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APALA Chapters

Are you interested in starting an APALA Chapter in your region? Please review the requirements for chapters below taken from the APALA Constitution and Bylaws. If you are still interested in forming a chapter, please fill out the Chapter Proposal Form to initiate the process. 

Article V. Chapters

      • SECTION 1. Ten (10) or more members can form a chapter for ease of communication, so that librarians in one local area can discuss and act on mutual problems and interests, with the approval of the Executive Board.

      • SECTION 2. A chapter Chairperson, elected by chapter membership, will call all meetings.

      • SECTION 3. Chapters can meet on their own as needed.

      • SECTION 4. The chapter may, by a majority vote, impose dues as it deems necessary in addition to APALA membership dues. 

      • SECTION 5. The chapter may draw up its own Bylaws, providing that there is no conflict with the APALA Constitution/Bylaws. The existence of such a conflict shall be determined by the Executive Board.

      • SECTION 6. The chapter news shall be included in the APALA newsletter.

    Active Chapters

    If you are from any of the regions below, please reach out to the contacts below to be included in their chapter/regional activities. 

      Q&A for APALA Chapters and Chapter Chairs (Updated October 2025)

      Question: What is this all about?

      Answer: APALA’s Constitution and Bylaws state in Article V that members can start their own chapters. Based on numerous requests by APALA members over the years, the APALA Executive Board 2021-2022 charged the APALA membership committee to come up with a process to manage chapter requests, and what kind of support APALA can provide. The Chapter Guidelines have been approved by the APALA Executive Board 2021-2022 in May 2022. Before starting a chapter, please know that APALA folks can ALWAYS get together, network, and meet other APALA folks in their area without necessarily having to go through the work of setting up a chapter. Pre-pandemic we often had local and regional dinners, brunches, and happy hours! Members can send an email to the APALA listserv to see who might be interested in local meet ups that do not have to be designated as chapters. Be sure to have members contact you directly instead of the listserv itself.

      Question: I would like to start one, where should I start?

      Answer: First, please take a look at the chapters listed above under “Active Chapters” and the APALA chairs to contact. If there’s one already on the list, reach out to the contact directly. If there isn’t one on the list, think for a moment to decide if such a chapter is necessary – you might want to do a local meetup/social instead? (e.g. In the past Bay Area and Los Angeles folks have gathered to eat at a restaurant; New York City folks went to see a museum together). Otherwise, contact the APALA Vice President/Executive Board liaison to chapters (vp@apalaweb.org) with the potential chapter name, member names, and email addresses.

      Question: What happens next if I have several members who are interested?

      Answer: To start a chapter, you’ll need at least 10 names of APALA members who have consented and want to participate in the chapter. You’ll need to fill out the Chapter Proposal Form. All proposals will be reviewed by the APALA Executive Board before approval. APALA Executive Board meets monthly to discuss, vote, and approve items like this. If you do not have 10 names, please do not fill out the form. You can consider local meetups (see previous answer above). Once approved, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) from the APALA Executive Board will be sent to the chair to agree and abide by APALA’s Chapter Policy. (see APALA Manual).

      Question: Can I get the membership committee to send me a list of members from my region?

      Answer: Due to privacy and consent concerns, the membership committee does not provide such information. You are welcome to email the listserv to have folks reach out to you directly. 

      Question: What kind of support can APALA Chapters receive?

      Answer: First, thank you for serving as a chapter chair. Once your chapter has been approved by the APALA Executive Board, the information will be posted on the APALA Website and upcoming newsletter. Being a chapter chair comes with a variety of responsibilities which include communication, organizing get togethers, etc. You can create your own listserv if needed, you can also share your activities with the APALA listserv. We also have an Executive Board liaison to all chapters to direct your questions to the Executive Board.