american library association

ALA Logo Formation 1876 Membership 64,600 Website American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) is a group based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world,[1] with more than 65,000 members.[2] Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Membership 3 Governing structure 4 Activities 4.1 Notable Divisions 4.2 National outreach 4.3 Awards 5 Political stances 5.1 Civil liberties, intellectual freedom, and privacy 5.2 Copyright 6 Conferences 7 See also 8 External links 9 References //

History

Founded by Justin Winsor, Charles Ammi Cutter, Samuel S. Green, James L. Whitney, Melvil Dewey (Melvil Dui), Fred B. Perkins and Thomas W. Bicknell in 1876 in Philadelphia and chartered [3] in 1879 in Massachusetts, its head office is now in Chicago.

Membership

ALA membership is open to any person or organization, though most of its members are libraries or librarians. As well, most members live and work in the United States, with international members comprising 3.5% of total membership.[4]

Governing structure ALA President Jim Rettig at the 2008 I Love My Librarian! awards.

The ALA is governed by an elected council and an executive board. Since 2002, Keith Michael Fiels has been the ALA executive director (CEO).[5] Policies and programs are administered by various committees and round tables. One of the organization's most visible tasks is overseen by the Office for Accreditation, which formally reviews and authorizes American and Canadian academic institutions that offer degree programs in library and information science. The ALA's current President is Jim Rettig. Activities

Members may join one or more of eleven membership divisions that deal with specialized topics such as academic, school, or public libraries, technical or reference services, and library administration. Members may also join any of seventeen round tables that are grouped around more specific interests and issues than the broader set of ALA divisions.

Notable Divisions ALA Seal American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Public Library Association (PLA) Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

National outreach

The ALA is affiliated with regional, state, and student chapters across the country. It organizes conferences, participates in library standards development, and publishes a number of books and periodicals.

The ALA publishes the magazines American Libraries and Booklist. Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) also sponsors Teen Read Week, the third week of each October, and Teen Tech Week, the second week of each March.

Awards

The ALA annually confers numerous