The Africana Librarians Council (ALC) was founded in 1957 as part of the African Studies Association (ASA) under the name Archives/Libraries Committee. The ALC continues today as an ASA-sponsored organization. Members of ASA whether they are librarians, archivists or documentalists working with materials from and about Africa or scholars interested in the preservation of or access to Africana may join the ALC.
| Links on this page may be broken or obsolete. We are moving ALC Web documents to a new platform. During the transition, documents may be on different platforms. Update, 30 November 2012 - New Book Donation Award deadline. 2012-2013 Executive Committee roster. |
Upcoming Meetings of the Africana Librarians Council
ALC Fall 2012 Meeting - 30 November 2012, Philadelphia Marriott Downtown Hotel, Philadelphia, PA: at African Studies Association annual meeting, 29 November-1 December 2012 | ALC & CAMP meeting schedule | ASA meeting info
ALC Spring 2013 Meeting - Berkeley, California: at University of California-Berkeley, 25-27 April 2013
Africana Librarians Council Meeting Minutes
Past ALC Meeting minutes (Penn Libraries staffweb). Includes ALC Business meetings, Bibliography Committee meeting minutes, Cataloging Committee meeting minutes. (Committee meeting documents will be posted soon.) ASA/ALC Book Donations Committee meeting minutes (University at Albany)
ALC Bibliography Committee
Conover-Porter Award for Africana Bibliography or Reference Work
Deadline for 2012 nominations: 1 January 2012 - NOMINATIONS CLOSED
The Conover-Porter Award is presented every two years by the Africana Librarians Council of the African Studies Association (US). The award recognizes outstanding achievement in Africana bibliography and reference tools among works published in the preceding two years. The Conover-Porter Award was established in honor of two pioneers in African Studies bibliography, Helen F. Conover, of the Library of Congress, and Dorothy B. Porter, of Howard University.
2010 Conover-Porter Award winner announced: New Encyclopedia of Africa / John Middleton, editor in chief; Joseph C. Miller, editor. 5 vols. Detroit: Thomson/Gale, 2008. | Press release
Past Conover-Porter Award winners | 2008 Conover-Porter Award press release | 2006 Conover-Porter Award winners (press release)
ASA/ALC Book Donations Committee
ASA Gretchen Walsh Book Donation Awards
Deadline for 2013 award applications: 1 February 2013
The African Studies Association offers an annual grant program, the "ASA Gretchen Walsh Book Donation Awards", to assist book donation projects with shipping costs to send books to African libraries and schools. The ALC Gretchen Walsh Book Donation Committee reads grant proposals and makes recommendations to ASA. The Committee generally selects grants in amounts from $200 to $1,000. Those applying for partial funding of a project should clearly show how additional funding will be solicited. The grants are intended to encourage innovative projects that incorporate essential elements, including: Recipient participation; High quality materials; Attention to details of logistics.
Donate to the Gretchen Walsh Book Donation Award.
ASA accepts direct donations to support this form of outreach to assist African libraries and schools with shipping costs for books and media donations, to supplement other ASA funding including outreach grants. All those who wish to donate may do so by sending a check directly to ASA signifying this specific intention for your donation. ASA members who wish to donate at the time of annual membership or conference registration will now be able to check a box designating a donation specifically toward this award.
Call for Applications: 2012 ASA Book Donation Awards (Press release)
ASA/ALC Book Donations Committee documents: Web site (University at Albany) | Committee procedures
ALC Cataloging Committee
Africana Subject Funnel Project: Semiannual ASFP reports and other documents.
