The American Indian Library Association was officially established in 1979 as a result of the Indian White House Pre-Conference of 1978 on Indian Library and Information Services On or Near Reservations. This Pre-Conference took place in Denver, CO, and its focus was on the amelioration of library services and resources to American Indians. The individuals who attended the meeting represented a number of Indian tribes from different parts of the United States. The initial idea of such an organization began in the early 1970s, however. In 1971, at the ALA's Annual Conference in Dallas, TX, Lotsee Patterson, Charles Townley, and Virginia Mathews formed a Task Force on American Indians within the Social Responsibilities Round Table and held an initial meeting. Around the same time, the ALA Advisory Committee in the Office for Library Service to the Disadvantaged created the Committee on Library Service for American Indian People, in which Charles Townley served as the first chair. Additional issues that influenced the creation of the organization were the implementation of tribal libraries and changes in United States federal law that reflected the increasing concern regarding the inadequacy of library services to American Indians. The AILA held its first meeting as an individual entity in New York during the ALA's 1980 Annual Conference, its constitution was passed the following year during the Annual Conference in San Francisco and, in 1985, the ALA Executive Board finally approved the AILA as an affiliate during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL.
Membership
Annual membership costs $40 for organizations, while individuals must pay $20 and students must pay $10. Membership includes a subscription to the American Indian Libraries Semi-Annual Newsletter and AILA-L, a discussion group for all AILA members. Members are also encouraged to join one or more of the committees listed below.
Governing Structure
The AILA is governed by an Executive Board, which meets annually and delegates to the Association's committees that are listed below. The Board enables those committees to both develop and implement programs and activities that are in accordance with the Executive Board's policies.
Committees
Current ad hoc AILA committees include the Budget and Finance Committee, By-Laws and Constitution Committee, Children's Literature Award Committee, Communications and Publications Committee, Development and Fundraising Committee, Distinguished Service Award Committee, Nominating Committee, Programming Committee, Subject Access and Classification Committee, and the Scholarship Review Board.
Goals
According to Loriene Roy's "Retaining Cultural Identity in a Transformed Future: the American Indian Library Association Response to ALA Goal 2000," as excerpted onto the AILA's official website, the American Indian Library Association:
"Promotes the establishment, maintenance, and upgrading of Indian libraries on or near reservations and in other rural and urban areas;
Develops criteria and standards for Indian libraries, and works for their adoption by other associations and accrediting agencies;
Provides technical assistance to Indian tribes on the establishment and maintenance of archival services;
Builds support for the development of Indian information networks, facilitating the exchange of information among Indian tribes, and also among these groups and major institutions maintaining Indian archives;
Educates legislators, public officials, and the general public about the library/information needs of Indians communities;
Brings together those interested in Indian libraries and cultures at ALA conferences and other library and educational conferences;
Helps members of individual Indian communities to gain access to and use existing libraries to their best advantage;
Works to enhance the capability of libraries to assist tribes and individual Indian authors in writing tribal histories and other Indian-related works;
Encourages and helps to coordinate and plan the development of courses, workshops, institutes, and internships on Indian library services;
Develops grant proposals and conducts fund-raising activities to support these and other Indian library projects; and
Helps develop awareness in the majority society that Indian people desire library information resources to help unlock their potential."
Activities
The AILA participates in a multitude of programs, awards, outreach services, conferences, and publications. Below is a list of those that are quite prominent and notable.
Awards
;American Indian Youth Literature Awards ;Honoring Our Elders ;Virginia Mathews Memorial Scholarship
Outreach
;American Library Association Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services
Conferences
;American Library Association Conference ;International Indigenous Librarians Forum ;Joint Conference of Librarians of Color
Publication
;American Indian Libraries Newsletter
Press Releases
On February 1, 2019, the AILA released a statement showing support for 2019 ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits conference goers who experienced racism and discrimination. The AILA further mentioned continuing to work alongside the American Library Association to battle discrimination, racism, and bias.
