Two LIS professional associations that I am particularly interested in is the Indiana Library Federation and the American Library Association.
Indiana Library Federation
The Indiana Library Federation is a well respected association among librarians and library staff in the state of Indiana. According to their website, http://www.ilfonline.org/, their mission is to, "foster the professional growth of its members and to promote all types of libraries in Indiana." Member benefits include, but not limited to, discounted rates on conferences and workshops, ample networking opportunities, access to the members only area of their website which include exclusive news, information, and job boards, and opportunities to be a committee member on several projects that promote the importance of Indiana libraries throughout the state. Membership fees are $40 for new members with yearly memberships based on a sliding scale depending on income.
The Indiana Library Federation has two publications, Focus on Indiana Libraries and Indiana Libraries. Their official newsletter, Focus on Indiana Libraries, is published 11 times a year and delivered electronically to all members of the Indiana Library Federation. The newsletter focuses on topics of interest to those working in libraries in the state of Indiana. Indiana Libraries is a professional Open Access journal that focuses on topics of interest to librarians and media specialists in the state of Indiana.
I will be joining this association within the next year. There are several benefits of joining such as my employer sends members to the conferences and workshops, and membership will give me access to job listings within my state and keep me informed of networking opportunities.
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a well respected name in the library profession. According to their website, www.ala.org, their mission is, “To provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.” Benefits of membership include opportunities to network with professionals in many areas of library work, access to online courses, and discounts to conferences, events and workshops. Membership fees are anywhere from $34-$133 depending on several factors such as, but not limited to, employment level or whether or not you are a student.
The American Library Association are responsible for several publications including, but not limited to, American Libraries, Booklist, ALA TechSource, Library Technology Reports, Guide to Reference, and Resource Description and Access Toolkit. All of their publications are dedicated to the education and advocacy of the library profession and the ALA mission.
Several of my coworkers are members of the ALA. For now, I believe membership to the Indiana Library Federation will be of more benefit to me. As I branch out in my career and look for more opportunities in my field, membership to the ALA will become more beneficial by providing opportunities for nationwide networking and discounted conferences.
References
Indiana Library Federation. (n.d.).Indiana Library Federation. Retrieved February 2, 2014, from http://www.ilfonline.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment