Volunteer to Serve on ALA, Council, and Joint Committees

Want to earn valuable experience serving on an ALA committee for the 2022-2024 term? The deadline is fast approaching. Read on to find out more!

Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada, American Library Association (ALA) President-Elect, encourages members to lead together for change with her by volunteering to serve on ALA, Council, and Joint committees for the 2022-2024 term (beginning July 1, 2022). Serving on a committee provides members with leadership experience, new networking avenues, and the opportunity to impact specific association and library profession topics.

Members can volunteer via the online committee 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 2022-2024 term, forms must be submitted no later than September 30, 2021.  Any forms received after this date will be considered for the next term (2023-2025).

New this year: a Virtual Volunteer Fair will be held in early September!  The fair will be an opportunity for members to talk with various committee Chairs, Members and Staff Liaisons about the work of each committee.  That date is being finalized and will be announced later this month.  Please watch ALA News, AL Direct, and the Member community in ALA Connect for all updates and more information.

President-Elect Pelayo-Lozada 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 committee appointments will be approved by the ALA Executive Board in January 2022, with notifications sent to appointed individuals throughout Spring 2022.

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

Committees of the Association

• Accreditation
• American Libraries Advisory
• 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 analyzing 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.  You can direct questions about the above ODLOS groups to diversity@ala.org.

Again, to be considered for the 2022-2024 term, volunteer application forms must be submitted no later than September 30, 2021.  Any forms received after this date will be considered for the next term (2023-2025).  For technical assistance or for more information on the committee appointments process, contact Holly Robison, ALA Governance Associate, at hrobison@ala.org.

Finally, at the recent 2021 Annual Conference, ALA Council approved the creation of the new Code of Conduct Committee and the expansion of the Policy Monitoring Committee and the Council Orientation Committee.  ALA is seeking volunteers to begin immediately for these three committees.  If interested, please see this announcement with details on volunteering for these three committees.

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 in your volunteer form].

We look forward to leading together for change with all of you.