Committees

Committee and task force charges and rosters are included under each committee and task force . To volunteer for an ALA or Council committee, click here.  To volunteer for a division or roundtable committee, please click on the appropriate  divisions or  round tables committee.

COMMITTEES

ALA has standing, special, interdivisional, joint and ad hoc committees.  Standing committees are designated as committees of the Association or committees of Council.  Each division and round table also may create committees and other working groups to carry out the work of the division or round table.

Appointments to committees of the Association are made by the ALA president-elect, who chairs and acts on the advice of the Committee on Appointments.  Committees of the Association include:

   Image   Accreditation 

   Image   American Libraries Advisory

   Image   Appointments

   Image   Awards

   Image   Chapter Relations

   Image   Conference

   Image   Constitution and Bylaws

   Image   Election

   Image   (Office for) Human Resource Development and Recruitment Advisory

   Image   (Office for) Information Technology Policy Advisory

   Image   Literacy

        (Office for) Library Advocay

   Image   (Office for) Literacy and Outreach Services Advisory

   Image   Membership

   Image   Membership Meetings

   Image   Nominating Committee

   Image   Orientation, Training and Leadership Development

   Image   Public and Cultural Programs Advisory

   Image   Research and Statistics

   Image   Round Table Coordinating Assembly

   Image   Rural, Native, and Tribal Libraries of All Kinds

    Image  Scholarships and Study Grants

   Image   Website Advisory

Appointments to committees of Council are made by the Council  Committee on Committees, in cooperation with the ALA president-elect who, as chair of the Committee on Committees, appoints the chairpersons of Council committees. Committees of Council include: 

   Image   Budget Analysis and Review

   Image   Committee on Committees

   Image   Council Orientation

   Image   Diversity

   Image   Education

   Image   Intellectual Freedom

   Image   International Relations

   Image   Legislation

   Image   Organization

   Image   Policy Monitoring

   Image   Professional Ethics

   Image   Public Awareness

   Image   Publishing

   Image   Resolutions

   Image   Status of Women in Librarianship

JOINT COMMITTEES

The following joint committees have been established by Council action in accordance with Bylaws Article VIII, Section 5. Joint committees are of two types: (1) those established between ALA and an outside organization, in which case the ALA Executive Board is the appointing authority (the Board may ask a unit of the Association to name representatives to the joint committee) and (2) those established between a unit of ALA and an outside organization, in which case the appointing authority is the designated unit.

TASK FORCES

A task force is an action-oriented membership group whose charge is to address specific goals, complete a specific task, or to consider a particular issue.  There may be a designated time frame defined by the nature of the task or set forth in the function statement. 

Functions of a task force may include the following:  (1) gathering information and making recommendations; (2) studying an issue and preparing a report; (3) carrying out a specific project or activity; (4) conducting programs at conferences; (5) establishing committees or other subunits.

A task force is used to address critical, urgent, or ongoing situations which require a strong, visible organizational effort and/or activist response.  Any parent body may establish a task force, determine its duration, monitor its progress, and terminate its function. 

Current task forces include:

Task Force on E-Member Participation 

Task Force on the ALA Election Process and Guidelines