Fed up with the Marxist indoctrination of the American Library Association (ALA) and its agenda against parents who want to have a say in the books and learning materials their children are exposed to, a group of library professionals is forming a new organization that eschews politics and activist approaches to library science.
The Association of Library Professionals(ALP) is a new professional association geared toward library workers who desire a return of the profession to a more traditional non-activist, non-partisan approach to library service.
In late spring of 2023, like-minded librarians and library employees began meeting together to discuss the possibility of the formation of a new professional association in response to a growing trend in the profession toward the promotion of certain social and political agendas at the expense of others. They were concerned about the erosion of the image of libraries as neutral and trustworthy sources of information resources for all users, and about the dangers of promoting political agendas in libraries.
The fallacious claims of book banning has embedded itself into the public debate on parents rights. School and public libraries are now Ground Zero, and politicians on both sides of the aisle have ranged the gamut from cowardly and inconsistent to knee jerk and scorched earth in their responses to this cultural battle. However, the locus of why this group of library professionals has chosen to go in a different direction from the ALA is not wrapped up in the political argument. The ALP understands that one-sided dialogue and propaganda toward a specific end hurts intellectual freedom for everyone; whatever your race, religion, sex or belief system may be.
Many had personally experienced times when open dialogue and intellectual freedom was discouraged in their workplace. Over time, they began to realize there was a role for an alternative, politically neutral organization for members of their field. From these discussions, the ALP was born. Recognizing a growing dissatisfaction with existing professional associations for librarians, ALP’s founders sought to create an organization for library workers who want to remain professionally active, but do not want to jeopardize their personal commitment to traditional library professional ethics.
There’s the crux. What is going on with the ALA and the left’s obsession with the book-banning narrative is neither traditional, ethical, or professional.
Of key importance are the principles of developing library collections that represent a diversity of viewpoints; recognizing that minor children are not developmentally ready for and are not typically interested in materials that are culturally, politically, and/or morally charged; and providing library service that is in-line with the cultural values and standards of the communities they serve. “Our mission as an association is firmly rooted in the enduring values of institutional neutrality, open inquiry, individual liberty, freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and intellectual freedom, and in supporting the ability of library workers to serve the needs of individual library users and their communities, rather than in advancing specific political agendas,” says ALP President C. Erik Wilkinson, MLS.
Say it louder for the people in the cheap seats. Librarians, as well as families, simply want a neutral ground where they can find information, reading material that will enhance or advance their learning and the learning of their children, and to have a community gathering place that promotes unity, not division. So, Bravo to the ALP for creating a return to traditional standards and intellectual normalcy. The organization already has members in 30 states and two Canadian provinces. ALP also welcomes membership from all levels of library service—not just certified librarians. So, library school students and even retired library workers can join the organization to become members. ALP even offers “Advocate Membership” for those who wish to support their mission. Visit their website alplibraries.org for more information.
