These organizations emphasize the importance of books and there place in society.

Associations

American Library Association
The ALA seeks to “provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.”

Associations for Library Service to Children
ALSC is best known for its annual awarding of the Newbery and Caldecott medals for the best written and best illustrated children's books of the year, but the association has been an advocate for the literature choices and literacy rights of children, birth through age 14, for over a century.

http://www.ala.org/ALSCTemplate.cfm?Section=ALSC%20

Center for the Book at the Library of Congress
Established by congress, centers for the book strive to encourage interest in reading, books and libraries in nearly every state.

http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/

Children’s Book Council
This resource contains links to authors' and illustrators' sites, as well as information on books for preschoolers through eighth-graders.

http://www.cbcbooks.org/

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
The IFLA is a non-governmental organization based in The Hague that seeks to represent the interests of librarians and information sciences around the world and promote an understanding for the need of the services provided by libraries.

http://www.ifla.org/

International Reading Association
A professional membership organization, the International Reading Association advocates literacy, acts as a professional development liaison, and performs research, and encourages world-wide partnerships in literacy.

http://www.reading.org/

National Book Foundation
The awarding institution of the National Book Award, the National Book Foundation seeks to honor outstanding literature, while connecting it with underserved communities.

http://www.nationalbook.org/

National Center for ESL Literacy Education
The National Center for ESL Literacy Education works to support and provide services teaching English as a second language to adults and out of school youth learning English.

http://www.cal.org/ncle/

National Council of Teachers of English
This organization is dedicated to the improvement of the teaching and learning of English and the language arts.

http://www.ncte.org/

National Institute for Literacy
This governmental organization funds “support programs and services designed to improve the quality of literacy programs nationwide.”

http://www.nifl.gov/

National Reading Panel
This group was commissioned by congress in 1997 to assess the approaches and styles to teaching children how to read in the United States. The panel has completed their research, but members still present their findings to organizations upon request.

http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org/

National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement
The National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement seeks to improve the teaching of English and language arts by researching how curriculum, instruction and assessment function in developing high literacy and success for students.

http://cela.albany.edu/

National Writing Project
The NWP seeks to improve the teaching of writing and learning in the nation’s schools.

http://www.writingproject.org/

Society for Scholarly Publishing
With a mission of advancing the field of scholarly publishing and communication, the Society for Scholarly Publishing provides education and interaction between its varied members.

http://www.sspnet.org/

Young Adult Library Services Association
This division of the American Library Association supports those in the field Young Adult librarianship.

http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/yalsa.htm

Advocates and Activists

Book It!
With a 20-year history of supporting literacy and reading in the nation’s schools, Book It!, in cooperation with Pizza Hut, is a program that helps to motivate young readers.

http://www.bookitprogram.com/

First Book
Acknowledging the joy and power of owning one’s very own book, the First Book association allows low-income children to own their first new books.

http://www.firstbook.org/

Freedom to Read Foundation
Established to promote and defend First Amendment freedoms, the Freedom to Read Foundation supports the “right of libraries to include in their collections and make available any work which they may legally acquire.”

http://www.ala.org/ala/ourassociation/othergroups/ftrf/
freedomreadfoundation.htm

KidSPEAK! Online
KidSPEAK! is a website for kids who concerned with free speech rights.

http://www.kidspeakonline.org/

Literacy Volunteers of America
A national network of literacy providers, Literacy Volunteers of America seeks to ally volunteers and students of the English language.

http://www.literacyvolunteers.org/

Literacy.org
A hub for electronic resources concerning youth and adult literacies, Literacy.org is sponsored by the International Literacy Institute and the National Center on Adult Literacy.

http://www.literacy.org/

PEN American Center
The PEN American Center is “fellowship of writers working for more than eighty years to advance literature, to promote a culture of reading, and to defend free expression.”

http://www.pen.org/

Reading is Fundamental
The United States’ largest non-profit literacy organization, Reading is Fundamental, seeks to create a nation of lifelong readers.

http://www.rif.org/

Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education
The Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education is an advocacy organization seeking to promote literacy tutoring on college campuses across the nation.

http://www.readwriteact.org/

United States Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education promotes “educational excellence for all Americans.”

http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml

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