ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries January 1988 / 19 Influencing the information environment By Harold B. Shill Librarian/A ssistant Professor W est Virginia University A L A Legislative Day, April 19, 1988, is an opportunity to support our profession. ^ B eset by rising costs of m aterials, shifting institu- tional priorities, in ad eq u ate support from funding agencies, and th e need to invest in new technolo­ gies, academ ic librarians m ay often feel a sense of powerlessness to w a rd th eir environm ent. L ib ra ri­ ans p a rtic ip a tin g in ALA’s an n u al Legislative D ay in W ashington, how ever, have discovered th a t it is possible to exert an influence upon decisions m ade a t th e highest levels of governm ent. S tarted in 1975 u n d e r th e sponsorship of th e ALA W ashington Office and th e D istrict of C o­ lu m b ia L ib rary Association, Legislative D ay has grow n from a small event atten d ed by barely 100 librarians from a h an d fu l of states to a m ajor effort including m ore th a n 500 librarians and lib rary sup­ porters from 40 or m ore states. D espite th e steady rise in p articip atio n show n in T able 1, how ever, th e n u m b er of academ ic librarians has increased from only 15 persons in 1976 to 38 individuals in 1987. Impressive though th e overall grow th in Legisla­ tive D ay involvem ent m ay be, academ ic librarians still com prised only 7 % of th e total n u m b er of p e r­ sons p a rticip atin g in 1987. Given A C R L’s status as th e largest division in ALA, the large n u m b er of n a ­ tional issues affecting academ ic libraries, and the high stakes involved in those issues, th e level of Legislative D ay p articip atio n by academ ic lib ra ri­ ans has been u n d esirab ly low . This article w ill p o in t out some vital reasons for Legislative D ay in ­ volvem ent, describe th e Legislative D ay experi­ ence, and give some suggestions for co n trib u tin g to th e d ay ’s success w h eth er or not you are able to com e to W ashington on April 19,1988, for th e next ALA Legislative Day. The issues D iverse issues affecting academ ic lib ra rie s— m any of them not even containing th e w ord “li­ b ra ry ” in th e ir p o p u la r n am es—have em erged onto th e political agenda of the 1980s. This prolif­ e ra tio n of n ew issues is d u e only p a r tly to th e R eagan A dm inistration’s belief th a t governm ental size an d involvem ent in domestic affairs should be m inim ized. In addition, th e increasingly pervasive use of new inform ation an d com m unication tech ­ nologies has spaw ned an entirely new set of domes­ tic an d in te rn a tio n a l policy questions. F u r th e r ­ m ore, the decline in A m erican com petitiveness, th e foreign tra d e im balance, and rising an n u al deficits h av e sig n ific a n tly a lte re d th e e n v iro n m e n t in w h ich in fo rm a tio n , e d u catio n an d lib ra ry p ro ­ gram decisions are m ade. Prom inent as these new issues have becom e, a n n u a l ap p ro p ria tio n s for lib rary -related program s rem ain a vital concern af­ fecting academ ic lib rary functions ranging from cataloging to docum ent delivery. 20 / C& RL News The A dm inistration has generally sought to re­ duce the Federal role in the lib rary /inform ation sector by zero-funding (elim inating appropriations for) library-related program s, reducing d a ta col­ lection and inform ation dissemination, relying on the private sector w herever possible for inform a­ tion distribution, imposing user fees, elim inating existing publications th a t m ight “com pete” w ith private sector inform ation services, and contract­ ing out the operation of government libraries as com m ercial services. In specific program s, the Ad­ m inistration has sought to: 1) elim inate funding for the L ibrary Services and Construction Act (all ti­ tles), the library titles (II-A through II-D) of the H igher Education Act, and the postal revenue for­ gone subsidy; 2) elim inate more th a n 25% of all U.S. G overnm ent publications; 3) “privatize” (sell) all portions of the N ational Technical Inform ation Service (NTIS), w hich m ight be o p erated a t a profit by private vendors; 4) create bibliographic and user fee im pedim ents to citizen use of govern­ m ent inform ation; 5) discontinue the collection of v a lu a b le econom ic, d em o g ra p h ic an d housing data; and 6) contract out the operation of m ajor g o v ern m en t lib raries (D e p a rtm e n t of E n erg y , NOAA) to private firms, including American sub­ sidiaries of foreign corporations. Successful im ple­ m entation of these initiatives w ould drastically re­ structure the inform ation landscape of the United States. Academic library use of the new technologies has been, and will continue to be, affected profoundly by governm ent decisions on telecom m unications and copyright. Telecom m unications expenditures by academ ic libraries have risen sharply in the past three years as the Federal Com m unications Com ­ mission has increm entally granted m uch of the in ­ crease in private line tariffs sought by AT&T. Only a massive outpouring of correspondence from li­ brarians was sufficient to dissuade the FC C from granting AT&T’s full request. A recent FC C pro ­ posal to impose access charges averaging $4.47 per hour on enhanced service providers (T E L E N E T , TYMNET, CompuServe, etc.) has aroused strong opposition am ong librarians and inform ation ven­ dors using those services. Since online catalogs, bibliographic utilities and online databases had not yet become integral components of academ ic li­ b rary operations w hen the 1976 C opyright Act re­ visions w ere w ritten, w e can also anticipate the re­ surfacing of copyright questions at the national level in the near future. The converging im peratives of competitiveness, the trad e im balance and deficit reduction create yet another set of pressures to justify library pro­ grams and Federal inform ation activities. Concern w ith the U.S. com petitive position, particularly in high technology, has stim ulated such Congressio­ nal initiatives as the Japanese Technical L iterature Act in 1986, the introduction of bills to prevent NTIS privatization in 1987, and House subcom­ m ittee hearings on Federal Inform ation Resources Policy in 1987. W ith deficit reduction generally recognized as a critical problem requiring im m edi­ ate response following the October 19 stock m arket “crash,” library and inform ation program s will be scrutinized critically along w ith o th er dom estic program s by both D em ocrats and Republicans in 1988. Academic librarians must dem onstrate th a t these program s deserve a high priority, even in a period of fiscal austerity, if they are not to be re­ duced, elim inated or privatized. Linkages betw een these program s, academ ic libraries and economic developm ent or competitiveness are especially im ­ p o rta n t to highlight in th e prevailing political a t­ mosphere. A nnual ap p ro p riatio n s for H igher E d ucation Act program s, Title III of the L ibrary Services and Construction Act (resource sharing), the postal rev­ enue forgone subsidy, the L ibrary of Congress, the TABLE 1 ALA Legislative Day Participation, 1975-87 Persons States Year Attending, Represented 1975 n.a. n.a. 1976 160 28 1977 118 29 1978 212 35 1979 226 29 1980 233 41 1981 300 (approx.) 31 1982 300 + 41 1983 350 (approx.) 37 1984 350 (approx.) 42 1985 375 (approx.) 44 1986 475 (approx.) 45 1987 520 43 D a ta compiled by: Shari L. W eaver, ALA W ashington Office January 1988 / 21 Government Printing Office, the National Agricul­ tural Library, the National Library of Medicine, the National Endowments for the Humanities and the Arts, the College Work-Study program (HEA Title IV-C), the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and other Federal agen­ cies must similarly be justified. Academic librari­ ans bringing direct evidence of the contributions to their institutions from these programs can assist enormously in securing continued funding for agencies and specific programs alike. Finally, the House and Senate must still agree upon parameters for a second W hite House Con­ ference on Libraries and Information Science to be held between 1989 and 1991. Once the two houses reach agreement on supporting legislation, the im­ plementing measure must be signed into law by the President. W ith the emergence of so many new is­ sues since the 1979 W hite House Conference, it is essential th at consensus be reached on the structur­ ing of this meeting if national information priori­ ties are to be established as we enter the electronic information age. Why should I participate? Given the importance of the issues being dis­ cussed and their broad social implications, the need to preserve the library function in an “infor­ mation society” and protect our users’ access should be reason enough to justify participation in the April 19, 1988, ALA Legislative Day. However, there are also several other im portant reasons to be involved. First, our presence is necessary to educate Con­ gressmen about academic libraries. It is a mild shock, for instance, to learn that many Members of Congress think only of public libraries when they hear the term “libraries.” While most are fairly well aware of higher education and its needs, few perceive academic libraries as being central to the future of those institutions and their societal mis­ sion without a little help from academic librarians. D ata about increasing materials, telecommunica­ tions and postal costs can be quite meaningful to Congressmen if placed in the context of issues they consider im portant. Cuts in journal budgets, for example, convey a clear message to a Member who has supported college or university efforts to lure high-tech industries to his/her district. Most of our college-educated Members will also have com­ pleted their studies prior to the era of online cata­ logs, online databases and bibliographic utilities. While their staff members may make use of various databases, including the Library of Congress’ on­ line catalog, Congressmen themselves may still re­ member the college library prim arily as a reposi­ tory of course reserve materials. Once updated in their knowledge, they are likely to respond more favorably to requests for help in containing the costs of computer-based services, interlibrary loan and “privatized” government information services. A second reason to attend ALA Legislative Day is to encourage Members to support library and in­ formation programs. While public and school li­ brarians from a state delegation may sincerely try to represent academic library concerns, they sim­ ply cannot do so with the same knowledge and ef­ fectiveness as a real academic librarian. Having tried to represent the concerns of school libraries Our presence is needed to educate Congress about academic libraries. and librarians as West Virginia’s Federal Relations Coordinator for the past two years, I can confirm th at our best efforts are no substitute for a person with firsthand knowledge. Additionally, there is an enormous am ount of personal satisfaction derived from the experience. T hat sense of satisfaction comes from having the chance to express your concerns directly to a Mem­ ber and getting im m ediate feedback, from the shared experience of expressing common concerns with public and school librarians, from learning more about the needs of other types of libraries, and from getting intensive exposure to the work­ ings of our national legislature in an all-too-short period of time. One past president of the West Vir­ ginia Library Association (a public librarian) has called Legislative Day the finest experience of his professional career. W hatever the outcome of their legislator visits, most librarians have found it to be a wonderful learning experience which imparts a real sense of political efficacy and encourages fur­ ther involvement in the political arena. H ow is it organized? Librarians and library supporters attend Legis­ lative Day in state delegations. Those groups are usually organized by a Federal Relations Coordi­ nator, the chair of the state library association’s legislative committee, state association executive directors or the heads of state library agencies. Those individuals, state association presidents, library school deans and several other key officials in each state receive initial communications about ALA Legislative Day from the Washington Office in mid-January. That initial correspondence will include information about times, locations, hotels and travel in Washington, D .C. Subsequent com­ munications at intervals of a few weeks will request an initial list of persons planning to attend and a final list of those attending. These lists are used to 22 / C &R L News invite legislators and their staff members to a re­ ception at the end of the day. The state coordinator will communicate w ith li­ brarians in his/her state by memorandum, state journal article, telephone or other means to iden­ tify individuals who can attend. Those individuals may be asked to develop “library im pact d a ta ’’ sheets to share w ith Congressmen at Legislative Day. T hat data will be included w ith data pro­ vided by other participants from the same state in a packet of m aterials showing the im portance of Federal programs or decisions to libraries in th at state. In addition to recruiting participants, the state coordinator will also set up appointments in indi­ vidual Congressional offices. He or she may then assign participants to meet w ith individual legisla­ tors. Depending on the size of the state’s Congres­ sional delegation and the num ber of librarians present, individual participants will visit 3-6 of­ fices. One of those visits will normally be w ith the Member from th at librarian’s home district. Legislative Day itself will begin w ith an early morning (8:15 or 8:30) briefing on major issues and current developments by representatives of the ALA Washington Office. Issue packets for partici­ pants and Congressmen are also distributed at this briefing, and state impact materials may be added to those compiled by the ALA Washington Office in both legislator and p articip an t packets. The C hairm an of the House Labor-H H S-Education Committee and Rep. Major Owens, our librarian in Congress, have frequently appeared to welcome visiting librarians. Key Congressional staff mem­ bers may also appear to give an update on fast­ breaking issues. Visits w ith legislators themselves are invariably fascinating. In some offices, librarians may have a lengthy visit with an education aide or adm inistra­ tive assistant, followed by a shorter meeting w ith the House Member or Senator. In other offices, the Member may meet w ith the librarian group w ith a key aide present and taking notes. Some Members will not have an aide present at all. Sometimes, a Member may be called away during the meeting for a vote on the floor or a committee meeting. Should th a t occur, the meeting will normally con­ tinue with an apologetic aide. Individual meetings w ith librarians will range from 10 minutes to an hour or more, so the coordinator will normally schedule meetings based on past Congressional be­ havior and physical distance betw een offices. W hatever the structure, the face-to-face sharing of perspectives is a rich experience valued by all. After a few words of welcome, the Congressman (or woman) will usually ask the group w hat con­ cerns they wish to present. He or she will then listen to comments from group participants and review the packet of materials from ALA and the state. An interested legislator will periodically interject a question. While some questions may merely re­ quest clarification, others (“W hat should we cut to support your programs?” “W ould you w ant your taxes raised?”) may be tough and divisive for an un­ prepared delegation. It is likely th at your Con­ gressman will already have heard from the group whose programs you may recommend cutting, so it is generally best to respond th at such determ ina­ tions should be made by the legislator. These ques­ tions are most easily handled if the state delegation has had a strategy meeting before or just after the morning briefing. Be prepared to make specific re­ quests, too. A very pleasant reception for visiting librarians, Congressmen and Congressional staff members is held at the conclusion of the day, following a short de-briefing session where participants share their experiences. The reception is an opportunity to chat more informally w ith Members, their staff as­ sistants and other librarian participants. Since there are several similar receptions occurring for other visiting groups at the same time, the Mem­ bers themselves will normally not stay long though their staff members may do so. This is an especially useful opportunity to know the staff members bet­ ter. These contacts are crucially im portant, since the staff members present for your office visit are nor­ mally the education/library “experts” on a Mem­ ber’s staff. It should be stressed th at participants should not be discouraged should they see a staff m em ber instead of a Senator or Representative during an office visit. The Members will generally ask these staff members for guidance before mak­ ing decisions on library-related matters, and those very staff members will generally be the person w ith whom librarians have contact between Legis­ lative Days. D o I need to do any homework? It is always a good idea to do some review of the budget process and current issues before visiting a Congressional office. The budget process has be­ come more complicated since 1974, w ith budget “targets” being set for each of 13 budget “func­ tions” (education and libraries are Function 500) before any appropriations bills are introduced. Af­ ter that, the process of passing appropriations or w riting a bill into law is essentially the same one you studied in political science before 1974. Im pact data from your own library is particu­ larly useful. How much did your library spend on interlibrary loan postage and other correspondence last year, and w hat would be the im pact of a postal rate increase? How would your online catalog be affected by hig h er p riv a te line access tariffs? Would you be able to complete the U.S. Newspa­ per Project or a similar effort if NEH funds were cut? How could HE A Title II-A help your library keep up w ith soaring materials costs? How could HE A Title II-D help your library get an online cat­ alog, start database searching, access O C LC ’s Un­ ion Catalog, or share resources? How would elimi- (cont’d on p.25) January 1988 / 25 nation of LSCA Title III affect your ILL business? The list could go on and on, b u t your d ata will make a vivid impression w hich reinforces your ver­ bal presentation of the same inform ation. If your state coordinator is preparing a state im pact h a n d ­ out, share your d ata w ith him /her well in advance of Legislative Day. This will facilitate its inclusion in a state packet which will go to your entire Con­ gressional delegation, not just those Members of Congress you visit personally. This type of com­ m unication will enhance your personal im pact and convey the needs of academic libraries even to C on­ gressional offices th a t are not actually visited by an academic librarian. The inform ation you provide will be kept in th a t Congressional office and used later when decisions upon library-related issues must be made. Finally, you should do some background re ­ search on the Members of Congress you will be vis­ iting. Barone and Ujifusa’s Alm anac o f American Politics (1988 ed.) contains excellent profiles of in­ d iv id u al C ongressm en, in clu d in g b io g rap h ical d ata, previous political experience, committee as­ signments, issues of p articular interest to him /her, inform ation on the district or state represented, and voting scores generated by such w atchdog o r­ g a n iz a tio n s as th e A m ericans for D e m o c ra tic Action and the National Taxpayers Union. This in­ form ation can help you identify areas of common interest and subjects you may wish to avoid. You may be able to discover w hether the Congressman has attended your institution, is interested in re­ search being done at the institution, or is active on committees (Agriculture if you are from a land- grant university, for instance) where your univer­ sity’s program s may contribute to his political in­ terests. Fulbright grants available The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) has announced th a t a num ber of 1988-89 Fulbright G rants rem ain available to U.S. faculty in the field of library science. There are specific openings in Malaysia, M alta, Peru, and Romania. O ther countries are open to applications in any discipline and library sei- ence is am ong their preferred fields. Scholars in all academ ic ranks, including emeritus, are eligible to apply; it is expected th a t applicants will have a P h .D ., college or university teaching experience, and evidence of Ĭ scholarly productivity. U.S. citizenship is re- | quired. In a few countries (Central and South i America and Francophone Africa), knowledge of the host country is required. For inform ation, call or write: CIES, Eleven D upont Circle, N .W ., Suite 300, W ashington, DC 20036; (202) 939-5401. W hat if I can’t come? Distance and expense may impose significant barriers for some academic librarians who would like to attend Legislative Day. It is not coinciden­ tal, for instance, th a t the seven states not repre­ sented at the 1987 Legislative D ay—Arkansas, H a­ w aii, Idaho, Louisiana, N ebraska, N evada and Im pact data from your library is very useful. U tah—all lie wholly or partially west of the Missis­ sippi River. It is still vitally im portant th a t legislators from these states hear from academic librarians. A tele­ gram , letter or phone call about one or several is­ sues or p articular interest to you can be particularly effective on th a t day. Be sure to m ention th a t it is ALA Legislative Day and th a t more th a n 500 li­ brarians from around the country will be present on Capitol Hill. Even though your state and its aca­ demic library sector may not be represented in p er­ son, you can let your Senators and Congressman know th a t the academic library com m unity is im ­ p o rtan t by com m unicating w ith them April 19. H ow do I get involved? The first step in joining your state delegation is to find out who will be serving as coordinator. You should be able to get this inform ation from your state association president, legislative committee chair, or Federal Relations C oordinator. If you do not know these individuals or have not been active in your state library association, the ALA W ash­ ington Office (110 M aryland Ave., N .E ., W ash­ ington, DC 20002) or this w riter (Evansdale Li­ b r a r y , P .O . Box 6105, M o rg a n to w n , W V 26506-6105) will be glad to identify the contact person for you. It is advisable to make reservations in W ashing­ ton as early as possible. April is always a busy m onth in th e N ation’s C ap ital, and the C herry Blossom Festival will bring m any tourists earlier in the m onth. Also, let your state coordinator know your travel plans as early as possible. It may be nec­ essary to make some last-m inute changes in legisla­ tor visit schedules, and it will be helpful to him /her to have an address and phone num ber w here you can be reached just before the event itself. Finally, keep your commitments. Should you need to cancel your plans to attend, let your state coordinator know as soon as possible. Should some­ thing happen en route (travel delays, etc.), you m ay need to contact the first Congressional office 26 / C&RL News on your schedule to relay your estimated tim e of ar­ rival to the coordinator. These delays do happen, and Congressional staff will be glad to help— rem em ber, you are constituents of their boss! H ow can I afford it? A trip to W ashington does represent a substan­ tial investment for librarians coming from a dis­ tance, and many institutions and library associa­ tions will provide some assistance. Check first w ith your institution. ALA Legisla­ tive Day is a professional association event, and m any academic institutions will provide at least partial support for your expenses from the library travel budget. Another possible source of assistance is the state library association. Funds to partially cover travel expenses of participants are included in the Federal Relations Coordinator’s budget in many library as­ sociations. We have provided $50-$75 per person from the West Virginia Library Association over the past four years. Finally, look into pooling expenses w ith fellow participants. If your state is w ithin driving distance of W ashington several participants may drive to­ gether in one car. Indicate to your state coordina­ tor th a t you would be interested in sharing hotel ex­ penses w ith an o th er p a rtic ip a n t. C o n ta ct old friends in W ashington or its environs to see about spending the night. If you plan early, expenses can be kept to a reasonable minimum. In the final analysis, most participants cover at least some of their own expenses. However, I have yet to hear a participant complain th a t the money was not well spent. Does it really matter? Your presence makes a tremendous difference. Congressmen know th a t visiting librarians are citi­ zen lobbyists who truly care enough to come to W ashington at their own expense. They know th a t you are not a highly paid lobbyist w ith a fat travel account, and your presence tells them th a t there are m any more “silent librarians” back in the home district who feel similarly. It is crucial th a t they know th a t there is an academic library constitu­ ency, th a t they will continue to hear from th a t con- stiutency, and th a t the issues presented by aca­ demic librarians do m atter. W ith only 38 academic librarians present from our 50 states at the 1987 ALA Legislative Day, we clearly had less than one librarian present per state. If those 38 academic librarians averaged four Con­ gressional office visits each, the needs of academic libraries w ere presented to only 152 of our 535 Members of Congress. It is a small wonder th a t m any national legislators think “public library” when they hear the word “lib rary .” We can learn a great deal about lobbying from our colleagues in the public library sector. Since a public library budget must receive approval from both a library board and elected local officials, public librarians are engaged annually in a politi­ cal effort to justify their continued existence. T hat habit of advocacy carries over very effectively into politics at the Federal level. In academic libraries, on the other hand, our budgets are prepared in the dean or director’s office and submitted as a formal, w ritten proposal to aca­ demic administrators. Though the academic dean or provost or vice-president may question the li­ brary director about his/her proposals, there is no public hearing on the academic library budget pro­ posal com parable to those which public library di­ rectors experience annually. As a result, we are conditioned to living w ithin the constraints of a budget presented successively by library directors to academic adm inistrators, by those adm inistra­ tors to governing boards, and (in public institu­ tions, at least) by those governing boards to state legislators. Final decision-making authority is so far removed from the world of the line librarian as to effectively prevent meaningful contributions to the decision-making process at higher levels. Ironically, we may have much readier access to Members of Congress than we have to governing boards or state legislative committees. Acting as members of a professional association, we are not bound by institutional or state system hierarchies. The perspectives of the online searcher and the entry-level reference librarian can contribute sig­ nificantly to a Congressman’s understanding of the world in which academic libraries now function. The inform ational packets prepared by the ALA W ashington Office and state coordinators also pro­ vide an insider’s overview of major issues, thereby offsetting any feeling a visiting librarian may have about his/her level of knowledge. Visiting librarian delegations also provide a support group for the novice librarian lobbyist. Subsequent visits become progressively easier as librarians develop a feel for the process. It is im portant th a t academic librarians take ad­ vantage of this opportunity to lobby directly w ith Congressmen if academic library concerns are to be adequately represented as decisions affecting the structure of the inform ation society are made. The role of libraries in prom oting democracy, pro­ ductivity and literacy has been established as the them e of the 1989 (or later) W hite House Confer­ ence on Libraries and Inform ation Science. It is crucially im portant to American democracy, of w hich colleges and universities are an integral p art, th a t the Federal Government continue ac­ quiring and disseminating inform ation to support research, teaching and service across the discipli­ nary spectrum. It is im perative th a t we enhance access to technical literature and economic data if the United States is to improve its productivity and its competitive posture. It is vital to the develop­ m ent of a literate, productive workforce th a t we support the education of effective teachers and re­ search on literacy. January 1988 / 27 Participation in ALA Legislative Day is critical for enhancing the visibility of academic libraries in the political process, for educating our Congress­ men about the changing academic library and the issues affecting it, and for developing working rela­ tionships with Congressmen and key staff mem­ bers. It is both intrinsically rewarding as an experi­ ence and very much essential for creating the type of information environment in which our institu­ tions, our users and the larger community will thrive. Please mark April 19, 1988, on your calendar. If you cannot come, please write or call your Con­ gressmen to support this crucial effort by the li­ brary community. ■ ■ ALA a n d its divisions By P atricia Glass Schum an ALA Treasurer Remarks of the ALA Treasurer to incoming divisional presidents-elect at the Divisional Leadership Program, September 19, 1987. I n 1976 ALA adopted the principle that costs for divisional staff, programs, and publications should be funded from income derived from division dues and other activities. However, the general associa­ tion budget would assume responsibility for certain basic services at no charge to divisions. In 1982 an operating agreement between ALA and the divisions was adopted by ALA Council. A revision of this agreement has been drafted by the ALA staff. Divisional presidents will no doubt be asked to com m ent—and probably act on it— during their terms of office. The purpose of the operating agreement is to de­ fine fiscal and administrative policies. Essentially it spells out the terms of the symbiotic relationship between ALA and its divisions. Those policies con­ tained in the operating agreement have and will continue to have an impact on ALA’s allocation of resources. This impact is not always obvious from the way the figures are presented in budgets and other ALA financial documents. The interrelationship between ALA and its divi­ sions must be viewed in the context of ALA’s com­ plex structure. This includes not only divisions but other membership units and departments that also sponsor the programs of the association and gener­ ate revenue. Publishing, Communications, and the eleven divisions of ALA are the three principal revenue-generating units. These, along with ALA offices, are our association’s major service pro­ viders. Fiscal Services and Administrative Services provide essential support to these units. The divisions provide programs at conferences, publications, standards and guidelines, regional workshops and continuing education courses, advi­ sory services for members and non-members, and numerous im portant opportunities for members to serve on committees, to network, and to partici­ pate in the work of the association. Given the im­ portance, size, and large membership base of the