ALA Library launches Web tools to access professional information

Contact: Karen Muller
ALA Librarian
312-280-5031
For Immediate Release
December 5, 2006

ALA Library launches Web tools to access professional information

(CHICAGO) The Library of the American Library Association (ALA) today announced the launch of two new Web tools to aid ALA members, librarians and library workers in accessing professional information online.

The “Librarian’s E-Library” (http://www.ala.org/librariantools) uses tools from Google Co-Op to create a customized search engine. Librarian’s E-Library searches over 125 key information-rich web sites with the information library workers need to do their jobs better.

The ALA “Professional Tips” wiki (http://wikis.ala.org/professionaltips/) provides a pathfinder to using the rich resources of ALA’s Web site; compiles the ALA Library’s responses to questions received from the field; and, perhaps most importantly, enables the library community to share new resources for advancing the practice of librarianship. The wiki already includes three main areas: a categorized set of articles on topics in librarianship, an ALA history timeline, and a Q & A area with links to longer articles.

Both Web tools are open to registered collaborators and are managed by ALA Library staff. To participate in the wiki, register by clicking the “log in/create account” button in the upper corner and follow the screen prompts. To contribute to the Librarian’s E-Library, click the “volunteer to contribute to the search engine” link, sign in with a Google account, and follow the prompts.

The "Librarian's E-Library" and wiki join the ALA Library fact sheets and ALA FAQ as ready-to-use resources for ALA members and others.

The mission of the ALA Library (www.ala.org/library) is to help the staff of the American Library Association serve ALA members, and thereafter, the needs of the members of ALA, other libraries, and members of the public seeking information on librarianship. The ALA Library is a small special library with a collection that focuses exclusively on the history of and issues within libraries and librarianship. The library responds to roughly 800 inquiries each month.