Abbreviation | OLA |
---|---|
Formation | 1907 |
Type | Non-profit |
Purpose | "To strengthen the quality of libraries, library services and librarianship in Oklahoma." [1] |
Dana Belcher | |
Website | OLA Website |
The Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) is a non-profit organization that promotes libraries and library services and provides professional development for library personnel in the state of Oklahoma. OLA is a chapter of both the American Library Association and the Mountain Plains Library Association. [2] OLA hosts workshops throughout the year and holds an Annual Conference. [3] OLA is the official sponsor of the Sequoyah Book Award, the third oldest U.S. state children's choice award. [4]
OLA was formed on May 16, 1907 by a small group of librarians from the University of Oklahoma and nearby normal schools as well as public libraries. The meeting was hosted by the now-defunct Carnegie Library in downtown Oklahoma City. [5] These librarians were interested in forming a statewide library association to ensure the "statewide extension of tax-supported library service" and "to explore a more economical way of transporting...books." [6]
OLA has sponsored the Read Y'all celebrity poster literacy campaign and the Mildred Laughlin Festival of Books. [7] [8] [9] OLA used to publish a newsletter called Oklahoma Librarian, which ceased in 2018. [10]
Nancy Pearl is an American librarian, best-selling author, literary critic and the former Executive Director of the Washington Center for the Book at Seattle Public Library. Her prolific reading and her knowledge of books and literature first made her locally famous in Seattle, Washington, where she regularly appears on public radio recommending books. She achieved broader fame with Book Lust, her 2003 guide to good reading. Pearl was named 2011 Librarian of the Year by Library Journal. She is also the author of a novel and a memoir.
The Ontario Library Association (OLA) was established in 1900 and is the oldest continually operating library association in Canada. With 5,000 members, OLA is also the largest library association in Canada and among the 10 largest library associations in North America.
The Sequoyah Book Award is a set of three annual awards for books selected by vote of Oklahoma students in elementary, middle, and high schools. The award program is named after Sequoyah, the Cherokee man who developed the Cherokee syllabary—a writing system adopted by Cherokee Nation in 1825. The awards are sponsored by the Oklahoma Library Association and administered by a committee of OLA members. Every year, three teams representing each award read and select books to be included on the master lists, which are then provided to Oklahoma schools for students to read and vote on. The winners are announced early spring of each year, and the winning authors are invited to the Association's annual conference to receive their awards and meet with students. The Sequoyah Children's Book Award, now voted by children in grades 3 to 5, was inaugurated in 1959. It is the third oldest U.S. state children's choice award after the original Kansas award and Vermont award. The Sequoyah Intermediate Book Award is voted by grades 6 to 8. It dates from 1988 where it was originally named the Young Adult award. Finally in 2010, the Sequoyah High School Book Award was added to the program. The Sequoyah Committee also selects the Donna Norvell Award; The Donna Norvell Book Award was established in 2005 by the Oklahoma Library Association and is given annually, with the first award given in 2006. The Donna Norvell Book Award honors a book that has made a significant contribution to the field of literature for children through second grade.
The National Book Festival is an annual literary festival held in Washington, D.C. in the United States; it is organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress, and was founded by Laura Bush and James H. Billington in 2001.
The Vermont Golden Dome Book Award annually recognizes one new American children's book selected by the vote of Vermont schoolchildren. It was inaugurated in 1957.
The Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival is an annual book festival that was founded in 1968 and is sponsored by The University of Southern Mississippi.
The Children's Literature Lecture Award is an annual event sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association. The organization counts selection as the lecturer among its "Book & Media Awards", for selection recognizes a career contribution to children's literature. At the same time, the lecturer "shall prepare a paper considered to be a significant contribution to the field of children's literature", to be delivered as the Children's Literature Lecture and to be published in the ALSC journal Children & Libraries.
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 Mildred L. Batchelder Award, or Batchelder Award, is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the publisher of the year's "most outstanding" children's book translated into English and published in the U.S.
The White Pine Award is one of the annual literature Forest of Reading awards sponsored by the Ontario Library Association (OLA).
Hannah Diggs Atkins was the member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives for the 97th district from 1968 to 1980, and the first African-American woman elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. She was later appointed to the simultaneous positions of Secretary of State of Oklahoma and Secretary of Social Services, establishing her as the highest ranked female in Oklahoma state government until she retired in 1991.
Mary Jane Alexander is an American writer and photographer, playwright, poet, and lyricist who documents people and places of the American West, with an emphasis on infants, centenarians and American Indian culture. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2019.
The Forest of Reading is Canada's largest recreational reading program, featuring ten award programs and run by the Ontario Library Association (OLA). Programs are primarily geared towards French and English readers in kindergarten to grade twelve, but do also include programs targeting adult readers and ESL learners. The Forest awards are selected by readers themselves, who choose the winning titles for each award by voting for their favourite books.
Rob Standridge is an American business owner and politician currently representing District 15 in the Oklahoma Senate since his election in 2012.
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.
Edmon Low was the head librarian of the Oklahoma State University Library from 1940–1967. His service in this position is the longest to date. During his time at Oklahoma State, Low was strongly involved with the construction of the present Edmon Low Library building, the main library of the Oklahoma State University System, named after his contributions to the university. Low was instrumental in having the library staff elevated to faculty status at OSU. One of Low's more notable contributions to the library system was his development of the open stack approach in library service.
Pat Woodrum is the former executive director of the Tulsa City-County Library System, a position she served in for 32 years. Since retiring from the library system in 2008, Woodrum has served as the executive director of the Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden in Tulsa. Among numerous awards, Woodrum was inducted in the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993.
The Missoula Public Library is the public library of Missoula, Montana. The library provides free resources for residents and guests of Missoula County, Montana. A library card is free, and available, to all Montana residents.
Jeanetta Calhoun Mish is an American poet and served as Oklahoma's twenty-first poet laureate.
The Poetry Society of Oklahoma (PSO) is a non-profit state-level poetry association in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The organization is affiliated with the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS), and promotes poetry, conducts monthly and annual contests, publishes poetry books and organizes periodic meetings, workshops and festivals.