About Becoming American

About ALA (www.ala.org)
The American Library Association promotes the highest quality library and information services and public access to information. The oldest and largest library association in the world, ALA has more than 65,000 members, representing all types of libraries and librarians, as well as trustees, publishers, and other library supporters.

About the Public Programs Office (www.ala.org/publicprograms)
The mission of the ALA Public Programs Office is to foster cultural programming as an integral part of library service in all types of libraries. The unit provides leadership, resources, training, and networking opportunities that help thousands of librarians nationwide develop and host cultural opportunities for adults, young adults, and families. Since 1983, major donors have awarded more than $15 million to the Public Programs Office to support library programming initiatives. In 2003, it established the Cultural Communities Fund, the first national endowment to support cultural programming in libraries.

About the National Endowment for the Humanities (www.humanities.gov)
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities. NEH grants enrich classroom learning, create and preserve knowledge and bring ideas to life through public television, radio, new technologies exhibitions and programs in libraries, museums and other community places.

About Carnegie Corporation of New York (www.carnegie.org)
Carnegie Corporation of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding." As a grantmaking foundation, the Corporation seeks to carry out Carnegie's vision of philanthropy, which he said should aim "to do real and permanent good in this world."