ALA News

CHICAGO - The governing Council of the American Library Association (ALA) has voted to make the Polish American Librarians Association (PALA) an ALA Affiliate. The action was taken Jan. 27 during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. PALA applied for affiliation in 2019, and the application was vetted by the ALA Executive Board to ensure that PALA’s bylaws and mission were in compliance with ALA. PALA joins 27 other affiliated library organizations and, with the Chinese American Librarians Association, becomes one of only two affiliates that are nation-specific.

Today the American Library Association’s (ALA) Libraries Ready to Code initiative, sponsored by Google, awarded more than 100 academic, school and public libraries with $700 mini-grants to

CHICAGO — OCLC and the Public Library Association (PLA) today issued Call to Action: Public Libraries an

EXTON, Pennsylvania — United for Libraries is hosting a live webinar for members, “National Library Legislative Day: How Friends, Trustees, and Foundations Can Get Involved,” on Wednesday, March 11th at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Deborah Doyle of the Sonoma County (Calif.) Public Library Commission and Emily Wagner of ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office will lead the webinar.

CHICAGO — The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has selected its 2020 list of Notable Children’s Books. The list of titles, published in the previous year, includes fiction, nonfiction, poetry and picturebooks of special interest, quality, creativity and value to children 14 years of age and younger.

The titles include:

Younger Readers

CHICAGO — Make your library building become a more exciting, interesting, experiential space where people are engaged and want to spend time with Elisabeth Doucett’s new book “100+ Ideas to Inspire Smart Spaces and Creative Places,” published by ALA Editions.

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has awarded Angela Leeper, Director of the Curriculum Materials Center at the University of Richmond in Virginia, its National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) Travel Stipend.

The stipend will provide up to $1,000 in travel funds for Leeper to attend NLLD for the first time. NLLD will take place May 4-5 in Washington D.C.

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has selected Phyllis Magady, Teen Coordinator at the Muskogee (Oklahoma) Public Library, as the recipient of its 2020 Baker & Taylor Conference Travel Grant.

“I'm excited to attend my first ALA Conference and appreciate Baker & Taylor for providing the grant that makes it possible,” said Magady. “I look forward to learning about new ideas for programming and new approaches to expand services for teens in and around Muskogee.” 

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced that Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library is the recipient of the 2020 ALSC/Candlewick Press "Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved" Grant. As the winner of the grant, the library will receive $3,000 to develop Sensory Storytimes for immigrant families who are learning to navigate an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.

CHICAGO — The Committee on Accreditation (CoA) of the American Library Association (ALA) announces accreditation actions taken at the 2020 ALA Midwinter Meeting.

Continued Accreditation status was granted to the following programs (listed in alphabetical order by institution), with the next comprehensive review visit scheduled to take place in fall 2026:

CHICAGO — Beth Denker, George Machovec, and Rose Nelson of the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries have been named the 2020 recipients of the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award. Denker is the e-resource licensing and administrative manager, Machovec is the executive director, and Nelson is the assistant director. The team will receive a cash award and citation during a LITA event at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has released its long-awaited Outstanding Books for the College Bound (OBCB) recommended reading list.

The list is organized into the following categories:

CHICAGO — Copyright law never sleeps, making it imperative to keep abreast of the latest developments. Declared “an exemplary text that seals the standards for such books” (Managing Information), the newly revised and updated fourth edition of “Copyright Law for Librarians and Educators: Creative Strategies and Practical Solutions,” published by ALA Editions, offers timely insights and succinct guidance.

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) seeks an individual to fill a new advocacy board position for a one-year term starting July 2020.

"By including advocates on the Board, YALSA is modeling the behavior it wants members to adopt at the local level in terms of reaching out into the community to forge partnerships that increase their ability to meet teen needs," said YALSA President Todd Krueger.

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has named Maricopa (Arizona) Public Library as the recipient of its annual Great Books Giveaway. The library will receive more than $20,000 worth in books, audiobooks and other materials donated to YALSA from publishers and producers in 2019.

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has selected Kristine Kreidler, Director at the Lantana (Florida) Public Library, as the winner of its 2020 Baker & Taylor Collection Development Grant.

CHICAGO - Today the American Library Association (ALA) released the following statement regarding Tennessee HB 2721, which would require a parental oversight board to replace policies and library experts in the development of library collections and services.  Libraries that fail to comply with the proposed law may lose local funding, incur fines, and librarians and library workers may face jail time. 

The ALA stated the following:  

CHICAGO – The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) announces the publication of “Learning Beyond the Classroom: Engaging Students in Information Literacy through Co-Curricular Activities,” edited by Silvia Vong and Manda Vrkljan.

The American Library Association (ALA) announced today the nomination period opened for the L. Ray Patterson Award. Established in 2002, the honor recognizes individuals or groups who “embody the spirit of the U.S. Copyright law as voiced by the framers of our Constitution: ‘to advance the knowledge of science and useful arts” (U.S. Constitution, art 1, sec 8). Nominations will be accepted through April 1, 2020.

The Reference and User Services Division (RUSA) is offering the Data in Libraries Webinar series once again with an added presentation on APIs. Beginning on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, this four part series will cover: