American Libraries

AL: The American Library Association can be a complicated organization, even for the people who work here. So join us as we learn a thing or two and shed some light on a few mysteries with a simple little game we call the ALA Wheel of Confusion. Hi, I'm John. I'm ALA Manager for Membership Development and we're here today with Charles Wilt to play the wheel of confusion. The wheel of confusion. Charles is Executive Director for the Association of Library Collections and Technical Services, ALCTS. Charles is ready to play. Spin the wheel. And you will end up on an acronym and see if we can't make some clarity. Good luck.

Wilt: I even work here. Round and round she goes.

AL: I think that's TESLA. It's got to be a library association. T-E-S-L-A. Well it was a rocking band. It was it did rock hard. Hi. We're here with Karen Muller, ALA's Librarian. TESLA.

Muller: It's in LITA and it's the Technical Standards for Library Automation Committee—no C in it, of course—and without technical standards, we wouldn't have the library and technology cooperation that we have.

AL: We're here with Marci Merola, she's the advocacy specialist for the American Library Association of the public information office. Marci, thanks for wanting to plan.

Merola: Absolutely. What do I win?

AL: Give it a spin. You're a good spinner. You're acronym is COSWL.

Merola: It's the Committee on Saving the World's Libraries.

AL: No, but that's a great idea. It's the Committee on The Status of Women in Librarianship.

Muller: Founded, I think, in the late 60's because the status of women in librarianship hasn't always been positive. And it needs advocacy.

AL: We're visiting Adam Burling in ACRL, the Association of College and Research Libraries for The Wheel of Confusion. Thanks for wanting to play. How long have you been at ALA?

Burling: For a year.

AL: And what do you do here at ALA in ACRL?

Burling: Member services mostly, do appointments program planning. My official title is Program Coordinator.

AL: Adam spends a lot of time in the ALA membership database, which is why I know that he has played with before. So Adam, if you wouldn’t mind giving the old wheel a spin.

Burling: Is this a competition?

AL: No, it's a friendly game of chance.

Burling: Oh I know that one—ANSS. That's one of our sections in AC RL. So it's the Anthropology and Sociology Section. What does the N starch for?

AL: Apparently “and.” Karen, it's time for sudden death Wheel of Confusion. You get to do one spin, if you get this we buy you coffee. If you don't, you buy us coffee.

Muller: That's tough.

AL: Wheel of Confusion. You're acronym today is ECRR. Sound it out.

Muller: I don't have a clue. Neither do I. Gosh. But you know I'm going to search the Web site using our search box. Every Child Ready to Read. It's not a membership group, it's an initiative jointly between the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children that says every child should be ready to read. And it's important for early reading with children. Those kids who are read to and learn get a love of reading early on just simply do better in school.

AL: So she won sudden death by using her professional resource tools. I guess we owe you a coffee, Karen.