Program Coordinator, Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)

American Library Association; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 50,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work schedules

Medical and dental coverage

Paid time off

Retirement annuity

35-hour work week

Telecommuting policy

Job summary

American Library Association (ALA) seeks a full-time Program Coordinator based in the Chicago office to support both ALSC and RUSA divisions. The role provides administrative support for programs, projects, and member engagement across the two divisions and partner units.

Hybrid work is available, with in-office presence expected as schedules permit. You will coordinate award ceremonies, manage records, and assist with board logistics while ensuring deadlines are met.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience in children's and teens book publishing industry and/or user reference services.
• Strong writing and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to organize and follow through on projects.
• Ability to plan and execute projects within deadlines.
• Ability to make sound decisions regarding competing priorities.
• MS Office proficiency; experience with iMIS and project management tools (Asana, Airtable).
• Knowledge of HTML and Drupal or other CMS is helpful.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support across ALSC and RUSA programs and initiatives.
• Support member engagement activities and committee work.
• Assist with award programs, including Youth Media Awards and celebrations.
• Maintain and archive division records; monitor project deadlines.
• Support in-person and virtual book and media awards programming and reporting.
• Assist with board meeting scheduling, document collection, and dissemination for board reports.
• Support scholarship and grant application collection and notification.

Skills

Strong writing

Verbal communication

Project coordination

Time management

MS Office proficiency

Asana and Airtable

iMIS familiarity

HTML/Drupal knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Asana

Airtable

iMIS

Drupal/ CMS

Job description

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), and the Reference and User Services Associations (RUSA), divisions of the American Library Association (ALA), are seeking a full-time Program Coordinator. The program coordinator is a shared role providing administrative support across each division's programs, projects, and initiatives. This position also supports member engagement activities.

The Association for Library Service to Children(ALSC) is the world's largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. In September 2026, ALSC's focus expanded to include activities that support library service to teens, and the division will be committed to meeting the needs of practitioners in the field of children and teen services.

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) serves all types of libraries in reference, user services, adult readers advisory and collection development as well as resource sharing, genealogy and archives, business reference and reference technology.

ALSC and RUSA engage with other units across ALA as well as partner organizations to develop professional development opportunities, programs, and services for the benefit of division members. This position will support the work of both divisions by responding to member emails, support committee volunteer appoints and committee work, support the implementation of the division award programs, including the Youth Media Awards and subsequent award celebrations, and provide administrative support for division programs and projects. This position will handle everyday administrative needs and monitor project deadlines to ensure timely project completion. Reporting to the ALSC and RUSA Executive Directors, the Program Coordinator will serve as the staff liaison for several member committees executing work to support the divisions' strategic plans.

This role is integral to advancing the priorities, committees, activities, and projects across each division through collaborative work within and outside of ALA.

Responsibilities include:

• Partner closely with the ALSC and RUSA Executive Directors to ensure activities of the book and media awards programs are completed by established dead lines.
• Support collaborative opportunities across divisions and units of ALA that support programs and projects benefiting members of the division
• Support staff in development of award ceremonies at Annual Conference
• Maintain, update, and archive the division's program and project records
• Support both in-person and virtual book and media and other awards programming, ensuring relevance, accessibility, and strong member engagement
• Work with the ALSC and RUSA Executive Directors to support board meeting scheduling, document collection, and dissemination for board reports
• Support application collection and notification for division scholarships and grants

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience in and knowledge of the children's and teens book publishing industry and/or user reference services
• Strong writing and verbal communication skills
• Proven ability to organize and follow through on projects
• Ability to plan and execute projects within established deadlines.
• Ability to make sound decisions regarding competing priorities
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in MS Office, and some proficiency in member databases such as iMIS and project management tools such as Asana and Airtable
• Knowledge of HTML and Drupal, or other CMS is helpful.

Why Apply?

This position offers an exciting opportunity to support programming focused on library service to children and teens, and user reference services. The Program Coordinator will support ALSC as a division that has a long-established and respected reputation delivering book and media evaluation training and awards. The position also will support RUSA as a division with a network to educate, empower, and inspire its members to advance the evolution of the profession and better serve users in a continually changing information society. The Program Coordinator will play an integral role in supporting division awards, scholarships and grants, board governance, and member engagement. The Program Coordinator will work with staff and partners to ensure the administrative functions of projects meet established timelines and support establishing ALSC as a newly reunited division and RUSA as a growth-oriented division.

This is a regular full-time position based in our Chicago office.

ALA staff are currently working on a hybrid schedule. Please note that although we have a generous telecommuting policy for our employees, we do not have fully remote positions outside of our workplace sites.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background check and proof of eligibility to work in the United States.

Salary & Benefits

Starting salary range is negotiable from $55k based on relevant experience. ALA offers an excellent benefits package that includes flexible work schedules, medical and dental coverage, generous paid time off,a retirementannuity, and a 35-hour work week. You may also qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF).

The American Library Association is an equal opportunity employer: Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.