Special Interest Groups

• WHAT IS ITS MISSION?
• HOW IS IT STRUCTURED?
• PRIMARY FUNCTIONS
• PROGRAMS
• BUDGET INFORMATION
• HISTORY
• CURRENT POLITICAL ISSUES
• FUTURE DIRECTIONS
• GROUP RESOURCES
• GROUP PUBLICATIONS
• BIBLIOGRAPHY

ESTABLISHED: 1876
EMPLOYEES: 275
MEMBERS: 57,000
PAC: None

Contact Information:
ADDRESS: 50 E. Huron Chicago, IL 60611
PHONE: (312) 280-3215
TOLL FREE: (800) 545-2433
TDD (HEARING IMPAIRED): (312) 944-7298
FAX: (312) 440–9374
URL: http://www.ala.org
PRESIDENT: Ann K. Symons

WHAT IS ITS MISSION?

According to the organization, the mission of the American Library Association (ALA) 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." As an organization that represents a variety of libraries including educational, public, state, or special libraries; the ALA is primarily concerned with providing free and equal access to information to library users. The organization advocates for policy that will help it to achieve its mission and directs outreach and educational efforts to help library staff and users better appreciate the abundance of information available through libraries.

HOW IS IT STRUCTURED?

The ALA's main headquarters is in Chicago, Illinois, and includes a number of offices that focus on specific areas such as chapter relations, research, literacy, library personnel, intellectual freedom, information technology, and accreditation. A separate ALA Washington, D.C., office monitors legislation, conducts advocacy efforts, and provides information to the organization and members regarding relevant political issues. Included in the Washington office is the ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy, formed in 1995, to promote and advocate for free and open information across on-line or Internet channels.

Overseeing the ALA is a 175-member council, elected by ALA membership. Council members serve four-year terms and represent either state library associations or function in an at-large representative capacity. The council considers resolutions put forth by membership and votes on them. Immediately under the council is an executive board, which consists of the organization officers as well as eight positions that are elected from the ALA membership by the council (and serve four-year terms). The board implements policies set forth by the council, makes recommendations to the council, and lays out managerial and administrative direction for the organization with the approval of the council.

State chapters include legislative liaisons and are active in influencing and tracking policy as well as disseminating information to members through newsletters. Student chapters are active on many U.S. campuses. Several organizations are also affiliated with the ALA, including specialized library groups like the Urban Libraries Council, Black Caucus of ALA, Chinese American Librarians Association, and Art Libraries Society of North America.

Members may join the ALA as an individual or as an organization. Members work mainly for libraries, but may include anyone (and have included authors and publishers) who supports the organizational mission of access to information that is free of cost and otherwise unimpeded. Members join through one of 11 divisions that represent the various aspects of the library profession, and include representation of school libraries, technical libraries, research libraries, reference libraries, young adult libraries, and more. Members, through their divisions, engage in activities such as developing standards for the work that they do, holding conferences, and publishing material.

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS

As a membership organization, the ALA protects the needs of its members; while as an association of information providers, it works to ensure that all library patrons have access to information. The ALA functions with the overall goal of protecting intellectual freedom, while at the same time providing quality library services throughout the United States.

The ALA assists library professionals on many fronts. It begins by helping to develop criteria to accredit masters programs in library and information studies. The association fosters professional development opportunities for its members, by making information regarding job placement and scholarship opportunities available. The ALA also provides technical support by preserving printed material.

In an advocacy capacity, the Washington office monitors relevant political developments and makes reports to members. The ALA also advocates for funding and policy that will benefit libraries. The ALA Office for Technology Policy (also located in Washington) provides research and factual material to support ALA positions, and also provides technical support to state chapters if needed.

The ALA also monitors cases of censorship and provides assistance to libraries facing such situations with its Office for Intellectual Freedom. The organization created the Library Bill of Rights, an interpretation of the First Amendment from a librarian's point of view. The document is used to defend the belief that libraries should be able to stock any number of types of material for public viewing. The ALA works in concert with the Freedom to Read Foundation, an organization that provides legal support for court cases involving threats to intellectual freedom.

The ALA promotes public education and outreach programs, especially in the area of literacy. The ALA researches literacy issues and makes the findings available to its members. As an example, the ALA conducted a research study that identified libraries across the United States that were most in need of resources. The Gates Library Foundation used the findings of the ALA research and additional information from the U.S. Census to fund 1,000 libraries in low income or rural areas in 1997. The libraries received grants ranging from $4,000 to $30,000 for computers, as well as development and technical support.

PROGRAMS

ALA programs benefit both library staff and library patrons. Many of the organization's programs are well-established, annual events, some of which promote library usage; others are developed to address timely issues that are of immediate concern to the nation's libraries. All programs promote activity in the ALA's key action areas of: diversity; education and continuous learning; equity of access; and twenty-first century literacy.

The ALA launched the America Links Up campaign in mid-1998 with the goal of ensuring that children learn to use the Internet and have a safe experience doing it. Libraries held teach-ins to coach children on the use of on-line resources and the ALA provided libraries with lesson plans and press materials for the event.

The ALA facilitates annual events that libraries can hold to promote certain aspects of the profession and of the library. Some of these include: Library Card Sign Up Month, which is held in September to encourage people not only to sign up for a library card but to keep returning to the library on a regular basis; Teen Read Week, an October event that includes contests and activities to encourage teenagers to read; and National Library Week, held in April to promote the role of the library in society.

Banned Books Week, which is held at the end of September, promotes the ALA's viewpoint that all books, even those that are considered controversial by some, should be available to whomever wants to read them. The ALA provides libraries with an annual kit to hold activities during the week. Activities include skits, exhibits, and discussions about censorship. Libraries may sell related merchandise or hand out promotional materials such as bookmarks commemorating the event. Also discussed during the week are specific-challenged books, meaning books that groups have attempted to ban. Challenged books that were highlighted in the 1997 Banned Books Week included I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. These two books are not isolated instances; between 1995 and 1996 the ALA was notified of 740 cases where books were challenged.

The ALA holds an annual Library Legislative Day in May. The national office organizes the event that has library staffs across the United States meeting with legislators and discussing the status of libraries and related issues.

BUDGET INFORMATION

The ALA is a nonprofit organization and receives about 80 percent of its revenue from sources like grants, conferences, and ALA publications. The remaining 20 percent of revenue comes from member dues. The organization's 1998 anticipated budget was projected to exceed $37 million.

At the end of fiscal year 1996, the ALA had revenues totaling $35,405,000, which included: membership dues ($6,258,000), publications ($12,122,000), and meetings ($9,434,000). Expenses for fiscal year 1996 included: $916,000 (meetings and conferences), $404,000 (program offices), and $731,000 (grants and awards). Assets for fiscal year 1996 totaled $28,561,000.

HISTORY

The ALA was founded in 1876 when library advocates Melvil Dewey and Justin Winson saw the need for creating an organization that would represent libraries and the professionals that worked in them. Dewey had been active in the library profession; he established the popular Dewey Classification System for library materials and he created a library department at Columbia University. The ALA quickly mobilized and over the next few decades, members worked to advance the cause of librarianship. During World War I (1914–18), the ALA created a library source for enlistees. After the war, members focused their efforts on improving classification systems, creating new libraries, and supporting the growth of existing libraries in the United States and abroad.

In the 1950s, the beginnings of the Cold War and the perceived threat of rising Communism facilitated an increased interest in censorship. The ALA, in line with its mission of promoting free and open access to material, spoke out against censorship in any form. The organization stated its position on the subject in 1939 by creating and publishing the Library Bill of Rights, which laid out the ALA's belief that libraries had a right to stock and make available to the public a variety of types of information.

During its history, the ALA has played a role in the advocacy of policy to benefit its mission. The ALA successfully lobbied for legislation in 1956 that first granted federal funds to libraries. Later, in the 1960s, ALA fought for and achieved legislation (Library Services and Construction Act) that provided funding for libraries to expand their services and to offer services such as bookmobiles, computer use, and library branches.

The 1980s and 1990s saw the expansion of information capabilities with the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Although the ALA may not have predicted the tremendous impact of the Internet on the flow of global information, the organization positioned itself to deal with the new issues that on-line media presented. The ALA established an office devoted to dealing with information technology policy and legislation. In particular the Internet raised entirely new issues regarding censorship and access to information. For example, children at home now had instant access to a variety of types of information, simply by signing on to the Internet on their own home computer. Opponents of free and open information access via the Internet argued that children could easily access detrimental material like pornography. The ALA, ever vigilant in its promotion of information access, continued to advocate for open access to Internet resources.

CURRENT POLITICAL ISSUES

In line with its goal of making information easy to access, the ALA advocates for a number of related political issues. For example, the organization advocates for increased funding for library services and programs. The ALA believes that many libraries lack the facilities, such as up-to-date Internet resources or appropriate holdings, to be able to offer extensive, quality information. In 1998 the ALA advocated for increased levels of funding for the Library Services and Technology Act to ensure that libraries across the United States had adequate funding to be able to go on-line, provide job search information, and to promote literacy. Additionally, the ALA advocated for increased funding to update materials in school libraries.

The ALA is involved with promoting literacy in the United States. In 1998 the ALA advocated for the passage of legislation that would fund child literacy programs including the Reading Excellence Act (H.R. 2614, S. 1596, which was sponsored by Sen. P. Coverdell, R-Ga.). The ALA is also concerned with copyright regulations and works to promote laws that will continue to enable fair access to materials. For example, in 1998 the ALA lobbied for copyright legislation that would protect the fair use of the material and would allow for digital preservation.

The ALA is concerned with maintaining telecommunications connections to rural communities, or establishing these connections where they are lacking. Inner-city or rural schools may need these resources to access materials not available to them normally, but the cost of such service can be prohibitive. Particularly in rural areas, the cost of installing and maintaining such networks is relatively high and can include expenses for updating inadequate phone lines. Between 1995 and 1998, the organization pursued and advocated for discounted on-line service to rural and inner-city libraries and school libraries. While the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (S. 652, Public Law 104-104, Snowe-Kerry-Rockefeller-Exon amendment) designated schools and libraries eligible to receive on-line services, the ALA and other advocate groups had a battle ahead of them to achieve the services at a discount.

Case Study: E-Rate Discounts

One of the provisions of the Telecommunications Act was that upon passage, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would set up a committee process to determine how newly legislated services would be funded or supported. After the act became law in February 1996, the FCC began a study of implementing the act, including requesting comments from involved stakeholders. The ALA actively participated in the process, forming a coalition, called EdLiNC, with other library and education groups, which jointly filed more than 30 comments between April 1996 and May 1997. During this time period, the ALA and the coalition continued to advocate for library and school discounts using other methods: the ALA president testified before a board of the FCC and EdLiNC carried out a media campaign designed to explain the issues to library and school users, professionals, and policymakers.

The FCC released final recommendations in May 1997, which included a measure for discounts on on-line service for schools and libraries ranging from 20 percent to 80 percent. However, the details about how to implement the subsidies and who would be responsible for them continued to be discussed through 1998. The ALA remained involved in the implementation process and with EdLiNC, worked on an E-Rate Work Group established by the FCC. E-rate is short for education rate. During 1997 the ALA and the coalition were confronted with opponents who attempted to do away with the subsidies and a demand from industry that higher education be made to pay for the discounts. The ALA advocated against this measure, and the FCC ultimately opposed it.

Through 1997 and 1998 the ALA continued to advocate for the subsidy, asking the FCC to determine funding for the program and requesting that the application process for schools and libraries be simplified. For first-year eligibility, more than 30,000 applications for discounted on-line service were received. The group ultimately responsible for the program was established as the Schools and Library Corporation (SLC). The SLC was organized into the Schools and Library Division (SLD) under a directive by the FCC that effective January 1, 1999, "the e-rate program along with its sister program for rural health care providers merge with the Universal Service Administrative Company which administers the larger and long-standing universal service program."

The SLD began sending commitment letters to libraries in November 1998. During its third wave of mailings, which occurred in January 1999, the SLD mailed over 1,300 letters of commitment, which amounted to approximately $8 million. "We congratulate the Schools and Libraries Division for recognizing it is critically important to get the e-rate discounts out to our nation's libraries," said ALA President Ann K. Symons. "This special mailing acknowledges that libraries are a critical player in providing equitable access to the information superhighway."

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

At the end of the 1990s, the ALA focused on building shared values and coalitions among all libraries, particularly in the arena of intellectual freedom. The ALA seeks to create opportunities for dialog and information sharing among libraries and will circulate a twenty-first century intellectual freedom statement, which was drafted in mid-1998. The statement outlines principles that should be encouraged if libraries are to succeed and flourish as a source of free access to information in the future. The ALA will also be making an effort to focus on addressing diversity issues through library services and collections, promoting continuing education for library staff, facilitating equal access to library resources for all, and promoting literacy in the United States.

GROUP RESOURCES

The ALA maintains an on-line library and archives at http://ala.org/library. The site also includes an extensive record of facts pertaining to U.S. libraries, including the number of such institutions, classification, and bibliographies. The main ALA Web site at http://www.ala.org has a great deal of information about the organization, including a current roster of issues relevant to the ALA, status of pending legislation, and contact information for legislators.

The ALA also hosts dozens of e-mail mailing lists for its members, such as the ALA Advocacy Now! List, the ALA Intellectual Freedom Round Table, and the SRRT Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Task Force. Those among the general public who are interested in library related issues can also subscribe to these free lists. For more information, visit the ALA's list server Web page at http://www.ala.org/membership/lists.html.

GROUP PUBLICATIONS

The ALA produces hundreds of different publications and supporting materials such as posters, video and audio tapes, and promotional items such as totebags and mugs. There are dozens of ALA periodical publications. Most are available for free to members of the ALA or to members of various ALA committees and task forces. Many of these publications are also avialable to the public through subscriptions. American Libraries is a bimonthly publication available for free to ALA members or in a weekly format at the ALA Web site. It is also available through subscription by faxing (312) 944-784. The ALA makes available a free E-mail newsletter on current policy initiatives and actions needed called the ALA Washington Office Newsline, which is available by subscribing through the Web site at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawopub.html. For more information on these and other ALA publications, visit their Web site at http://www.ala.org/market, or contact the ALA by mail at American Library Association, 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611.