The Libraries Serving Special Populations Section is charged to improve the quality of library service for people with special needs, including people who have vision, mobility, hearing, and developmental differences, people who are elderly, people in prisons, health care facilities, and other types of institutions; to improve library service for families and professionals working with these people; to foster awareness of these populations and their needs in the library community and among the general public. To carry out this charge, the Section will provide forums, membership activity groups, and discussion groups to stimulate activities, to discuss issues, and to exchange ideas concerning quality library services for these special populations. The forums will assist libraries in initiating and improving these services, foster library programming, serve as a liaison with other agencies concerned with these populations, encourage instruction in library schools regarding these populations and services, serve as a clearinghouse for ideas and resources, develop standards of service, monitor legislation affecting library services for these populations, and encourage their participation in librarianship, and in ALA.
Forums include Library Service to People with Visual or Physical Disabilities, Library Service to People Who Are Hard of Hearing or Deaf Forum, Library Service to the Impaired Elderly, and Library Services to Prisoners Forum. Discussion group is Academic Libraries Accessibility and Disability Services Discussion Group.
- Library Service to Adults with Special Needs Forum
- Library Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Forum
- Library Services to Individuals with Physical, Learning, Social, Cognitive and Health Disabilities Forum
- Library Service to People with Visual or Physical Disabilities Forum
- Library Services to Prisoners Forum
Committees
The Francis Joseph Campbell Award Committee is charged to select a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of library service for the blind and physically handicapped to receive the Francis Joseph Campbell citation and medal, in cooperation with the ASCLA Awards Committee.Use this link to view up-to-date contact information on the Francis Joseph Campbell Award Committee. This information is password protected for ALA members only. You will need to log in with your ALA membership ID number (or e-mail address) and password to access roster information. If you don't know, or haven't received, your password, use the following page to retrieve it.
The Century Scholarship Committee is charged to provide up to $2,500 worth of scholarship money to fund services or accommodations for a library school student or students with disabilities admitted to an ALA-accredited library school. The scholarship(s) will fund services or accommodations that are not provided by law or otherwise by the university that will enable the student or students to successfully complete the course of study for a Master's or Doctorate in Library Science and become a library or information studies professional.
Applicants must provide medical documentation of their disability or disabilities, services, or accommodations and/or services the applicant would need for their studies, demonstrate the need for financial assistance and be citizens of the United States or Canada.
Use this link to view up-to-date contact information on the Century Scholarship Committee. This information is password protected for ALA members only. You will need to log in with your ALA membership ID number (or e-mail address) and password to access roster information. If you don't know, or haven't received, your password, use the following page to retrieve it.
Executive Committee
Use this link to view up-to-date contact information on the LSSPS Executive Committee. This information is password protected for ALA members only. You will need to log in with your ALA membership ID number (or e-mail address) and password to access roster information. If you don't know, or haven't received, your password, use the following page to retrieve it.