ALA - APA Information Session

ALA-APA (American Library Association - Allied Professional Association) is a relatively unknown, but important organization. It is a non-profit organization (501C6) that was established to"provide a voice and platform to advocate for improving library employee status and salaries." It is a legally separate organization from ALA. Its focus is on two areas that cannot be undertaken to a "substantial" extent by ALA under current IRS regulations: (1) certification of individuals in specializations beyond the initial professional degree and (2) activities primarily designed to improve ths salaries and status of librarians and otaher library workers. Although ALA and ALA-APA are legally separate organizations, to prevent conflict between the two organizations, they are tied together by full interlocked governing bodies. So in addition to the ALA Council responsibilities, a councilor also serves on the ALA-APA governing body.