To examine the concerns of members who favor or oppose changing the Membership Meeting quorum; to collect information about how similar large professional organizations conduct Membership Meetings; to examine various proposals about the Membership Meeting quorum; to develop recommendations about the Membership Meeting quorum; to consider the impact of any quorum of membership on Articles of the ALA Constitution and Bylaws; to collect information abut the concerns of members through the Membership Forum and Council lists, hearings, and/or through other means that promote communication from the membership; and to present a report to Council no later than Annual Conference 2002 with recommendations about the Membership Meeting quorum.

In 1994 the quorum for Membership Meetings was raised from 200 members to 1% (currently 586 members) of the personal membership. This insured that more than 200 members would have to vote to overturn a decision of Council, ALA's elected policy-making body. Since the quorum was increased, only two of eighteen Meetings have had a quorum.

The proposed compromise will help us hold future Membership Meetings. First, the proposal reduces the quorum to half (currently 293) of the current 1%. Setting a quorum so high that ALA seldom holds Membership Meetings disenfranchises individual members. Most members give higher priority to other activities; others see these Meetings as their primary way to influence ALA policy.

Second, the proposal continues to provide for membership to set aside a Council action. While it removes the authority for a Meeting to set aside Council action immediately, it reduces from 1% to 1/2% the number of members who must sign a petition to have a Council action put on a mail ballot. Then all personal members would vote on the action by mail.

The Meeting still can pass resolutions and refer matters to Council for consideration. Some people worried that the Meeting may pass resolutions that don't reflect membership views as a whole. However, Meeting resolutions are only recommendations to our elected Council, which can vote down any Membership resolution.

Membership Meetings allow members to provide feedback and new policy ideas and to develop a sense of ownership of the Association. ALA benefits from having its members actively engaged in the issues it faces.

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