ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


College &  Research 
Li No. 10, November 1973

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rch Libraries, Vol. 34, No. 6

Draft: ALA Equal 
Employment Opportunity Policy

Because of the great importance and the sen­
sitive nature of the issue of fair and equal 
employment opportunity, the ALA Council 
Committee (Ad hoc) on Equal Employment 
Opportunity is presenting its draft policy state­
ment for membership input previous to the 
policy finalization at the 1974 Midwinter Meet­
ing.

The committee has sought to draft a policy 
which will help the Association take an aggres­
sive stand in this matter as well as a stand 
which can also be effectively and speedily 
implemented by its members. Comments and 
corrections on this statement should be for­
warded BEFORE December 1, 1973 to: Bar­
bara Manchak, Assistant Head, Undergraduate 
Library, University of Maryland, College Park, 
MD 20742.

I. WHEREAS-: The American Library Asso­
ciation, through its organized resources and 
membership support, is committed to a 
policy of equality of opportunity for all 
library employees, or applicants for em­
ployment, regardless of race, color, creed, 
sex, age, individual life style, or national 
origin. This policy of employment equality 
logically begins with recruitment to the 
occupation of librarianship.

Commentary: This policy is designed to update

and subsume the previous ALA policies oti 
discrimination in employment, to wit, Com­
pliance with Fair Employment Practices 
(1971), Non-Ethnic Minorities (1971), and 
Equal Opportunity for Women in Librarian- 
ship (1971) and reflect the intent of the 
policy on Racial Discrimination (1962), and 
the Advancement of Minorities in Public 
Library Service (1971).

II. WHEREAS: The Association not only sup­
ports the efforts of member libraries to 
seek full compliance with all governmental 
policies against discriminatory practices but 
also through the approval and promulga­
tion of this policy focuses attention on the 
responsibility of members, both personal 
and institutional members, to comply with 
such legislation and to set institutional 
goals and timetables which will actively 
eliminate employment discrimination in li­
braries.

Commentary: Currently existing federal policies 
include:

Statutes
(a) Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 

1964 as amended by the Equal Em­
ployment Opportunity Act of 1972.

(b) Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
as amended, particularly by the

College & Research Libraries is published by the Association of. College and Research Libraries, a division of 
the American Library Association, 17 times yearly—6 bimonthly Journal issues and II monthly, combining July- 
August, News issues at 1201-05 Bluff St., Fulton, Mo. 65251. Subscription, $15.00 a year or, to members of the 
division, $5.00, included in dues. Circulation and advertising office: American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., 
Chicago, III. 60611. Second-class postage paid at Fulton, Missouri 65251.

News editor: Allan Dyson, M offitt Undergraduate Library, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720. 
Associate News editor: Susana Hinoîosa. Assistant Librarian. Reference Department. M offitt Underaradua†e Library. 
Editor: Richard M. Dougherty, University Library, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720. President, 
ACRL: Norman Tanis. Executive Secretary, ACRL: Beverly Lynch, ALA.



262

Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the 
Education Amendments of 1972.

Executive Orders
(a) 11246 (September 24, 1965) as 

amended by EO 11375 (October 
13, 1967) and EO 11478 (August 
8, 1969).

Federal Court Cases
(a) Griggs v. Duke Power Company 

401 U.S.424, 91 S.CT. 849, 28 
L.Ed. 2d 158 (1971).

(b) Gregory v. Litton Systems, Inc. 316 
F.Supp. 401 (D.C. Cal. 1970).

Policies of the states are listed in part in 
American Libraries (June 1972).

III. BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
(1) The Council of the Association directs 

the Executive Director of ALA to 
have all Association activities, policies 
and programs reviewed in order to 
assure that fair and equal practices 
are followed.

(2) The Council directs the Office for 
Library Personnel Resources to begin 
immediately an aggressive program of 
instruction on legal equal employment 
requirements and the procedure for 
meeting such requirements and to be­
gin an annual collection of statistical 
data on the employment status of 
women and minorities including job 
levels, salaries and advancement.

(3) The Association commits itself to con­
tinuing efforts for the improvement 
and implementation of essential legis­
lation prohibiting discrimination.

Commentary: The ALA  Committee on Legis­
lation is created: To have full responsibility 
for the Association s total legislative program 
on all levels—Federal, State, and local. To 
recommend legislative policy and programs 
for Council approval and to take the neces­
sary steps for implementation. To protest any 
legislation or executive policy adversely af­
fecting libraries. To seek ruling and interpre­
tations of laws and regulations affecting the 
welfare and development of libraries. To 
represent the ALA before executive and 
legislative branches of government as re­
quired at all levels. To provide a forum with­
in ALA to gather information about needed 
legislation and to keep all units of the Asso­
ciation informed of the ALA legislative pro­
grams. To direct the activities of all units of 
the Association in matters relating to legisla­
tion.

IV. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT: 
To achieve the goal of equal employment

opportunity for all library employees and 
applicants for employment, the Council of 
the Association:
(1) directs that ALA members noted for 

their expertise in equal employment 
efforts be appointed to a Standing 
Council Committee on Equal Employ­
ment Opportunity.

(2) authorizes that the Chairperson of the 
said Standing Committee shall serve as 
a voting member of the Advisory 
Committee to the Office for Library 
Personnel Resources.

(3) directs that the Equal Employment 
Opportunity Committee shall with the 
staff of the Office for Library Per­
sonnel Resources establish guidelines 
for the prevention of all forms of em­
ployment discrimination in libraries 
as prohibited by this policy; making 
these guidelines available to libraries, 
boards of library trustees, staff asso­
ciations, civil service groups, library 
employee unions and individuals who 
are already employed or are seeking 
employment in libraries.

(4) urges the Association’s investigatory 
body to be prepared to respond speed­
ily and investigate thoroughly alleged 
employment discrimination on the 
basis of race, color, creed, sex, age, 
individual life style, or national origin 
from any individual or group of in­
dividuals employed in or seeking em­
ployment in libraries and to impose 
sanctions on libraries which are in 
violation of the law as well as the 
spirit of this policy.

ommentary: The following specific areas of 
concern should be covered in guidelines to 
promote nondiscriminatory practices: Educa­
tion, Recruitment, Selection, Training, Pro­
motion, Wages and Benefits, Procurement of 
Library Materials.

Program activities for the Office of Per­
sonnel Resources suggested by this policy 
statement include PUBLICATIONS, i.e., 
“EEOC Guidelines for Preventing Dis­
criminatory Employment Practices,” Ameri­
can Libraries (December 1972); ANNUAL 
STATISTICAL SURVEYS on the status of 
women and minorities employed in libraries; 
ANNUAL PUBLISHED REPORTS on re­
cruitment and placement efforts for women 
and minorities; MAJOR CONFERENCE 
PROGRAMS fully funded which will provide 
leadership in focusing attention on employ­
ment equity for all library employees.

“The Staff Committee on Mediation, Ar­

C



263

bitration and Inquiry is hereby assigned re­
sponsibility for mediation, arbitration, and 
inquiry, the committee is composed of senior 
staff members of the units of the Association 
with policy assignments in the areas of 
tenure, status, fair employment practices, due 
process, ethical practices, and the principles 
of intellectual freedom; along with one staff- 
member-at-large. Nothing shall preclude the 
committee from drawing on a temporary 
basis, other senior staff members when their 
interests are involved or they can supply 
needed expertise. Fact finding subcommittees 
shall be appointed and shall be made up of 
two ALA association members and one staff 
member. “Sanctions may be defined as the 
appropriate penalty or penalties incurred for 
violations of one or more of the ALA ap­
proved policies to which this Program of 
Action relates.”

A. Publication of a report that includes 
a statement of censure, indicating the 
strong disapproval of ALA because of 
a violation of one or more of the pol­
icies to which this Program of Action 
relates.

B. Suspension or expulsion from member­
ship in ALA.

C. Listing of parties under censure in 
American Libraries as a warning to 
persons considering employment in an 
institution under censure that its prac­
tices and policies are in conflict with 
ALA policies concerning tenure, status, 
fair employment practices, due process, 
ethical practices, and/or the principles 
of intellectual freedom. On the same 
page with such listings of censured li­
braries shall appear the following state­
ment:

“The fact that the name of an insti­
tution appears on the censured list 
of administrations does not establish 
a boycott of a library, nor does it 
visit censure on the staff. There is no 
obligation for ALA  members to re­
frain from accepting appointment in 
censured libraries. The ALA advises 
only that librarians, before accepting 
appointments, seek information on 
present conditions from the Staff 
Committee on Mediation, Arbitration 
and Inquiry at Headquarters.” 
(Program of Action for Mediation, 
Arbitration and Inquiry) ■■

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