by Deb Nerud
Lincoln (NE) City Libraries
and Brad Martin
The Queens Borough Pubic Library

[Only answers from presidential candidates are included]

Candidates for ALA office held an open forum Monday afternoon to state their views on the association and answer questions from members.
The three presidential candidates, Barbara Ford, Ching-chih Chen and Charles Beard gave insight into their background in the profession and the association.
The candidates for Treasurer are Wanda Brown, who was unable to be at the forum, and Bruce Daniels.
Questions posed by the audience indicated an interest in funding, priorities and challenges faced by librarians today.

Q: What concems, criticisms or praise have you heard as you've traveled across the country?

Chen: "I have sensed a feeling of alienation, partly due to the largeness of ALA. We must work to try to diminish internal political maneuvers and to address real professional concerns of the rnembers."

Beard: "I believe most people who don't attend conference really don't have an understanding of ALA. We are already beginning to correct many of the false impressions. Exchange of information and garnering of concerns will insure that we continue to develop an outstanding organization that helps not just the members but the entire profession."

Ford: "We have more members than we've ever had before. We have wonderful new initiatives and ways to communicate with members. We need to use chapters more effectively. I'm delighted to hear good and bad things people have to say."

Q: Several months ago ALA was attacked by Focus on the Family. How would you respond to such future attacks?

Ford: "We need to all be working from the same set of values and priorities. We need to be certain we are serving all users. We must be certain we are sending that message loud and clear. These things need to be addressed at the local level and ALA should provide the foundation."

Chen: "This is a very complex topic. ALA needs to have a firm stance. Intellectual freedom and fundamental principals need to be followed. We must make sure committees and task forces would work very hard at that. It is important for us to look at intellectual freedom and see which side is shifting out the information."

Beard: "I've long advocated the need to enable and empower our people at home to do a better job. We've always had family friendly libraries, we simply must provide access to information for everyone about everything."

Q: How do you think the ALA Washington Office priorities should be set and how should the Fund for America's Libraries be spent?"

Beard: "Our membership surveys have said, secure funding, protect our rights to do our job, enable libraries everywhere to better tell library stories. Funding and recognition are the two most important things. In addition, the creation of a diversity office for ALA and the needs of the association must be considered."

Chen: "The members surveyed say information technology, access to information, public relations, and intellectual freedom are most important. We must continue to strengthen those activities. Above all we can't do anything without proper funding. We need a diversity office and we need to learn to use technology more effectively to enhance information access.

Ford: "The Washington Office must get the input it needs to set priorities. The Executive Board and Council need to be certain we are setting priorities. As far as spending, the elected officials must get in touch with members and find out their needs and put funds where the priorities are."

Treasurer candidates also participating in the forum include: Wanda Brown Cason, head of cataloging at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library and Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Bruce E. Daniels, director of the Onondaga County Public Library, Syracuse, NY.

ALA members will vote on the spring 1996 ballot. The presidential candidate elected will serve as ALA president-elect for 1997-98 and as president the following year. The treasurer candidate elected will serve as ALA treasurer for 1996-2000.

Ching-chih Chen

Ching-chih Chen has worked as a public and academic librarian, educator, speaker and consultant in library and information science for more than 35 years. She is the author/editor of 26 books and more than 100 journal articles and reports on library issues and concerns, including a baseline document on citizens' information needs for the first White House Conference on Library and Information Services.

An ALA member since 1976, Chen served three terms as a member of the LA Council as Councilor-at-large (1981-93). She served as chair of the Legislative Committee (1984-85) and as a member of the Planning and Budget Assembly (1990-92). Hen also served as director-at-large (1990-93) on the executive board of the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of ALA. She is active in other associations, including the American Society for Information Science (ASIS), the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Sponsored by the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, Chen organized a series of international conferences on new information technology for global internetworking. She also directed over 60 continuing education institutes, including a series on science reference for school/public librarians under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Education. Chen has received numerous awards, including the LlTA/Library Hi Tech Award (1994), the Emerson Greenaway Distinguished Service Award from the New England Library Association (1994) the LlTA/Gaylord Award for Achievement in Library Information Technology (1990) and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Michigan School of Library Science (1980). She is a fellow of AAAS.

Chen received her bachelor's degree from National Taiwan University, a master's degree in library science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a doctorate in information science from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.