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ALA-APA
by Jenifer Grady
This is a great time to give a quick introduction to the ALA-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA). ALA-APA is a relatively newW organization that was created by the American Library Association. It has two missions and its own web site, where you can find information on all its activities. ALA-APA's missions are:
- Certification of individuals in specializations beyond the
initial professional degree.
- Direct support of comparable worth and pay equity initiatives, and other activities designed to improve the salaries and status of librarians and other library workers.
Myths and Facts
There are some common misperceptions about ALA-APA. One is that it supports only one group: only librarians, or only support staff, or only ALA members. ALA-APA, also called APA (not to be confused with the American Psychological Association), was created by ALA in 2002 as a service to ALA members and others in the library community. This includes all library workers, as well as trustees and employees. Any person or entity that is affected by or affects library workers' salaries, status, or certification efforts are its stakeholders, as well as others who are committed to its missions.
ALA-APA has no membership. Many have asked if they can join ALA-APA. The organization, although it was created to be like a professional or trade association, has no members. ALA-APA gladly accepts donations, which is discussed later in this article.
Some have thought that ALA-APA is a union. ALA-APA is not a union, but supports unions as one of many ways that library workers have been able to increase their salaries. Cases that are covered in the Advocating for Better Salaries and Pay Equity Toolkit (free download at http://www.ala-apa.org/toolkit.pdf) and the ALA-APA newsletter, Library Worklife: HR E-News for Today's Leaders, show examples of both non-union and union successes in salary negotiations. In addition, ALA-APA encourages individuals to negotiate when possible to raise their own salaries, and it is hosting a program at the ALA Annual Conference to teach you how to do this.
Another cause for confusion is the relationship between ALA and ALA- APA. ALA and ALA-APA are separate, independent, legal organizations. They are tied together by fully interlocked governing bodies. The governing body of the ALA-APA is the ALA-APA Council, whose members are those individuals concurrently serving on the ALA Council. Within the policies established by the ALA-APA Council, the ALA-APA is managed by the Board of Directors, whose members are those individuals concurrently serving on the ALA Executive Board. ALA- APA, for logistical reasons, is housed within ALA headquarters in Chicago, IL.
Finally, folks want to know how ALA-APA will survive, since it has no membership and was established with a loan from ALA - which must be repaid. Its revenue sources include donations, individual and non-ALA-member subscriptions to Library Worklife, library-related salary survey sales, and, eventually, certification fees.
Achievements and Activities
Now, for those of you who want to know what ALA-APA has been and is doing, there is a lot going on. At the 2005 ALA Annual, ALA-APA will host several exciting programs on topics such as Negotiating a Better Salary, Outsourcing, Communication Skills for Managers, and How to Conduct a Pay Equity Study. We are co-sponsoring a program called "How Do I Know It's Discrimination" with the ALA Office for Diversity. At the Conference, the first winners of the Dynix-ALA-APA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Promoting the Salaries and Status of Library Workers will be named, and two focus groups will be held to talk about what ALA-APA can do for you.
The Dynix-ALA-APA Award is being given this year to Maurice J. "Mitch" Freedman, of the Westchester Library System (NY), and Dorothy Porter, of the Liverpool Public Library (NY). Both were given high praise by their colleagues.
ALA-APA initiated National Library Workers Day (NLWD), which is the Tuesday of each National Library Week. NLWD was first held in 2004, and participants celebrate the theme "libraries work because we do" by hosting parties, games, and tours of the library for patrons and friends. It can also be a time to remind financial decision makers of pay inequities between librarianship and similar fields, or between library workers and non-library workers with similar responsibilities.
ALA-APA publishes a monthly electronic newsletter called Library Worklife: HR E-News for Today's Leaders, which includes articles on career advancement, certification, human resources practice, pay equity, recruitment, research, and work/life balance, as well as a dedicated section for support staff concerns. All are invited to subscribe to and write for the newsletter. All ALA organizational members receive the newsletter as a benefit, if ALA has an e-mail contact for the organization.
The first certification, the Certified Public Library Administrator program, will be launched soon. This program is for librarians with three or more years of supervisory experience, and will be based on satisfying seven of nine standards or competencies.
ALA-APA will be publishing what was previously the ALA Librarian Salary Survey and a new Support Staff Salary Survey. The Support Staff Salary Survey is in development. Some of your libraries may have received the Librarian Salary Survey. We ask that you to complete this to ensure that the data we can all use to make changes in the field is accurate.
Getting Involved
We are promoting a "Give $5 in '05" campaign, and the library community is encouraged to give $5 or a multiple of $5, either via the secure ALA-APA web site, their ALA renewal forms, or by mail.
Donors who give $25 or more will receive a gift. ALA-APA has produced a 10.5-minute video called "Working @ Your Library: For Love or Money," highlighting the work done by all library workers, why it is important to raise our salaries, and how this can be done. You may also download the free Advocating for Better Salaries and Pay Equity Toolkit, which is full of ideas that staff can use to develop strategies, at http://www.ala-apa.org/toolkit.pdf.
Finally, there are subcommittees under the Standing Committee on the Salaries and Status of Library Workers that would benefit from volunteers. This committee does incredible work in support of ALA- APA's salaries and status mission. The subcommittees are focused on a variety of topics, including academic libraries, diversity, research, support staff, and unions.
Consider this your invitation to get involved with an organization that is dedicated to elevating the profession at all levels. Contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Jenifer Grady, MSLS, MBA, Director, ALA Allied Professional Association, American Library Association, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. Phone: 312-280-2424 or 800-545-2433, x2424. E- mail: jgrady@ala.org. Web: http://www.ala-apa.org. Library Worklife newsletter: http://www.ala-apa.org/newsletter/newsletter.html.