This article is more than 5 years old.

I arrived in Chicago on Thursday just in time for a 2:30 p.m. meeting with my co-chair, Roberta Webb who is actually located right there in Chicago.Roberta and I are tasked as conference planning co-chairs for the 2010 Conference of African American Librarians to be held in Birmingham, Alabama. We had a most productive session as we outlined the agenda for our 1^st joint planning committee meeting to be held on Friday night.

Friday of the annual conference began with the executive board meeting of Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) .I had the privilege of speaking to our newly elected board members.I chose to focus my remarks emphasizing the importance of genuine commitment, timely follow through, active participation, frequent and clear communication and responsiveness.An organization is only as great as those who serve it.I was really excited to see that one of my Presidential initiatives came to fruition as the announcement was made concerning the hiring of JamaneYeager as BCALA’s first organizational assistant.

News from the American Library Association presented forthcoming changes for BCALA in it‘s reporting status.Previously governed by the Office of Literacy and Outreach Services, effective July1^st, BCALA will have a formal association through the Office of Diversity.Implications from the change are uncertain at this time.ALA general membership is down 2.8%.The only division of ALA that has seen an increase in membership is the Young Adult Library Services.Annual conference attendance estimated at 20,500 is down from previous years but up from what ALA had projected.

Friday nights’ meeting of the conference planning committee chairs and other interested volunteers showcased an arena of excited librarians.Drafting the conference planning timeline, detailing beginning components of the conference budget and planning for a Birmingham site visit were highlights of the evening.The group collectively agreed to propose the following conference theme: Culture Keepers VII: Bridging the divide with information access, activism and advocacy.