IFRT Members Community (Open)

To all IFRT members interested in serving on ALA's committees, Council, and other member groups:

A gentle reminder that this Friday, September 30 is the deadline for completing a volunteer application to serve on ALA Committees and other bodies for the 2023-2025 term.   The message from ALA President-Elect Emily Drabinski is included below:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Emily Drabinski, American Library Association (ALA) President-elect, calls on members to volunteer to serve on ALA, Council, and Joint committees for the 2023-2025 term (beginning July 1, 2023). Serving with colleagues on committees is an opportunity to shape the future of ALA and the important work the association does on behalf of libraries and library workers everywhere. Join us!

Members can volunteer via the online ALA volunteer form. To volunteer, please complete and submit the form electronically (be sure to select "ALA" in the drop-down menu on the main form).  To be considered for the 2023-2025 term, forms must be submitted no later than September 30, 2022.  Any forms received after this date will be considered for the next term (2024-2026).

President-Elect Drabinski will make committee appointments in consultation with both the Committee on Appointments (for ALA and Joint committee appointments) and the Committee on Committees (for Council committee appointments). Initial proposed committee appointments will be approved by the ALA Executive Board in January 2023, with notifications sent to appointed individuals throughout Spring 2023.

Volunteers are sought for the following ALA, Council, and Joint committees:

Committees of the Association

• Accreditation
• American LibrariesAdvisory
• Awards
• Chapter Relations
• Code of Conduct
• Conference
• Constitution & Bylaws
• Diversity, Literacy & Outreach Services Advisory(Office for)
• Election
• Human Resource Development & Recruitment Advisory(Office for)
• Information Technology Advisory
• Information Technology Policy Advisory(Office for)
• Literacy
• Membership
• Public & Cultural Programs Advisory
• Research & Statistics
• Rural, Native & Tribal Libraries of All Kinds
• Scholarship & Study Grants
• Training, Orientation & Leadership Development

Committees of Council

• Budget Analysis & Review Committee
• Committee on Diversity
• Committee on Education
• Committee on Legislation
• Committee on Library Advocacy
• Committee on Organization
• Committee on Professional Ethics
• Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship
• Council Orientation Committee
• Intellectual Freedom Committee
• International Relations Committee
• Policy Monitoring Committee
• Public Awareness Committee
• Publishing Committee
• Resolutions Committee
• Sustainability Committee

Joint Committees

• ALA-Children's Book Council Joint Committee

The charge and composition of each committee can be found here.

Using the ALA volunteer form, you may also volunteer to serve on four subcommittees or related groups of the Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS) Advisory Committee:

• The Diversity Research Grant Advisory Committee(seeking individuals with experience conducting a research project, including writing research proposals, budgets, conducting and analysing research)
• Spectrum Advisory Committee(60% of the committee members should be alumni of the Spectrum Scholarship Program)
• Services to Refugees, Immigrants, and Displaced Persons (SRIDP) Sub-Committee(supports and promotes ALA, libraries and communities to ensure that libraries provide the best possible services to support refugees, immigrants and displaced persons)
• EDI Assembly(provides a forum for all individuals and groups within ALA and ALA-affiliated organizations working on initiatives related to equity, diversity, and inclusion to discuss their activities, identify opportunities for collaboration and coordination, and explore new initiatives related to the association's strategic direction for equity, diversity, and inclusion)

Please note that appointment dates and process for ODLOS groups may vary, and the ALA President-elect does not appoint these members.  You can direct questions about the above ODLOS groups to diversity@ala.org.

Again, to be considered for the 2023-2025 term for ALA, Council and Join Committees, volunteer application forms must be submitted no later than September 30, 2022.  Any forms received after this date will be considered for the next term (2024-2026).  For technical assistance or for more information on the committee appointments process, contact Holly Robison, ALA Governance Associate, at hrobison@ala.org.

Throughout the year, opportunities to join newly formed committees, working groups, and task forces may occur. Please watch ALA News, AL Direct, and the Member community in ALA Connect for notifications of these opportunities as they arise [or indicate your interest in ongoing consideration on your volunteer form.]

As a member-driven organization, ALA is shaped by the service and engagement of member volunteers. We are grateful for the dedication of the membership and hope you will consider participating in the important work of the 2023-2025 ALA committees.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

------------------------------
Deborah Caldwell-Stone
Director, Office for Intellectual Freedom
American Library Association
dstone@ala.org
------------------------------