Embedded Get Involved in the PRES Section

Coordinates all advocacy projects across Core's areas of focus.

Provides a community focusing on library assessment, evaluation, and measurement regardless of type of library or activity. It is intended to cultivate a network of assessment professionals around best practices, theory and models of assessment, providing a place for continual improvement and growth of assessment practice within the library community and emphasizing the role of assessment in demonstrating the impact of a library. The committee is responsible for maintaining the Library Assessment Repository.

Our Library Resources & Technical Services (LRTS) journal publishes a popular book review column that is wholly reliant on motivated reviewers. Writing book reviews for LRTS is fun and easy. We  contact you when we've identified a book for review that matches your profile. If you agree to review it, you'll have 2–3 months to complete your review, which will range from 800–1,200 words. We encourage seasoned, as well as first-time, reviewers to volunteer. Writing a book review can be a useful entrée into the sometimes daunting world of publishing. Please don't hesitate from volunteering for lack of experience; sincere interest is what matters most.

Discusses matters related to the preservation and continuing role of books, paper-based materials, and other tangible artifacts in collections. Discussion includes, but is not limited to, library binding, physical quality and treatment.

No matter where you are in your career, you could probably use a lift! Core is dedicated to cultivating and amplifying the collective expertise of library workers in core functions and we recognize the importance of the core work of our practitioners. Grounded in Core’s mission of cultivating and amplifying the collective expertise of library workers in core functions, the LIFT awards are designed to support information professionals whose passion, actions, and everyday work warrants recognition and celebration. It is an investment in your future and ours. Recipients receive up to $1,500 that they may use on professional development including, but not limited to, ALA or Core membership dues, attending the ALA Annual Conference, ALA LibLearnX Conference, the Core Forum, or continuing education.

Each month, participants discuss a different book, article, or other materials of interest to Core members. Some months this happens asynchronously via email, while other times there might be a synchronous discussion in Zoom. Or maybe there's an interview with an author to dive deeper into a specific topic. Regardless of the format, the Reading Club is a great way to share ideas, build relationships, and learn together.

Shares ideas, builds relationships, and facilitates learning together through reading and discussing books, articles, and other materials of interest to Core members through the Core Reading Club.

A venue for discussing the digitization, preservation, and access of print, audio, photographic, and moving image materials, as well as the migration, preservation, and access of born digital collections, including web-based and software-based materials.

Provides a forum for the exchange of ideas among those persons working with or interested in electronic resources; promotes the acquisition and access of electronic resources collections; strengthens communication and cooperation among persons working with electronic resources collections; addresses issues related to collection management and development of electronic resources, their funding, and selection; and contributes to the improvement of education and training of electronic resource archivists and librarians.

Log in to search for other Core members by name, organization, email address, city, state, country, and/or interest. Check your own ALA Connect profile privacy settings to see if you're searchable in the member directory.

We offer numerous online learning opportunities to meet your needs. Scheduled throughout the year, Core's webinars, web courses, online classrooms, and e-Forums are affordable and timely. Enhance your skills, get practical how-to-information, and stay up-to-date on trends with our professional learning opportunities presented by experts from the field. Topics include Access and Equity, Assessment, Leadership, Metadata and Collections, Operations and Buildings, and Technology. Members get automatic discounts on registration, and student Core members can register for any of our webinars for free.

Monitors sections and Interest Groups to determine what topics need to be covered by future courses or webinars; maintains a comprehensive view of specialized content created or maintained by section or division groups, including competencies and standards, and ensures that any content created by Core is regularly reviewed and updated or removed; monitors Core journals and other publications for content and presenters or programming.

Solicits nominations and selects an individual to receive the Core Career LIFT Award, which is designed to support information professionals whose passion, actions, and everyday work warrants recognition and celebration. The award consists of up to $1,500 that individuals may use on professional development including, but not limited to, ALA or Core membership dues, attending ALA Annual, LibLearnX, the Core Forum, or continuing education.

Provides a resource for librarians and company representatives interested in newspapers to share information and concerns.

The goal of this program is to help library professionals from developing countries stay current with the latest trends and developments in Core's areas of focus and enhance their professional knowledge and skills in librarianship and information science. One free seat per Core online continuing education course session is available to librarians and information professionals from developing countries instead of a cash scholarship.

Focuses on both broad and specific preservation issues in libraries. Topics encompass physical collections generally, and occasionally digital preservation issues. We serve academic, public, special, and other types of libraries.

Manages the Core Preservation Section which includes: Supporting Preservation Section committees and interest groups; Encouraging Preservation Section members to contribute to learning opportunities, LRTS, and calls for proposals for ALA Annual and Core Forum; and Engaging Preservation Section members in resources for professional development

Promotes and supports the development and use of appropriate methods and materials employed in the preservation of library materials in all formats. Reviews and advises on information relevant to preservation standards, best practices, and technical reports and specifications. Advocates for and contributes to the development of new standards and practices to advance the profession. Monitors trends in preservation practices, identifies gaps in existing documentation, and disseminates relevant metrics or metrics-gathering tools, such as the Preservation Statistics Survey. Promotes and coordinates Preservation Section activities in this area and fosters interactions with other groups sharing similar interests within and outside of ALA.