HomeALA Library Fact Sheet 29 - Links to Library Web Resources

Links to Library Web Resources

ALA Library Fact Sheet 29

The following web sites were selected because they provide valuable information about libraries and librarianship.

• AASL (American Association of School Librarians) Affiliate Assembly - Directory of State and Regional Affiliate Organizations
  

  List of links to the web sites of state and regional school library media associations which are affiliates of the American Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association.

• American Library Association Affiliates
  

  List of links to the web sites for library associations of specific cultural groups or distinct disciplines which are affiliates of the American Library Association, which includes but is not limited to: the American Association of Law Librarians (AALL), the American Indian Library Association (AILA), the Assocation for Library & Information Science Education (ALISE), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), the Friends of Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA), and the Medical Library Association (MLA).

• American Library Association Chapter Web Site Directory
  

  List of links to the web sites of state and regional library associations which are chapters of the American Library Association.

• American Library Association Statistics About Libraries
  

  List of links naming online resources and print publications with research, surveys, and statistics on various types of libraries, especially public, academic, and school libraries.

• Copyright Office
  

  Web site of the United States Copyright Office, which operates out of the Library of Congress. For a better understanding of what copyright is and what it protects, read both Copyright Basics and the Copyright Office FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).

• COSLA - Chief Officers of State Library Agencies
  

  Web site of the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), an independent organization of the chief officers of state and territorial agencies designated as the state library administrative agency and responsible for statewide library development. Its membership consists solely of these top library officers of the states and territories, variously designated as state librarian, director, commissioner or executive secretary. Includes profiles on each member, links to state resources, and links to library statistical and research information. Also see the latest report on state library agencies compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education (more on this group below).

• IFLA - International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
  

  Web site of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), an association of individuals and groups which make up the international library community from nearly 150 countries. For more information, read About IFLA and see the page outlining their activities & services, which includes a list of IFLA's Core Activities, Divisions, Sections, Round Tables, Discussion Groups, Working Groups, Resource Centres, and IFLANET Mailing Lists. Also see IFLA's National Libraries of the World: Address List and Library Associations Around the World, a project of the IFLA Management of Library Associations Section, coordinated by the International Relations Office of the American Library Association.

• IMLS - Institute of Museum and Library Services
  

  Web site of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the federal agency created under the Museum and Library Services Act of 1996. IMLS responsibilities include fostering partnerships between libraries and museums and also providing support, including monetary grants, for all kinds of libraries, including public, school, and academic. Read the IMLS About Us for more information.

• LII - Librarians' Index to the Internet
  

  Provides a well-organized point of access for reliable, trustworthy, librarian-selected Internet resources, with quick links to general reference materials as well as library professional information.

• Library of Congress
  

  Web Site of the Library of Congress, the national library of the United States. Read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) to find out about the library's holdings, access and services to the public, and current special projects. The Library of Congress has compiled the Virtual Reference Shelf and Alcove 9: An Annotated List of Reference Websites.

• Library-Oriented Lists & Electronic Serials
  

  Index of publications on the internet and e-mail mailing lists which discuss various issues within the library community.

• NCES - National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
  

  Web site of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a program within the United States Department of Education. NCES collects and publishes statistical data on various educational entities, including libraries; see the Library Statistics Program and read a brief description of the "First Look" (new name) / "E.D. TAB" (former name) designation. Read About NCES and access their most current reports on public libraries, academic libraries, and school libraries. NOTE: Some school library statistics were collected (and are more current) in the Status of Public and Private School Library Media Centers in the United States: 1999–2000, which is made up of findings from the Schools and Staffing Survey, 1999-2000: Overview of the Data for Public, Private, Public Charter, and Bureau of Indian Affairs Elementary and Secondary Schools.

• NCLIS - National Commission on Libraries and Information Science
  

  Web site of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS), the federal agency set up under the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Act. For more information, read the NCLIS Mission. To access NCLIS national surveys, including those on U.S. public libraries and the Internet, see Statistics and Surveys. Also, see the brief 1995-96 commemorative report, NCLIS at 25, to learn about both the past accomplishments and present goals of NCLIS.

• NISO - National Information Standards Organization
  

  Web site of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), a non-profit association accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which identifies, develops, maintains, and publishes technical standards to manage information in our changing and ever-more digital environment. NISO Standards are available as Adobe Reader PDF documents. For fastest assistance, see the Standards Quicklist.

• OCLC - Online Computer Library Center
  

  Web site of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world's information and reducing information costs. Read About OCLC for more information on OCLC products and services and read about OCLC Research projects, including the OCLC Top 1000, a list of the top 1000 titles owned by member libraries.

• Schools and Libraries Program/E-Rate Application Information
  

  Web site of the Schools and Libraries Program, part of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), which was set up under the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Read the Overview of the Schools and Libraries Program to learn about its central role in providing the "E-Rate" discount for internet access to schools and libraries across the country, espcially those in lower income rural and inner-city areas. Also see the Reference Area - Reference Topics for further assistance and clarification.

• Special Library Association
  

  Web site of the Special Libraries Association (SLA). This organization focuses on the needs of librarians in non-traditional settings, such as corporations, associations, and other institutions requiring information professionals. For more information, see Inside SLA as well as SLA's About Information Professionals.

• State Library Web Sites
  

  List of links to the web sites of all fifty state libraries in the United States. This list is compiled and updated by the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The Library of Congress discontinued its own list of state library web sites and now re-directs visitors to the State Libraries & Archives list maintained at the PublicLibraries.com web site.

• WebJunction
  

  An online community where library staff meet to share ideas, solve problems, and take online courses. The main sections of the site are Policies and Practices, Technology Resources, Buying and Funding, Services to Libraries, the Learning Center, and the Community Center. Also, WebJunction now hosts (and has archived) the library e-mail discussion lists ILL-L, PubLib, Web4Lib, and XML4Lib, and also now hosts Current Cites, the information technology literature bibliography e-mail newsletter and LibWeb, an online international index of over 7,500 library web sites from more than 135 countries.

December 2006

For more information on this or other fact sheets, contact the ALA Library Reference Desk by telephone: 800-545-2433, extension 2153; fax: 312-280-3255; e-mail: library@ala.org; or regular mail: ALA Library, American Library Association, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611-2795.