Mission
The primary mission of the ALA Library is to assist the staff of the American Library Association in serving the needs of its members, and thereafter, the needs of other libraries, and general public within the scope of its collection. It is a small special library with a collection that focuses primarily on the history of and issues within libraries, and on the professional development of the library workforce, plus material on general and association management.
The ALA Library serves as the repository for publications from ALA and its units, and also serves as the liaison to the ALA Archives to ensure that ALA records are available to historians, library school faculty, students, and ALA staff and members for future research.
Reference and further resources
The Library's staff responds to reference and information requests in accordance with the above mission and collection scope. Correspondents are also encouraged to consult the following resources:
- ALA LibGuides - a collection of databases/resources curated by the ALA, on subjects and research topics related to the library field
- A to Z Index of Topics - pathfinders to help answer questions about librarianship and ALA
The ALA Library and Information Resource Center is a small special library, and is therefore unable to accommodate the following reference and information requests:
- Extensive background research for graduate projects
- Compilation of extensive bibliographies
- Completion of school or work assignments
Contact
- Email: library@ala.org
- Phone: Toll free: 1-800-545-2433 x2153 or 312-280-2153
- Fax: 312-280-3255