Office for Human Resource Development & Recruitment (HRDR) History

50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 1-800-545-2433, 4277
Fax: 312-280-3256
E-mail address:
hrdr@ala.org

 

Established in 1973, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Library Personnel Resources (OLPR) was launched to combine ALA staff activities in library education, recruitment, and staff welfare to assist librarians and libraries in areas concerned with the rights, interests, and obligations of library personnel.  The Office functioned as a major component within ALA to support areas of librarianship as a profession, including the individual’s career goals; and the provision within library schools and libraries of policies and practices that enable staff to develop professionally.

With the development of Goal 2000, the ALA determined in 1998 that education and continuous learning would be one of its key action areas.  OLPR was one of the vehicles by which ALA intended to concentrate on this goal.  Therefore, OLPR took on the goal as its major focus.  As a result, the office mission statement was changed to incorporate this new focus. In order to more adequately reflect this new mission, and to keep pace with changes occurring in organizational development, the name of the office was changed to the Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR).