Its mission is "to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all." These come open to any human or even organization unforced to pay dues, though virtually all of its members are libraries or librarians. Virtually all members survive & function in the United States, international members comprise Leash.5% of number membership [http://www.ala.org/ala/ourassociation/governingdocs/aheadto2010/international.htm].

A ALA is governed by an elective council & an executive board. Policies & computer softwcome are administered by various committees & spherical tables. One of a organization's virtually all seeable tasks is overseen per Professional for Accreditation, which formally reviews & authorizes Western academic institutions that offer degree software inside library and information science.

Members might purchase to join a single or even even even sir thomas more of Eleven membership divisions which treat by having specialised topics like academician, school, or public libraries, technical indicator or information services, & library administration. Members could as well explore to join any of Xvii round-table conference, which are then grouped in additional specific interests & issues than a wide placed of ALA divisions.

A ALA is affiliated by owning regional, state, & student chapters nationally. It as well organizes conferences, participates around library standards development, & publishes the total of books & periodicals. A ALA anually confers many notable book & media awards, including a Caldecott Medal, the Newbery Medal, and a Stonewall Book Award.

ALA promotes noetic freedom which it describe when "the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. [ALA] provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause or movement may be explored." [http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/basics/intellectual.htm] the Our contries Library Association passed a guide on the USA PATRIOT Act, which they assume "...a present danger to the constitutional rights and privacy rights of library users." & move within fighting censorship countrywide. [http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=ifresolutions&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=11891] A select few library agents refuse to join a organization because of their objection to ALAs political stances.

Divisions
[http://www.ala.org/aasl American Association of School Librarians] (AASL) [http://www.ala.org/alcts Association for Library Collections & Technical Services] (ALCTS) Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) [http://www.ala.org/alta Association for Library Trustees and Advocates] (ALTA) [http://www.ala.org/acrl Association of College and Research Libraries] (ACRL) [http://www.ala.org/ascla Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies] (ASCLA) [http://www.ala.org/lama Library Administration and Management Association] (LAMA) [http://www.ala.org/lita Library and Information Technology Association] (LITA) [http://www.ala.org/pla Public Library Association] (PLA) [http://www.ala.org/rusa Reference and User Services Association] (RUSA) [http://www.ala.org/yalsa Young Adult Library Services Association] (YALSA)

Roundtables
[http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?Section=emiert Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange] (EMIERT) [http://www.ala.org/ala/clenert/clenert.htm Continuing Library Education Network and Exchange] (CLENERT) [http://www.libr.org/SRRT/ Social Responsibilities Round Table] (SRRT) [http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=faflrt Federal and Armed Forces Libraries] (FAFLRT) [http://www.ala.org/ala/glbtrt/welcomeglbtround.htm Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered] (GLBTRT) [http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/GODORT/ Government Documents] (GODORT) [http://www.ala.org/ala/ifrt/ifrt.htm Intellectual Freedom] (IFRT) [http://www.ala.org/ala/irrt/irrt.htm International Relations] (IRRT) [http://www.ala.org/ala/lhrt/lhrthome.htm Library History] (LHRT) [http://www3.baylor.edu/LIRT/ Library Instruction] (LIRT) [http://www.ala.org/ala/lrrt/lrrt.htm Library Research] (LRRT) [http://www.ala.org/ala/lssirt/lssirt.htm Library Support Staff Interests] (LSSIRT) [http://magert.whoi.edu:8000/ Map and Geography] (MAGERT) [http://www.ala.org/ala/nmrt/nmrt.htm New Members] (NMRT) [http://www.ala.org/ala/srrt/srrt.htm Social Responsibilities] (SRRT) [http://www.ala.org/ala/sort/sort.htm Staff Organizations] (SORT) [http://www.ala.org/ala/vrt/vrt.htm Video] (VRT)