The Public Library Association (PLA) is the largest organization of public librarians in the United States. The PLA supports Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice initiatives, providing continuing education, case studies, an interest group, and a symposium. Social justice initiatives will be an important part of my librarianship moving forward. The PLA lifts up diverse experiences and looks critically at current library trends, which I find necessary to librarianship.
American Library Association. (2023). Public Library Association [Logo]. https://www.ala.org/pla/
The Virginia Library Association (VLA) is an organization that supports libraries and people associated with libraries in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VLA has a Facebook page, which makes it easy to follow their upcoming events and read stories about Virginia libraries. I recently joined the VLA, which is having their October conference in Norfolk. I look forward to going to my first library conference with the VLA this fall.
Virginia Library Association. (2023). [Logo]. https://www.vla.org/
Rainbow Round Table (RRT) is a group within the American Library Association that serves LGBTQ+ library professionals and provides LGBTQ+ resources and information to libraries. The RRT website includes toolkits and education for librarians, a news outlet, LGBTQ+ book reviews, and booklists for LGBTQ+ patrons of every age. As I plan to focus on LGBTQ+ materials and programming as a librarian, this is an invaluable resource for my future career.
American Library Association. (2023). Rainbow Round Table [Logo]. https://www.ala.org/rt/rrt
WebJunction is an education source that offers free online courses, webinars, and conferences to library staff. They cover topics ranging from young adults & teens, equity, diversity, & inclusion, readers’ advisory, and mental health & patrons. WebJunction provides continuing education that is vital for a library career, and its free programming means I can explore a variety of library topics without worrying about cost.
WebJunction. (2023). [Logo]. https://www.webjunction.org/home.html
The American Libraries Magazine website provides free access to articles from their print magazine that cover trending topics in libraries. The website includes access to their newsletter, a link to their podcast, a blog, and a constantly-updating feed of library-related articles. This allows me to see a broad view of the current trends affecting libraries. Importantly, the website also includes a country-wide job search database, which will be very useful in the future.
American Libraries Magazine. (2023). [Logo]. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/
The School Library Journal website is an essential resource for librarians. It includes news articles, updates about both school and public libraries, and blogs, and it focuses on censorship and diversity. SLJ reviews a multitude of new children’s books, and these reviews lend credence to the quality of the book. Although much of SLJ is behind a paywall, they still offer a certain amount of access for free each month. This website is incredibly helpful for collection building and readers’ advisory.
School Library Journal. (2023). [Logo]. https://www.slj.com/
Public Libraries Online (PLO) is the companion website to the Public Library Association’s bimonthly publication. This website is unique because its main focuses are news & opinion pieces, interviews, and reviews of indie and self-published books. News & opinion pieces will give me a chance to read about a variety of views on different topics, even ones that I don’t necessarily agree with. Reviews of indie and self-published books are rare on most library-related websites, so this is a chance to be introduced to materials I otherwise would not learn about.
Public Libraries Online. (2023). [Logo]. http://publiclibrariesonline.org/
Programming Librarian (PL) provides resources to help libraries create programming that contributes to their role as a cultural and civic center. They provide webinars and share daily news about programming across the country. PL has a catalog of program models that can be sorted by budget, library type, topics, and population. Many programs focus on social justice and services for young adults. This website includes programming that matches my interests and my desires to provide great programming as a young adult librarian.
Programming Librarian. (2020). [Logo]. https://programminglibrarian.org/
In The Library With The Lead Pipe
In the Library With The Lead Pipe is a peer reviewed journal with a twist. Articles in this journal tend to be radical, introspective, and about marginalized groups and social issues. They focus on the humanity of librarians and patrons and openly examine problems with library structures. This resource allows me to focus on well-researched aspects of radical librarianship, a philosophy that inspires me and my future work.
In The Library With The Lead Pipe. (2023). [Logo]. https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/
The Teen Librarian Toolbox (TLT) is a School Library Journal-related website that focuses on the professional development of teen and young adult librarians. As I plan to be a young adult librarian, this website is perfect for my education. The website contributors are all librarians who work in young adult services. TLT includes everything from tips on creating maker spaces, professional development seminars, book reviews, and articles on teen issues.
Teen Librarian Toolbox. (2023). [Logo]. https://teenlibrariantoolbox.com/
“We Need Diverse Books™ is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people” (2023). The website includes grants and mentorships, resources for educators and librarians, programs to bring diverse books into schools, and a “bookshelf” of recommended diverse books. The movement to include diversity in libraries is a fundamental part of librarianship, and this organization’s website includes invaluable resources.
We Need Diverse Books. (2023). [Logo]. https://diversebooks.org/
Book Riot is an editorial book site that focuses on diversity both in content and contributors. I have used Book Riot articles as resources for multiple projects thus far. Book Riot is the perfect place for learning about current events in the library world and the book world in general. It introduces new books by a diversity of authors on its website and its podcasts. It is easy to follow what topics you are interested in by subscribing to one of their curated newsletters. I currently receive their “Literary Activism” and “What’s Up in YA?” newsletters.
Book Riot. (2023). [Logo]. https://bookriot.com/
LGBTQ Reads is a book review and recommendation blog that updates several times a week. They recommend books about all queer identities and assess the books beforehand to make sure that they are not promoting books with harmful representation. This blog is perfect for librarians who want to make queer books and queer patrons an important part of their libraries. Its newsletter also keeps subscribers up-to-date about weekly releases.
LGBTQ Reads. (2023). [Logo]. https://lgbtqreads.com/