APALA is celebrating its 45th Anniversary! We’re launching a $45 for 45th Campaign. With every donation, we’ll send you a limited-edition sticker that Jiuya “Eva” Lin thoughtfully created in collaboration with APALA’s President, Jaena Rae Cabrera, and the 45th Anniversary Taskforce. With the support of our community, we continue to illuminate APALA’s core values of leadership, social justice, diversity, advocacy, community, and collaboration.
Throughout the years, APALA has continuously listened to the concerns of our community members, taken action to address those concerns, and created opportunities to implement changes whenever possible. We shared a statement calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza and worked with Shengxiao “Sole” Yu to provide an additional Teach-In Webinar on the US Empire in West Asia: A Community. We also listened to the concerns of Pasifika community members on the lack of representation in our Literature Awards, and we made changes to improve the award selection process to be more inclusive of Pasifika authors and illustrators. We affirm our core values with our Commitment to Justice, Freedom, and Resilience. APALA is also a part of the National Association of Librarians of Color (NALcos), and collectively, we share a call to action for democracy and human rights for all!
We encourage you to donate $45, $1 for each year of APALA’s work to support AANHPI librarians, library workers, and the communities we serve.
Donations support the following initiatives and programs:
- Asian Pacific American Award for Literature to honor and recognize works of Asian American and Pasifika authors and illustrators.
- Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Cultures, a collaborative program and grant with the American Indian Library Association (AILA). This family literacy program reaches out to Asian American, Pasifika, and American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) children and their families. The program celebrates and explores their stories through books, oral traditions, and arts to provide an interactive, enriching learning experience.
- APALA Gayatri Singh Award provides an APALA member with the opportunity to enhance their engagement with equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice through professional development and financial assistance in honor of Gayatri Singh’s commitment to social justice.
- APALA Scholarship is granted to a student of AANHPI background attending a master’s or doctoral degree program in library and/or information science at an ALA-accredited school.
- APALA Travel Award to support a member’s attendance at the ALA Annual Conference.
- APALA Sponsorship for ALA Emerging Leaders Program to fund a member to attend the ALA Midwinter and Annual Conferences.
- APALA President’s Program at the ALA Annual Conference, featuring speakers, panels, or presentations on educational, informational, and inspirational topics of current interest/concern to AANHPI librarians and communities.
Donations will also help us fund future initiatives and programs, like the Lifetime Achievement Award.
We hope to celebrate in person at the ALA 2025 Annual Conference & Exhibition in Philadelphia!