The Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) is the
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
professional
library association
The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, since 2017 branded CILIP: The library and information association (pronounced ), is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge management, knowle ...
that "advocates for
libraries
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
,
librarians
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
, and library staff, defends
intellectual freedom
Intellectual freedom encompasses the freedom to hold, receive and disseminate ideas without restriction. Viewed as an integral component of a democratic society, intellectual freedom protects an individual's right to access, explore, consider, and ...
, and provides a forum for leadership, communication, professional development, and networking to keep libraries vital." MLA publishes standards for library services to Massachusetts children and young adults. MLA sponsors an annual conference, as well as continuing education programs and organizational reports of interest. The current President of MLA is Esme Green, Director of the
Goodnow Library in Sudbury.
History
MLA was founded in 1890 as the "Massachusetts Library Club". The gavel that has been passed down from president to president is said to be made from the wood of the
USS ''Constitution''. The MLA had a committee called The Art Club that created sets of photographs for travelling art exhibits that would rotate through Massachusetts member and associate libraries as early as 1900.
In 1962 MLA's Intellectual Freedom Committee gave testimony before the Massachusetts Obscene Literature Control Commission opposing the suppression of
Henry Miller's book
''Tropic of Cancer'' supporting Massachusetts residents' freedom to read.
Publications
MLA has acted as both a publisher of authors such as
Robert Frost
Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...
as well as an author on many state standards for library services to different populations.
* ''Books We Like: Sixty-two Answers to the Question...''
* ''Standards for Public Library Services to Children in Massachusetts''
* ''Standards for Public Library Services to Young Adults in Massachusetts''
*
Bay State Libraries', the MLA
newsletter
A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of int ...
published quarterly (January, April, July, and October), focuses on items of interest to the association and to Massachusetts librarians in general.
* The MLA has developed a Library Use Value Calculator
spreadsheet
A spreadsheet is a computer application for computation, organization, analysis and storage of data in tabular form. Spreadsheets were developed as computerized analogs of paper accounting worksheets. The program operates on data entered in cel ...
, which is used by many libraries throughout the United States.
Committees
Conference CommitteeIntellectual Freedom and Social Responsibilities CommitteeJordan Miller Committee(annual storytelling program)
Leadership and Management SectionLegislative CommitteeLibrary Information Technologies SectionMembership CommitteePersonnel & Education CommitteePublic Relations Committee
Sections
Affiliated organizations
* Massachusetts Friends of Libraries (MFOL)
[Robert Hayes]
"Massachusetts Friends of Libraries"
(December 18, 2017).
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC)Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA)American Library Association (ALA)(''See also'': Wikipedia article on the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
)
New England Library Association (NELA)Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
References
External links
Massachusetts Library Association (MLA)New England Library Association website
{{Authority control
Library consortia in Massachusetts
Library Association
The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, since 2017 branded CILIP: The library and information association (pronounced ), is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge management, knowle ...
1890 establishments in Massachusetts