Library science is an enormous field, home to every interest you could imagine! This means that there are many organizations out there for you to join, in order to connect with other people who share your professional interests.
So even if you work alone in your library, there are other people out there doing work similar to yours! Each week we will highlight a different library association for you to learn more about, and depending on your work, potentially join! You can also check out our page dedicated to Library Associations.
This week we’ll take a look at the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA). This association was founded in 1980 and is “organized and founded by librarians of diverse Asian and Pacific ancestries committed to working together toward a common goal: to create an organization that would address the needs of Asian Pacific American librarians and those who serve Asian Pacific American communities.” To learn more about the organization’s history, check out this article.
According to their website, the purpose of APALA is:
- To provide a forum for discussing problems of APA librarians.
- To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas by APA librarians with other librarians.
- To support and encourage library services to APA communities.
- To recruit and mentor APA librarians in the library/information science professions.
- To seek funding for scholarships in library and information science masters programs for APAs.
- To provide a vehicle whereby APA librarians can cooperate with other associations and organizations having similar or allied interests.
APALA gives out several different scholarships and awards each year, including a travel grant, an Emerging Leader Sponsorship, and the Talk Story program. APALA offers a newsletter and archived webinars to members on their site. They also offer a mentoring program.
To learn more about membership to APALA, or to find out ways to get involved, check out their website!