Links to Library Web Resources

ALA Library Fact Sheet 29

The following web sites were selected because they provide valuable information about libraries and librarianship.

• AASL (American Association of School Librarians) Affiliate Assembly - Directory of State and Regional Affiliate Organizations

  List of links to the web sites of state and regional school library media associations which are affiliates of the American Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association.

• American Library Association Affiliates

  List of links to the web sites for library associations of specific cultural groups or distinct disciplines which are affiliates of the American Library Association, which includes but is not limited to: the American Association of Law Librarians (AALL), the American Indian Library Association (AILA), the Assocation for Library & Information Science Education (ALISE), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, and the Medical Library Association (MLA).

• American Library Association Chapter Website Directory

  List of links to the web sites of state and regional library associations which are chapters of the American Library Association.

• American Library Association Student Chapters Website Directory

  List of links to the web sites of the student chapters at various universities in several states and beyond (Canada, Puerto Rico) of the American Library Association.

• American Library Association Research & Statistics

  List of links to ALA Initatives, including ALA's membership and salary surveys, and the annual Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study, as well as links to library statistics, and links to librarianship & library staff statistics.

• Copyright Office

  Website of the United States Copyright Office, which operates out of the Library of Congress. For a better understanding of what copyright is and what it protects, read the Copyright Office FAQ ( Frequently Asked Questions).

• COSLA - Chief Officers of State Library Agencies

  Website of the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), an independent organization of the chief officers of state and territorial agencies designated as the state library administrative agency and responsible for statewide library development. Its membership consists solely of these top library officers of the states and territories, variously designated as state librarian, director, commissioner or executive secretary. Includes profiles on each member, links to state resources, and links to library statistical and research information. Also see the latest report on state library agencies compiled by IMLS, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (see entry for IMLS below).

• IFLA - International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions

  Website of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), an association of individuals and groups which make up the international library community from nearly 150 countries. For more information, read About IFLA and see the page outlining their Activities & Groups, which includes a list of IFLA's Core Activities, Divisions, Sections, Special Interest Groups, Discussion Groups, Joint Activities, and Corporate Partners. Also see the IFLA Mailing Lists. A list of the library associations in other nations resides at Library Associations Around the World, a project of the IFLA Management of Library Associations Section, coordinated by ALA's International Relations Office. For a list of other nations' national libraries, the Conference of Directors of National Libraries guides you to the National Library Websites maintained by the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

• IMLS - Institute of Museum and Library Services

  Website of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the federal agency created under the Museum and Library Services Act of 1996. IMLS responsibilities include fostering partnerships between libraries and museums and also providing support, including monetary grants, for all kinds of libraries, including public, school, and academic. Read the IMLS About Us for more information. Effective October 1, 2007, conducts the nation-wide public library survey as well as the state library survey. Access the most current report on public libraries.

• ipl2: information you can trust

  Excerpt from About ipl2: In January 2010, the website "ipl2: information you can trust" was launched, merging the collections of resources from the Internet Public Library (IPL) and the Librarians' Internet Index (LII) websites. The site is hosted by Drexel University's College of Information Science & Technology, and a consortium of colleges and universities with programs in information science are involved in developing and maintaining the ipl2. ipl2 is a public service organization and a learning/teaching environment. To date, thousands of students and volunteer library and information science professionals have been involved in answering reference questions for our Ask an ipl2 Librarian service and in designing, building, creating and maintaining the ipl2's collections. It is through the efforts of these students and volunteers that the ipl2 continues to thrive to this day. See Frequently Asked Questions About the ipl2 and the ipl2 Site Map.

• Library of Congress

  Website of the Library of Congress, the national library of the United States. Read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) to find out about the library's holdings, access and services to the public, and current special projects. The Library of Congress site has distinctive online resources, such as Resources for Librarians and Archivists and Research and Reference Services: Library of Congress collections and research tools and a Virtual Reference Shelf: Selected Online Resources for Research as well as Ask a Librarian.

• NCES - National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education

  Website of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a program within the United States Department of Education. NCES collects and publishes statistical data on various educational entities, including libraries; read NCES About Us and see the main page of the Library Statistics Program. Access the most current reports on academic libraries and school libraries. Public library statistical data now conducted by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS); see IMLS entry above.

• NISO - National Information Standards Organization

  Website of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), a non-profit association accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which identifies, develops, maintains, and publishes technical standards to manage information in our changing and ever-more digital environment. NISO Standards are available as Adobe Reader PDF documents. For latest information, see NISO News and Events.

• OCLC - Online Computer Library Center

  Website of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world's information and reducing information costs. Read About OCLC for more information on OCLC products and services and read about OCLC Research projects, including the OCLC Top 1000, a list of the top 1000 titles owned by member libraries.

• Schools and Libraries Program/E-Rate Application Information

  Website of the Schools and Libraries Program, part of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), which was set up under the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Read the Overview of the Schools and Libraries Program to learn about its central role in providing the "E-Rate" discount for internet access to schools and libraries across the country, espcially those in lower income rural and inner-city areas. Also see the Reference Area - Reference Topics for further assistance and clarification.

• Special Library Association

  Website of the Special Libraries Association (SLA). This organization focuses on the needs of librarians in non-traditional settings, such as corporations, associations, and other institutions requiring information professionals. For more information, see Inside SLA as well as SLA's About Information Professionals. There's a page of Resources (for special librarians) while questions like what is a special librarian and how many special libraries are there in the USA are addressed at the SLA General Industry FAQs.

• State Libraries: IMLS State Programs

  List of links to the websites of all fifty state libraries in the United States as well as the head library agencies of the U.S. territories, compiled by IMLS (see entry on IMLS above), comparable to the list of top library officers of the states and territories in COSLA (see entry on COSLA above). There is also a list compiled and regularly updated by the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, State Library Web Sites. The Library of Congress discontinued its own list of state library web sites and now re-directs visitors to the State Libraries & Archives list maintained at the PublicLibraries.com web site.

• WebJunction

  An online community where library staff meet to share ideas, solve problems, and take online courses. The main sections of the site are Library Management, Technology, Library Services, Courses, Our Services, and Member Center. Also, WebJunction now hosts (and has archived) the SunSITE Communities Library Lists, specifically ILL-L, PubLib, Web4Lib, and XML4Lib, and also now hosts Current Cites, the information technology literature bibliography mailing list, and LibWeb, an online international index of thousands of library web sites from over 100 countries.

• WorldCat

  Created by OCLC (see OCLC entry above), WorldCat connects you to the collections and services of more than 10,000 libraries worldwide, yet lets you find items in libraries near you, using your zip code. Find out more at What is WorldCat? Stay up-to-date on WorldCat features and services via the WorldCat Blog.

Last updated: December 2010

For more information on this contact the ALA Library Reference Desk by telephone: 800-545-2433, extension 2153; fax: 312-280-3255; e-mail: library@ala.org; or regular mail: ALA Library, American Library Association, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611-2795.