American Library Association
Encyclopedia
The American Library Association (ALA) is a non-profit organization
based in the United States
that promotes libraries
and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members.
, 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 in 1879 in Massachusetts
, its head office is now in Chicago
.
During the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, 103 librarians, 90 men and 13 women, responded to a call for a "Convention of Librarians" to be held October 4–6 at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. At the end of the meeting, according to Ed Holley in his essay "ALA at 100," "the register was passed around for all to sign who wished to become charter members," making October 6, 1876 to be ALA's birthday.
In attendance were 90 men and 13 women, among them Justin Winsor (Boston Public, Harvard), William Frederick Poole (Chicago Public, Newberry), Charles Ammi Cutter (Boston Athenaeum), Melvil Dewey, and Richard Rogers Bowker. Attendees came from as far west as Chicago and from England.
The aim of the Association, in that resolution, was "to enable librarians to do their present work more easily and at less expense."
The paper, "Rocks in the Whirlpool," provides some of the historical context of the American Library Association’s efforts to define, extend, protect and advocate for Equity of Access.
The ALA archival materials, non-current records, are currently held in the University of Illinois archives. These materials can only be used at the University of Illinois.
or librarians. Most members live and work in the United States, with international members comprising 3.5% of total membership.
The ALA is governed by an elected council and an executive board. Since 2002, Keith Michael Fiels
has been the ALA executive director (CEO). 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 Molly Raphael (2011-2012) . Notable past presidents include Clara Stanton Jones, first African-American president (1976-1977). , Loriene Roy (2007-8), Michael Gorman
(2005-6), and Roberta Stevens..
and Booklist
. Along with other organizations, it sponsors the annual Banned Books Week
the last week of September. 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.
and media awards, including the Caldecott Medal
, Dartmouth Medal
, Newbery Medal
, Michael L. Printz Award
, Coretta Scott King Award
, Geisel Award
, Pura Belpré Award, John Cotton Dana Award
, Stonewall Book Award
.
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
for 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.
The ALA also awards the John Cotton Dana Award
.
A recently developed distinction awarded through the American Library Association is the Emerging Leaders program. Originating in 2006, the annually-selected class of Emerging Leaders (typically consisting of approximately 100 librarians and library school students) is a way for ALA to reach out to new librarians wanting to become successful within the organization. The class of Emerging Leaders are split into project groups, and are tasked with developing various solutions to problems within ALA divisions. The class meets only twice throughout the year: once at the Midwinter Meeting, and again at ALA Annual. The project teams are given the opportunity to present posters of their completed projects at ALA Annual.
The ALA advocates
positions on United States
political issues that it believes are related to libraries and librarianship. For court cases that touch on issues about which the organization holds positions, the ALA often files amici curiae
briefs, voluntarily offering information on some aspect of the case to assist the court in deciding a matter before it. The ALA has an office in Washington, D.C.
, that lobbies
Congress
on issues relating to libraries, information and communication. It also provides materials to libraries that may include information on how to apply for grants, how to comply with the law, and how to oppose a law.
, gay
, bisexual and transgender
professional organization, called the "Task Force on Gay Liberation", now known as the GLBT Round Table.
; the Library Bill of Rights urges libraries to "challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment." The ALA Code of Ethics also calls on librarians to "uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources."
The ALA maintains an Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) headed by Barbara M. Jones, former University Librarian for Wesleyan University and internationally known intellectual freedom advocate and author. She is the second director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, succeeding Judith Krug
, who headed the office for four decades. OIF is charged with "implementing ALA policies concerning the concept of intellectual freedom
," that the ALA defines as "the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause or movement may be explored." Its goal is "to educate librarians and the general public about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries." The OIF compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted to them by librarians across the country. Its actions are not without controversy; for example, Nat Hentoff
noted "An issue facing all members of the ALA is their leaders' shameful exception of the Cuban people's freedom to read." Hentoff's characterization contradicts the ALA's official position on Cuba, which urges the Cuban Government "to eliminate obstacles to access to information" and expresses "deep concern" for political dissidents in Cuba.
In 1999, radio personality Laura Schlessinger
campaigned publicly against the ALA's intellectual freedom policy, specifically in regard to the ALA's refusal to remove a link on its web site to a specific sex-education site for teens. Sharon Presley
said, however, that Schlessinger "distorted and misrepresented the ALA stand to make it sound like the ALA was saying porno for 'children' is O.K."
In 2002, the ALA filed suit with library users and the ACLU against the United States Children's Internet Protection Act
(CIPA), which required libraries receiving federal E-rate discounts for Internet access to install a "technology protection measure" to prevent children from accessing "visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors." At trial, the federal district court struck down the law as unconstitutional. The government appealed this decision, and on June 23, 2003, the Supreme Court of the United States
upheld the law as constitutional as a condition imposed on institutions in exchange for government funding. In upholding the law, the Supreme Court, adopting the interpretation urged by the U.S. Solicitor General at oral argument, made it clear that the constitutionality of CIPA would be upheld only "if, as the Government represents, a librarian will unblock filtered material or disable the Internet software filter without significant delay on an adult user's request."
, which called sections of the law "a present danger to the constitutional rights and privacy rights of library users". Since then, the ALA and its members have sought to change the law by working with members of Congress and educating their communities and the press about the law's potential to violate the privacy rights of library users. ALA has also participated as an amicus curiae
in lawsuits filed by individuals challenging the constitutionality of the USA PATRIOT Act, including a lawsuit filed by four Connecticut librarians after the library consortium they managed was served with a National Security Letter seeking information about library users. After several months of litigation, the lawsuit was dismissed when the FBI decided to withdraw the National Security Letter. In 2007 the "Connecticut Four" were honored by the ALA with the Paul Howard Award for Courage for their challenge to the National Security Letter and gag order provision of the USA PATRIOT Act.
In 2006, the ALA sold humorous "radical militant librarian" buttons for librarians to wear in support of the ALA's stances on intellectual freedom, privacy, and civil liberties. Inspiration for the button’s design came from documents obtained from the FBI by the Electronic Privacy Information Center
(EPIC) through a Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) request. The request revealed a series of e-mails in which FBI agents complained about the "radical, militant librarians" while criticizing the reluctance of FBI management to use the secret warrants authorized under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act.
(DMCA) and urges the courts to restore the balance in copyright law, ensure fair use and protect and extend the public domain". It supports changing copyright
law to eliminate damages when using orphan works without permission; is wary of digital rights management
; and, in ALA v. FCC, successfully sued the Federal Communications Commission
to prevent regulation that would enforce next-generation digital televisions to contain rights-management hardware. It has joined the Information Access Alliance to promote open access to research. The Copyright Advisory Network of the Association's Office for Information Technology Policy provides copyright resources to libraries and the communities they serve.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
based in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that promotes libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members.
History
Founded by Justin WinsorJustin Winsor
Justin Winsor was a prominent American writer, librarian, and historian.-Background and education:Winsor was born in Boston, Massachusetts, son of Nathaniel Winsor III and Ann Thomas Howland Winsor...
, Charles Ammi Cutter
Charles Ammi Cutter
Charles Ammi Cutter is an important figure in the history of American library science.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Cutter was appointed assistant librarian of Harvard Divinity School while still a student there...
, Samuel S. Green
Samuel Swett Green
Samuel Swett Green was a founding figure in America’s public library movement.Considered by many to be the "father of reference work", laying the groundwork for widespread reform within the field , he opened his Presidential Address to the American Library Association in 1891 with the memorable...
, James L. Whitney, Melvil Dewey
Melvil Dewey
Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey was an American librarian and educator, inventor of the Dewey Decimal system of library classification, and a founder of the Lake Placid Club....
(Melvil Dui), Fred B. Perkins and Thomas W. Bicknell
Thomas W. Bicknell
Thomas W. Bicknell , American educator, historian, and author, lived to be 91.Bicknell, born in Barrington, Rhode Island, he was the son of a farmer, minister, state legislator, and Colonel in the Bristol County, Rhode Island Militia, Thomas would become a wealthy eastern historian and educator...
in 1876 in Philadelphia and chartered in 1879 in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, its head office is now in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
During the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, 103 librarians, 90 men and 13 women, responded to a call for a "Convention of Librarians" to be held October 4–6 at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. At the end of the meeting, according to Ed Holley in his essay "ALA at 100," "the register was passed around for all to sign who wished to become charter members," making October 6, 1876 to be ALA's birthday.
In attendance were 90 men and 13 women, among them Justin Winsor (Boston Public, Harvard), William Frederick Poole (Chicago Public, Newberry), Charles Ammi Cutter (Boston Athenaeum), Melvil Dewey, and Richard Rogers Bowker. Attendees came from as far west as Chicago and from England.
The aim of the Association, in that resolution, was "to enable librarians to do their present work more easily and at less expense."
The paper, "Rocks in the Whirlpool," provides some of the historical context of the American Library Association’s efforts to define, extend, protect and advocate for Equity of Access.
The ALA archival materials, non-current records, are currently held in the University of Illinois archives. These materials can only be used at the University of Illinois.
Membership
ALA membership is open to any person or organization, though most of its members are librariesLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
or librarians. Most members live and work in the United States, with international members comprising 3.5% of total membership.
Governing structure
Keith Michael Fiels
Keith Michael Fiels is an American librarian. He was appointed Executive Director of the American Library Association in July 2002....
has been the ALA executive director (CEO). 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
Library science
Library science is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the...
. The ALA's current President is Molly Raphael (2011-2012) . Notable past presidents include Clara Stanton Jones, first African-American president (1976-1977). , Loriene Roy (2007-8), Michael Gorman
Michael Gorman (librarian)
Michael Gorman is a British-born librarian, library scholar and editor/writer on library issues noted for his traditional views. During his tenure as president of the American Library Association , he was vocal in his opinions on a range of subjects, notably technology and education...
(2005-6), and Roberta Stevens..
Activities
The official purpose of the association is "to promote library service and librarianship." 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 Editions (book publishing)
- American Association of School LibrariansAmerican Association of School LibrariansThe American Association of School Librarians has been a division of the American Library Association since 1951. Prior to that, school librarians were served by the School Library Section of ALA founded in 1914 which itself emerged from the Roundtable of Normal and High School Librarians which...
(AASL) - Association for Library Collections and Technical ServicesAssociation for Library Collections and Technical ServicesThe Association for Library Collections and Technical Services is a division of the American Library Association . This division strives to be the premier authority within librarianship in the areas of technical services , collection management and development, and preservation and reformatting...
(ALCTS) - Association for Library Service to ChildrenAssociation for Library Service to ChildrenThe Association for Library Service to Children is a division of the American Library Association. Its members are concerned with the profession of children's Librarianship...
(ALSC) - Association of College and Research LibrariesAssociation of College and Research LibrariesThe Association of College and Research Libraries , a division of the American Library Association , is a professional association of academic librarians and other interested individuals...
(ACRL) - Library Information Technology Association (LITA)
- Public Library Association (PLA)
- Reference and User Services AssociationReference and User Services AssociationReference and User Services Association is a division of the American Library Association chartered to stimulate and supporting excellence in library reference and user services. RUSA awards a number of medals and honors to promote its goals of excellence in its field and publishes an annual list...
(RUSA) - Young Adult Library Services AssociationYoung Adult Library Services AssociationThe Young Adult Library Services Association , established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. The mission of YALSA is to advocate, promote and strengthen service to young adults as part of the continuum of total library service, and to support those who provide service to...
(YALSA)
Notable offices
- Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF)
- Office for Accreditation (OA)
- Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS)
- Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP)
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 LibrariesAmerican Libraries
American Libraries is the official news and features magazine of the American Library Association. Published six times per year, along with four additional digital-only supplements, it is distributed to all members of the organization...
and Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
. Along with other organizations, it sponsors the annual Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week is an annual awareness campaign that celebrates the freedom to read, draws attention to banned and challenged books, and highlights persecuted individuals...
the last week of September. Young Adult Library Services Association
Young Adult Library Services Association
The Young Adult Library Services Association , established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. The mission of YALSA is to advocate, promote and strengthen service to young adults as part of the continuum of total library service, and to support those who provide service to...
(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 notable bookALA Notable Books
American Library Association Notable Book lists are announced yearly by the American Library Association . There are two lists, one for Adults and one for Children....
and media awards, including the Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
, Dartmouth Medal
Dartmouth Medal
The Dartmouth Medal of the American Library Association is awarded annually to a reference work of outstanding quality and significance, published during the previous calendar year.-History:...
, Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
, Michael L. Printz Award
Michael L. Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association...
, Coretta Scott King Award
Coretta Scott King Award
The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
, Geisel Award
Geisel Award
Established in 2004, the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is given annually to the author and illustrator of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. The winner receive a bronze medal at the ALA Annual Conference...
, Pura Belpré Award, John Cotton Dana Award
John Cotton Dana Award
The John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award, usually referred to as the John Cotton Dana Award, is an annual award given by the American Library Association for excellence in library public relations. Winners receive a $5,000 grant from the award's sponsor, the H.W. Wilson Foundation.The...
, Stonewall Book Award
Stonewall Book Award
Sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table of the American Library Association , the Stonewall Book Award is for LGBT books...
.
YALSA administers the Michael L. Printz Award
Michael L. Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association...
for excellence in young adult literature
Young adult literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...
, the Margaret Edwards Award
Margaret Edwards Award
The Margaret A. Edwards Award is awarded annually to an author for a specific body of his or her work, which has made a significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. It recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about...
for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature and the Alex Awards
Alex Awards
The Alex Awards are also a separate award given for excellence in entertainment packaging.The Alex Awards is an annual event designed to commend and honor the ten books published for adults during the previous year, which have been also judged to have "special appeal" for young readers, primarily...
for the ten best adult books with teen appeal. Two newer awards administered by YALSA are the Odyssey Award
Odyssey Award
The Odyssey Award is an annual award given to the producer of the best audiobook for children or young adults, available in English in the United States. It is jointly administered by two divisions of the American Library Association and is sponsored by Booklist magazine...
, for Excellence in audiobook production, and the brand new William C. Morris YA Award
William C. Morris YA Award
The William C. Morris YA Debut Award is an annual award given to a work of young adult literature by a debut author. It is administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association a division of the American Library Association . It was named for twentieth century American publisher William C....
, which will be awarded for the first time in 2009 honoring first-time authors of young adult literature.
The ALA also awards the John Cotton Dana Award
John Cotton Dana Award
The John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award, usually referred to as the John Cotton Dana Award, is an annual award given by the American Library Association for excellence in library public relations. Winners receive a $5,000 grant from the award's sponsor, the H.W. Wilson Foundation.The...
.
A recently developed distinction awarded through the American Library Association is the Emerging Leaders program. Originating in 2006, the annually-selected class of Emerging Leaders (typically consisting of approximately 100 librarians and library school students) is a way for ALA to reach out to new librarians wanting to become successful within the organization. The class of Emerging Leaders are split into project groups, and are tasked with developing various solutions to problems within ALA divisions. The class meets only twice throughout the year: once at the Midwinter Meeting, and again at ALA Annual. The project teams are given the opportunity to present posters of their completed projects at ALA Annual.
Conferences
The ALA and its divisions hold numerous conferences throughout the year. The two largest conferences are the annual conference and the midwinter meeting. The latter is typically held in January and focused on internal business, while the annual conference is typically held in June and focused on exhibits and presentations. The ALA annual conference is notable for being one of the largest professional conferences in existence, typically drawing over 25,000 attendees.Political positions
 |
Public Library Advocacy
Public library advocacy is support given to a public library for its financial and philosophical goals or needs. Most often this takes the form of monetary or material donations or campaigning to the institutions which oversee the library...
positions on United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political issues that it believes are related to libraries and librarianship. For court cases that touch on issues about which the organization holds positions, the ALA often files amici curiae
Amicus curiae
An amicus curiae is someone, not a party to a case, who volunteers to offer information to assist a court in deciding a matter before it...
briefs, voluntarily offering information on some aspect of the case to assist the court in deciding a matter before it. The ALA has an office in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, that lobbies
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
on issues relating to libraries, information and communication. It also provides materials to libraries that may include information on how to apply for grants, how to comply with the law, and how to oppose a law.
Civil liberties
In 1970, the ALA founded the first lesbianLesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
professional organization, called the "Task Force on Gay Liberation", now known as the GLBT Round Table.
Intellectual freedom
The primary documented expressions of the ALA's intellectual freedom principles are the Freedom to Read Statement and the Library Bill of RightsLibrary Bill of Rights
The Library Bill of Rights is the American Library Association's statement expressing the rights of library users to intellectual freedom and the expectations the association places on libraries to support those rights...
; the Library Bill of Rights urges libraries to "challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment." The ALA Code of Ethics also calls on librarians to "uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources."
The ALA maintains an Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) headed by Barbara M. Jones, former University Librarian for Wesleyan University and internationally known intellectual freedom advocate and author. She is the second director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, succeeding Judith Krug
Judith Krug
Judith Fingeret Krug was an American librarian and anti-censorship activist. She was appointed as the Director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom in 1967 and Executive Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation in 1969...
, who headed the office for four decades. OIF is charged with "implementing ALA policies concerning the concept of intellectual freedom
Intellectual freedom
Intellectual freedom is the right to freedom of thought and of expression of thought. As defined by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is a human right. Article 19 states:...
," that the ALA defines as "the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause or movement may be explored." Its goal is "to educate librarians and the general public about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries." The OIF compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted to them by librarians across the country. Its actions are not without controversy; for example, Nat Hentoff
Nat Hentoff
Nathan Irving "Nat" Hentoff is an American historian, novelist, jazz and country music critic, and syndicated columnist for United Media and writes regularly on jazz and country music for The Wall Street Journal....
noted "An issue facing all members of the ALA is their leaders' shameful exception of the Cuban people's freedom to read." Hentoff's characterization contradicts the ALA's official position on Cuba, which urges the Cuban Government "to eliminate obstacles to access to information" and expresses "deep concern" for political dissidents in Cuba.
In 1999, radio personality Laura Schlessinger
Laura Schlessinger
Laura Catherine Schlessinger is an American talk radio host, socially conservative commentator and author. Her radio program consists mainly of her responses to callers' requests for personal advice and has occasionally featured her short monologues on social and political topics...
campaigned publicly against the ALA's intellectual freedom policy, specifically in regard to the ALA's refusal to remove a link on its web site to a specific sex-education site for teens. Sharon Presley
Sharon Presley
Sharon Presley is an American libertarian and individualist anarchist feminist, writer, activist, and retired professor of psychology. She was also co-founder and former co-proprietor of Laissez Faire Books, which was once regarded as the largest libertarian bookstore.- Academic career :Presley...
said, however, that Schlessinger "distorted and misrepresented the ALA stand to make it sound like the ALA was saying porno for 'children' is O.K."
In 2002, the ALA filed suit with library users and the ACLU against the United States Children's Internet Protection Act
Children's Internet Protection Act
The Children's Internet Protection Act requires that K-12 schools and libraries in the United States use Internet filters and implement other measures to protect children from harmful online content as a condition for the receipt of certain federal funding...
(CIPA), which required libraries receiving federal E-rate discounts for Internet access to install a "technology protection measure" to prevent children from accessing "visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors." At trial, the federal district court struck down the law as unconstitutional. The government appealed this decision, and on June 23, 2003, the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
upheld the law as constitutional as a condition imposed on institutions in exchange for government funding. In upholding the law, the Supreme Court, adopting the interpretation urged by the U.S. Solicitor General at oral argument, made it clear that the constitutionality of CIPA would be upheld only "if, as the Government represents, a librarian will unblock filtered material or disable the Internet software filter without significant delay on an adult user's request."
Privacy
In 2003, the ALA passed a resolution opposing the USA PATRIOT ActUSA PATRIOT Act
The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of the U.S. Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001...
, which called sections of the law "a present danger to the constitutional rights and privacy rights of library users". Since then, the ALA and its members have sought to change the law by working with members of Congress and educating their communities and the press about the law's potential to violate the privacy rights of library users. ALA has also participated as an amicus curiae
Amicus curiae
An amicus curiae is someone, not a party to a case, who volunteers to offer information to assist a court in deciding a matter before it...
in lawsuits filed by individuals challenging the constitutionality of the USA PATRIOT Act, including a lawsuit filed by four Connecticut librarians after the library consortium they managed was served with a National Security Letter seeking information about library users. After several months of litigation, the lawsuit was dismissed when the FBI decided to withdraw the National Security Letter. In 2007 the "Connecticut Four" were honored by the ALA with the Paul Howard Award for Courage for their challenge to the National Security Letter and gag order provision of the USA PATRIOT Act.
In 2006, the ALA sold humorous "radical militant librarian" buttons for librarians to wear in support of the ALA's stances on intellectual freedom, privacy, and civil liberties. Inspiration for the button’s design came from documents obtained from the FBI by the Electronic Privacy Information Center
Electronic Privacy Information Center
Electronic Privacy Information Center is a public interest research group in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values in the information age...
(EPIC) through a Freedom of Information Act
Freedom of Information Act (United States)
The Freedom of Information Act is a federal freedom of information law that allows for the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the United States government. The Act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure...
(FOIA) request. The request revealed a series of e-mails in which FBI agents complained about the "radical, militant librarians" while criticizing the reluctance of FBI management to use the secret warrants authorized under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act.
Copyright
The ALA "supports efforts to amend the Digital Millennium Copyright ActDigital Millennium Copyright Act
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization . It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to...
(DMCA) and urges the courts to restore the balance in copyright law, ensure fair use and protect and extend the public domain". It supports changing copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
law to eliminate damages when using orphan works without permission; is wary of digital rights management
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
; and, in ALA v. FCC, successfully sued the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
to prevent regulation that would enforce next-generation digital televisions to contain rights-management hardware. It has joined the Information Access Alliance to promote open access to research. The Copyright Advisory Network of the Association's Office for Information Technology Policy provides copyright resources to libraries and the communities they serve.
19th century presidents
- Justin Winsor, 1876–85, and July-Oct., 1897
- William Frederick PooleWilliam Frederick PooleWilliam Frederick Poole was an American bibliographer and librarian.-Biography:He graduated from Yale University in 1849, where he assisted John Edmands, who was a student at the Brothers in Unity Library...
, 1885–87 - Charles Ammi CutterCharles Ammi CutterCharles Ammi Cutter is an important figure in the history of American library science.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Cutter was appointed assistant librarian of Harvard Divinity School while still a student there...
, 1887–89 - Frederick Morgan Crunden, 1889–90
- Melvil DeweyMelvil DeweyMelville Louis Kossuth Dewey was an American librarian and educator, inventor of the Dewey Decimal system of library classification, and a founder of the Lake Placid Club....
, 1890-July, 1891, and 1892–93 - Samuel Swett GreenSamuel Swett GreenSamuel Swett Green was a founding figure in America’s public library movement.Considered by many to be the "father of reference work", laying the groundwork for widespread reform within the field , he opened his Presidential Address to the American Library Association in 1891 with the memorable...
, July-Nov., 1891 - William Isaac Fletcher, 1891–92
- Josephus Nelson Larned, 1893–94
- Henry Munson Utley, 1894–95
- John Cotton DanaJohn Cotton DanaJohn Cotton Dana was an American librarian and museum director whose main objective was to make the library relevant to the daily lives of the citizens and to promote the benefits of reading...
, 1895–96 - William Howard Brett, 1896–97
- Herbert PutnamHerbert PutnamHerbert Putnam was an American lawyer, publisher, and librarian. He was the eighth Librarian of the United States Congress from 1899 to 1939.-Biography:...
, Jan.-Aug., 1898, and 1903–04 - William Coolidge Lane 1898-99
- Reuben Gold ThwaitesReuben Gold ThwaitesReuben Gold Thwaites was an American historical writer.-Biography:Thwaites was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He moved to Wisconsin in 1866 where, from 1876 to 1886, he was managing editor of the Wisconsin State Journal, at Madison...
, 1899–1900
20th century presidents
- Henry James Carr, 1900–01
- John Shaw BillingsJohn Shaw BillingsJohn Shaw Billings was an American librarian and surgeon best known as the modernizer of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office of the Army and as the first director of the New York Public Library.-Biography:...
, 1901–02 - James Kendall Hosmer, 1902–03
- Ernest Cushing RichardsonErnest Cushing RichardsonErnest Cushing Richardson, , noted librarian, theologian and scholar, was born in Woburn, Massachusetts. Throughout his life Richardson strived to make advances in cataloging systems and increased access to necessary research materials in U.S. libraries...
, 1904–05 - Frank Pierce Hill, 1905–06
- Clement Walker Andrews, 1906–07
- Arthur Elmore BostwickArthur Elmore BostwickArthur Elmore Bostwick was a United States librarian and author.-Biography:...
, 1907–08 - Charles Henry Gould, 1908–09
- Nathaniel Dana Carlile Hodges, 1909–10
- James Ingersoll Wyer, Jr., 1910–11
- Theresa West ElmendorfTheresa ElmendorfTheresa West Elmendorf was a prominent American librarian of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century.-Early life:Elmendorf was born in 1855 in Pardeeville, Wisconsin, and raised in Milwaukee after the family moved there in 1861. She had three siblings...
, 1911–12 - Henry Eduard Legler, 1912–13
- Edwin Hatfield Anderson, 1913–14
- Hiller Crowell WellmanHiller Crowell WellmanHiller Crowell Wellman was an American librarian who served as president of the American Library Association . He was librarian for the Springfield City Library from 1902 to 1948. In addition, Wellman was special editor for library terms for Webster's New International Dictionary, Second...
, 1914–15 - Mary Wright Plummer, 1915–16
- Walter Lewis Brown, 1916–17
- Thomas Lynch Montgomery, 1917–18
- William Warner Bishop, 1918–19
- Chalmers Hadley, 1919–1920
- Alice S. Tyler, 1920–21
- Azariah Smith Root, 1921
- George Burwell UtleyGeorge Burwell UtleyGeorge Burwell Utley was an influential American librarian. Over the course of his life Mr. Utley was a published author, first director of the Jacksonville Public Library , librarian of the Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois and served terms as secretary and later as president of the American...
, 1922–1923 - Judson Toll Jennings, 1923–1924
- Herman H. B. Meyer, 1924–1925
- Charles F. D. Belden, 1925–1926
- George H. Locke, 1926–1927
- Carl B. Roden, 1927–1928
- Linda A. EastmanLinda EastmanLinda Anne Eastman was an American librarian. She was selected by the American Library Association as one of the 100 most important librarians of the 20th century....
, 1928–1929 - Andrew Keogh, 1929–1930
- Adam Strohm, 1930–1931
- Josephine Adams Rathbone, 1931–1932
- Harry Miller LyndenbergHarry M. LydenbergHarry Miller Lydenberg was an American librarian, author and book conservationist. He is best known for his decades-long career as a librarian and eventual director for the New York Public Library, American liaison to the international library community, as well as one of the 100 most important...
, 1932–1933
- Gratia A. Countryman, 1933–1934
- Charles H. Compton, 1934–1935
- Louis Round Wilson, 1935–1936
- Malcom Glenn Wyer, 1936–1937
- Harrison Warwick Craver, 1937–1938
- Milton James Ferguson, 1938–1939
- Ralph W. MunnRalph MunnRalph W. Munn was an eminent figure in the field of American and international library and information science. Recognized by the journal American Libraries as one of “100 of the most important leaders we had in the 20th century”, and described as an "administrator, educator, and author...known...
, 1939–1940 - Essae Martha Culver, 1940–1941
- Charles Harvey Brown, 1941–1942
- Keyes D. MetcalfKeyes MetcalfKeyes DeWitt Metcalf was an American librarian. He has been identified as one of the 100 most important leaders in librarianship by the journal American Libraries. In a career spanning over 75 years, he worked in various roles at the New York Public Library and served as the director of the...
, 1942–1943 - Althea H. Warren, 1943–1944
- Carl Vitz, 1944–1945
- Ralph A. UlvelingRalph UlvelingRalph Adrian Ulveling was an influential American librarian best known for his support of intellectual freedom, interracial understanding, and the advancement of the library and information science profession...
, 1945–1946 - Mary U. Rothrock, 1946–1947
- Paul North Rice, 1947–1948
- Errett Weir McDiarmid, 1948–1949
- Milton E. Lord, 1949–1950
- Clarence R. Graham, 1950–1951
- Loleta Dawson FyanLoleta FyanLoleta Dawson Fyan was the first professional librarian for the State of Michigan . Long before the invention of the Internet she believed that information should be available to all.-Background:...
, 1951–1952 - Robert Bingham Downs, 1952–1953
- Flora Belle Ludington, 1953–1954
- L. Quincy Mumford, 1954–1955
- John S. Richards, 1955–1956
- Ralph R. ShawRalph R. Shaw (librarian)Ralph R. Shaw was a librarian, a publisher, and an innovator in library science.He married his first wife Viola Susan Leff in 1929 and married his second wife, Mary McChesney Andrews in 1969.- Scarecrow Press :...
, 1956–1957 - Lucile M. Morsch, 1957–1958
- Emerson GreenawayEmerson GreenawayEmerson Greenaway was an American librarian of considerable note, particularly during the Cold War era of the 1950s. During his long career, he acted as the director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library of Baltimore, the director of the Free Library of Philadelphia and as a director of the American...
, 1958–1959 - Benjamin E. Powell, 1959–1960
- Frances Lander SpainFrances Lander SpainDr. Frances Lander Spain was a children's librarian and an instructor of school library services. In 1960, she became the first children's librarian to ever hold the position of President of the American Library Association...
, 1960–1961 - Florrinell F. Morton, 1961–1962
- James E. Bryan, 1962–1963
- Frederick H. Wagman, 1963–1964
- Edwin Castagna, 1964–1965
- Robert G. VosperRobert G. VosperRobert Gordon Vosper was an American educator and librarian who oversaw college libraries at the University of Kansas and the University of California, Los Angeles. Vosper served as president of the ] ] and won the Joseph W. Lippincott award in 1985...
, 1965–1966 - Mary V. Gaver, 1966–1967
- Foster E. MohrhardtFoster E. MohrhardtFoster E. Mohrhardt was a United States librarian. He had a long an illustrious career in library and information science as a scholar, organizer and diplomat, and was listed by American Libraries among "100 Leaders we had in the 20th Century"....
, 1967–1968 - Roger McDonough, 1968–1969
- William S. DixWilliam S. DixWilliam Shepherd Dix was a scholar/librarian who had a prestigious 22-year career as Librarian at Princeton University in New Jersey without obtaining a degree in library science...
, 1969–1970 - Lillian M. Bradshaw, 1970–1971
- Keith Doms, 1971–1972
- Katherine Laich, 1972–1973
- Jean E. Lowrie, 1973–1974
- Edward G. Holley, 1974–1975
- Allie Beth MartinAllie Beth MartinAllie Beth Martin was an American librarian, educator, politician, and author. In 1990, she was named one of the 100 most influential people in the field of Library science by Leonard Kniffel...
, 1975-April 1976 - Clara Stanton Jones, 1976–1977
- Eric Moon, 1977–1978
- Russell Shank, 1978–1979
- Thomas J. Galvin, 1979–1980
- Peggy A. SullivanPeggy SullivanPeggy Sullivan, who currently resides in Chicago, IL, serves as a Library Consultant. She specializes in executive searches, primarily in public libraries...
, 1980–1981 - Elizabeth W. (Betty) Stone, 1981–1982
- Carol A. Nemever, 1982–1983
- Brooke E. Sheldon, 1983–1984
- E. J. Josey, 1984–1985
- Beverly P. Lynch, 1985–1986
- Regina Minudri, 1986–1987
- Margaret E. Chisholm, 1987–1988
- F. William Summers, 1988–1989
- Patricia Wilson Berger, 1989–1990
- Richard M. Dougherty, 1990–1991
- Patricia G. Schuman, 1991–1992
- Marilyn L. Miller, 1992–1993
- Hardy R. Franklin, 1993–1994
- Arthur CurleyArthur CurleyArthur Curley was an American librarian. He was listed as one of the 100 most important library leaders of the 20th century by the journal American Libraries.- Early life and education :...
, 1994–1995 - Betty J. Turock, 1995–1996
- Mary R. Somerville, 1996–1997
- Barbara J. Ford, 1997–1998
- Ann K. Symons, 1998–1999
- Sarah Ann Long, 1999–2000
21st century presidents
- Nancy Kranich, 2000–2001
- John W. Berry 2001–2002
- Maurice J. (Mitch) Freedman, 2002–2003
- Carla D. Hayden, 2003–2004
- Carol A. Brey-Casiano, 2004–2005
- Michael GormanMichael Gorman (librarian)Michael Gorman is a British-born librarian, library scholar and editor/writer on library issues noted for his traditional views. During his tenure as president of the American Library Association , he was vocal in his opinions on a range of subjects, notably technology and education...
, 2005–2006 - Leslie Burger, 2006–2007
- Loriene RoyLoriene RoyLoriene Roy is an American librarian from Texas. She was the 2007-08 President of the American Library Association .-Background and education:...
, 2007–2008 - Jim Rettig, 2008–2009
- Camila AlireCamila AlireCamila Alire, Past-President of the American Library Association for 2009–2010, currently serves as Professor of Practice for the Simmons College’s PhD program in library managerial leadership and professor at San Jose State University's LIS executive MLIS managerial leadership program...
, 2009–2010 - Roberta Stevens, 2010–2011
See also
- ANSELANSELANSEL, American National Standard for Extended Latin Alphabet Coded Character Set for Bibliographic Use, is a character set used in text encodings like MARC-8...
American National Standard for Extended Latin Alphabet Coded Character Set for Bibliographic Use - Book LinksBook LinksBook Links began as a magazine published by the American Library Association that helps teachers, librarians, school library media specialists, and parents connect children with high-quality books. It is now "published as a quarterly print supplement to Booklist, at no additional cost to...
magazine that helps teachers, librarians, school library media specialists, and parents connect children with high-quality books - BooklistBooklistBooklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
a publication that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages, geared toward libraries and booksellers - Challenge (literature)Challenge (literature)The American Library Association defines a challenge to literature as an attempt by a person or group of people to have materials, such as books, removed from a library or school curriculum, or otherwise restricted. Merely objecting to material is not a challenge without the attempt to remove or...
an attempt to have books removed from a library - History of Public Library AdvocacyHistory of Public Library AdvocacyPublic libraries in the American Colonies can be traced back to 1656, when a Boston merchant named Captain Robert Keayne willed his collection of books to the town. Many of the early colonists had brought books with them from England....
- International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA)
- Library Bill of RightsLibrary Bill of RightsThe Library Bill of Rights is the American Library Association's statement expressing the rights of library users to intellectual freedom and the expectations the association places on libraries to support those rights...
the rights of library users to intellectual freedom and the expectations the association places on libraries to support those rights - Library Hall of FameLibrary Hall of FameThe Library Hall of Fame is a list of 40 leaders of the modern library movement. The list appeared in the March 15, 1951, issue of Library Journal. That issue of Library Journal celebrated the 75th anniversary of the American Library Association...
- Public Library AdvocacyPublic Library AdvocacyPublic library advocacy is support given to a public library for its financial and philosophical goals or needs. Most often this takes the form of monetary or material donations or campaigning to the institutions which oversee the library...
- Theresa ElmendorfTheresa ElmendorfTheresa West Elmendorf was a prominent American librarian of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century.-Early life:Elmendorf was born in 1855 in Pardeeville, Wisconsin, and raised in Milwaukee after the family moved there in 1861. She had three siblings...
, first woman ALA President, 1911–12