If you need financial help to get through your graduate program, you should know that scholarship funds are now available. The American Library Association (ALA) has more than $300,000 available to students who are studying in library science or school library media programs at the master's degree level. Get your application in early. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2024.

The American Library Association is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the 2024 Jason Reynolds / Simon & Schuster Travel Grant.

The grant will cover the expenses of five (5) Black/African American youth or teen services librarians or school librarians/media specialists who work in either public or school libraries. 

CHICAGO - In response to the recent threats of violence to Chicago-area public libraries, the American Library Association (ALA) Executive Board released the following statement:

The American Library Association (ALA) vehemently condemns the violence, threats of violence and other acts of intimidation that are increasingly taking place in America’s libraries, including the recent bomb threats to Chicago-area public libraries, putting the lives of our communities, families, and library workers in danger.

CHICAGO —Branding isn't just for celebrities and corporations. Published by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and ALA Editions, “Elevating the School Library: Building Positive Perceptions through Brand Behavior” by Susan D. Ballard and Sara Kelly Johns shows how school librarians can raise and deepen positive perceptions of school libraries through developing a brand in alignment with the AASL Standards.

The American Library Association Publishing Committee provides a grant of up to $5,000 for the preparation of print or electronic reading lists, indexes, or other guides to library resources that promote reading or the use of library resources at any type of library. Funded projects have ranged from “A Resource Guide about Disabilities, Disability Theory, and Assistive Technologies” to “A Bibliography for Queer Teens” to “Graphic Novels & the Humanity of Mental Illness” to “Web Accessibility Resources for Libraries.”

CHICAGO–Core hosts the webinar “Best of Core at ALA Annual Conference: Dialogues in Metadata; Bridging the Gap Between Library and Information Science Education and Metadata in Practice” on September 26, 2023, at 1 p.m. CT.

CHICAGO — Serving as both an accessible introduction for LIS students and a go-to reference for current practitioners, “Foundations of Information Law,” published by ALA Neal-Schuman, is designed to empower readers to understand, rather than be intimidated by, the law. Authors Paul T.

CHICAGO – The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) announces the publication of “Practicing Privacy Literacy in Academic Libraries: Theories, Methods, and Cases,” edited by Sarah Hartman-Caverly and Alexandria Chisholm, which collects practical ways to incorporate privacy literacy into your instruction and practice.

CHICAGO – Acclaimed author, Nic Stone, will keynote the Saturday general session during the 2023 AASL National Conference.  Stone’s appearance is made possible by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House. Full conference information and programming can be found at national.aasl.org.

CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) invites applications from small and rural libraries for the second round of funding of the Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant.

CHICAGO - The Freedom to Read Statement is the best known of ALA's documents supporting the principles of intellectual freedom as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights. The Intellectual Freedom Committee is conducting a review of the document. American Library Association (ALA) members are strongly encouraged to attend one or all of the upcoming listening sessions focused on revising the Freedom to Read statement. 5 listening sessions will be held this fall, focused on specific themes:

Freedom to Read Listening Sessions:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The American Library Association (ALA) applauds the Senate’s confirmation of nominee Anna Gomez to be the fifth commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Gomez's confirmation is a victory in restoring the FCC's full complement of commissioners to advance its work promoting access, competition, innovation and investment in broadband services and facilities for all Americans.  

CHICAGO–Join Core for the webinar “Best of Core at ALA Annual Conference: Sustainable Reparative Description and You” on October 11, 2023, at 1 p.m. CT.

As Core enters its 4th year as an ALA division, we're celebrating our birthday by launching our new Preservation Section!

As with all our sections, Core members can join this one for free at any time. Thank you to those members who gave us feedback about the need to bring together seasoned professionals, new and emerging leaders, and anyone interested in preservation or who has preservation as a secondary responsibility.

CHICAGO – Presented by the Campaign for Our Shared Future (COSF) and sponsored by Sora by OverDrive Education, the Friday General Session during the 2023 AASL National Conference will explore how curriculum censorship can diminish a learner’s access to high-quality, age-appropriate instruction. The session will also share strategies for crafting effective messaging to fight censorship and promote equity in education.

The American Library Association and SAGE are pleased to announce Blair Black of Los Angeles, California as the recipient of the 2023 Peter Lyman Memorial/SAGE Scholarship in New Media.

As a current doctoral student in the University of California, Los Angeles’ ethnomusicology program, Black has focused her research on the preservation and representation of underrepresented communities in electronic dance music archives.

CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) announced today key changes to its leadership team as the new fiscal year begins.

CHICAGO — Twelve new and renovated libraries, and their architects, have been recognized in American Libraries’ 2023 Library Design Showcase, which appears in the magazine’s September/October issue, available online today.

CHICAGO – Acting upon a resolution submitted by the Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME) the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) formally commends the Florida Freedom to Read Project. The project is one of twenty outstanding programs, events, and products recognized in 2023 for their support of the school librarian profession and the learners the profession serves.

Applications are now open for both mentors and mentees for the 2024 cohort of the Core Mentoring Program, which encourages professional development of Core members at any stage in their career in Core's areas of focus. The program aims to support members in expanding their professional skills; develop strong leadership in areas of librarianship covered by Core; provide networking opportunities, and expand members’ professional learning circles.

The American Library Association (ALA) has selected Samantha R. Nunn of Stansbury Park, Utah as the recipient of the 2023 Tony B. Leisner Scholarship.

The $3,000 scholarship, named for an active ALA member and former member of the ALA Council, is awarded to a library support staff member pursuing a master’s degree in library and information studies. The scholarship was established with funds donated by Leisner.

CHICAGO – The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) announces the publication of “Creators in the Academic Library: Instruction and Outreach,” edited by Alexander C. Watkins and Rebecca Zuege Kuglitsch, and “Creators in the Academic Library: Collections and Spaces,” edited by Rebecca Zuege Kuglitsch and Alexander C. Watkins.

CHICAGO – A panel of authors sponsored by We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) will close out the 2023 AASL National Conference taking place October 19-21 in Tampa, Florida. The moderated panel will include bestselling authors Samira Ahmed, Phil Bildner, and Tracey Baptiste and the authors will present concrete ideas for how to respond to censorship attempts in the school library. More information on the conference and closing session can be found at national.aasl.org.

CHICAGO–Core hosts the webinar “Best of Core at ALA Annual Conference: The Marvelous Middle; Finding Ways to Grow and Thrive in Middle Management” on August 30, 2023, at 1 p.m. CT. Do you ever feel stuck in the middle? You might have “manager” in your title, but it has “assistant” before it, and often you can’t actually make decisions. Many people dread middle management. Instead of just surviving being a middle manager, learn how to grow, thrive, and spread influence in your role.

The American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce the selection of Elizabeth L. Black of Northfield, Minnesota as the 2023 Christopher Hoy/ERT Scholarship recipient.

The scholarship was named for a long-time ALA staff member who directed the ALA Conference Services Office for more than 20 years. This scholarship fund was established with donations from Christopher J. Hoy and the Exhibits Round Table (ERT) to honor his memory. The $5,000 scholarship is awarded to a person pursuing a master's degree in library and information studies.