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SECTION II

NONPROFIT EFFORTS

Organization Name	American Library Association
Contact NAme	Linda Wallace Director, ALA Public Information Office 312-280-5042 Fax 312-944-8520 lwallace@ala.org Deborah Davis Public Relations Specialist 312-280-2148 Fax 312-944-8520 dedavis@ala.org 50 East Huron St. Chicago, IL 60611 www.ala.org
Program/Project Description	The American Library Association (ALA) is playing a leadership role in educating parents and children about the Internet and providing them with quality online resources.
Key Highlights/ Milestones	More than half a million copies of The Librarian's Guide to Cyberspace for Parents and Kids brochure have been distributed by the ALA Public Information Office to libraries and schools. The brochure includes online safety tips and recommended Web sites for children. ALA joined America Online (AOL) to conduct a series of "Internet Drivers Ed" programs at more than a dozen libraries and other venues across the country. ALA played a major role in America Links Up, a public awareness campaign to ensure that children have a safe and rewarding online experience. Thanks to ALA's efforts, including the distribution of a poster/tip sheet and the development of a corresponding Web site, more than 250 libraries nationwide conducted Internet "teach-ins" during the campaign's launch in September 1998. As a follow-up to the launch, ALA has distributed approximately 200 copies of a "Safe Surfin'" video and an America Links Up toolkit to libraries across the country. ALA has updated and expanded a number of its online resources, including: "700+ Amazing, Spectacular, Mysterious, Wonderful Web Sites for Kids and the Adults Who Care About Them" (www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites), a "cybercollection" of great Web sites reviewed and recommended by ALA's Association for Library Service to Children. This is the most accessed page on ALA's Web site. A task force has been assigned to ensure that the links are the most up to date. "Notable Children's Web Sites" (www.ala.org/alsc/ncwc.html), selected by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. "TEENHoopla: An Internet Guide for Teens" (www.ala.org/teenhoopla), a Web page with links to sites of special interest to young people ages 12-18, developed by ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association. "FamiliesConnect" (www.ala.org/ICONN/familiesconnect.html), online resources for parents and children to learn about the Internet together. Developed as part of ALA's American Association of School Librarians' ICONnect technology initiative. "ICONnect" (www.ala.org/ICONN), beginning and advanced online courses to teach library media specialists to navigate the Internet and make meaningful curriculum connections for students. ICONnect provides annotated, evaluated Web sites in all curriculum areas to assist media specialists with integrating the Internet into the classroom. "KidsConnect" (www.ala.org/ICONN/kidsconn.html), an online question-answer service for K-12 students operated by the American Association of School Librarians in partnership with the Information Institute of Syracuse, Syracuse University, with funding from Microsoft Corporation. KidsConnect recently received its 15,000th question: "Why are yawns catchy?"
Results Forecast	ALA anticipates that The Librarian's Guide to Cyberspace brochure will be updated during the summer of 1999 and that libraries and schools will continue to request the piece in record numbers. ALA will continue to update its "700+ Great Sites" page, reviewing and recommending new sites as needed and ensuring that all links are correct. The American Association of School Librarians plans to expand its offering of online classes through its "ICONnect" initiative next year. "FamiliesConnect" will also continue. The "Notable Children's Web Sites" page is updated annually.

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