ALA Election 2000 Councilor-at-Large Candidate Larry Romans Head, Government Information Services Political Science Bibliographer Central Library, Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37240-0007 phone (615) 322-2838; fax (615) 343-7451 e-mail: romans@library.vanderbilt.edu

STATEMENT OF PROFESSIONAL CONCERNS

The library profession shows remarkable consensus about many issues: diversity, intellectual freedom, library funding, equity of information access, and technological challenges. Identifying the issues, passing resolutions, and setting five-year goals is the easy part; the difficult part is addressing these issues in positive, practical ways. ALA should provide help to front-line librarians throughout the country who face real challenges. We need public awareness campaigns to offset the negative image that Dr. Laura and the American Family Association have given us and we need more publications, like "Libraries & the Internet Toolkit," that provide workable answers to wide-spread problems. We should expand our continuing education efforts. We must empower citizens and librarians through programs like Lobbying 101 to promote and defend libraries to legislators and the media, and we must demonstrate to policy-makers and the public that libraries are the best access points for information in the new millennium.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

I have served effectively on many committees that focus on the governance of ALA and its units, but I am especially proud of my work on projects that provide practical help for libraries and the profession: being a member of the Spectrum Initiative Minority Scholarship Jury and the Public Library Association Internal Revenue Service Committee, coordinating the GODORT Handout Exchange, and speaking at pre-conferences. I have been a major author of statements and reports from ALA units, including the 1999 Spectrum Initiative Minority Scholarship Jury Report on improving scholarship award forms and procedures and the recent GODORT Report to the Washington Office on "The Proposed Closing of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS)."

I received the 1995 American Library Association / Government Documents Round Table (ALA/GODORT) / Congressional Information Service (CIS) Documents to the People Award for "outstanding leadership as an advocate of effective public access to government information." In 2008 I received the James Bennett Childs Award for "lifetime of exceptional contributions to the growth and development of government documents."

As GODORT Chair I have worked to make GODORT more inclusive by appointing a broader range of members to committees and by promoting bylaws changes to enlarge committees.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Education

• Stetson University, B.A. (Economics and Political Science), 1967
• Tulane University, M.A. (Political Science), 1978
• Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, M.L.S., 1983

Professional Activities

ALA Council

• Chapter Councilor for Tennessee, 1992-2000
• Co-convener, Chapter Councilor Caucus, 1993-2000

ALA Committees

• Resolutions Committee, 1998-2000
• Planning and Budget Assembly, 1998-2000
• Spectrum Initiative Minority Scholarship Jury, 1998-1999
• Structure Revision Task Force, 1995-97

ALA Divisions

• Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), 1983-present
• Public Library Association Internal Revenue Service Committee, 1997-99

Government Documents Round Table (GODORT)

• Chair, 1999-2000
• Steering Committee, 1988-91, 1994-95, 1997-present
• Federal Documents Task Force (FDTF) (Coordinator, 1997-98; Steering Committee, 1996-98)
• Coordinator of Handout Exchange, 1988-present
• Education Committee, 1988-91, 1995-96 (Chair, 1988-91)
• Government Information Technology Committee (GITCO), 1991-95 (Chair, 1994-95)

State Library Association

• Tennessee Library Association, 1987-present
• Executive Board, 1989-90, 1992-present
• ALA Representative, 1992-present
• TLA Government Documents Round Table (TLA GODORT), 1988-present (Chair, 1989-90)

Award

• 1995 American Library Association/Government Documents Round Table (ALA/GODORT)/Congressional Information Service (CIS) Documents to the People Award

Please send comments and questions to Larry Romans