Reaching beyond ourselves: Celebrating 40 years of CALA (1973 - 2013)

Abstract

The CALA 40th Anniversary Issue, Reaching Beyond Ourselves: Celebrating 40 Years of CALA (1973-2013), is without doubt a unique collection of the Chinese American Librarians Association’s (CALA) history. It contains pictures, biographies, citations and messages from the presidents of the CALA since its very beginning in 1973, obtained from historical CALA newsletters and the presidents themselves. It records the major events in a timeline format including the establishment of the association, the merge of CALA and CLA, the California based Chinese Librarians Association, the annual conference programs and the new initiatives. It collects personal contemplations, messages and greetings from a variety of people, including CALA members and its leaders, ALA leaders, government officials, and Chinese libraries and librarian associations. It documents the effort in finding and archiving some of the CALA historical materials. It reports the endeavors of some major initiatives such as the CALA 21st Century Librarian Seminar Series and the “Think Globally, Act Globally” US-China Librarian Collaboration project. It contains a special article on Dr. Hwa-Wei Lee and the special Chinese collections in the Library of Congress; and a first-hand report on the CALA 40th Anniversary Celebration and Awards Banquet. It also includes information on the seven CALA chapters, a glimpse into CALA’s 1980 and 2013 membership and the Chinese Librarians Summer Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It concludes with a collection of pictures taken at the 40th Anniversary annual program and banquet. This publication documents the history of a professional organization and celebrates creativity, diversity and global outreach. Its presentation is pleasant to the eyes of the general public and will be a valuable source for the librarians and researchers