AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

American Library Association

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EDIT 6300

Prof. Fitzgerald

What is the ALA?

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Formed in 1876 in Philadelphia, the ALA’s initial mission was "to enable librarians to do their present work more easily and at less expense."

It was an association of librarians.

Today the main offices of the association are located at American Library Association 50 E. Huron, Chicago IL 60611

Here is their phone number: 1.800.545.2433

Mission Statement (purpose)

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From those humble beginnings when 103 librarians gathered to form an organization for librarians and their craft, the ALA is now one of the largest association of librarians in the world, although foreign membership is less than five percent of the total.

Today’s Mission Statement: The ALA Constitution states the purpose of ALA as, “The object of the American Library Association shall be to promote library service and librarianship.” The stated mission is, “To provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.”

Mission Statement cont.

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The ALA has also adopted a number of more specific goals which they call “action areas.”

These action areas are: “guiding principles for directing the Association’s energies and resources: Diversity, Equity of Access, Education and Continuous Learning, Intellectual Freedom, and 21st Century Literacy.”

Want to know more? Check out http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/missionhistory/mission/index.cfm

Services and Publications

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The ALA and its sub-departments offer a wide variety of services. This presentation deals with services aimed at the broad membership of the ALA, not the segmented services of its eleven branches (such as the American Association of School Librarians).

Services and Publications cont.

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The ALA hosts numerous annual gatherings including: a national conference, meetings, online meetings, workshops in your local area, symposiums, training, and division conferences.

The actual services provided vary with the specific meetings.
Past ALA conferences:
Anaheim, CA, June 26-July 2, 2008
Washington, DC, June 21-27, 2007
New Orleans, LA, June 22-28, 2006
Chicago, IL, June 23-29, 2005
Orlando, FL, June 25-30, 2004
Toronto, Canada, June 10-24, 2003
Atlanta, GA, June 13-19, 2002
San Francisco, CA, June 14-20, 2001
Chicago, IL, July 6-12, 2000

Conferences cont.

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From wikipedia.com:
The ALA and its divisions hold numerous conferences throughout the year, of which the two ALA-wide ones are the ALA Annual Conference and the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Midwinter is typically more focused on internal organization business, while ALA Annual is focused around exhibits and presentations. The Annual conference is generally held in June, and Midwinter is typically held in January. ALA Annual is notable for being one of the largest professional conferences in existence, typically drawing over 25,000 attendees
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Library_Association

Awards

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The ALA provides numerous awards for excellence in the broad field books:
“The ALA annually confers numerous notable book and media awards, including the Caldecott Medal, the Darmouth Medal, the Newbery Medal, the Michael L. Printz Award and the Stonewall Book Award.”

For example, the Caldecott medal is awarded to the best published picture book for the past year.

“YALSA administers the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature, the Margaret Edwards Award for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature and the Alex Awards or the ten best adult books with teen appeal. Two newer awards administered by YALSA are the Odyssey Award, for Excellence in audiobook production, and the brand new William C. Morris YA Award, which will be awarded for the first time in 2009 honoring first-time authors of young adult literature.”
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Library_Association

Grants

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A number of grants are awarded to members by the ALA.

For example, a newly listed grant offers 750 dollars for the winning applicant to take a course in publishing.

See an example grant announcement here: http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2008/September2008/PublishingWNBA.cfm

Advocacy

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The ALA also advocates for freedom for its patrons to find information and to maintain privacy in a manner consistent with a liberal interpretation of civil liberties.

The ALA is opposed to most forms of censorship and frequently advocates such positions in relevant court cases.

Publications

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The ALA publishes a large number of journals and books designed for librarians.

Aside from the works published specifically for the eleven subfields of the association, the main journals published are:
American Libraries - The magazine of the American Library Association.
Booklist magazine - This magazine offers reviews of books, media, and reference for collection development.
IDEAL - this journal focuses on collection development and readers' advisory tools.
Book Links - This magazine focuses on getting children interested in books and media.
ALA TechSource provides information on integrating all kinds of technologies in libraries.
Library Technology Reports Expert provides guides to integrating technology, including web 2.0 and gaming.”

Source: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/hqops/publishing/productsandpublications/periodicals/periodicals.cfm

Our program's official handbook, Information Power is published by the ALA!

Contact

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American Library Association:
50 E. Huron
Chicago IL
60611
1.800.545.2433

Email:
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/contactus/index.cfm

Website:
www.ala.org

Membership

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3 types: Personal, Organizational, and Corporate.
We will focus on Personal.
Benefits: Discounts on products and services, and members-only access to information through the ALA web site and journals. Information on advancing the media specialist profession.
Committee service
Members have an opportunity to serve on ALA committees.
Conference, event, and course discounts
Members receive conference discounts and continuing education opportunities.
Insurance
Members receive discounts on John Hancock Long Term Care Insurance and Marsh Affinity Group Health and Life Insurance.
Publications
Members receive subscriptions to American Libraries, AL Direct, and much more.
Source: http://www.ala.org/ala/membership/whyjoinala/memberbenefits/personalbenefits/index.cfm

Many different types of Membership

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Regular Members - includes librarians as well as others employed in library and information services or related activities in positions that: (a) require a master's degree; (b) require a state level certification; or (c) are managerial. $65 for the first year, $98 for the second year, $130 for the third and later years.
Student Members – includes individuals enrolled in a program for certificate or degree in library and information studies. Certain state chapters have Joint Memberships with ALA. Please click here to learn more. Student Membership is limited to five total years. $33.00/year.
Library Support Staff Members – includes others employed in library and information services or related activities. $46.00/year.
Non-Salaried Members - includes librarians earning less than $25,000 per year or not currently employed. $46.00/year.
Retired Members – includes those who have retired from library and information services or related activities. $46.00/year.

Types of Membership cont.

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•Trustee Members – includes those not employed in library and information services or related activities who, through their personal commitment and support, promote library and information services as members of governing boards, advisory groups, etc. $59.00/year.

•International Members – includes librarians who do not hold U.S. citizenship and who are not employed in the U.S. or U.S. possessions, regardless of salary level. $78.00/year.

•Associate Members – includes those not employed in library and information services or related activities who, through their personal commitment and support, promote library and information services; e.g. friends and special citizen caucuses and/or individuals interested in participating in the work of the Association. $59.00/year.

•Life Members - includes those who purchase basic membership in ALA for life at rates dependant on age at the time of application. Installment plans and lump sum purchases are available. Life members receive full benefits of ALA membership with division and round table membership available for additional dues. Click here for prices.

•Continuing Members - includes those who have been active, paid ALA members for at least 25 uninterrupted years. Continuing Members receive ongoing free membership upon retirement.

•Source: http://www.ala.org/ala/membership/typesmembership/personalmembership/index.cfm

That’s All folks, check out the Site www.ala.org

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