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| Abbreviation | ILA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1896 |
| Headquarters | 33 W. Grand Ave., Suite 401 Chicago, IL 60654-6799 |
Membership | 3,000 |
| Diane B. Foote | |
| Melissa Gardner | |
Main organ | Executive Board |
Budget | $2.7 million |
Staff | 4 |
| Website | ila.org |
The Illinois Library Association (ILA) is the eighth oldest library association in the world and the third largest state library association in the United States. It is headquartered in Chicago.
The first meeting of what was to become the Illinois Library Association was held November 22–23, 1881. Originally called the Western Library Association (WLA), it met twice, in 1881 and again in 1884, both times in Illinois. William Frederick Poole was its first president and its avowed purpose was to promote cooperative purchasing and cataloging. The WLA ceased to exist in 1885. Ten years later, members of the Chicago Library Club proposed forming a state library association and held a meeting, in Springfield, Illinois to officially launch the Illinois Library Association.
ILA membership is open to any person or organization, though most of its members are primarily librarians, library staff, and trustees. Membership represents all types of libraries in the state—public, academic, school, government, and special libraries.
The association has five full-time staff members and is governed by a sixteen-member executive board, made up of elected officers.
Throughout the year, the Illinois Library Association monitors legislative activity at the state and national level, preparing for both challenges and opportunities. [1] In countering legislation that restricts intellectual freedom, the profession advocates for a future of free and open access to information. [2] The association also maintains legislative counsel in the state capital during the legislative session and works with the state library and other groups to maximize public benefit from available resources. [3]
The Illinois Library Association Reporter is a quarterly publication intended to explore new ideas and practices from all types of libraries and library systems; examine the challenges facing the profession; and inform the library community and its supporters with news and comment about important issues. The Reporter has been in publication since 1983 and it is indexed by EBSCO in Library & Information Science Source. [4]
The Illinois Library Association E-Newsletter is an email newsletter intended to alert and inform the ILA membership about issues and events that are considered significant by the general media. The E-Newsletter is sent free to the ILA membership and subscribers in the general public. [5]
In 2019, the association produced and printed Serving Our Public 4.0: Standards for Illinois Public Libraries. State law requires Illinois public libraries to "provide, as determined by the State Librarian, library services which either meet or show progress toward meeting Illinois library standards, as most recently adopted by the Illinois Library Association." [6]
Illinois Library Laws and Rules in Effect January 2020 is a compilation of all current laws and rules affecting library service in Illinois. New rules governing including regional library system membership, reciprocal borrowing, and state grants that took effect in July 2012 are included plus changes in the ethics statutes. [7]
Since 1982, ILA has developed iREAD, the association's summer reading program, intended to provide high quality, low-cost resources and products that enable library staff to motivate children to read. [8] [9]
In summer 2008, ILA successfully partnered with the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) to create the Summer Reading Club. [10]
ILA sponsors an annual statewide conference each fall, rotating from Chicago, to sites in suburban Chicago, and downstate Illinois. [11]
In spring 2009, the Barack Obama Commemorative License Plate was introduced by the Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles and the Illinois Library Association. The license plate was valid for vehicle use until April 17, 2009, and has now become a popular [12] international [13] collectors' [14] item. [15]
In spring 2007, the Illinois Library Association partnered with MySpace.com [16] to produce the "CyberSafety Bookmark". [17] One million bookmarks were distributed for free [18] to libraries across the country, [19] and were sold for a nominal fee afterward. They are currently sold out, but available for download.
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
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, with 49,727 members as of 2021.
The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the city's 77 Community Areas.
Linda Anne Eastman was an American librarian. She was selected by the American Library Association (ALA) as one of the 100 most important librarians of the 20th century.
The Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) is the Massachusetts, United States professional library association that "advocates for libraries, librarians, and library staff, defends intellectual freedom, and provides a forum for leadership, communication, professional development, and networking to keep libraries vital." MLA publishes standards for library services to Massachusetts children and young adults. MLA sponsors an annual conference, as well as continuing education programs and organizational reports of interest. The current President of MLA is Esme Green, Director of the Goodnow Library in Sudbury.
Judith Fingeret Krug was an American librarian, freedom of speech proponent, and critic of censorship. Krug became director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom at the American Library Association in 1967. In 1969, she joined the Freedom to Read Foundation as its executive director. Krug co-founded Banned Books Week in 1982.
Elonnie J. Josey was an African-American activist and librarian. Josey was the first chair of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, having been instrumental in its formation in 1970; served as president of the American Library Association from 1984 to 1985; and was the author of over 400 books and other publications.
Readers' advisory is a service which involves suggesting fiction and nonfiction titles to a reader through direct or indirect means. This service is a fundamental library service; however, readers' advisory also occurs in commercial contexts such as bookstores. Currently, almost all North American public libraries offer some form of readers' advisory.
The New York Library Association (NYLA) is a group that promotes libraries in New York. It was founded in 1890 and was the first statewide organization of librarians in the United States. One of its founders was Melvil Dewey, who has had a lasting impact on libraries in the United States. The association was granted a provisional charter in 1929 and its Absolute Charter in 1946.
The New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) is a library organization located in Bordentown, New Jersey. It was established in 1890, and is the oldest library organization in the State of New Jersey. The NJLA began in 1890 with 39 members, and currently has over 1,700. The organization states on its website that it "advocates for the advancement of library services for the residents of New Jersey, provides continuing education & networking opportunities for librarians", and "supports the principles of intellectual freedom & promotes access to library materials for all".
The Wisconsin Library Association (WLA), is a Wisconsin, United States non-profit, professional membership organization which has existed since 1891. WLA represents nearly 2000 members statewide --- primarily librarians and library staff from school, public, academic, and special libraries, in addition to students, trustees and library Friends. Because of its broad membership base, WLA is concerned with the needs of all types of libraries in the state. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, WLA is a chapter of the American Library Association.
Carla Diane Hayden is an American librarian who is serving as the 14th librarian of Congress. Since the creation of the office of the librarian of Congress in 1802, Hayden is both the first African American and the first woman to hold this post. Appointed in 2016, she is the first professional librarian to hold the post since 1974.
Public library advocacy is support given to a public library for its financial and philosophical goals or needs. Most often this takes the form of monetary or material donations or campaigning to the institutions which oversee the library. Originally, library advocacy was centered on the library itself, but current trends show libraries positioning themselves to demonstrate they provide "economic value to the community."
Libraries are provided in many prisons. Reading materials are provided in almost all federal and state correctional facilities in the United States. Libraries in federal prisons are controlled by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Department of Justice. State prison libraries are controlled by each state's own department of corrections. Many local jails also provide library services through partnerships with local public libraries and community organizations. These resources may be limited, mostly provided through government sources.
The law of Illinois consists of several levels, including constitutional, statutory, and regulatory law, as well as case law and local law. The Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) form the general statutory law.
The Virginia Library Association(VLA) is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is "to develop, promote, and improve library and information services, library staff, and the profession of librarianship in order to advance literacy and learning and to ensure access to information in the Commonwealth of Virginia." The VLA is divided into six regions. It maintains the VLA Jobline, a list of jobs available in libraries throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Women's National Book Association (WNBA) was established in 1917, as an organization to promote the role of women in the community of the book. This organization includes twelve active chapters in the United States, network members outside regional chapters, and corporate sponsorships. WNBA is a broad-based, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization offering three distinguished national awards and a longstanding history of literary activism.
The North Dakota Library Association (NDLA) is a professional association for librarians, library staff, and library supporters that represent school, public, academic, and special libraries located in North Dakota, United States. "The purpose of this organization is to exercise professional leadership and to promote library services and librarianship." The North Dakota Library Association was formed on January 18, 1906. The association has humble beginnings – at the 1909 conference, there was only 18 members. There are currently over 300 NDLA members.
John W. Berry is an American librarian. Berry served as president of the American Library Association from 2001 to 2002, leading the profession's response to the Children's Internet Protection Act.
Barbara J. Ford is an American librarian who served as president of the American Library Association from 1997 to 1998. She earned a bachelor's degree from Illinois Wesleyan University, a master's degree in International Relations from Tufts University and a master's degree in library science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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