By now you have hopefully seen the news that ALSC and YALSA are reuniting as a single division, due to the ALA Council vote in June of 2025. Since that vote, ALSC and YALSA have been working together through a Reunification Working Group, which works with staff, the two division boards, and any other stakeholders, to ensure a smooth and effective transition leading up to the dissolution of YALSA and the the reunification of the two membership groups under a single division in September of 2026.
In the time since the vote and the first official round of communications have gone out, we have been actively working with members to get feedback and listen to concerns. In the coming months, we will be trying our very best to address some concerns and myths that we have been hearing. This month’s focus is rebranding:
Rebranding Myth #1 – ALSC doesn’t want to rebrand
I think it is fair to say that ALSC has a recognized brand within the world of libraries and children’s publishing, and any potential change will be difficult. This does not mean that we aren’t committed to rebranding efforts that will ensure both children’s and teen services are reflected in our name, logo, and programming. We want to be very clear that this is something that will be needed to make all of our members, united under one division, feel valued and reflected in our new brand and our continued good work.
Rebranding Myth #2 – It’s being delayed so people will forget about rebranding later on
It is true that we do not currently have a distinct timeline for a rebranding strategy. This is reflected in our FAQ at the moment, but will be expanded upon as we know more. I do want to be clear, though, that we are committed to beginning the process under the new, unified Board of Directors once the reunification is complete in September of 2026. I could go on about the complexities of the reunification process, and the many reasons why we are unable to start the work of rebranding immediately, but the main reason is that we simply do not have the resources or staff capacity at this time.
Rebranding Myth #3 – “Staff capacity” is just an excuse to avoid rebranding
I have heard this more than a few times in the last few months. I understand that a lot of the things being said and communicated right now might sound like excuses. I can only say there is an incredible amount of very complex work going on right now on top of the day-to-day tasks that staff are normally occupied with. This is simply a reality right now. While strategic work on rebranding is underway right now, once we are closer to the official reunification date, staff will ramp up engagement with the Board as well as ALA staff and leadership, to begin building out a robust and comprehensive rebranding timeline with activities and milestones, including member engagement opportunities.
Both ALSC and YALSA have brands that evoke a lot of pride among respective membership groups, and beyond! Rebranding is too important to do on-the-fly. We want to make sure that there is a robust process for engagement, development, and consultation so that the end product is something that we can all be proud to stand behind.
In the coming months you will receive more communications from ALSC staff on important activities, and we will also keep you informed through these monthly blog posts, ALA Connect updates, the President’s blog posts and columns, and another town hall in the spring.
Onwards!
Rob Bittner
Co-Chair, Reunification Working Group
ALSC Past-President