The ALA Allied Professional Association is a nonprofit organization chartered in the State of Illinois for the purpose of promoting “the mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers.” The ALA-APA is a companion organization to the American Library Association (ALA), an educational association chartered in the State of Massachusetts to “promote library service and librarianship.”

Establishment of the ALA Allied Professional Association was authorized by the ALA Council in June 2001, to enable the certification of individuals in specializations beyond the initial professional degree. In January 2002, with the approval of preliminary bylaws, the scope of the organization was broadened to include advocacy for the “mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers.”

ALA and ALA-APA are separate, independent legal organizations. They are tied together by fully interlocked governing bodies. The governing body of the ALA-APA is the ALA-APA Council, whose members are those individuals concurrently serving on the ALA Council. Within the policies established by the ALA-APA Council, the ALA-APA is managed by the Board of Directors, whose members are those individuals concurrently serving on the ALA Executive Board. The ALA-APA Bylaws are available at: www.ala-apa.org/bylaws.

The ALA-APA provides services to librarians and other library workers in two primary areas:

• Certification of individuals in specializations beyond the initial professional degree (see www.ala-apa.org/certification/).
• Direct support of comparable worth and pay equity initiatives, and other activities designed to improve the salaries and status of librarians and other library workers (see www.ala-apa.org/salaries/).

For additional information about the ALA-APA, contact the ALA-APA Director, Lorelle R. Swader, 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4278.