[PADG:750] FW: 2006 ALA election

["Joan Gatewood" <joangate@xxxxxxxxx>]

For those of you who couldn't open the attachment.  Joan

Joan Gatewood, PARS Chair
And
Head, Digital Conversion Unit
University of Michigan Libraries
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1205 

-----Original Message-----
Subject: 2006 ALA election

please forward to appropriate lists. many thanks.  
 
   


Contact: Mark Gould
Director, PIO
312-280-5042
mgould@xxxxxxx 
For Immediate Release


2006 American Library Association election will offer improved delivery
of ballots


CHICAGO - Nov. 8, 2005 - The American Library Association (ALA) will
hold its 2006 online election with an emphasis on improved delivery of
member ballots.

"We are pleased with the growth of interest in online voting," said
ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels. "For the 2006 election, we
have made enhancements to the delivery of the ballots to members,
including a 48 hour e-mail blast to Web voters, five-day delivery of
international ballots, and a new domain name."

For 2006 elections, all Web voters will receive ballots between March
15 and March 17, 2006, in a 48-hour e-mail blast. This will ensure that
voters have more time to cast their ballots.

International ballot packages will be mailed between March 15 and March
22, 2006. ALA will be using a carrier who ensures five-day delivery to
anywhere in the world.

ALA also has a new election domain name. It is now
2006election@xxxxxxxxxxxx This change to a dot.org from a dot.net
will make it less likely that any ballots will be incorrectly identified
as spam.

Building on the association's experience with the 2005 electronic
election, a number of changes made last year will continue with the 2006
election process and ballot. The 2006 election will be ALA's third
online accessible election. The 2006 ballot meets all applicable W3C
accessibility standards and can be read by common screen readers for the
disabled. This allows ALA's visually impaired members to navigate Web
sites by converting text and other visual symbols to audible speech.

This election, council candidate biographies will be available in HTML
format for members to review and print before entering the ballot
package. A link to these will be provided on the election ballot log-in
page.

Finally, this year there will continue to be a long period between the
last date for requesting a paper ballot (from October 3, 2005 to March
3, 2006) and the last date for returning the ballots (April 24, 2006 at
11:59 p.m. CST). Paper ballots will be sent to members in good standing
who request them prior to March 3, 2006, by calling 800-545-2433 (press
5) or sending an email to membership@xxxxxxxx

Members who do not have an e-mail address at home or work, but wish to
vote online may want to consider signing up for a free e-mail account
from a service, such as Yahoo (http://mail.yahoo.com). To ensure that
member e-mail records are accurate, ALA conducted e-mail tests in
October 2005. Members who change their e-mail addresses prior to January
31, 2006, can update their information by visiting
http://www.ala.org/profile, calling 800-545-2433 (then press 5), or
e-mailing Membership@xxxxxxx (Please state on the Subject Line "update
my e-mail address").

All current ALA members are eligible to vote in the 2006 election.
Polls will open on March 15, 2006.

 
   



 
 


Mark Gould
Director
Public Information Office @ your library