Plans for '98 Propel the Association toward 2000

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The ALA Executive Board sailed through its spring meeting, May 3-4 at ALA Headquarters in Chicago, propelled by the prospect of a healthy FY 1998 budget with new initiatives in the rapidly changing landscapes of cyberspace and cultural diversity.

The meetings followed several days of board subcommittee meetings combined with interviews and meetings with staff and the three candidates - Christopher Damon, Elaine Didier, Keith Fiels - vying for the ALA executive director post to be vacated in August by Elizabeth Martinez (AL, May, p. 11). Deliberations were held in closed session, and the new ED was expected to be named before Annual Conference in San Francisco this month.

CyberQuilt and Spectrum

The board moved ahead with the Spectrum diversity initiative (AL, Apr., p. 75) by adopting a financial plan (EBD#12.12) that it hopes will ensure the best long-term return on investments. The three-year program aims to provide 50 minority students per year with $5,000 scholarships to study library and information …