Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies

The Association of Specialized, Government, and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASGCLA) is a defunct division of the American Library Association (ALA), which is the oldest and largest library association in the world. The ALA Council in June 2020 voted to dissolve ASGCLA and assign its components to other units within ALA and it ceased to exist on September 1, 2020.

History
In 1977, two ALA divisions, the American Association of State Library Agencies (founded in 1957) and the Health and Rehabilitative Library Services Division (founded in 1956 as the Association of Hospital and Institution Libraries) merged and took on the name ASCLA. The independent librarians joined ASCLA in 1998 when their ALA round table, Independent Librarians’ Exchange Round Table (ILERT), voted to merge with the division. In the election of 2017, the Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Round Table (FAFLRT) voted to merge into ASCLA. In the ALA elections of 2018, the name was voted to be changed from Association of Specialized, and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) to implement the merger with the former Federal and Armed Forces Librarians Round Table.

The Association of Hospital and Institution Libraries included the former Division of Hospital Libraries and the former Institution Libraries Committee. The Division of Hospital Libraries was established by Council in 1944, following a petition by 300 ALA members. The Division replaced the Hospital Libraries Round Table, and formed the beginnings of the new division, which was authorized by Council in June 1956.

The State Library Agencies Division became a division of ALA on January 1, 1957. It was created out of the Committee on State Library Agencies. The Committee on State Library Agencies had been established by the Executive Board, January 1950, with a charge to "outline a proposal for a study of state library agencies as a basis for setting standards and strengthening services." The officers of the National Association of State Libraries constituted the Organizing Committee of the State Library Agencies Division.

In 1958 the National Association of State Libraries, founded in 1889, disbanded. Its membership merged with that of the American Association of State Libraries (AASL), a division of ALA since January 1, 1957. The State Library Agencies Division (SLAD) was founded on January 1, 1957 and in 1958 SLAD merged with the AASL to become the State Library Agency Division and AASL changed its title to the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA). )

In June 2020, the ALA Council voted to dissolve the division, effective September 1, due to the ALA's financial difficulties and ASGCLA's "falling membership and revenues." The dissolution took effect on September 1, 2020.

ASGCLA was responsible for functions pertaining to library services performed by state library agencies, specialized library agencies, and mutitype library cooperatives. It had the specific responsibility for:
 * 1) Synthesis of appropriate ALA unit activities with the development and evaluation of programs which extend and improve user services in state and specialized libraries and multitype library cooperatives.
 * 2) Representation and interpretation of the roles, functions, and services of these types of libraries within and outside the profession.
 * 3) Development of policies, studies, and activities relative to government funding, grants and appropriations, and inter-governmental relationships in matters which affect these types of libraries, coordinated with appropriate ALA unit archives.
 * 4) Establishment, evaluation, and promotion of standards.
 * 5) Identification of user needs, and the creation and promotion of services to meet those needs.
 * 6) Stimulation of the development and participation in appropriate type-of-activity divisions of librarians engaged in these types of libraries.
 * 7) Coordination of the activities of ALA units which have a bearing on the concerns of this association.
 * 8) Granting recognition for outstanding library service enacted.
 * 9) Disseminating information and stimulating publishing and research.

ASGCLA was governed by an Executive Committee and a Board. The Executive Committee included the president, the vice-president/president-elect, the secretary, the past-president, and the ALA divisional councilor. The executive committee was responsible for management of the Association between Annual and Midwinter meetings of ALA. The Association executive director was an ex officio member of the Executive Committee. All decisions of the Executive Committee were reported to the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors consisted of the officers, the ALA divisional councilor, and eight directors, five of whom were designated directors. The five (5) designated directors represented the types of library organizations and agencies: state library agencies (1), library agencies and individuals who serve special populations (2), library cooperatives (1), armed forces libraries (1), federal libraries (1), and independent librarians (1). The executive director and the editor of the Association publication served as ex officio non-voting members of the Board. Other non-voting members may have been appointed by the president, with approval of the Board of Directors.

Committees
ASGCLA had the following committees:
 * Accessibility Assembly
 * Awards Committee
 * Board of Directors
 * Conference Programming Committee
 * Executive Committee
 * Finance and Planning Committee
 * Guidelines for Library & Information Services for the American Deaf Community
 * Interest Group Coordinating Committee
 * Membership Committee
 * Nominating Committee
 * Online Learning Committee
 * President's Program Planning Committee
 * Publications Committee [currently inactive]
 * Web Presence Committee

Interest Groups
ASGCLA Interest Groups were virtual groups hosted on ALA Connect, the active online member community site of ALA. Each community came together to share knowledge and enthusiasm for a specific subject and made valuable contributions to ASGCLA and its core interests of strengthening the usefulness, efficiency and services of:
 * Library agencies and individuals which provide library materials and service to populations with special needs, such as those with sensory, physical, health or behavioral conditions or those who are incarcerated or detained
 * State library agencies, which are state organizations created to promote library services in the state through a variety of library services
 * Library cooperatives, which are combinations, mergers, or contractual associations of one or more types of libraries
 * Independent librarians who work outside of traditional library settings

List of ASGCLA Interest Groups

 * Alzheimer's & Related Dementias Interest Group
 * Armed Forces Librarian Interest Group
 * Bridging Deaf Cultures @ your library
 * Collaborative Digitization Interest Group
 * Consortial eBooks Interest Group
 * Consortium Management Interest Group
 * Consumer Health Information Librarians Interest Group
 * Federal Librarian Interest Group
 * Future of Libraries
 * Library Consultants Interest Group
 * Library Services to the Incarcerated and Detained
 * Library Services to Persons with Print Disabilities
 * Library Services for Youth in Custody
 * LSTA Coordinators Interest Group
 * Physical Delivery Interest Group
 * State Library Agencies – Library Development Interest Group
 * State Library Agencies – Youth Services Consultants
 * Tribal Librarians Interest Group
 * Universal Access Interest Group

ASGCLA Presidents

 * 1978-79   Phyllis I. Dalton
 * 1979-80   Edward Seidenberg
 * 1980-81   Carmela M. Ruby
 * 1981-82   Anne Marie Falsone
 * 1982-83   Nancy L. Wareham
 * 1983-84   Christine L. Kirby
 * 1984-85   James A. Nelson
 * 1985-86   Gail J. McGovern
 * 1986-87   Bridget Lamont
 * 1987-88   Lorraine D. Summers
 * 1988-89   Joseph F. Shubert
 * 1989-90   William G. Asp
 * 1990-91   Clarence R. Walters
 * 1991-92   Duane F. Johnson
 * 1992-93   Janice Beck Ison
 * 1993-94   Barbara L. Perkis
 * 1994-95   Amy Owen
 * 1995-96   Leslie B. Burger
 * 1996-97   Kate F. Nevins
 * 1997-98   Nancy M. Bolt
 * 1998-99   John M. Day
 * 1999-00   Barbara H. Will
 * 2000-01   Donna Dziedzic
 * 2001-02   Jerry Krois
 * 2002-03   Ethel Himmel
 * 2003-04   Tom W. Sloan
 * 2004-05   Peggy D. Rudd
 * 2005-06   Diana M. Paque
 * 2006-07   Marilyn M. Irwin
 * 2007-08   Barbara T. Mates
 * 2008-09   Carol Ann Desch
 * 2009-10   Brenda Bailey-Hainer
 * 2010-11   Diana Reese
 * 2011-12   Norma Blake
 * 2012-13   Stacey A. Aldrich
 * 2013-14   Sara Laughlin
 * 2014-15   Kathleen Ann Moeller-Peiffer
 * 2015-16   Rhonda Gould
 * 2016-17   Michael Golrick
 * 2017-18   Jeannette Smithee
 * 2018-19   Adam Szczepaniak
 * 2019-20   Sherry Machones

Division Councilors

 * 1979-1981   Susan M. Haskin
 * 1981-1985   Barratt Wilkins
 * 1985-1989   Donna Dziedzic
 * 1989-1993   Suzanne J. Lebarron
 * 1993-1997   Lorraine S. Summers
 * 1997-2001   Jan Ison
 * 2001-2004   Marilyn M. Irwin
 * 2004-2007   Cynthia Roach
 * 2007-2010   Kendall French Wiggin
 * 2010-2012   Kendall French Wiggin [resigned]
 * 2012-2015   Liz Bishoff
 * 2015-2018   Chris Corrigan
 * 2018-2021   Michael Golrick

Archives
The archives of ASGCLA are in the archives of the American Library Association, housed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.