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

ALA Brand•Chicago, IL

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), divisions of the American Library Association (ALA), are seeking a full-time Program Coordinator. This is a shared role providing administrative support across each division’s programs, projects, and initiatives, and also supports member engagement activities. ALSC is the world's largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children, with an expanded focus in September 2026 to include activities supporting library service to teens. 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. Both divisions engage with other units across ALA and partner organizations to develop professional development opportunities, programs, and services for their members. This position will support the work of both divisions by responding to member emails, supporting committee volunteer appointments and committee work, supporting the implementation of division award programs (including the Youth Media Awards and subsequent award celebrations), and providing administrative support for division programs and projects. The role involves handling everyday administrative needs and monitoring 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.

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.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of HTML and Drupal, or other CMS is helpful.

Responsibilities

Partner closely with the ALSC and RUSA Executive Directors to ensure activities of the book and media awards programs are completed by established deadlines.
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.