History & Mission

Mission

The Association of Jewish Libraries is an international, professional organization that fosters access to information and research in all forms of media relating to all things Jewish. The Association promotes Jewish literacy and scholarship and provides a community for peer support and professional development.

Goals

Maintain high professional standards for Judaica librarians and recruit-qualified individuals into the profession.
Facilitate communication and exchange of information on a global scale.
Encourage quality publication in all formats and media, print, digital, etc.; stimulate publication of high-quality literature for children and adults.
Facilitate and encourage the establishment of Judaica library collections.
Enhance information access for all through the application of advanced technologies.
Publicize the organization and its activities in all relevant venues:
Stimulate awareness of Judaica library services among the public at large.
Promote recognition of Judaica librarianship to the broader library profession.
Encourage recognition of Judaica library services by other organizations and related occupations.
Ensure continuity of the Association through sound management, financial security, effective governance, and active membership.

Constitution

The AJL constitution was last updated in 2022.

History and Background

The Jewish Librarians Association, founded in 1946, was composed of academic, archival, and research institutions. The Jewish Library Association, founded in 1962, emphasized work in synagogue, school, and community center libraries. These two associations merged in 1966 and became the Association of Jewish Libraries. We are currently composed of two divisions: Schools, Synagogues, Centers and Public Libraries (SSCPL), and Research, Archive, and Special libraries (RAS).

AJL is the leading authority on Judaic librarianship. AJL has always been a vibrant volunteer-run non-profit organization that relies on its members’ energy and enthusiasm. Our membership includes libraries in synagogues, Jewish Community Centers, day schools, yeshivot, universities, Holocaust museums, museums, archives, national libraries, and public libraries. Many of our members are not librarians. We provide professional advocacy and development to our members via a supportive worldwide network. To learn more about our international activities, please see our International Initiative. Individual members are affiliated with institutions in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa, working in Argentina, Aruba, Barbados, Canada, China, Czechia, Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Panama, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Our institutional members are based in Austria, Canada, Germany, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We do not discriminate based on race, color, age, sex, gender, or religion.

International Initiatives

AJL’s international initiatives aim to expand its membership across borders and continents while providing forums and supporting collaboration and networking among members through diverse activities. The International Committee is eager to support current and future members’ requests and initiatives that promote and broaden AJL’s international activities.

AJL promotes the professional practices of Judaica librarianship internationally, as illustrated by the Jewish Collections Directory, aka AJL Map. Both member and non-member institutions are invited to fill out the form to be represented in this global directory of library, archival, and museum collections that pertain to Jewish histories and cultures.

AJL offers membership status to institutions, individuals—both library professionals and non-professionals—and students. Please visit the page on this website, Join Us to learn more about membership and support possibilities.

AJL awards recognize works advancing Judaica librarianship in the field of reference and bibliography and literary works enriching Jewish reading cultures around the globe. These books help us gain a broad and diverse view of the world of the Jewish book.

Similarly, Judaica Librarianship, the journal of AJL, and the AJL Newsletter feature articles by an international cohort of authors about broad-ranging topics. The Newsletter features reviews of books published in English. Authors from all over the world are welcome to submit manuscripts to Judaica Librarianship.

AJL Book Exchange invites members to offer surplus books and offers a cost-effective resource for collection development, while supporting book preservation.

Each year, at the end of June, AJL organizes its international conference and invites applications (papers and panels alike) from all over the world. The conference meets in person every other year in a North American locale. Every other year, the conference convenes online. Presenters can also apply for participation support, including travel costs. To learn more about the conference, please visit the conference webpage.

In addition to the conferences, AJL hosts seminars and public talks listed on the Events page. The recordings of these events are available online. These include presentations about collectors and collections from all over the world and various historical periods, whether 18^th-century Prague, 20^th-century Soviet Union, the late 19^th-century development of international Geniza scholarship, or current bibliographical work in the republics of the former Yugoslavia.

AJL provides a robust and multifaceted Judaica librarian certification program. This subsidized program, delivered by experts in the different library science subfields, brings together students from all over the world, who, in addition to completing online courses, intern at a local institution. This program welcomes applications from students and institutions who are interested in hosting and supporting interns.

Association with Other Professional Groups

Through its members, AJL is associated with groups of similar professional interests these include: the UK and Ireland Hebraica Libraries Group, the Latin American Jewish Studies Association, and the Association for Jewish Studies.