ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom Helpline
Grant Announcement
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

​Late this summer, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the launch of its state Intellectual Freedom Helpline (IFH) program. Over the next two years, ten pilot program sites will operate a confidential reporting system that will help connect those experiencing censorship attempts with professional support, in-state peers, and referral to The ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) as appropriate. The initiative will collect data for inclusion in ALA’s database of confidential reports documenting censorship attempts nationwide; develop resources and establish best practices to operate an IFH; and develop the expertise and confidence of both those providing and receiving support. Ten grants were offered, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities, among others.
MLA, along with representatives of the MA School Library Association, worked on a joint application for this grant with the library associations from all six New England states. We are thrilled to announce that our application was accepted for one of the ten pilot programs.
Over the next several months, all six New England states will work together to create a regional reporting helpline system for any type of library that is experiencing intellectual freedom challenges.
We see this as an amazing opportunity to pool our resources and expertise to support libraries and library workers throughout New England during these challenging times. MLA welcomes those who are interested in being part of the project as we aim to develop a robust group of people who will not only bring this helpline into being, but also continue the work as we move forward. 
Contact [email protected] or [email protected] to find out more and to get involved.

The Massachusetts Library Association and the Massachusetts School Library Association partner with EveryLibrary to survey legislative candidates
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CLICK FOR FULL STATEMENT
Candidates running for seats in the State Legislature show overwhelming support for school and
public libraries in Massachusetts.

​The Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) and the Massachusetts School Library
Association (MSLA), with the assistance of EveryLibrary, recently conducted a survey of
candidates running for seats in the Primary Election for the State Legislature. The survey was
created to gauge their support for libraries and specifically looked at support for the Freedom to
Read and improved funding for both school and public libraries in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. 

MLA's Legislative Committee advocates for H.3239, an Act empowering library access to electronic books and digital audiobooks

CLICK FOR FULL MLA LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE UPDATE

MLA announces partnership with Sustainable Libraries Initiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CLICK FOR FULL STATEMENT
The Massachusetts Library Association and the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) are
thrilled to announce a partnership that will benefit both MLA members and SLI.
The Massachusetts Library Association is among several other associations joining forces
with SLI to educate and elevate librarians and library staff on the work of communities and
libraries to become, in the words of SLI, 'more environmentally sound, socially equitable,
and economically feasible.'