What California Library Association does

The California Library Association (CLA) is a 501(c)(3) professional membership association founded in 1895 and headquartered in Pasadena, California, serving librarians, library staff, trustees, and library-supporting institutions across the state. Its core functions are legislative advocacy on behalf of California libraries, professional development through an annual conference and Interest Group programming, and the administration of grants and statewide programs in partnership with the California State Library and the Office of the First Partner. The association operates a paid membership model with individual dues ranging from $20 to $230 and institutional dues from $150 to $7,500 across 1,600+ individual and 100+ institutional members, supplemented by conference registration fees, donations, and pass-through grants administration.

CLA's product surface is built on a small operational footprint of 1-10 staff supporting a website, online job board, annual conference, Interest Group network, and grant programs including California Libraries Learn (CALL), Lunch at the Library, Book to Action, and the US 250 Semiquincentennial Funding program. The association's underlying infrastructure is conventional association management software and web publishing rather than proprietary technology. Revenue is generated through tiered membership dues, conference sponsorships and registration, job board listings, charitable contributions, and grant program administration fees. Its primary customer segments are individual library professionals and institutional library systems (public, academic, school, and special libraries), with a secondary audience of policymakers and library advocates reached through its Sacramento-based legislative engagement.

Name

California Library Association

Legal name

California Library Association

Website

https://cla-net.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The California Library Association is a 501(c)(3) professional membership association founded in 1895 that provides legislative advocacy, professional development, grants administration, and an annual conference for 1,600+ individual and 100+ institutional library members across California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Library Professional Association

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA), Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Library association services
• Professional development
• Legislative advocacy
• Membership organization
• Continuing education

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from individual voting members (based on salary tier), supporting members, business members, and institutional members (based on annual budget). Voting members pay $40-$230 annually based on salary, institutional members pay $150-$7,500 based on budget size.
2. Annual Conference Revenue: Revenue from annual conference registration fees, exhibit space rental, sponsorship opportunities, and ticket sales for events like the Awards Gala.
3. Job Board Postings: Career Center job board where employers post job listings. Business members receive 10% off first posting, institutional members receive 50% discount on postings, enhanced institutional members receive free postings.
4. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, Friends of the Library groups, and supporters. EIN 94-1337634. Specific fundraising campaigns like the Edna Yelland Scholarship Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

California Library Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit professional membership association that delivers legislative advocacy, professional development programs (Annual Conference, California Libraries Learn, Spring Fling), grant administration, awards and scholarships, and member services to the California library community. It also operates the CLA Career Center job board and 20 Interest Groups supporting specialized library practice areas.

Product overview

The California Library Association offers a portfolio of professional development and advocacy programs for California library professionals. The core offerings include the Annual Conference (CLA's premier event), California Libraries Learn (CALL) for continuing education, and Spring Fling events. Grant programs include Lunch at the Library, US 250 Semiquincentennial Funding, and Book to Action. Additional member benefits include the CLA Career Center, Interest Groups, Awards Program, and Scholarships. CLA also provides advocacy support and legislative representation for California libraries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Conference CLA's flagship annual gathering of California library professionals offering training workshops, peer-presented programs, networking, vendor exhibitions, and the Awards Gala. Held at convention centers in Pasadena and Riverside.
• California Libraries Learn (CALL) A continuing education and professional development platform delivered collaboratively with the California State Library, providing online courses and resources for California library staff.
• Spring Fling Professional development and networking events during spring months presented by CLA Interest Groups, including virtual and in-person workshops and mini-conferences on various library topics.
• Lunch at the Library Partner Project Grant program providing funds to California public libraries to support meal and nutrition services for children and youth, partnering with the California State Library.
• US 250 Semiquincentennial Funding Reimbursement funding opportunity administered in partnership with the California State Library for California public libraries to create programming celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
• Book to Action Program expanding on book club concepts by encouraging participants to engage in learning, community service, and civic engagement activities related to shared books, in partnership with the Office of the First Partner of California.
• CLA Awards Program Annual awards program honoring members of the California library community across multiple categories including the John & Patricia Beatty Award, Beacon Award, California Library Hall of Fame, California Young Reader Medal, and other recognition programs.
• CLA Scholarships Scholarship program recognizing future leaders in the California library community, including the Edna Yelland Scholarship for BIPOC Students, the Begun Scholarship for children's/YA librarians, and the Robert Karatsu Conference Scholarship.
• MyCLA Online Community Online member community platform providing member directory access, forums, messaging center, and exclusive online resources including past conference materials.
• CLA Career Center Online job board connecting library professionals with employment opportunities at California libraries, with discounted postings for Business and Institutional members.
• CLA Interest Groups Twenty professional networks for CLA members sharing common library specialization interests including Adult Services, Youth Services, Technical Services, Technology, Management, Rural/Tribal Libraries, and other focus areas.
• CLA Membership Core membership offering with multiple tiers including individual voting ($40-$230 by salary), lifetime, student ($20), retired ($40), trustee/friend ($40), supporting individual ($25), business ($300), institutional by budget ($150-$7,500), and group memberships ($25-$45).

Quantifiable outcome

• CLA helped secure $425 million in state bond funds for library construction and renovation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dolly Parton Imagination LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022California program created by SB 1183 (2022) allowing children aged 0-5 to receive free books. Funded by $68 million state appropriation. State Library tasked with implementation, though funding was reduced due to implementation concerns.
• California State LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLA partners with the California State Library on multiple programs including US 250 Semiquincentennial funding, Book to Action, Lunch at the Library, and California Libraries Learn (CALL). CLA supports administration of California Summer Reading Program and programs funded by David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
• Office of the First Partner of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CLA on Summer 2026 Book to Action reimbursement funding opportunity for California public libraries. Libraries select titles from the First Partner's Book Club list to develop Book to Action programs.
• Amazon SmileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCLA receives donations through Amazon Smile program when supporters shop online and designate CLA as their charitable organization.
• YourMembership.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationYourMembership.com provides association management software powering the CLA website, including membership management, event registration, job board, forums, and email marketing capabilities.
• R.V. Nuccio & Associates, Inc.minorOthersInstitutional Group members are eligible to apply for nonprofit liability and property insurance through R.V. Nuccio & Associates.
• New Media LearningminorOthersCorporate sponsor of the CLA Children's Services Award, demonstrating support for cultivating library leadership in youth services.
• Grass Roots PressminorOthersCorporate sponsor of the Outstanding Librarian in Support of Literacy Award.
• SpringshareminorOthersCorporate sponsor of the CLA Technology Professional Award.
• Bay Area Young Adult Librarians (BAYA)minorOthersCo-sponsor of the CLA Young Adult Services Award.
• Brodart Co.minorOthersCorporate sponsor of the CLA Technical Services Emerging Leader Award, providing $500 for conference registration.
• California Association of Teachers of English (CATE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four statewide organizations co-sponsoring the California Young Reader Medal program, along with CLA, California Reading Association, and California School Library Association.
• California Reading Association (CRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four statewide organizations co-sponsoring the California Young Reader Medal program.
• California School Library Association (CSLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four statewide organizations co-sponsoring the California Young Reader Medal program.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Library Association: National professional association for librarians; CLA is the California chapter affiliate, and both share the same membership/advocacy/professional development mission. ALA provides overlapping services at national scale while CLA focuses on California-specific advocacy and programs.
• Public Library Association: Division of the American Library Association serving public librarians nationally; overlaps with CLA's public-library advocacy, professional development, and continuing education offerings but does not run state-level legislative advocacy in California.

Emerging players

• Urban Libraries Council: Membership organization for large urban library systems; overlaps with CLA's largest institutional members (LA, SF, San Diego) on advocacy and innovation programming but targets executives of large systems rather than the broader California library workforce.
• California Reading Association: California state literacy organization co-sponsoring the California Young Reader Medal with CLA; serves an adjacent but distinct audience (literacy educators broadly) and competes for the same California education-policy advocacy space.
• California School Library Association: California-focused association for school librarians; co-sponsors the California Young Reader Medal with CLA but focuses specifically on K-12 school libraries, representing a related but narrower segment of the same librarian population CLA serves.

Direct peers

• New York Library Association: Statewide library association serving New York librarians and libraries; operates the same membership/advocacy/conference/awards model as CLA and competes for the same institutional and individual member categories within its state.
• Pacific Northwest Library Association: Multi-state regional library association (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska) providing similar membership, conference, awards, and professional development services to its member-state library communities.
• Texas Library Association: Statewide library association serving Texas; comparable size and scope to CLA, runs a major annual conference, legislative advocacy, awards, and continuing education programs for library professionals in its state.
• Illinois Library Association: Statewide membership association for Illinois librarians; directly comparable membership tiers, advocacy function, conference programming, and award structure to CLA.

Others

• Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA): Association of state library agency heads; complementary rather than competitive, as CLA is a professional association of librarians while COSLA represents the public agencies, but both engage in federal/state library funding advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/calibraryassn
• Xx.com/CalLibAssoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about California Library Association