aboutus.html

Association of Jewish Libraries
of Southern California

About Us

Judy Cohn, Pres.

AJLSC President - Judy Cohn - 2006-2010.

v Mission Statement v

AJLSC is affiliated with the Association of Jewish Libraries, an international professional organization. It is devoted to the promotion of Judaica librarianship and to the educational, informational, and networking needs of library personnel responsible for collections of Judaica.

The mission of AJLSC is to foster the growth and development of Jewish libraries by:
• exchanging ideas on ways and means of solving specific library problems;
• raising standards for Jewish libraries and librarians by encouraging and supporting education for Jewish librarianship.

In addition, AJLSC seeks to promote knowledge of Judaic literature and sources of information among the general public.

v Governance v AJLSC Board Photos

In 2006, AJLSC was incorporated as a California public benefit, nonprofit corporation. Its governing body is composed of nine Directors, serving two-year terms, who elect its Officers and Advisory Committee members, in accordance with its Bylaws. AJLSC has been granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service and the California Franchise Tax Board. [We are grateful for the guidance of Mark Lamken, an attorney who volunteered to help us achieve this goal. We have honored him with the Dorothy Schroeder Award, in appreciation for his services.]

The following have served as Presidents of AJLSC:

Haim Gottschalk (2005-2006), Ellen Cole (2001-2005), Judy Katz (1999-2001), Ronda Rose (1996-1999), Rachel Glasser (1993-1996), Susan Dubin (1989-1993), Fran Shuster (1985-1989), Rita Frischer (1981-1985), Marjorie Gersh (1979-1981), Adaire Klein (1975-1979), Barbara Leff (1973-1975), Grace Friedman (1971-1973), Betty Sheffner (1970-1971), Diane Weinstein (1969-1970), Leah Rubin (1968-1969), Dorothy Schroeder (1966-1968).

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v History   v

Here is a brief history of AJLSC, gleaned from records and recollections.

In 1965, Mae Weine, then national President of the Association of Jewish Libraries, visited her sister, librarian Grace Friedman, in Los Angeles. At that time, Dorothy Schroeder, a professional librarian working at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, was giving informal library lessons to volunteers who were trying to create and develop Judaica libraries at their synagogues and schools. Mae encouraged Dorothy to contact synagogues for the purpose of starting a regional AJL chapter. Twenty-five people came to that first meeting from throughout Southern California -- Los Angeles to San Diego. The chapter -- Association of Jewish Libraries of Southern California -- began officially in 1966, and Dorothy Schroeder was elected its first president. Presidents who followed are listed above. For more of our earlier history, see Dorothy Schroeder Memorial Fund for the Enhancement of Judaica Librarianship. Recent history includes filing for incorporation, as stated under Governance above.

v About Our Logo v

Amy Goldenberg, librarian, artist, and AJLSC member, has graciously designed a beautiful papercut art piece for AJLSC to use as its logo. To quote Amy: "The central idea for the logo came from looking at the title pages of old Hebrew texts, which frequently have images of arches or gateways on them. Since our Association serves Southern California, the trunks of palm trees, a common Southern California sight, are used as pillars. As an organization of libraries and librarians, both print and electronic forms of information storage and retrieval are represented in the arch.”

The AJLSC logo is copyright by the artist, Amy Goldenberg. Its unauthorized use, in print or electronic form, is strictly prohibited.

v Archives v

From time to time, there are library happenings of great importance to our Jewish library community. We report these on our website. One such happening, the closing of the Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles in 2009, was of great interest and so we kept a chronicle of events. The distribution of the JCLLA collection and services has been completed for some time, but because of the importance of that library to the city of Los Angeles, we maintain that chronicle of events as an historical record. For details, see Archives-JCLLA.

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