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Library and Information Technology Association
The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) was a division of the American Library Association (ALA), focusing on the intersections of libraries and information technology. Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Chicago, LITA was dissolved in 2020 amid declining membership and persistent budget deficits. LITA merged into a new ALA division, Core.
During the division's initial stages of development in 1966, it was pressed by the ALA's Reference and User Services Association that the name should include the words "Information Science", and as a result of this and a report made by a Committee of Organization, the Information Science and Automation Division (ISAD) of the ALA came into existence. The name was later changed by the bylaws committee to the Library and Information Technology Association (or LITA, as it is more commonly known) in 1978 due to the expansion of the division's scope in the twelve years that it had been operational.
In the early 1960s, the idea of libraries utilizing computers came into existence at the National Library of Medicine with the MEDLARS project, which was a pioneer project that came about in 1961 for serials control. From this point, library technology began to trend within the library community, and the ALA started to participate in the technology world, bringing about innovation in library technology by 1964.
On January 27, 1966, the ALA Committee on Organization proposed that a new division of the ALA be created to grow with and endorse these new developments in library technology. A formal recommendation of the division's creation was constructed by the Committee on Organization and was then taken to the ALA Council, who approved the division's establishment, birthing the Information Science and Automation Division, which would later be renamed the Library and Information Technology Association. The division was officially established in New York at the 1966 ALA Annual Conference. The first elections for the Board of Directors occurred on July 1, 1967, where Stephen R. Salmon was elected as the first president of the division.
During the first two to three decades of the division's life, it experienced a complex organizational shift as it was rapidly evolving and expanding, resulting in its change of name to the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA). The expansion of LITA during this time also brought about the growth of interest groups and the inclusion of new programs like "The Distinguished Lecture Series" and "LITA Scholarships". Following the initial strain of the division's developing years, LITA began to see financial light by the 1990s, and by 1993, the roster had grown to 5,802 members and was considered a reputable, well organized, and efficiently run division of the ALA.
LITA was managed by an elected Board of Directors. Positions on the board included president, vice-president, immediate past-president, ALA councilor, and seven other directors. In addition to the board, there was an executive committee, which was controlled by the Board of Directors and acted on its behalf between regular board meetings.
The following is a list of past LITA presidents:
The bylaws of LITA were adopted in 1966 by the Board of Directors and had sixteen revisions since their implementation, the latest in 2013. They included bylaw information for LITA's name, object, membership, officers, terms of office, duties, board of directors, meetings, committees and representatives, interest groups, nominations and elections, amendments of bylaws, publications, notice by mail, and parliamentary authority.
Library and Information Technology Association
The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) was a division of the American Library Association (ALA), focusing on the intersections of libraries and information technology. Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Chicago, LITA was dissolved in 2020 amid declining membership and persistent budget deficits. LITA merged into a new ALA division, Core.
During the division's initial stages of development in 1966, it was pressed by the ALA's Reference and User Services Association that the name should include the words "Information Science", and as a result of this and a report made by a Committee of Organization, the Information Science and Automation Division (ISAD) of the ALA came into existence. The name was later changed by the bylaws committee to the Library and Information Technology Association (or LITA, as it is more commonly known) in 1978 due to the expansion of the division's scope in the twelve years that it had been operational.
In the early 1960s, the idea of libraries utilizing computers came into existence at the National Library of Medicine with the MEDLARS project, which was a pioneer project that came about in 1961 for serials control. From this point, library technology began to trend within the library community, and the ALA started to participate in the technology world, bringing about innovation in library technology by 1964.
On January 27, 1966, the ALA Committee on Organization proposed that a new division of the ALA be created to grow with and endorse these new developments in library technology. A formal recommendation of the division's creation was constructed by the Committee on Organization and was then taken to the ALA Council, who approved the division's establishment, birthing the Information Science and Automation Division, which would later be renamed the Library and Information Technology Association. The division was officially established in New York at the 1966 ALA Annual Conference. The first elections for the Board of Directors occurred on July 1, 1967, where Stephen R. Salmon was elected as the first president of the division.
During the first two to three decades of the division's life, it experienced a complex organizational shift as it was rapidly evolving and expanding, resulting in its change of name to the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA). The expansion of LITA during this time also brought about the growth of interest groups and the inclusion of new programs like "The Distinguished Lecture Series" and "LITA Scholarships". Following the initial strain of the division's developing years, LITA began to see financial light by the 1990s, and by 1993, the roster had grown to 5,802 members and was considered a reputable, well organized, and efficiently run division of the ALA.
LITA was managed by an elected Board of Directors. Positions on the board included president, vice-president, immediate past-president, ALA councilor, and seven other directors. In addition to the board, there was an executive committee, which was controlled by the Board of Directors and acted on its behalf between regular board meetings.
The following is a list of past LITA presidents:
The bylaws of LITA were adopted in 1966 by the Board of Directors and had sixteen revisions since their implementation, the latest in 2013. They included bylaw information for LITA's name, object, membership, officers, terms of office, duties, board of directors, meetings, committees and representatives, interest groups, nominations and elections, amendments of bylaws, publications, notice by mail, and parliamentary authority.