Volunteer to Serve on ALA, Council, and Joint Committees for 2021-2023

Patty Wong, American Library Association (ALA) President-Elect, encourages members to volunteer to serve on ALA, Council, and Joint committees for the 2021-2023 term (beginning July 1, 2021). Serving on a committee provides members with leadership training, networking opportunities, and experience in working on specific association topics.

Members can volunteer via online committee volunteer form (http://www.ala.org/aboutala/committees/volunteer/frm_vol). To volunteer, please complete and submit the form electronically (be sure to select "ALA" in the drop-down menu on the main form). To be considered for the 2021-2023 term, forms must be submitted no later than September 30, 2020. Any forms received after this date will be considered for the next term (2022-2024).

President-Elect Wong will make committee appointments in consultation with both the Committee on Appointments (responsible for ALA and Joint committee appointments) and the Committee on Committees (responsible for Council committee appointments). Initial committee appointments will be completed by the Midwinter Meeting 2021, with notifications sent to appointed individuals throughout Spring 2021.

Volunteers are sought for the following ALA, Council, and Joint committees:

Committees of the Association

• Accreditation
• American Libraries Advisory
• Awards
• Chapter Relations
• Conference
• Constitution & Bylaws
• Diversity, Literacy & Outreach Services Advisory (Office for)
• Election
• Human Resource Development & Recruitment Advisory (Office for)
• Information Technology Advisory
• Information Technology Policy Advisory (Office for)
• Literacy
• Membership
• Membership Meetings
• Public & Cultural Programs Advisory
• Research & Statistics
• Rural, Native & Tribal Libraries of All Kinds
• Scholarship & Study Grants
• Training, Orientation & Leadership Development

Committees of Council

• Budget Analysis & Review Committee
• Committee on Diversity
• Committee on Education
• Committee on Legislation
• Committee on Library Advocacy
• Committee on Organization
• Committee on Professional Ethics
• Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship
• Council Orientation Committee
• Intellectual Freedom Committee
• International Relations Committee
• Policy Monitoring Committee
• Public Awareness Committee
• Publishing Committee
• Resolutions Committee

Joint Committees

• ALA-Children's Book Council Joint Committee

The charge and composition of each committee can be found here.

In addition to ALA, Council, and Joint committees, using the ALA volunteer form, you may also volunteer to serve on three subcommittees or related groups of the Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS) Advisory Committee:

• The Diversity Research Grant Advisory Committee (seeking individuals with experience conducting a research project, including writing research proposals, budgets, conducting and analyzing research)
• Spectrum Advisory Committee (60% of the committee members should be alumni of the Spectrum Scholarship Program)
• Services to Refugees, Immigrants, and Displaced Persons (SRIDP) Sub-Committee (supports and promotes ALA, libraries and communities to ensure that libraries provide the best possible services to support refugees, immigrants and displaced persons)
• EDI Assembly (provide a forum for all groups within ALA and ALA-affiliated organizations working on initiatives related to equity, diversity, and inclusion to discuss their activities, identify opportunities for collaboration and coordination, and explore new initiatives related to the association’s strategic direction for equity, diversity, and inclusion)

Please direct questions about the about the above ODLOS groups to Kristin Lahurd (klahurd@ala.org).

Again, to be considered for the 2021-2023 term, volunteer application forms must be submitted no later than September 30, 2020. Any forms received after this date will be considered for the next term (2022-2024). Volunteers can submit for no more than three committees. As a reminder, ALA Policy notes that individuals should serve in no more than three separate positions. Governing board, committee, liaison, subcommittee, and other responsibilities which require service in another position (e.g., service on a committee which entails assembly representation) are not in conflict with this policy.

For technical assistance or for more information on the committee appointments process, contact Holly Robison, ALA Governance Associate, at hrobison@ala.org.