As of September 1, 2026, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) will no longer exist.

At ALA Annual in Philadelphia at the end of June, the ALA Council will vote on a recommendation for the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) to absorb YALSA, which would be dissolved as a division of ALA. It is expected to pass, and governing bodies for both divisions are working under that assumption and planning for the future as they mourn the loss of YALSA.

“This is heartbreaking,” says YALSA president Yvette Garcia. “I remember being a green teen librarian, and it was the YALSA resources and conferences that helped me succeed and get me to where I am right now. … This is definitely a difficult choice, a painful choice. And I'm not the only one on the board that feels that way. It's extremely difficult, but it's also the best thing for our members.”

Garcia was part of the process to create the recommendation. After looking at the YALSA fiscal situation and speaking with ALA leadership, Garcia realized this was the best option. The move is being called a “reunification,” since the two originated as part of the same Division of Libraries for Children and Young People in 1941 before separating into two groups to distinctly serve children and young adults 16 years later.

“It's a big change for all of us, for ALSC members, for YALSA members, for governance on both sides,” says ALSC president Rob Bittner. “But we're calling it a reunification, because we do really see it as a way for us to recombine our efforts, to meet this moment in time where there are so many challenges—financially, the political environment is much more difficult when it comes to book banning and book challenges, and issues related to people's ability to do their work. Reunification, I think, will in the long run, help us to better serve all of the librarians who are serving children and teens.”

A working group will be charged with figuring out the details of the transition. It will be led by Garcia and Bittner, who will take on the responsibilty as past-presidents after their terms expire on July 1, allowing the day-to-day business to continue under the new presidents.

“We want to make sure that the work continues, even if the division itself cannot continue to exist in its current form,” says Bittner.

Both ALSC and YALSA have suffered loss of membership over the years because of budget issues, as well as political pushback to being connected to ALA. They also suffer from being short-staffed. There is only one full-time staffer for YALSA. The rest are shared. Now all of the staff will be dedicated to serving one division, albeit one that serves the larger group of children and teens. For at least the first year, that division will continue to be known as ALSC. After that, Bittner says, the governing body and membership can decide if there is a need for rebranding.

To help members understand the process, YALSA has put up Reunification FAQs on its website.

Along with its advocacy, training, and resources, YALSA is known for its work on the Youth Media Awards with the Michael Printz Award, the Excellence in Nonfiction Award, and the Alex Awards. Those functions will be taken in by ALSC after the reunification, and the awards process will go on as usual in this transition year. Deciding the priorities of what continues beyond the awards will be a member-driven decision.

“During the transition year, we will have plenty of opportunities to engage with members, whether that's in the form of town halls, focus groups, surveys,” says Garcia. “Then we're going to take that information and use that to figure out what those priorities are.”

It won’t be easy, as no one wants to lose any of YALSA’s services or work, and Bittner knows teen librarians may be feeling a little uneasy.

“There will always be things that all of us will miss, because we can't keep absolutely everything, but I think the core services that both divisions have will continue to work for members moving forward,” he says. “It's not the most comfortable situation, for sure. They will be losing a dedicated division solely focused on one aspect of librarianship. But the way we see this reunification is that it's helping us unify our resources and continue our work in a more meaningful way.”