The Twin Cities Area Church Library Association (TCACLA) is a vital and growing association with much information to offer church libraries.  We typically sponsor two meetings a year and an occasional field trip.  These meetings are packed with information for church librarians with featured authors, workshops, sharing, and book exchanges. There are often books for sale at a discount as well.  A quarterly newsletter, Off the Shelf, is sent to members via regular mail and/or e-mail.  It features current book reviews, information on TCACLA meetings, and other information pertinent to church librarians.

TCACLA has its roots in a national organization that began in 1958.  In that year, Erwin John, librarian at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, with the support of 3 Lutheran publishers, created the Lutheran Church Library Association (LCLA) and became its first president.

The goal of LCLA was to provide a forum where church librarians nationwide could share ideas, learn about new resources, and have access to multiple book reviews.  Over time, it grew to 50 local chapters, including the Twin Cities Area Chapter, which began in 1966.  In 2004, LCLA’s members voted to change the organization’s name to National Church Library Association (NCLA) to better reflect the ecumenical nature of its membership.  Sadly, NCLA dissolved at the end of 2012 when it was no longer financially viable.  On January 1, 2013, the Twin Cities Area Chapter became one of a few NCLA chapters that has successfully continued as a separate legal entity, when TCACLA was created.

Through all these changes the mission remains the same:  To energize church library ministry through education, resource sharing, spiritual encouragement and fellowship. 

For more information on NCLA, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHIW1mBeZTM to see a video presentation made in 2010, “From Deep Roots Grow New Branches.”

The website photo credit:http://warrengrovegarden.blogspot.com/ From the Facebook page Courageous Smile

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                            TCACLA 2019 Board

From left to right:  Leslie Kallas, Jan Bolstad, Jan Nordin,
Laura Dirks, Jeanne Schleh and Grace Kurtz

 

                         TCACLA 2018 Board

Back Row:  Jan Bolstad (Historian), Laura Dirks (Off The Shelf Editor) and
Lynn Tvedt (Vice-President). 

Front Row:  Leslie Kallas (Co-president), Jeanne Schleh (Co-president), , Deanna Gordon
(Treasurer) and  Grace Kurtz (Co-president)              

                              TCACLA 2017 Board

Back Row:  Ann Steen (Co-President), Sally Onstad (Outgoing Historian),
Deanna Gordon (Treasurer) and Laura Dirks (Off The Shelf Editor).

Front Row:  Jan Bolstad (Historian), Jeanne Weingart (Co-President), and
Tvedt ( Vice-President).