The Florida Library Association (FLA) is a regional, non-profit organization that promotes professional discourse and opportunities for the library community in Florida. The FLA publishes the Florida Libraries Journal.
History
The Florida Library Association began meeting in 1906,Urbec, Karen. “The History of the Florida Library Association Is a Story of Service, Devotion, and Hard Work.” Florida Libraries 63, no. 1 (Spring 2020): 20–23. but it was officially formed in 1920 by Helen Virginia Stelle, director of the Tampa Public Library.Gebhardt, Maria. 2014. “The Florida Library Association: A Century of Leadership, Advocacy, and Communication.” Florida Libraries 57 (2): 5–10. In addition to its publication, Florida Libraries, the FLA provides a forum for issues and advocacy.
Prior to any formal organization, the first state-wide assembly of Florida librarians took place in December 1906 in St. Augustine. On April 26 and 27, 1920, the Florida Library Association was officially established.
The institution started out with 23 charter members whose primary goal was to embolden the state government, to establish a state library agency, and to endorse legislation that allowed for counties to establish their own libraries within their own communities. They were successful in their efforts, and in 1925 the state library was established. In 1931 a county library law was sanctioned. The first chairman and then-president of the Florida Library Association was Helen Virginia Stelle.Urbec, K. (2020). The History of the Florida Library Association is a story of service, devotion, and hard Work. Florida Libraries, 63(1), 20–23.
Each year since 1920, with the exception of 1943-1945 (due to WWII), the conference has taken place in various libraries throughout the state. This federation and assembly of Florida librarians have brought about progress in discourse, activism, and forward-thinking adaptations to the way libraries function throughout the state. Themes which over its history have informed the FLA assembly, its mission, and its activism include “The Enlightened South” in 1966, “Threshold of a New Decade” in 1969, libraries as a “Renewable Resource” in 1986, and “Diverse Libraries to Serve Floridians” in 2000.
The 1935 Florida Library Survey statement demonstrates the FLA's commitment to its mission by indicating that the organization “must take the lead to inform citizens of the desirability of library service to meet their practical and cultural needs.”
List of presidents
Year President2026Marina Morgan2025Allison Grubbs2024Jorge Perez2023Douglas Crane 2022Shane Roopnarine+2021Phyllis Gorshe2020Laura Spears2019Eric Head2018Sarah J. Hammill 2017 Elana Karshmer2016Gene Coppola2015Linda McCarthy 2014 Gladys Roberts 2013 Barbara J. Stites 2012 Gloria Colvin 2011 John Callahan 2010 Wendy Breeden 2009 Mercedes Clement 2008 Charlie Parker 2007 Sol Hirsch 2006 Nancy Pike 2005 Derrie Perez 2004 John Szabo 2003 Marta Westall 2002 Betty Johnson 2001 Mary Brown 2000 Madison Mosley 1999 Mary Jane Little 1998 Patricia DeSalvo 1997 Eileen Cobb 1996 Elizabeth Curry 1995 Helen Moeller 1994 Susan Anderson 1993 Ann Williams 1992 Alphonse F. Trezza 1991 Linda O'Connor-Levy 1990 Thomas Reitz 1989 Althea Jenkins 1988 John D. Hales 1987 Lydia Acosta 1986 James Wheeler 1985 John McCrossan 1984 Jean Rhein 1983 Harold Goldstein 1982 Ada Seltzer 1981 Samuel F. Morrison 1979-1980 Bernadette Storck 1979 John DePew 1978 Glenn Miller 1977 Eloise Harbeson 1976 Ed Sintz 1975 Virginia Grazier 1974 Dennis Robison 1973 David Kantor 1972 Leo Meirose 1971 Lynn Walker 1970 Cecil Beach 1969 DeLyle Runge 1968 Verna Nistendirk 1967 Elizabeth B. Mann 1966 Margaret Chapman 1965 Harry Brinton 1964 Thomas Dreier 1963 Ruth Rockwood 1962 Betty S. Lunnon 1961 Elliott Hardaway 1960 Frank B. Sessa 1959 Archie L. McNeal 1958 Helen L. Keepfe 1957 Dorothy Dodd 1956 Elizabeth Peeler 1955 William Frieze 1954 Dr. Louis Shores 1953 Alice Pearce 1952 Paul A.T. Noon 1951 Clara E. Wendel 1950 Stanley L. West 1949 Sara Malcolm Krentzman 1948 Betty W. Service 1947 Ida Kelley Cresap 1945-1946 Eulah Mae Snider 1943-1944 Wesley Summers 1942 Bertha Aldrich 1941 Olive Brumbaugh 1940 R.W. Severance 1939 Henrie Mae Eddy 1937-1938 Mary Bright 1936 Carl Bohnenberger 1934-1935 William F. Yust 1932-1933 Louise Richardson 1931 Helen V. Stelle 1929-1930 Joseph F. Marron 1928 Olive Brumbaugh 1926-1927 Anne VanNess Brown 1924-1925 Cora Miltimore 1923 Louise Gamsby 1922 Helen V. Stelle 1921 Joseph F. Marron 1920 Helen V. Stelle (Convener) 1907-1910 George Burwell Utley 1905-1906 Carolyn Palmer
Advocacy The FLA addresses important and impactful issues that affect Florida's libraries and intellectual freedom. Its Statement on Professional Education states that Librarians and Library Directors must have a master's degree in Library and Information Sciences or Studies to uphold professional standards. The Statement on Privatization of Publicly-Supported Libraries advocates that efforts to privatize libraries by for-profit organizations should be opposed.
The FLA organizes an annual Library Legislative Day during which librarians, library advocates, and other supporters meet both virtually and in person at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee to speak with legislators in order to raise awareness of library issues.
In 2024 Vice President/President-Elect Jorge Perez flew to Washington, DC to participate in the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies "Voices for Libraries event."Abdelnour, Jennifer K. “From the Executive Director.” Florida Libraries 66, no. 1 (Spring 2024): 7–8.
Friends of Florida Libraries Honor Roll The Friends of Florida Libraries Honor Roll supports FLA advocacy activities within the state government. Every year, the Friends of Florida Libraries sponsors a Library Day in Tallahassee in order to advocate for funding, library related legislation, and awareness.
Scholarships
The FLA provides multiple scholarships annually for students to enroll in programs of library and information science. Study at Florida State University MSLIS graduate program. Study at the University of South Florida MLIS graduate program, named for Bernadette Storck, a FLA past-president and archivist. Study by a Minority student attending either Florida State University or the University of South Florida.
Court cases In 2006, the FLA filed an amicus curiae memorandum in the United States District Court in support of an ACLU and Miami-Dade Student Government Association lawsuit. The Miami-Dade County School Board removed the book Vamos a Cuba and "A Visit to..." book series from the Miami-Dade School Board libraries and classrooms. In early 2009, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision to return the book to the school libraries.
Censorship issues The FLA supports the Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME) in their opposition to filed Florida legislation HB855 and SB1454, which has been criticized by the National Coalition Against Censorship for weakening First Amendment rights to freedom of speech by "authorizing any Florida resident (even if they have no connection to a particular school or library) to sue for injunctions to remove material they deem controversial and burden school districts with legal fees and court action."
Public awareness tools The FLA works to show the benefits of Florida's libraries. On their website, the Association promotes several tools and information sources, including Return on Investment information, data to support advocacy messages, Access Studies, and recommended readings.
Archives
The Florida Library Association records are available for research at the University of South Florida Libraries Tampa Special Collections. The collection consists of 144 boxes of historical research material and institutional records, ranging from 1905 to 2015. Included in the repository are meeting minutes, treasurer's reports, conference programs, planning material, newspaper clippings, photographs, committee records, and other associated subject files. They were organized by Bernadette E. Storck, 1979-1980 FLA president. The collection is available to affiliated University of South Florida researchers and the general public.
The "Florida Library History Project" organized by FLA members is also available at the University of South Florida, Tampa Library, Special Collections.
See also List of libraries in the United States
References
External links Florida Library Association website