California Library Association

The California Library Association traces the impetus of its founding to the American Library Association (ALA) conference in 1891 in San Francisco in 1891.{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=Bruce |title=The California Library Association, 1895–1906; Years of Experimentation and Growth. |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?q=ED115285&id=ED115285 |website=Education Resources Information Center |date=30 November 1975 |publisher=Institute for Education Sciences |access-date=19 August 2024}}{{Cite news |date=1891-02-04 |title=Public Library The Trustees Meet and Transact the Regular Monthly Business |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/42192832 |access-date=2024-08-30 |work=The Sacramento Union |publisher=Sacramento Publishing Company |location=Sacramento, California |page=3 |volume=80 |issue=142}} This was ALA first West coast conference. At that time, there was interest in forming a regional library association on the west coast, because it was felt that the American Library Association's was focused more on the development of East coast libraries.{{Cite book |last=Held |first=Ray |url=https://archive.org/details/riseofpubliclibr0000held/ |title=The Rise of the Public Library in California |publisher=American Library Association |year=1973 |isbn=0-8389-0124-7 |location=Chicago, Illinois |language=en-US |access-date=2024-08-30}} CLA was formed in 1895 at "a meeting of representatives of eight northern California libraries."[https://eric.ed.gov/?q=ED115285&id=ED115285 The California Library Association, 1895–1906; Years of Experimentation and Growth] This creation was spearheaded by George Clark, Arthur Jellison, and Joseph Rowell.{{Cite journal |last=Hansen |first=Debra Gold |date=2013 |title=Depoliticizing the California State Library: The Political and Professional Transformation of James Gillis, 1899–1917 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43737452 |journal=Information & Culture |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=68–90 |doi=10.7560/IC48105 |jstor=43737452 |issn=2164-8034|url-access=subscription }}

CLA quickly took its role of advocating for libraries in California seriously. In the early 1900s, CLA worked on collaborations and mutual support with the California State Library and State Librarian James Gillis.[https://www.jstor.org/stable/43737452 Depoliticizing the California State Library: The Political and Professional Transformation of James Gillis, 1899–1917] In 1912 the organization advocated for the building of schools, including the California State Library School, to train librarians and to expand libraries throughout the state.{{Cite news |date=1912-05-16 |title=Success of County Free Library System |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/695707344 |access-date=2024-08-30 |work=Tulare County Times |location=Tulare, California |page=3}}{{Cite journal |last=Kunkle |first=Josephine |date=1972 |title=The California State Library School |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40322191 |journal=Journal of Education for Librarianship |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=232–239 |doi=10.2307/40322191 |jstor=40322191 |issn=0022-0604|url-access=subscription }}

At the 1914 annual meeting of the Association, it was voted to affiliate the California Library Association with the American Library Association.{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/newsnotesofcalif07cali |title=California Library Association Annual Meeting and California County Librarians' Convention Lake Tahoe, June 17 to 22 |publisher=California State Library |year=1912 |location=Sacramento, California |page=300 |language=en-US |access-date=2024-08-30}} This gave the CLA representation within the national association's Council.{{cite book |title=Summary proceedings of the annual conference of the California Library Association, 1914 |date=1914 |publisher=California Library Association |location=Sacramento |page=22 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112087494370&seq=32 |access-date=25 August 2024}}

In 1941 the organization published guidelines for the roles of professional and non-professional librarians in college and university libraries.{{Cite journal |last=Sheridan |first=Leslie W. |date=1976-09-01 |title=The Role of the Beginning Librarian in University Libraries (Book Review) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/crl_37_05_477 |journal=College & Research Libraries |volume=37 |issue=5 |pages=477–478 |doi=10.5860/crl_37_05_477 |issn=2150-6701|hdl=2142/39269 |hdl-access=free }}

The organization has a history of advocating against censorship,{{Cite news |date=1945-10-09 |title=Historian Charges LA Officials With Censorship |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/997379555/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |work=Santa Barbara News-Press |location=Santa Barbara, Californiaa |page=5}}{{Cite news |date=1957-10-17 |title=Self-Appointed Censors Hit by Librarian |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/844812808 |access-date=2024-08-30 |work=Stockton Evening and Sunday Record |location=Stockton, California |page=5 |issue=166 |agency=Associated Press}} discrimination,{{Citation |last=Poole |first=Alex H. |title='Will the Day Ever Come When We Will Be Judged on Our Merit and not on Our Blackness?' The Black Caucus of the American Library Association and the Long Freedom Struggle in the United States, 1970–1975 |date=2023 |work=Information for a Better World: Normality, Virtuality, Physicality, Inclusivity |series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science |volume=13971 |pages=485–500 |editor-last=Sserwanga |editor-first=Isaac |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-031-28035-1_36 |access-date=2024-09-02 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer Nature Switzerland |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-031-28035-1_36 |isbn=978-3-031-28034-4 |editor2-last=Goulding |editor2-first=Anne |editor3-last=Moulaison-Sandy |editor3-first=Heather |editor4-last=Du |editor4-first=Jia Tina|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last1=Villagran |first1=Michele A.L. |last2=Hofman |first2=Darra |date=2023-02-06 |title='It's hard to know what we should be doing': LGBTQ+ students' library privacy in the COVID-19 pandemic |journal=Sexualities |volume=27 |issue=7 |language=en |pages=1225–1246 |doi=10.1177/13634607231152428 |issn=1363-4607 |pmc=9908524}}{{Cite news |last=Koseff |first=Alexei |date=2024-08-05 |title=As LGBTQ library material comes under fire, California may ban book bans |url=https://www.ijpr.org/education/2024-08-05/as-lgbtq-library-material-comes-under-fire-california-may-ban-book-bans |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240805153456/https://www.ijpr.org/education/2024-08-05/as-lgbtq-library-material-comes-under-fire-california-may-ban-book-bans |url-status=usurped |archive-date=August 5, 2024 |access-date=2024-09-02 |work=Jefferson Public Radio |publisher=Southern Oregon University}} and government interference.{{Cite news |last1=Stanton |first1=Sam |last2=Bazar |first2=Emily |date=2003-09-22 |editor-last=Rodriguez |editor-first=Rick |title=Librarians step up |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/629938870/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |work=The Sacramento Bee |publisher=McClathcy Newspaper |location=Sacramento, California |language=en-US |issn=0890-5738}}{{Cite web |date=August 6, 2019 |title=#blackhistory: On August 6, 1905, Miriam Matthews, the Los Angeles Public Library's first black librarian and the "Dean of California Black History," was born |url=https://caamuseum.org/learn/600state/black-history/blackhistory-on-august-6-1905-miriam-matthews-the-los-angeles-public-library-first-black-librarian-was-born |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=California African American Museum |quote=Matthews also took on the politically fraught work of fighting for academic and intellectual freedom at the height of the McCarthy Era. As a member (and later Chair) of the California Library Association's Committee on Intellectual Freedom to Safeguard the Rights of Library Users to Freedom of Inquiry, Matthews pushed back on efforts to whitewash textbooks on California history and to establish a board of censors to review acquisitions by LAPL.}}{{Cite journal |last=Horning |first=Claudia M. |date=2022 |title=Trailblazing Black Librarian in the Golden State: The Legacy and Accomplishments of Miriam Matthews, 1905–2003 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27274572 |journal=Southern California Quarterly |volume=104 |issue=4 |pages=407–450 |jstor=27274572 |issn=0038-3929}} In 1984, the organization received national attention when it rescinded its invitation to a noted Holocaust denier and antisemite,{{Cite book |last=Thomas |first=Cal |title=Censoring Bigot Is Just Playing Into His Hands |date=1984-12-07 |publisher=Philadelphia Daily News |page=52 |language=en-US}} David McCalden, to speak at their convention.{{Cite news |date=1984-11-18 |title=Speech by man who disputes Holocaust cancelled |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/13472486 |access-date=2024-09-02 |work=The Galveston Daily News |location=Galveston, Texas|page=13 |agency=Associated Press}}{{Cite news |last=Knight |first=Pat |date=1985-04-25 |title=Revisionism Changing history or spreading prejudice |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/385206260/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |work=Corvallis Gazette-Times |location=Corvallis, Oregon |page=1}}{{Cite journal |last1=Drobnicki |first1=John A. |last2=Goldrnan |first2=Carol R. |last3=Knight |first3=Trina R. |last4=Thomas |first4=Johanna V. |date=1995-01-13 |title=Holocaust-Denial Literature in Public Libraries: An Investigation of Public Librarians' Attitudes Regarding Acquisition and Access |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J119v01n01_01 |journal=Public & Access Services Quarterly |language=en |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=5–40 |doi=10.1300/J119v01n01_01 |issn=1056-4942|url-access=subscription }} "When [McCalden's] request to display his books during Banned Books Week was denied by the Torrance (California) Public Library, McCalden was invited by the California Library Association in 1984 to operate a booth and participate in a presentation at its annual conference. The uproar by both politicians and the press when this became public led the CLA to cancel McCalden's exhibit and program."[https://academicworks.cuny.edu/yc_pubs/40/ Holocaust-Denial Literature in Public Libraries: An Investigation of Public Librarians' Attitudes Regarding Acquisition and Access] McCalden sued CLA and his lawsuits were dismissed by the courts.{{Cite news |last=Carelli |first=Richard |date=1992-06-02 |title=High court strikes down attempts by two states to keep out garbage |work=The Buffalo News |page=4 |agency=Associated Press}}{{Cite journal |last=Froehlich |first=Thomas |date=2022 |title=American Democracy Under Siege: Business as Usual in Libraries? |journal=Journal of Information Ethics |volume=31 |issue=2 |quote=Their concern stems from a seminal case regarding David McCalden, a Holocaust-denier and promoter, who sued the California Library Association when it canceled his scheduled appearance at its 1984 annual conference. His suit was dismissed. |id={{ProQuest|}}}}

The organization's original focus was on traveling libraries and interlibrary loan, creation of a state library commission and state library standards, and library training and copyright depositories in the state of California. The CLA operated as the de facto state library commission promoting library services to underserved areas until the California State Library took over those roles.{{rp|92}} Currently its stated mission is to provide "leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library services, librarianship and the library community."[https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.cla-net.org/resource/resmgr/governance_and_policy_documents/clabylaws_2022_1028.pdf ] The organization also gives awards to programs that encourage reading and education, including the PBS show California Gold with Huell Howser.California's Gold Memorial Collections (2013.011.r.c), Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives, Chapman University, CA{{Cite magazine |last=Talan |first=Carole |date=2005 |editor-last=Kurutz |editor-first=Gary |title=California Celebrates 20 Years of Library Literacy Services |journal=California State Library Foundation Bulletin |location=Sacramento, California |issue=81}}

CLA provides resources to its members and to California libraries of all types, including educational opportunities, library job listings, and advocacy efforts. Members including individual members (including library students), public and academic libraries, and library-related businesses.[https://www.cla-net.org/page/MembershipLevels ] CLA organizes an annual conference which brings library workers and supporters together to learn and network, as well as to attend to the organizational business of the association.{{cite news |date=2 December 2018 |title=California Library Association's 2018 Conference |url=https://www.svvoice.com/librarians-are-booked-at-california-library-associations-2018-conference/ |accessdate=3 December 2019 |work=The Silicon Valley Voice}}

CLA operates according to its bylaws and standing rules.[https://www.cla-net.org/page/713 Governance - California Library Association] The association is managed by a board of directors, consisting of 15 members. The members are elected for a term of 3 years, and elections are conducted every year for 2 or 3 positions.{{cite web |title=Governance – California Library Association |url=https://www.cla-net.org/page/713 |website=www.cla-net.org |accessdate=3 December 2019}}

CLA partners with the California State Library to create the California Public Library Trustees Toolkit, Lunch at the Library, a program to serve lunch to children in the summers, and California Libraries Learn (CALL), continuing education for staff in public, school, special, or academic libraries in California.{{cite web | title=California Libraries Learn (CALL): Fostering Learning and Growth in California Libraries | website=California State Library | date=2022-03-24 | url=https://www.library.ca.gov/services/to-libraries/call/ | access-date=2024-08-20}}{{cite web | title=California Public Library Trustees Toolkit | website=California State Library | date=2023-06-15 | url=https://www.library.ca.gov/services/to-libraries/trustees/ | access-date=2024-08-20}}{{cite web | title=California State Library – Lunch at the library | website=California State Library | date=2024-06-17 | url=https://www.library.ca.gov/services/to-libraries/lunch/ | access-date=2024-08-20}}

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Category:Professional associations based in the United States

Category:Library-related professional associations

Category:Non-profit organizations based in California

Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States

Category:Organizations established in 1895

california