Dear Councilors - please see message below regarding a call for committee volunteers for 2023-2025. This will also be posted to the Member Community in Connect, posted as a member news item and can be shared within your networks. Thank you!
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
Committees of Council
Joint Committees
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.
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Holly Robison
Governance Associate
American Library Association
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