Section 5: American Library Association (ALA)

The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world, providing information, news, events, and advocacy resources for members, librarians, and library users. The Rhode Island Library Association (RILA) is the state chapter of ALA.

ALA is an invaluable source of information on legislative issues; the ALA Washington Office was established in 1945 to represent libraries on Capitol Hill. Each May, librarians from across the country gather in Washington to learn about legislative issues and meet with their congressional delegations. Members of the LBRI attend this convening annually. RILA tracks library legislative issues at the state level.

ALA has also developed, through its members and committees, a number of statements widely held as the defining principles of librarianship and rights of library users. Standard 2 of the Minimum Standards and Regulations for Rhode Island Public Libraries requires that libraries receiving state funds operate according to relevant ALA ethical and philosophical statements.

The following select statements from ALA capture some of the principles guiding Rhode Island public libraries:

  1. Libraries: An American Value
  2. ALA Library Bill of Rights
  3. ALA Code of Ethics
  4. ALA Freedom to Read
  5. ALA Freedom to View

These and additional select ALA statements on libraries can be found on the OLIS web site as a reference for Standard 2 of the Minimum Standards and Regulations for Rhode Island Public Libraries.

Additional Resources