
Subject: Responses to Your Questions<br>
To: <a href="mailto:president@reforma.org">president@reforma.org</a><br>
<br>
<br>
Beatriz, I am honored to be endorsed by REFORMA for American Library Association President. I provide below responses<br>
to the questions that you shared:<br>
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<b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif"">a. There have been many concerns about the persistent under representation of ethnic minorities in the ranks of librarians.<br>
How do you perceive this problem and how would you, as ALA President, address this deficiency?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif""><br>
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The decline in the number and percentage of librarians of color over the last ten years is a severe disappointment to me<br>
personally. Having worked on the development of the Spectrum program and the fundraising to increase the number of<br>
scholarships, and having served as a mentor for over twenty years in the academic library community working with young<br>
and mid-career librarians from traditionally underrepresented ethnic groups in several leadership development programs,<br>
I fully expected the numbers to increase. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif"">Clearly, we need to continue to invest in and support individuals who want to<br>
pursue a career in librarianship and provide expanding financial support. We also need to understand why individuals from<br>
ethnic minorities are attracted to the profession, are not interested in the field, and leave the field for other jobs. We need<br>
to promote the profession more aggressively and creatively in high schools and colleges to help students to understand the<br>
exciting careers librarianship can offer. And we must improve salaries and work life in order to retain individuals, and stop<br>
losing great people to other more lucrative and satisfying professions.<br>
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<b>b. In the context of your background as an employer /administrator, what steps had you previously taken to promote an ethnically diverse work environment?</b><br>
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Throughout my career as a librarian and academic administrator at six institutions, I have consistently and aggressively<br>
advanced diversity and inclusion, and campus culture as high priorities for leadership, investment and action. At three<br>
universities, I was a member of the university-wide diversity planning committee, and at Indiana University chaired the<br>
work to develop the institutional strategy, the Bloomington Imperative. At Penn State, Indiana, Hopkins and Columbia,<br>
I worked closely with library human resources and staff search committees to expand the number of applicants and individuals<br>
interviewed from ethnic minorities, resulting in increased diversity of professional staff at all institutions. I encouraged and<br>
supported the participation of librarians of color in professional activities and leadership development programs, and<br>
facilitated mentor relationships. I organized staff discussions and invited speakers to campus to stimulate the thinking and<br>
action about campus culture and opportunities for inclusion.<br>
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<b>c. What could ALA do to involve underrepresented groups (ethnic minorities) in the Association?</b><br>
<br>
My campaign statement commits to the following. My VISION: ALA leads the profession to translate a commitment to<br>
diversity into impactful actions for inclusion. ALA puts us at the tables where the futures of our communities, our nation<br>
and our world are being debated, all arenas reflecting an increasingly diverse society. ADVOCATE: ALA will connect librarians to the priority social and economic issues of our time, economic inequality and immigration, for example. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif"">ACTIVATE: ALA will sustain and grow the work of the Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion so that the Association and libraries are models of leadership and action.
In order to advance this vision and achieve these goals, I will seek to establish diversity and inclusion as Association-wide and and profession-wide priorities focusing our collective energy and resources. I will expand the diversity of individuals appointed
to key leadership and decision making roles in ALA committees and forums. I will strongly encourage nominating committees to present slates with expanded diversity for election to ALA leadership positions. I will support the expansion of formal mentoring
programs to enable young and diverse professionals to expand their capacity for professional<br>
leadership. I will seek to increase funding to support the travel expenses of your and diverse professionals to enable attendance<br>
and participation at ALA conferences and meetings. And I will consult with a diverse group of colleagues to advance ALA's<br>
strategic priorities.<br>
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<b>d. What can library school educators do to recruit underrepresented groups? How can these schools address the issues of diversity within the curriculum so that all graduates are better-prepared to address these needs?</b><br>
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Library schools have a special responsibility and capacity to attract ethnic minorities to the profession. They set the<br>
expectations and process for professional education. They have the ability to reach out regionally in high schools and colleges<br>
to educate and excite individuals about librarianship. They can focus resources on financial assistance that will enable<br>
individuals to pay for their education and get through the program more quickly with less debt. They can assist graduates<br>
with securing the first professional assignment. They can work closely with librarians in all types of libraries to make sure<br>
that organizational culture and priorities are focused on a diverse work force and a positive professional experience. They<br>
can conduct the research that will help us to understand the dynamics of career choice and employee retention. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif"">They can prepare their graduates through the course work, through internships, and through workshops to be better prepared to<br>
work in diverse communities, to promote a professional commitment to inclusion, and to understand how equity of access<br>
to information is an essential core value of the field. Also, we must recognize that an expanding number of library professionals<br>
are not being prepared in library schools. As the responsibilities and work of libraries changes, individuals with other types<br>
of educational preparation and from other professions are needed, thus encouraging us to cast our net more widely and<br>
aggressively as we seek to recruit and retain a diverse professional work force.<br>
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<b>f. If elected ALA President, how can REFORMA work with you to promote diversity within ALA and provide more training opportunities and resources to library staff in the United States?</b><br>
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As ALA President, I will commit to the success of our Association-wide and profession-wide focus on diversity and inclusion. It will require an expanding partnership among ALA and the Ethnic Affiliates and the new Joint Council. REFORMA brings to this collaboration critical
experience, expertise, understanding and networking in the Latino and Spanish-speaking communities. We need to work together in building a capacity for advocacy on the key priority of diversity and inclusion, for enhanced data gathering and<br>
research, for recruitment and retention of new professionals, for educational programming and training, for improved salaries<br>
and working conditions, for opening up opportunities for career and professional advancement.</span><span style="color:#888888"><br>
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<br>
<br>
<br>
<span class="hoenzb">-- </span><br>
<span class="hoenzb">James G. Neal</span><br>
<span class="hoenzb">University Librarian Emeritus</span><br>
<span class="hoenzb">Columbia University</span><br>
<span class="hoenzb">315F IAB, Lehman Library</span><br>
<span class="hoenzb">429 West 118th Street</span><br>
<span class="hoenzb">New York, NY 10027</span><br>
<span class="hoenzb"><a href="tel:212-854-2523" target="_blank">212-854-2523</a></span><br>
<span class="hoenzb"><a href="tel:212-854-2495" target="_blank">212-854-2495</a> (fax)</span><br>
<span class="hoenzb"><a href="mailto:jneal0@columbia.edu" target="_blank">jneal0@columbia.edu</a></span><br>
<span class="hoenzb"><a href="http://www.columbia.edu/~jneal" target="_blank">http://www.columbia.edu/~jneal</a></span><br>
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