 | |
| Formation | 1980 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit organization |
Region served | United States |
Membership | 600 [1] |
President | Jaena Rae Cabrera [2] |
| Website | apalaweb.org |
The Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), also known as the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, [3] [4] is an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA). It was created to "address the needs of Asian/Pacific American librarians and those who serve Asian/Pacific American communities." [5]
APALA was the successor to the Asian American Librarians Caucus (AALC), a discussion group within the ALA Office for Library Outreach Services. [6] [5] That discussion group was founded at the 1975 ALA Annual Conference, by Janet M. Suzuki, Henry Chang, and Yen-Tsai Feng. [7] [8] [9] It was the first Asian-American library organization that served the pan Asian American librarian community. [4]
APALA itself was established in 1980, was incorporated in 1981, and became part of the ALA in 1982. [6] [5] [10] [11]
The founders of APALA included Lourdes Collantes, Suzine Har Nicolescu, Sharad Karkhanis, Conchita Pineda, Henry Chang, Betty Tsai, and Tamiye Trejo Meehan. [12]
Asian Pacific Americans comprise one of the four ethnic/racial groups that is underrepresented in the library profession as compared to the U.S. population as a whole. [12] As of 1997, APALA had approximately 300 members, of whom 40% were Chinese, 16% were Korean, 14% were East Indian, 10% were Filipino, and the remaining 20% belonged to 13 additional ethnic groups. [1]
In 2006, APALA took part in the first Joint Conference of Librarians of Color, along with the American Indian Library Association, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, the Chinese American Librarians Association, and REFORMA. [13] [14] This conference was the first national conference sponsored and held by those organizations, which are known as the Associations of Ethnic Librarians. [14] [15]
The Joint Council of Librarians of Color (JCLC, Inc.) was founded in June 2015 as an organization “that advocates for and addresses the common needs of the American Library Association ethnic affiliates“; [16] these ethnic affiliates include the APALA, as well as the American Indian Library Association, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, the Chinese American Librarians Association, and REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking. [17] [16] [18] [19]
In 2020, Patty Wong, former APALA President, was elected as the first Asian American president of ALA for 2021-2022. [20] In 2021, Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada, former APALA President, was elected as ALA's first Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander American president for 2022-2023. [21]
APALA publishes a quarterly newsletter and meets annually at ALA conferences. [22] [23] It also provides scholarships to library school students and awards the annual Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature, which honor books by or about Asian Pacific Americans. [24] [23]
Executive Directors of APALA serves three-year terms and as ex officio of the Executive Board. [25] Past and current executive directors of APALA are:
Presidents of APALA serve three-year terms, including one as Vice-President/President Elect and one as Past President. [26] Past and current presidents of APALA are:
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
Bishop Montgomery High School is a Catholic high school serving twenty-five parishes in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. BMHS was founded in 1957, and staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Conventual Franciscans, and lay faculty. The 24-acre (97,000 m2) campus is located in Torrance, California, in southwest Los Angeles County, one mile (1.6 km) from the Pacific Ocean and the Del Amo Mall. The coeducational student body is approximately 900 students in grades 9 through 12, making BMHS the sixth largest private high school in Los Angeles County.
REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, more commonly known as REFORMA, is an affiliate of the American Library Association formed in 1971 to promote library services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking. It is registered in Washington, D.C. as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Arnulfo Duenes Trejo was a writer and Professor of Library Science at the University of Arizona. He was a leader in the movement to increase library collections of Latino literature and Spanish-language materials in the United States. He was also instrumental in efforts to train more Latino and Spanish-speaking people as professional librarians.
Camila Alire is an American librarian and was president of the American Library Association from 2009 to 2010. She was the first Hispanic president of the ALA. She was previously the president of REFORMA, National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking, in 1993-1994.
The American Indian Library Association (AILA) is an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), and is a membership action group that focuses on the library-related needs of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. The organization's members consist of both individuals and institutions that are interested in improving library services to Native American people in any type of library in the United States.
Lucia M. Gonzalez is a children's author and librarian. In 2020 she was elected as president of the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association. She was president of REFORMA in 2010-2011.
Janet Suzuki was a Japanese-American librarian. Feeling that the needs of Asian American librarians were unrepresented and underserved by the American Library Association, she co-founded the Asian American Librarians Caucus (AALC) in 1975, with Henry Chang and Yen-Tsai Feng. The AALC was a discussion group within the ALA Office for Library Outreach Services, and was the first Asian-American library organization that served the pan Asian American librarian community. It was the predecessor to the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association.
The Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature (APAAL) are a set of literary awards presented annually by the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA). The APALA was formed in 1980 "to create an organization that would address the needs of Asian/Pacific American librarians and those who serve Asian/Pacific American communities." The Association was the successor to the Asian American Librarians Caucus (AALC), a discussion group within the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Library Outreach Services that focused on providing library service to minority communities and on supporting minority librarians. The APALA incorporated in 1981 and became part of the ALA in 1982.
Librarianship and human rights in the U.S. are linked by the philosophy and practice of library and information professionals supporting the rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), particularly the established rights to information, knowledge and free expression.
The Chinese American Librarians Association or CALA, is a library association that supports professional development and research scholarship of CALA members, in the profession of librarianship.
Kathleen de la Peña McCook is a library scholar and librarian. Much of her work centers around human rights, First Amendment issues, and the freedom of information.
The field of library science seeks to provide a diverse working environment in libraries. Ways to change the status quo include diversifying the job field with regards to age, class, disabilities, ethnicity, gender identity, race, sex, and sexual orientation.
The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) is an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA) that focuses on the needs of African-American library professionals by promoting careers in librarianship, funding literacy initiatives, and providing scholarships.
Loida Garcia-Febo is a Puerto Rican American librarian and library consultant. Garcia-Febo served on the Governing Board of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) 2013-2015 and 2015-2017 and she was a member of the executive board of the American Library Association 2015-2020 serving as a board member and president. She was president of the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA) from 2009 to 2010.
Suzine Har Nicolescu was an American librarian who was one of the founders of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA). She served fourteen years as the chief librarian at Medgar Evers College and fought against discrimination in the library profession.
Patricia "Patty" Wong is the city librarian of Santa Clara, California. Wong was the president of the American Library Association (ALA) for the 2021-2022 term and is the first Asian American president of the ALA. She has been on the faculty at the San Jose State University iSchool since 2006, teaching subjects such as equitable access to library services, library management, and library services to young people.
Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada is an American librarian. She is the adult services assistant manager for the Palos Verdes Library District in Southern California. In 2021, Pelayo-Lozada was elected as president of the American Library Association for the 2022-2023 term; she is the youngest person to be elected ALA president as well as the first Pacific Islander.
Sharad Karkhanis (1935–2013) was an Indian American author, educator, and librarian who co-founded and served as the first president of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA).
The American Library Association Equality Award has been given annually by the American Library Association since 1984 in recognition of achievement for outstanding contribution toward promoting equality in the library profession, either by a sustained contribution or a single outstanding accomplishment. The award may be given for an activist or scholarly contribution in such areas as pay equity, affirmative action, legislative work and non-sexist education. The inaugural award was bestowed on Margaret Myers, Director, Office of Library Personnel Resources of the American Library Association in 1984.
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