Reference and User Services Association

ALA unveils shortlist for 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction

CHICAGO –Today, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the six books shortlisted for the esteemed Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, awarded for the previous year’s best fiction and nonfiction books written for adult readers and published in the United States.

Longlist for 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction announced

CHICAGO — A total of 43 books (22 fiction, 21 nonfiction) has been selected for the longlist for the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. The list is now available on the awards’ website. The six-title shortlist—three each for the fiction and nonfiction medals—will be chosen from longlist titles and announced on November 15, 2022.

ALA stands with Ukrainian library community

CHICAGO — The American Library Association and its divisions support our Ukrainian colleagues and will work with the global library community to answer the appeal from the Ukrainian Library Association to provide accurate information as a means to support democracy and freedom of expression.

RUSA to host first-ever Virtual Forum

CHICAGO - The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) will host its first-ever Virtual Forum March 8 and 10. The Forum will offer two nonconsecutive days of programs dedicated to showcasing the work of its section groups and professional best practices for our nation's library workers in reference, user services, adult readers advisory and collection development as well as resource sharing, genealogy and archives, business reference and reference technology. 

'The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu,' 'A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance' receive 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction

CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) selects “The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu,” by Tom Lin, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, as the winner of the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and "A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance," by Hanif Abdurraqib, published by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, as the winner of the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. The selections were announced at the Reference and User Servic

The American Library Association opposes widespread efforts to censor books in U.S. schools and libraries  

CHICAGO - Due to a dramatic uptick in book challenges and outright removal of books from libraries, ALA's Executive Board and the Boards of Directors for all of ALA's eight divisions have released the following joint statement regarding attempts to remove materials that focus on LGBTQIA+ issues and books by Black authors or that document the Black experience or the experiences of other BIPOC individuals:  

Longlist for 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction announced

CHICAGO – A total of 45 books (23 fiction, 22 nonfiction) has been selected for the longlist for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. The list is now available on the awards’ website. The six-title shortlist—three each for the fiction and nonfiction medals—will be chosen from longlist titles and announced on Nov. 8, 2021.

Cynthia Johnson elected as the 2021-22 President-Elect of RUSA

CHICAGO ⎯  Cynthia Johnson has been elected the 2021-22 President-Elect of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA).  Johnson will serve her Presidential term during 2022-23.

“My entire career as a librarian has focused on helping our users figure out how to use our libraries and find the information or materials they need. RUSA is the obvious home for these interests and I look forward to working with everyone in RUSA to continue meeting the organization’s goals.”