This morning, I’ve worn my Councilor (at large) hat, and sat through a morning’s worth of council business, including a very disappointing non-conclusion to Councilor Michael McGrorty’s resolution on the Salinas (CA) library closings. It was one of those resolutions that I thought was a no-brainer, but which led to fairly lengthy debate and discussion. It seems that many people support it, but think that ALA should not be in the business of passing resolutions in response to particular crises, but, rather, have response teams, or plans of actions in place to help out when libraries are endangered. Anyway, it was postponed. Not sure what happens next.

When I tell people that I’m on Council, I often get the following response: “Wow, that’s too bad.” It’s meant as a joke, but you can tell that many people view Council with suspicion and dread. I’ve even talked to members who have no idea what Council is or does. I explain that it’s sort of like being a representative to a community of more than 60,000 people. Granted, most cities that size don’t have governing bodies of 180 reps, but it’s the closest analogy I can come up with.

Council meetings are open to anyone to observe, and I always try and convince my friends to drop by to see what it’s all about. I find it simultaneously stimulating, maddening, confounding and empowering. Council II meets on Tuesday at 9: 15–come and watch your association in action. It’s not too late to throw your hat in the ring for a 2006-2008 seat. All you need is a petition with 25 signatures, handed in by January 28. Certainly you can gather 25 signatures at any hotel bar before you leave! If you are interested in Council, including running for an At Large position, e-mail me or Yahoo! IM me at rhartmanbpl.