The American Library Association at a Crisis Point
A Call for a National Conversation
Editor’s note: Generative AI was used in the creation of this post. Please see footnotes for more details.
The library profession needs a national conversation.
The American Library Association lost 19,511 members between 2005 and 2025—a decline of 29.5%.1
The Association will celebrate 150 years in July, 2026. Currently, as outlined at the ALA Forward website, there are plans
“to strengthen our organization, expand opportunities, help prioritize our work, and ensure our continued leadership in the library field.”
Many people are discussing how to expand the American Library Association’s influence and membership. For this to be successful there should be an understanding of the library association landscape in the United States.
What is missing is an examination of why membership has declined.
I am sharing these observations at Heterodoxy in the Stacks because, I believe, it is the only platform that offers an opportunity for open discussion.
There are many librarians that belong to local, state and regional associations but may not belong to the American Library Association. The following is a generative AI-assisted analysis of these membership organizations:
ALA Chapter Membership
There are other library associations. Each state has a library association which is a chapter of the American Library Association, but not all members of state chapters are members of the American Library Association.
There is no publicly available, centralized total for the combined membership of all U.S. state library associations. Each of the 50 states (plus D.C., territories, and several regional chapters) has its own independent state/regional library association (ALA chapters). These organizations do not report their membership numbers to ALA or any central body in a way that produces an official nationwide sum. Most associations also do not publish exact current totals on their websites or in annual reports for privacy/operational reasons—only a small handful do.
Here are the few state associations that disclose approximate or exact numbers on their official sites (as of 2025–2026)2:
Texas Library Association (TLA): Nearly 5,000 members (the largest in the U.S.).
Illinois Library Association (ILA): Approximately 3,000 members.
California Library Association (CLA): Roughly 1,300–3,000 total (older voting-member count was 1,487 in 2019; recent estimates vary by category).
Iowa Library Association (ILA): Approximately 1,300 members.
Michigan Library Association: Around 2,500 members (recent reports).
Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA): Roughly 1,200–2,000 members.
A conservative ballpark for all 50+ state/regional associations combined is roughly 25,000–50,000 total members.
Affiliates of the American Library Association
Affiliates are associations that are listed by the American Library Association on its website. Affiliates are separate yet aligned entities that champion common causes, expand outreach, and gain visibility. Members may or may not be personal members of the American Library Association. Also, most affiliates do not provide membership numbers.
Of those that do, there are about 20,000 members.3
Affiliates listed at the American Library Association website.
American Association of Law Libraries
American Indian Library Association
Association for Information Science and Technology
American Theological Library Association
Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA)
Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association
Association for Library and Information Science Education
Association for Rural and Small Libraries
Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services
Association of Jewish Libraries
Association of Research Libraries
Beta Phi Mu
Black Caucus of ALA
Catholic Library Association
Chinese American Librarians Association
Empowering Latino Futures
Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
Joint Council of Librarians of Color
Library and Information Association of New Zealand (LIANZA)
Literacy Nation
Medical Library Association
Music Library Association
Online Audiovisual Catalogers
Patent and Trademark Resource Center Association
Polish American Librarians Association
REFORMA
Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials
Theatre Library Association
Other library associations in the United States not affiliated with the American Library Association
County, city and state regional associations
Here are some examples4:
Florida
Palm Beach County Library Association (PBCLA) – Professional organization supporting libraries and staff in Palm Beach County.
Broward County Library Association (BCLA) – Unites information professionals across libraries in Broward County.
Dade County Library Association (DCLA / Miami-Dade) – Professional group for librarians and staff
Library Association of Brevard (Brevard County) – Local professional/support association.
Pennsylvania
Allegheny County Library Association (ACLA) – Federated system of ~46 independent public libraries serving Allegheny County (Pittsburgh area).
Berks County Library Association (BCLA) – Promotes excellence and cooperation among libraries/librarians in Berks County. Lancaster County Library Association – County-level library support/cooperation group.
Oil Region Library Association – Serves libraries in Venango County (Oil City/Franklin area).
Cambria County Library Association – Local county library association.
New York
Nassau County Library Association (NCLA)
Suffolk County Library Association – County-level professional association.
Ulster County Library Association – Represents 21 public libraries in Ulster County.
Westchester Library Association – County professional/support group.
Library Association of Rockland County – Local county association.
Putnam County Library Association – County-level group.
Dutchess County Library Association – County professional association.
Greene County Library Association – Local support/cooperation group.
Texas
Bay City Library Association / Jacksonville City Library Association
Historical or notable city/county clubs/societies
Chicago Library Club (Illinois)
Charleston Library Society (South Carolina) – One of the oldest membership libraries/societies in the U.S. (founded 1748).
Rutherford County Library Society/Association (North Carolina).
South Tillamook County Library Club (Oregon).
Brooklyn Town Library Association (Connecticut) – Historical town-level group.
A call for national conversation
An assembly of library associations from all sectors discussing the need for an alliance would be a worthwhile next step as our national association seeks membership growth.
Do you think this a conversation worth having?
What should be considered at such an assembly?
Guest post by Kathleen de la Peña McCook, School of Information, University of South Florida.
The American Library Association membership was 66,075 in 2005. (American Library Association. “ALA Updates | Membership.” Archived April 9, 2024, at the Wayback Machine.)
In 2025 the Membership was 46,564. (American Library Association. “Membership Update – What’s New at ALA.” Executive Director’s Report (EBD 12.13). June 16, 2025.)
This is an AI Assisted overview of state chapter membership. Prompt: How many members in state library associations?
AI Prompt: What are the latest membership numbers for these groups?
AI Prompt: There are many county or city library associations like the Palm Beach Library Association and the Chicago Library club, etc. provide more examples
 | A guest post by
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That is indeed a startling decline in membership, and it is worthwhile pointing out the many other library associations in the U.S., pointing to the need for a "Federation of Library Associations" such as we have in Canada (where we haven't had a national library association since the Canadian Library Association dissolved in 2016). However, I think the post would have benefitted from more of a discussion as to *why* membership has declined so dramatically over the past 20 years, prompting the formation of alternative organizations like the Association of Library Professionals; and, indeed, why you believe that Heterodoxy in the Stacks is one of the few places where such a conversation could even happen. In other words, we need a conversation about ALA's ideological monoculture, and if it might possibly be changed.
I received my MLS in 1972, spent my career as a research and law librarian, retiring in 2003. I have never belonged to ALA but have been a member of the Virginia association and the Special Library Assn.
Even in 1972 the ALA was more interested in politics than in libraries and a recent president advocated using libraries to push a specific social and political agenda. Meanwhile reading has declined dramatically in all age groups, and publishing is dominated by the same political and social agenda. Book prizes are awarded for what is basically propaganda.
The ALA has failed to encourage viewpoint diversity, has hurried to promote the latest fad so yes, a frank conversation is desperately needed. I wish you luck getting started!