[Publib] ALA launches "AL Direct" weekly email news service

[Pellerin, Norma (KDLA)]

ALA launches "AL Direct" weekly email news service
CHICAGO - The American Library Association (ALA) announced that on
Wednesday, January 11, 2006, the inaugural issue of AL Direct, a new
membership-perquisite weekly supplement to American Libraries, will begin
emailing to all ALA members. AL Direct will feature breaking news affecting
all types of libraries and will help members quickly and concisely stay
up-to-date on information that impacts their worklife.

News stories about libraries and the profession, along with reports from
numerous library publications, will be summarized by American Libraries
staff and sent free of charge to all ALA members each Wednesday by email.

"AL Direct is an important next step in providing members with valuable,
timely information that makes a difference in their professional lives,"
said John Chrastka, ALA's Manager for Membership Development. "No other
publication, and no other library association, takes the time to provide
this type of news and information in a convenient email, for free, directly
to members."

As a members-only publication, AL Direct supplements American Libraries, and
is under the same rigorous editorial standards.

"We are proud to be an association that not only makes news advocating for
libraries, but also provides news in a way that helps library staff advocate
for their libraries," added Chrastka.

"AL Direct allows us to broaden and extend the scope of our reporting on the
library world," said Leonard Kniffel, Editor and Publisher of American
Libraries. "Members will still receive the news, opinions and analysis they
rely on in American Libraries, plus weekly stories in AL Direct that may
otherwise have fallen through the cracks."

AL Direct is available to all ALA members with valid email addresses on
file. Please visit www.ala.org/aldirect for more information about AL Direct
as well as instructions for providing or updating your email address to ALA.

The e-newsletter launch is made possible by the support of SirsiDynix, a
leading provider of information technology to libraries and consortia
worldwide.