PLA Structure and Activity

The PLA is an incorporated entity operating within the Republic of Poland under the relevant laws on associations. The Polish Librarians’ Association supreme governing body is the National Congress of Delegates convened every four years. It adopts the statutes and elects the PLA’s president and members of General Board, the Audit Board and the PLA Fellows General Arbitration Committee. The General Board appoints the Presidium from among its members to manage the PLA’s activities between the meetings of the general Board.

Following the Poland’s administrative division, the Association’s structure consists of 16 provincial units acting as regional boards. The basic organizational bodies, known as circles function within the 57 sections subordinated to the regional boards. There are 307 circles of the Association, most commonly concentrated in significant libraries, usually public libraries.

Apart of regional structure, the PLA established professional sections, committees and units to perform specific tasks relating to the librarians’ skills, to solve important problems or to discuss new ideas changing the librarianship. Their activities improve librarians’ profession and practical skills by initiating conferences, workshops, training sessions, preparing reports and publications.

Within the PLA structure function following professional units:

• Automation Committee
• Awards and Honors Committee
• Information Literacy Committee
• Marketing and Library Management Committee
• Music Libraries Section
• PLA Publishing House Program Committee
• Preservation and Conservation of Library Collection Committee
• Public Libraries Section
• Regional Bibliography Group
• Research Libraries Section
• School and Pedagogical Libraries Section
• Section for Non Public University Libraries
• Section for Readership among Patients and People with Disabilities
• Sound Libraries Section
• Subject Cataloguing Committee

 The PLA members: librarians, researchers, and educators enrich the organization with their different experiences, creating a broad platform for professional discussions. Every year the PLA organizes conferences, workshops, national and international seminars, publishes 5 professional journals and about 15 monographs.

The PLA’s activities are supported by many libraries, local and government institutions as well as non-governmental organizations operating in areas relating to the development of libraries and reading.

The PLA is a member of many international organizations:

- IFLA – International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (from 1927)

- IAML – International Association of Music Libraries

- LIBER – Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche

- EBLIDA - European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations