About ALA-APA
The ALA Allied Professional Association is a nonprofit
organization chartered in the State of Illinois for
the purpose of promoting “the mutual professional
interests of librarians and other library workers.”
The ALA-APA is a companion organization to the American
Library Association (ALA), an educational association
chartered in the State of Massachusetts to “promote
library service and librarianship.”
Establishment of the ALA Allied Professional Association
was authorized by the ALA Council in June 2001, to enable
the certification of individuals in specializations
beyond the initial professional degree. In January 2002,
with the approval of preliminary bylaws, the scope of
the organization was broadened to include advocacy for
the “mutual professional interests of librarians
and other library workers.” A summary of actions
leading to the development of ALA-APA is available at:
www.ala-apa.org/background.html.
ALA and ALA-APA are separate, independent legal organizations.
They are tied together by fully interlocked governing
bodies. The governing body of the ALA-APA is the ALA-APA
Council, whose members are those individuals concurrently
serving on the ALA Council. Within the policies established
by the ALA-APA Council, the ALA-APA is managed by the
Board of Directors, whose members are those individuals
concurrently serving on the ALA Executive Board. The
ALA-APA Bylaws are available at: www.ala-apa.org/bylaws_devancomp.pdf.
The ALA-APA provides services to librarians and other
library workers in two primary areas:
- Certification of individuals in specializations
beyond the initial professional degree (see www.ala-apa.org/certtf.html)
- Direct support of comparable worth and pay equity
initiatives, and other activities designed to improve
the salaries and status of librarians and other library
workers (see www.ala-apa.org/links.html)
For additional information about the ALA-APA, contact
the ALA-APA Director, Jenifer Grady, 800/545-2433, x2424.
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