1. Providing, Promoting, Producing—
Welcome to the
American Library Association
As we move through these slides you’ll see that what the Association does is centered around providing, promoting and producing for the Library profession.
We have prepared this information as a way to introduce you to the services provided by ALA and make your adjustment a smooth process!

2. 1. What is ALA all about?
Founded in 1876, ALA is the oldest, largest, and most influential library association in the world.
The American Library Association is the voice for America’s libraries and all the people who depend on them for information, entertainment, and education.

3. The association represents all types of libraries and all types of members.
Academic
Public
School
Special
State
Types of members:
Librarians
Library Staff
Institutions
Trustees
Authors
Publishers
Supporters
I also have an article written by Michael Dowling who is the Director of International relations Office at ALA that goes into much more detail on the varying types of libraries and the members that we serve.

4. 2. What does ALA do?
The goal of the association is to make sure that everyone has access to the best library services possible.
Which is why we asked you to
become an employee of the ALA!
It’s a simple idea, but it requires a lot of hard work and people working together for something they believe in.

5. 3. Staff
Members and membership activities are supported by a staff of approximately 280 employees. The work of ALA focuses on three key areas:
Providing a national forum to advance library services,
Promoting libraries to the public,
Producing tools librarians need to do their jobs.

6. 4. What’s ahead...
As we continue we’ll take a closer look at ALA and some of the activities that put the goals of ALA into action.
Divisions and Organizational Structure
Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting
ALA Key Action Areas
A Voice for Libraries in the Nation’s Capital
Promoting Libraries
Tools of the Trade: Publishing, Products, and Services
Special Projects and National Initiative

7. 5. Divisions, Offices
ALA includes a number of divisions that concentrate on particular types of libraries or library services. All ALA members are eligible to join one or more of these divisions of ALA.
We covered the fact that ALA is an organization for all types of librarians and for people interested in all types of libraries.

8. Divisions, Offices
There are 11 divisions, each with its own officers, member committees, and staff, each division sponsors a variety of programs, publications, and projects. Also, there are 15 offices, each with its own staff, and several of the offices sponsor a variety of programs and projects.

9. ALA’s Divisions American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
American Library Trustees & Advocates (ALTA)
Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS)
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL)
Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA)
Library Administration & Management Association (LAMA)
Library and Information Technology Association (LITA)
Public Library Association (PLA)
Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)
Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

10. ALA’s Offices Chapter Relations (CRO) Development Office
International Relations (IRO)
Office for Accreditation
Office for Diversity (OFD)
Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR)
Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP)
Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF)
Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS)
Office for Research and Statistics (ORS)
Office of ALA Governance
Office of Government Relations (OGR)
Public Information Office (PIO)
Public Programs Office (PPO)
Washington Office

11. 6. Key Action Areas
ALA is committed to five Key Action Areas as guiding principles for investment of energies and resources:
Diversity
Diversity is a fundamental value of the Association and its members, and is reflected in its commitment to recruiting people of color and people with disabilities to the profession and to the promotion and development of library collections and services for all people.
Education and Continuous Learning
The Association provides opportunities for the professional development and education of all library staff members and trustees; it promotes continuous, lifelong learning for all people through library and information services of every type.
Equity of Access
The Association advocates funding and policies that support libraries as great democratic institutions, serving people of every age, income level, location, ethnicity, or physical ability, and providing the full range of information resources needed to live, learn, govern, and work.
The key action areas are the basic guiding principles which appear throughout the programs of the Association and its many units.

12. Key Action Areas Intellectual Freedom 21st Century Literacy
Intellectual freedom is a basic right in a democratic society and a core value of the library profession. The American Library Association actively defends the right of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment.
21st Century Literacy
The American Library Association assists and promotes libraries in helping children and adults develop the skills they need—the ability to read and use computers—understanding that the ability to seek and effectively utilize information resources is essential in a global information society.

13. 7. Annual Conference Activities
Inauguration of ALA’s president and officers for the year.
Committee and council meetings to transact the business of the association.
Feature programs to honor famous authors and other well-known speakers.
An opportunity for publishers to promote authors and their latest books and exhibitors who specialize in services and equipment specifically designed for libraries.

14. 8. Midwinter Meeting
In January, ALA holds a Midwinter Meeting that focuses on association business. Programs include:
Meetings of affiliate organizations, such as the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) or REFORMA (National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking)
Meetings of the Executive Board and special committees charged with carrying out particular items on the association's agenda
REFORMA is the National Association to Promote Library Services to the Spanish-Speaking

15. 9. Our Washington Office
Works with Congress and government officials to:
Secure funding for libraries,
Protect everyone’s right to access information and provide affordable Internet access at libraries,
Demonstrate to Congress that libraries are important to everyone by organizing grass-roots library supporters throughout the year, especially on Library Legislative Day, held each year in May.
Keep the Institute of Museum and Library Services—a separate federal agency that promotes and supports libraries—informed on library issues.
The chief responsibility of our Washington Office is working with the national government

16. Our Washington Office
The main membership groups that work with the Washington Office are the Legislation Committee and the Public Awareness Committee.
The Public Information Office at ALA, works closely with the Washington Office because they often deal with issues that make headlines.
ALA members and others keep up with library legislative issues by subscribing to ALAWON, the Washington Office’s electronic news alert system.

17. 10. Promoting Libraries
One of ALA’s jobs is to keep libraries in the public eye, highlighting the variety of services and programs that are available and this is done by:
Each year in April, National Library Week is an opportunity for libraries throughout the country to hold events that promote reading and libraries
Producing hundreds of press releases each year about programs and events at libraries; these are available online and in print from the Public Information Office (PIO).

18. Promoting Libraries
The Allied Professional Association of the American Library Association (ALA-APA) sponsors the National Library Workers Day to recognize all library workers, including librarians, support staff and others who make library service possible every day. National Library Workers Day was established by a resolution passed by the ALA-APA Council during the ALA Conference in Toronto in June The message of National Library Workers Day is "Libraries Work Because We Do" and libraries are also invited to use the slogan "We your library®" to tie into ALA’s Campaign for America’s Libraries. Libraries may customize the first slogan by adding the library’s name to the beginning, e.g., Freedom Public Library Works Because We Do.

19. Promoting Libraries
Czech out your library®
ALA has made a multi-year commitment to speak loudly and clearly about the value of libraries and librarians to our communities, schools, academic institutions, and businesses, as well as to our society, democracy, and the new digital age.
Untangle The your library®
Everything You Can your library®

20. 11. ALA Publishing
American Libraries magazine - is the official journal of the association.
Three magazines are sold by subscription:
Booklist: reviews new adult and children’s books (and other media) twice monthly.
Book Links: aimed at using trade books across the school curriculum.
Choice: reviews scholarly books of academic interest.
Books published by ALA Editions on subjects of interest to professional librarians.
Division publications such as College & Research Libraries (ACRL) and Public Libraries (PLA), are usually offered with membership in the division.

21. 12. Special Projects
ALA helps librarians get the resources, training, and support they need to develop new programs. We help spread the word about local programs nationwide. These include:
Literacy programs involving local libraries as demonstration sites
KidsConnect an online Q&A service in which school librarians volunteer to answer kids’ questions about the Internet, (more)
The Spectrum Initiative, established in 1997, is the American Library Association’s national diversity and recruitment effort. The Initiative is designed to address the specific issue of underrepresentation of critically needed ethnic librarians while serving as a model for ways to bring attention to larger diversity issues within the profession.

22. Special Projects
Among the projects developed by the Public Programs Office (PPO) are traveling exhibitions, book and media discussion programs, continuing education opportunities, live author and artist events, and a variety of professional resources for librarians. These projects include:
Traveling exhibitions - Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature, Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation, and Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend.
Discussion series, such as Let’s Talk About It-Jewish Literature, Becoming an American Writer: The Life and Stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer, and The Sixties: America’s Decade of Crisis and Change.
StoryLines America, a radio/library series exploring regional literature.
Mixed collection development/programming efforts such as the We The People Bookshelf project and the Human Rights Video Project.
Library Networks for Literature, a your library®” project to create regional networks to support literature and literary programming and dialogue through libraries.

23. 13. How To Keep Up
All-staff meetings are held about once a month; Unit Manager meetings are twice a month (minutes are posted for all to read); and weekly Senior Management Group meetings are held.
The Headquarters library on the third floor, 40 East, has many great resources to help you.
Monthly you’ll receive a copy of ALA’s journal, American Libraries.
The staff newsletter, HR Connections, is published bimonthly.
Visit ALA’s website ( and the intranet (alainet) often. These are some of the most up-to-date sources of information.
Finally, join the ALA Staff Association (membership is open to all employees) and join the all-staff year-round events! The ALA Staff Association News is published monthly and sent to all employees.

24. 14. Key ALA Staff Senior Management Team
Greg Calloway, AED, Financial Services
Don Chatham, AED, Publishing Services
Keith Michael Fiels, Executive Director
Mary Ghikas, Senior AED, Member Programs and Services
Gerald Hodges, AED, Communications
Dorothy Ragsdale, Director, Human Resources
Susan Roman, Director, Development Office
Emily Sheketoff, AED, Washington Office
Sherri Vanyek, Director, Information Technology & Telecommunication Services
Julie Walker, Executive Director, AASL/YALSA

25. In Conclusion...
Welcome to American Library Association, we are glad to have you as a new member of the team.
Please remember if you have questions, ideas, or concerns we want to hear from you.
Additionally, I’d just like to say that we have confidence in the skills and abilities that you bring to ALA and we’re glad to have you on board.