Resources
The Public Library Association, PLA, is the public library division of the American Library Association. PLA supports the needs of public libraries, development and networking, and hosts conferences for public librarians. As one road of librarianship I am interested in, this website is useful in finding ways to continue learning after I graduate, give tools to apply and advocate equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice, and put me in touch with other public librarians.
The Music Library Association is the US Branch of the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centers. This website talks about the profession, association, getting involved, publications, as well as posting jobs. This is one of the special librarian routes that I am interested in and will help me learn more about this side of special librarianship, keep me up to date, as well as direct me to my local chapter.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services, IMLS, is an independent agency of the US federal government and was created by the Museum and Library Service Act of 1996. The institute wants to advance, support, and empower museums through grants, research, and policy development. This is another special librarian route I am interested in. This website will help you find grants for museum libraries, jobs, and data.
The Virginia Library Association, VLA, is an association that supports libraries and librarians in the state of Virginia. On their website you will find information about VLA, jobs, connect with people, and conferences & events. This will be useful to keep me up to date with what is happening in my state as well as help me connect with other librarians.
The Rainbow Round Table, RRT, is a part of the American Library Association. They are committed to helping the LGBTQIA+ population be represented in the library circulation and staff. They advocate for the education and learning of the needs of LGBTQIA+ population. This is very important to me as a bisexual woman to make sure that adults and children see themselves in the books at the library. The website gives information on LGBTQIA+ books, news, resources, and toolkits.
Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, the main research place of the US Congress, and home of the US Copyright office. On the website people can find information on the library catalog, digital collection, research, blog, information for teachers, and US copyright. Not only is this the dream location for future employment, but it has a lot of information the is relevant for not only librarians but also patrons. The Library of Congress also puts out a bimonthly magazine that talks about the library, staff, and share/promote the uses of the library.
In The Library with The Lead Pipe is an online peer-reviewed journal with articles written by librarians in all fields of librarianship. They state that the website is there to explore new ideas, start conversations, bring up concerns and find solutions for them. There is not a steady schedule of when articles are posted but it averages about one every month. After reading a few articles from this site for school, I would be remiss if I did not add them to my list of references. I have been introduced to so many things that I would not have thought of and I can’t wait to learn more.
The Librarian Is In is a podcast out of the New York Public Library. Every other week, two librarians talk about books, culture, what to read next, and will also interview other librarians working in the system. I wanted to add a podcast as sometimes it’s hard to put time aside to read so this can be listened to while driving, doing housework, or whatever life has you doing. This will let me hear different book recommendations, hear about other jobs from librarians, as well as keep up to date with what is going on in the library.
The Book Riot is a blog website about books, audiobooks, and libraries. Blog posts range from news about a book that people want to be banned, to recommending books based on different genres such as “return to hometown” romance. This blog will be helpful as it keeps me up to date with what is happening in the library community and new books coming out. Book Riot also has a podcast.