What is the Theatre Library Association (TLA)?

Updated

The Theatre Library Association (tla-online.org) is a professional association for people who work with performing arts collections—theater librarians, archivists, and information professionals in performing arts libraries, archives, and museums. Its site is the main public entry point to the association's news, events, publications, awards, and member resources. It is most useful if you are looking for professional community, recorded discussions, or publication content in this field; it is not a general theater listings or ticketing site.

What the site covers

The homepage and navigation point to several distinct areas:

  • About TLA — mission statement, history, officers and board of directors, committees, bylaws, related organizations, and contact information.
  • News & Events — a directory of news categories, discussion forums, the BROADSIDE news digest, the classic BROADSIDE archive, the TLA-L listserv, and past conferences and symposia.
  • Awards — book awards, professional awards and scholarships, and honorary membership.
  • Publications — Performing Arts Resources, the classic BROADSIDE archive, and other publications.
  • Resources — performing arts libraries, archives and museums; performing arts publishers; and career resources.
  • Membership — join, renew, membership categories, and membership privileges.
  • Support — donate and get involved.

Two navigation items—"Member Login" and "Join TLA"—indicate that some content and participation are tied to membership, while much of the news and event material is presented publicly.

News, events, and recorded forums

The news section is organized by category (President's Blog, Events, Awards, Membership, Book/Media Reviews) and includes a full directory of news categories. Recent items show the kind of programming TLA runs:

  • A recorded discussion forum on AI as a tool for performing arts libraries and archives, coordinated by the Events and Programming Committee, featuring colleagues exploring possibilities in their collections.
  • A recorded discussion forum on script accessibility for the theater practitioner, addressing the common question "Where are the plays?" and how call number conventions and scholarship-focused institutions make access harder for practitioners.
  • A report on the SIBMAS 2026 symposium in Reykjavík (June 8–10, 2026), listed under conferences and related organizations.

The BROADSIDE Digest is described as bringing together all articles and reviews posted to TLA in one easy-to-read document—useful if you want a single roundup rather than browsing category by category.

Membership and member resources

The membership area lists categories and privileges, plus join and renew paths. Member-facing resources named on the site include the TLA Member Directory and the TLA-L Listserv. The site shows a "Member Login" link, so expect at least some resources to sit behind an account. The available material does not state membership prices or whether any content is free versus restricted, so check the membership pages directly before assuming cost or access.

Who it is for

TLA is relevant if you:

  • Work in or study performing arts librarianship, archives, or museum collections.
  • Need practical discussion of access problems, such as making plays findable for theater practitioners.
  • Want conference and symposium coverage (for example, SIBMAS) or award and scholarship information in this specialty.
  • Are looking for career resources or a directory of performing arts libraries, archives, and museums.

If you are a general theater fan looking for show information, this site is not aimed at you.

A practical way to start

  1. Open the News & Events section and browse the category directory to see whether recent topics match your work.
  2. Watch a recorded discussion forum—the AI and script-accessibility sessions are concrete examples of what TLA publishes.
  3. Check Publications for Performing Arts Resources and the BROADSIDE archive if you need citable material.
  4. Review Membership Categories and Privileges before joining, and use "Member Login" if you already have an account.
  5. Use Resources for the directory of performing arts libraries, archives, and museums, or for career material.

The main thing to verify on your own visit is what sits behind member login versus what is openly readable, since the site's public pages do not spell out that boundary.