Pennsylvania Library Association
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA) is the professional association for librarian
s in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
. It represents about 2,000 members affiliated with public
, academic
, special
, and school libraries
throughout the state, and was founded in 1901.
Located in Harrisburg, PaLA represents the interests of the profession to the Legislature and others in state government. It has programs providing opportunities for professional growth, leadership development, and continuing education for librarians. It makes annual awards to honor noteworthy librarians and library supporters. Small grants and scholarships are available for worthy recipients.
The association is governed by a 14-member board, and has a three-member staff. The membership consists of qualified persons in the personal, institutional, and commercial categories.
PaLA is organized into eight regional chapters, the better to promote librianship and library service on a focused geographical basis. Each member is assigned membership in a chapter based on the county in which his or her library is located of, if the member is retired, on the county in which they live.
Committees and special interest groups include Buildings & Equipment; Electronic Resources; Library Administration and Management; Library Instruction; Technical Services; Archives; Awards; Intellectual Freedom; Legislative Information; Membership; Nominations & Elections; Organization & Bylaws; Public Relations; and Scholarship.
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
s in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It represents about 2,000 members affiliated with public
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
, academic
Academic library
An academic library is a library that is attached to academic institutions above the secondary level, serving the teaching and research needs of students and staff...
, special
Special library
A special library is a term for a library that is neither an academic, school, public or national library. Special libraries include law libraries, news libraries, corporate libraries, museum libraries, and medical libraries and are not usually open to the public for use...
, and school libraries
School library
A school library is a library within a school where students, staff, and often, parents of a public or private school have access to a variety of resources...
throughout the state, and was founded in 1901.
Located in Harrisburg, PaLA represents the interests of the profession to the Legislature and others in state government. It has programs providing opportunities for professional growth, leadership development, and continuing education for librarians. It makes annual awards to honor noteworthy librarians and library supporters. Small grants and scholarships are available for worthy recipients.
The association is governed by a 14-member board, and has a three-member staff. The membership consists of qualified persons in the personal, institutional, and commercial categories.
PaLA is organized into eight regional chapters, the better to promote librianship and library service on a focused geographical basis. Each member is assigned membership in a chapter based on the county in which his or her library is located of, if the member is retired, on the county in which they live.
Committees and special interest groups include Buildings & Equipment; Electronic Resources; Library Administration and Management; Library Instruction; Technical Services; Archives; Awards; Intellectual Freedom; Legislative Information; Membership; Nominations & Elections; Organization & Bylaws; Public Relations; and Scholarship.