PNLA Quarterly, Vol. 62 No.3 Spring 1998

Letter submitted to PNLA in resolution of Oregon membership in PNLA

Gordon Ray,
President, Pacific Northwest Library Association,
2392 Woodstock Drive,
Abbotsford, BC
V3G 2E5, Canada

Dear Mr Ray,

I want to alert you that members of the Oregon Library Association Executive Board voted on February 5, 1998, to continue membership in PNLA for another year and reevaluate this membership at the end of that year. Board members took that action because they wanted to allow more time to explore options for YRCA and give PNLA more time to redefine its mission.

Because many see YRCA as the major reason to continue membership in PNLA, the financial burden for funding an OLA representative to PNLA will be the responsibility of three Oregon groups serving children: The Children`s Services Division (CSD) and Oregon Young Adult Network (OYAN), both part of the OLA organization, and the Oregon Educational Media Association (OEMA). OLA will continue to budget for one-fourth of the estimated cost of support for the representative as well as for the PNLA membership fee from the Association`s general fund. The OLA Nominating Committee will be instructed to select candidates who are CSD/OYAN members for the position of PNLA representative. An election will be held soon for a new representative who will take office in September 1998.

However, in taking this action to continue membership in PNLA for now, the Board strongly expressed concern for PNLA`s future. OLA members value the YRCA and are concerned about the connection of that program to an organization struggling with its overall mission. The Board`s intent is clearly to tie continued OLA membership in PNLA to a successful outcome of PNLA`s refocusing effort. PNLA needs to establish a reason for its existence apart from YRCA, since YRCA can, and perhaps should, exist outside of PNLA. Our representative to PNLA will be charged with focusing on the future of YRCA.

The OLA Executive Board continues to feel that the cost of Oregon`s PNLA membership is only partially justified in relation to the overall benefit received. However, we are pleased to postpone withdrawal in order to give the PNLA Board more time to determine a mission and to consider the future of YRCA. We look forward to seeing the results.

Sincerely,

Gary D. Jensen
Library Director, Western Oregon University