ALA recognizes its broad social responsibilities. ALA promotes the creation, maintenance, and enhancement of a learning society, encouraging its members to work with educators, government officials, and organizations in coalitions to initiate and support comprehensive efforts to ensure that school, public, academic, and special libraries in every community cooperate to provide lifelong learning services to all. The mission of the American Library Association is 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. 1.3 Priority Areas and Goals ALA operates under a five-year planning cycle. Priority Area A. Access to information ALA will promote efforts to ensure that every individual has access to needed information at the time needed and in a format the individual can utilize, through provision of library and information services.
All individuals have equal access to libraries and information services.
Instruction in information use is available to all. Government information is widely and easily available. Library collections are developed, managed, and preserved to provide access for users to the full range of available knowledge and information. Access to information is facilitated by bibliographic organization. Fees are not a barrier to library access and service.