Special Libraries Association

The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is an international professional association for librarians and information professionals working in business, government, law, finance, technology, military, non-profit, academic, or other special libraries. Created in 1909, the association sought to band together those whose positions entailed performing a range of services and employing a diverse mix of skills related to, but not exclusive of, library science, often in environments where their budget is smaller, their target audience more restricted, their collection much more limited in scope, and few if any colleagues with library backgrounds. The association is organized into subject-related divisions, geographic chapters, special interest caucuses, and student groups. Association activities include conferences, professional education, networking, and advocacy.

In March 2025, the association announced dissolution plans, with an aim to finish the process by April 2026; the reasons given were the lack of funds to meet financial obligations and its inability to reverse a declining membership, together with unexpected expenses, all in a world in which the future of libraries and their professional associations was quite uncertain. Then in May it was announced that SLA had entered merger negotiations with the Association for Information Science and Technology. In August, the membership of both associations voted to proceed with the merger. Whether the merger has officially closed yet is unclear.