Press Releases

Dec 15: ALA President to moderate panel championing library contributions to communities at 2024 LibLearnX

CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) has announced that ALA President Emily Drabinski will host and moderate a distinguished group of library leaders as they explore the contribution of libraries to their communities at the ...

Dec 14: YALSA Announces 2024 Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award finalists

Chicago - The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), selected five books as finalists for the...

Dec 14: YALSA Announces 2024 William C. Morris finalists

CHICAGO – The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), selected five books as finalists for the 2024 William C. Morris Award, which honors the year’s best books written for young adults by a previously unpublished author. YALSA will...

Dec 13: Nominate yourself, colleagues, or your library for the 2024 American Library Association (ALA) Recognition Awards and Grants

CHICAGO — Nominate yourself, colleagues, or your library for the 2024 American Library Association (ALA) Recognition Awards and Grants.  Unless otherwise noted, the deadlines are February 1, 2024. 

For general information about these and other ALA awards, visit...

Dec 13: Joseph W. Lippincott Award Accepting Nominations

The American Library Association is accepting nominations for the Joseph W. Lippincott Award.  This award recognizes a librarian for he/she/they distinguished service to the profession of librarianship.  The service may include outstanding participation in the...

Dec 13: Unlock a Year of Adventures with PLA’s 2024 Early Literacy Calendar

CHICAGO — The Public Library Association (PLA) has released the 2024 Early Literacy Calendar, an innovative resource designed to ignite the joy of reading, writing, singing, talking, playing, and counting in young minds. This vibrant and interactive calendar is now available for download in both...

Dec 13: A complete guide to scholarly communication and publishing academic research

CHICAGO — Published by Facet Publishing and available through the ALA Store, “The Scholarly Communication Handbook: From Research Dissemination to Societal Impact” is guided by the question "Where to publish?" Author Lai Ma explores...

Dec 12: RUSA Virtual Forum- Reference Revolution: AI + More

CHICAGO—The Annual Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) Virtual Forum is scheduled for March 5 & 7, 2024. We're excited to be in our 3rd successful year of offering an economical, virtual venue to learn about reference and user services.

The Forum Theme is: ...

Dec 07: Emmy-nominated and bestselling author and activist George M. Johnson to Present at 2024 LibLearnX

CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) has announced that Emmy-nominated and bestselling author and activist George M. Johnson will be an Author Speaker at the 2024 LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience (LLX) in...

Dec 06: New ALA Report Maps Increasingly Complex Digital Public Library Ecosystem

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With a 34 percent increase in digital book borrowing since 2019, the size and scope of the digital content ecosystem for public libraries and patrons have made transparency more important than ever,...

Dec 04: Intellectual Freedom Round Table Seeks Nominations for the Eli M. Oboler Award

CHICAGO — The Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) is seeking journal article nominations for the 2024 Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award.

The award winner will be announced in the spring of 2024. A certificate of recognition and $500 cash award will be presented at the 2024 American...

Dec 04: Nominations Open for 2024 IFRT Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award

CHICAGO — The Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) Coalition Building Committee is accepting nominations for the 2024 Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award.

The Gerald Hodges Award recognizes an intellectual freedom-focused organization that has developed a strong...

Dec 01: ALSC selects Kristin Tarnas as 2024 Emerging Leader

CHICAGO — The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced Kristin Tarnas of the Hawai’i Preparatory Academy, in Waimea, Hawai’i, as its representative in the 2024 Emerging Leaders program. 

Kristin Tarnas is a...

Dec 01: COA announces 2023 ALA Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies

The American Library Association Committee on Accreditation (CoA) of the American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce that the 2023 ALA Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies have been passed by the Council of the American Library...

Dec 01: ALA invites applications for fifth annual Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant

CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) invites library workers to apply for the Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant (LTCEG), an annual award supporting innovative and meaningful community engagement...

Dec 01: Libraries Invited to Apply for Civic Education Programming Support With the Fourth Annual Peggy Barber Tribute Grant

CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) invites library workers to apply for the fourth annual Peggy Barber Tribute Grant, a programming grant named after the transformative...

Dec 01: Choice announces the Outstanding Academic Titles of 2023

MIDDLETOWN, CT — The Choice Outstanding Academic Titles (OAT) list for 2023 has been announced. This prestigious list, released today, reflects the best scholarly titles reviewed by Choice during the previous calendar year, as chosen by the editors. This year’s list features 499 books from 109...

Nov 30: PLA now accepting proposals for How-To Stage at PLA 2024 Conference

CHICAGO — The Public Library Association (PLA) opened a call for proposals for the How-To Stage at the PLA 2024 Conference, to be held April 3–5, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. The How-To Stage, located in the Exhibits...

Nov 30: Author and National Ambassador Meg Medina Selected Honorary Chair of National Library Week 2024

CHICAGO — Award-winning author and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Meg Medina has been selected Honorary Chair of National Library Week, April 7-13, 2024, which celebrates the indispensable role of libraries and library workers in schools and communities.

“I’m thrilled...

Nov 29: Libraries without borders chronicled in Library History Round Table volume

CHICAGO — “Libraries Without Borders: New Directions in Library History,” published by ALA Editions, is a remarkable collection of essays drawn from the Library History Seminar sponsored by the Library...

Nov 28: Gebel receives 2024 Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship

CHICAGO - The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Bechtel Fellowship Committee have awarded the 2024 Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship to Doris Gebel.

The Bechtel Fellowship is designed to allow qualified children’s librarians to spend up...

Nov 28: Artist Shepard Fairey chooses American Library Association for fundraiser 

CHICAGO – Artist Shepard Fairey has chosen the American Library Association for a fundraiser released on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, in connection with Echo, an accessories...

Nov 28: RUSQ Call for Submissions

CHICAGO- The Reference and User Services Association is delighted to announce that its peer-reviewed journal RUSQ, now titled RUSQ: A Journal of Reference and User Experience, will be accepting submissions as of 1/1/2024. 

The scope of the journal includes all aspects of library services...

Nov 28: Cantron M. Quarles Selected as 2024 Lois Ann Gregory-Wood Fellow

The American Library Association has selected Cantron M. Quarles as the 2024 Lois Ann Gregory-Wood (LAGW) Fellow. Quarles will receive a stipend totaling $2,500 to offset the cost of attending the 2024 LibLearnX experience in Baltimore and the ALA 2024 Annual Conference in San Diego.

 ...

Nov 27: ALA Announces the 2024 Class of Emerging Leaders

The American Library Association (ALA) has selected fifty (50) people to participate in its 2024 class of Emerging Leaders (EL). The EL program is designed to enable library staff and information workers to participate in project planning work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into...

Nov 21: PLA announces speakers for 2024 conference, April 3–5

CHICAGO — The Public Library Association (PLA) 2024 Conference will move attendees towards laughter and thoughtful reflection with speakers Dulcé Sloan, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Mary Annaïse Heglar. The PLA 2024 Conference, taking place April 3–5, in...

Nov 21: Dr. Brandy McNeil Appointed to Fill Director-At-Large Vacancy on PLA Board

CHICAGO — Last week, the Public Library Association (PLA) Board of Directors appointed Dr. Brandy McNeil to the Director-at-Large position in her return to the PLA board. Dr. McNeil will complete the 2023-2024 term of Candice Mack, who vacated the position effective November 10, 2023,...