Dear Children’s and Teen Services Folks,
You’re probably all becoming very familiar with the prefix “re” these days. We’re talking a lot within ALSC and YALSA about re-unification, re-organization, etc. This lovely prefix, as you likely know, represents the act of re-turning, re-visiting, or re-writing. The reunification of our two divisions re-presents a return to a time when we were previously united under one banner, but it also requires a re-envisioning of our work and how we will operate as a singular division within ALA. One of the overarching themes in all of these actions is member engagement.
And it is with that in mind that we are going to re-visit the Town Hall that took place last Fall.
The reunification is a massively complex undertaking, requiring an exceptional amount of time and dedication from staff, leadership, volunteers, and all of our members in both ALSC and YALSA. When we hosted the Town Hall last year, we had a few goals in mind:
- To ensure that the reasons behind YALSA dissolution and the reunification are clear.
- To highlight the upcoming steps in the reunification process.
- To address some common questions and concerns heard at conferences and through the membership survey.
- To answer any additional questions that may have surfaced during our discussions of the previous points.
This blog post serves as a brief summary for anyone who did not have the opportunity to attend the Town Hall or who has not had the chance to watch the recording yet.
- Due to financial pressures and a historical running deficit, ALA made the difficult decision to dissolve YALSA by September 2026, and to reunify the children’s and teen services divisions. This was done in an effort to reduce duplication of services, optimize staffing levels, and find ways for committees to work across both children’s and teen services.
Strong reactions are understandable and justified, but we hope that in the long-term, when the dust settles, we will be able to continue focusing our efforts on supporting all members of the unified division, whether they serve children, tweens, or teens. - After the vote from ALA, the two Boards created the Reunification Working Group to help guide staff efforts, liaise with ALA Council, and provide cross-division insights for relevant decision-making. Additionally, the Working Group provides context to help staff in drafting member communications and developing member engagement tools such as the survey that was sent out last Fall.
We also worked to develop this Town Hall. Since then, we have been working across divisions to advise around important decisions related to division reorganization. Many of these decisions are still in early stages, and so we will have more information in the coming months that we can share with you all. - Part of the Town Hall consisted of my own responses to common questions and concerns brought forward as a part of the survey:
a. Future Combined Member Opportunities: The upcoming ALSC Institute will include a Teen Services Development Day (October 1, 2026) to engage teen services members and help us gauge the best way to move forward on future Institutes and events.
b. Rebranding: I won’t get into too much detail here, but you can read here about the efforts that are underway to engage in a meaningful rebranding exercise over the next year.
c. Awards and Lists: We are working hard to ensure that this important work is preserved, and while there may be some modifications to a couple of programs, the vast majority of this work will continue unchanged.
d. Organizational Restructuring: We are working together to ensure that while certain committees will merge or be sunset, the work we do will continue, whether through updated committee charges, merging of work plans, or expansion of some initiatives to include both children’s and teen services. - One larger question that came up was related to the upcoming elections. While YALSA will not be running an election, ALSC’s Nominating Committee has been working with YALSA to find candidates who cross both memberships, so that there will continue to be candidates on the ballot who will serve all members of the newly unified division.
The main caveat with the upcoming election, is that only those who are ALSC members or dual ALSC/YALSA members can vote, due to existing bylaws in both divisions and ALA. Once the reunification of memberships goes into effect on September 1, 2026, all memberships will be converted to ALSC until such time as the rebranding is complete and a new name has been chosen by the combined membership. All elections from 2027 onwards will be open to all members of the unified division.
We will be continuing to engage with members in the coming months through another Town Hall (more information will be provided when available), dedicated time at ALA Annual, and through additional blog posts, ALA Connect posts, and member emails.
We know that there will continue to be many questions that arise over the coming months, so we encourage you all to comment, send emails to the member leaders of each division, and attend the next Town Hall. While we strive to be proactive in all of our communications, it is only through your questions and feedback that we can ensure you are all well-informed.
I want to reiterate here how grateful the Reunification Working Group and the ALSC and YALSA Boards are for your continued support through this challenging moment.
Onwards!
Rob Bitner
Co-Chair, Reunification Working Group
ALSC Past-President