Five Ethnic ALA Affiliates Form Joint Council

(Sent by ALA Chapter Relations)

 

The five ethnic affiliates of the American Library Association have collaborated to officially form the Joint Council of Librarians of Color, Inc.(JCLC Inc.), a nonprofit organization that advocates for and addresses the common needs of the ethnic affiliates.

Coming together through JCLC Inc. are the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA), the American Indian Library Association (AILA), the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) and REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking. These five organizations each have a decades-long tradition of promoting the library and information needs of their constituent communities through various endeavors, including providing scholarships for students, awarding grants to libraries for cultural programing, acquiring and donating relevant library materials and advising ALA and other professional organizations of constituent concerns . . .

JCLC Inc.’s official purpose statement is: “To promote librarianship within communities of color, support literacy and the preservation of history and cultural heritage, collaborate on common issues, and to host the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color every four to five years.”

Don Wood
Program Officer
Chapter Relations Office
American Library Association
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611
dwood@ala.org