The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is a division of the American Library Association. ALSC has over 4,000 members, including children, experts in children's literature, publishers, faculty members, and other adults. The Association has nearly 60 active committees and task forces, including programs for youth, publishing resources and journals, evaluating and awarding media for children. ALSC sets standards for library services to children through regular updates to its "Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries." The most recent competencies which was adopted in 2015, emphasized seven core areas of competence, including; services, programs, outreach, collection development, and administrative practices.

Media mentorship

In 2015, the ALSC Board accepted a white paper titled "Media Mentorship in Libraries Serving Youth". This paper outlines the role of librarians and other library staff who serve youth and families with particular regard to materials and practices surrounding digital media.

Awards, grants, and scholarships

Book and media awards

ALSC announces the awards listed below every January at a Monday morning press conference that takes place during the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting.

Children's notable lists

In addition to the above listed awards, ALSC produces three lists of notable annual media titles: ALSC formerly produced the Notable Children's Videos list

Partnership grants

ALSC also ran Great Websites for Kids, a compilation of exemplary websites geared to children from birth to age 14. Suggested sites were evaluated by the Great Websites for Kids Committee using established selection criteria. The Great Websites for Kids program ended in 2016.