Over the years I’ve heard complaints about ALA and reasons for not belonging many along the lines of the ones Jim Rettig mentions in his recent article Is the Association Ripe for Rebellion?
- It costs too much.
- It should be possible to join one of the Association’s 11 divisions without joining ALA.
- It doesn’t care about librarians, just about libraries.
- It spends too much time on issues that aren’t relevant to libraries.
- It’s a mouthpiece for left-wing radicals.
- It doesn’t do anything for me.
I’ve steered clear of ALA discussions on this blog for several reasons including the contribute/criticism approach and I tend to agree with the thoughts of Abby the Librarian (ALA is Not Your Mom), but a recent conversation with a friend got me think about the generalities of many complaints like “it doesn’t do anything for me”. I am running for ALA Council this year so this seems like an ideal time to introduce ALA discussions to this blog.
Have a thought about ALA? Love it? Hate it? I want to know. But here’s the rub (you knew there was one right?) You can’t answer in generalities. Really love ALA and all it does, tell me what and why. If you feel ALA doesn’t represent you, explain why. If you have a complaint, propose a solution. Think something should be different? Explain why and how we make the change. Not a member? Past member? Faithfully paid dues for 20 years even when you had to scrounge under the soft cushions for money,? Tell me why.
Similar Posts:
- The First Rule of ALA Executive Board is You Don’t Talk About ALA Executive Board
- Now the Real Work Begins
- Why Are You Here? Reflections on ALA MidWinter #alamw12
Here’s what I love about ALA (and I am not saying I love EVERYTHING about ALA): the connections. I get conference funding from my library, but not enough to cover it all. I pay out of pocket to make up the rest because going to conference connects me to people outside of my library better than any other mechanism can or does. Meeting new people, seeing old friends. Heck, I’ll even toss in seeing the people I don’t care for (let’s be honest – we all have some of those) since that means I can appreciate some tension within the profession. I get better exposure to issues in librarianship through committee work and programs at conference than any other mechanism.
Here’s what else I love about ALA: that it is firmly on the side of the GLBT community. It supports our literature, it supports our rights. ALA was a trailblazer in its support for GLBT librarians, readers, and materials, and the continued growth of the GLBTRT is a healthy sign for times ahead.
What do I hate about ALA? I am a member of ACRL and I can never figure out why beyond the fact that I work in an academic library. The division is so weighted toward reference and instruction librarians, seeming to forget that there are many professionals working in other roles in academic and research libraries. I suspect that it’s chicken and egg, and that ACRL doesn’t offer much for the rest of us simply because so many of us dropped out of ACRL in frustration or never joined in the first place. I would encourage ACRL to provide more than just token programs at conferences for the rest of us or else just explicitly embrace only reference and instruction and leave the rest of us to find new, better homes in ALA.
Thanks for letting me ramble, Bobbi. In all, I’m pretty happy with ALA and my membership in it.
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Peter thank you for taking the time to ramble! I appreciate your thoughts and insight, especially from your perspective.
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I’m an MLIS student, graduating in less than 20 days! And I just put a post up on my blog “Should I continue my ALA Membership?” http://foundinthelib.wordpress.com
Right now I’m trying to figure out if it is worth the money to be a member of ALA when I’m not all that involved. If I stay a member, I want to become more involved, but here are my concerns (more detail on my blog)
ALA seems slow and reactive instead of proactive. If I got more involved, I think I’d be too frustrated with the slow-moving processes and discussions.
So, is there another way I (we) could start changing things outside of ALA? Would it be a faster, more efficient, yet worthwhile process? I think Hack Library School (http://hacklibschool.wordpress.com) has the potential to be a fantastic example of this sort of resource for current and future LIS students. I’m excited to be a part of how it grows and where it goes.
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Heidi as someone who was a little slow to get involved with ALA I would encourage you to keep your membership and make an effort to get involved either with committees or interest groups or round tables. I wouldn’t write it off before trying to work with the system and people currently in place.
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I love parts of ALA. I think “hate” is a strong word, but there are some things that frustrate me. This could get long…
What I love or even just like about ALA:
* It the mechanism through I can connect with other people that do what I do. I work in a State Library. There really aren’t a lot of us compared to, say, academic libraries. So, it’s good to be able to catch up with what other state library people are doing. Further, I am the only one that does what I do at my place of work. Sometimes, I crave the connection with other people who understand it.
* ALA provides the means to connect with others online and in person. For me, the periodic face-to-face is much needed. I recognize that some people are comfortable having an entirely online or virtual relationship with others, but I need the physical presence of others from time to time.
* ALA gives a voice to all libraries and library staff. That means that even the smallest and most rural of libraries have a voice advocating for them. (I’m going to contradict this later, i think)
* Through ALA I have learned from others more advanced than I am, and I have provided learning to others. This movement of knowledge, which I think happens less in a single-lane string and more in a web-like structure, is one of the greatest values of a professional organization.
What frustrates me?
* I get frustrated by Divisions and wonder if they divide librarians more than unite them. There are a lot of similarities in library service in academic, public, and school libraries. Why do we divide ourselves between ACRL, PLA, and AASL?
* I get frustrated by the lack of diversity (by type of library) in resource sharing programming and discussions. Public and school libraries do A LOT of resource sharing; where is their representation in these discussions?
* Somehow it seems like there’s this “us vs. them” thing going on as the organization grows to involve newer participants, integrate new tools, and change with the times. It’s a natural progression; I wish it didn’t have to feel like a war sometimes.
* I am frustrated by the disconnect between chapter and ALA membership. It happens on many levels. We are all struggling with keeping up membership, paying the bills, and advocacy issues. I’m frustrated by individuals that skip their chapter & just go to ALA membership. And I’m frustrated by chapter members that do recognize or value the chapter’s connection to ALA. We need to work together better.
* I wish there was an nationwide library promotion effort. I once saw a great commercial/PSA on television with a man and his very young daughter. At first you think he’s teaching her to read. But, no, she’s helping her dad read the mail/bills. I waited, anticipating the sponsorship…. nope.. It was paid for and sponsored by WalMart and their literacy program. Why not ALA?
It feels wrong to end on a negative, so more I like/love:
* ALA conferences, both MidWinter and Annual provide the opportunity to meet and work with people that inspire me, always. I never fail to come home from a conference without an I-love-my-profession feeling. Frankly, I never fail to read an AL Direct issue without that same feeling.
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Gina these are some great points. Thank you for sharing them. You’ve given me a lot to think about.
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I have to agree with Gina (since I am in the same situation of working in a state library and being the only one who does some parts of my job).
I also want to echo what Peter said about connections, and go somewhat further.
One of the absolutely great things about ALA (and ALA Council) is the opportunity to meet and work with folks whose path you would not ordinarily cross. Now, Gina and I met back when I was a Chapter Councilor and public librarian. I share her chapter concerns. But my friend Janet Swan Hill and I like to tell about the fact that we met *only* through ALA Council. Where else would an academic cataloger (Janet) have the chance to work professionally with a public library director ex-reference librarian (me)? We have formed a great friendship and bond — including our overlapping terms on the ALA Executive Board which is a whole different experience.
I was an inactive member of ALA for many years before figuring out how to become active. I just renewed and was amazed at how long it has now been.
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I wouldn’t say I hate ALA but for me, an academic e-resources and serials librarian- I had a hard time finding anything particularly relevant to my particular job at ALA conferences. I felt like the sessions were behind in times and even the broader scoped sessions – I just felt they were 2-3 years, sometimes 5! years, behind other conferences and literature. Sometimes the sessions are on the traditional side rather than innovative. I will say that my favorite sessions were usually LITA- they are doing some interesting things.
ALA is what you make of it- like a lot of things in life- however I feel like in order to make it- you need to get involved like you would with any organization. Fair enough- but to do that you have to make a pretty serious monetary and time commitment. Attending both annual and midwinter means I would not only not be able to go to any other conferences…but I would also likely be paying out of pocket to attend ALA.
In the end, for me, ALA just isn’t enough bang for my buck. I love LITA and ACRL but talk about an expensive pricetag to be a member and participate- it’s a shame really.
That said, I am very involved with another group/conference where I only have to attend the annual conference each year and even then- there have been years where I can still easily and effectively participate on committees, serve in various capacities and not attend the conference. The opportunities for upcoming librarians is huge and so it’s a bigger bang for the buck- for me. The networking is fantastic and it’s a casual conference where I learn so much. Because this group is more casual- it means I can often attend another conference that is outside my immediate area of specialty which is great.
ALA seems to be trying to be everything to everyone and maybe the lack of focus isn’t serving everyone as best it could? I don’t know how to change that but I decided not to renew my membership a couple years back and I haven’t been to a conference in a few years. I don’t feel like I’m missing out though.
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Lisa I understand what you’re saying. Thank you for taking the time to share.
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It costs too much.
-I’d much rather finish installing cork flooring in my condo. This half cork/half smelly carpet thing is not fun.
It should be possible to join one of the Association’s 11 divisions without joining ALA.
-I should really be into YALSA since I’m a teen librarian but…I don’t want to drop any more $$$ into ALA than I already do with the other membership fees.
It spends too much time on issues that aren’t relevant to libraries.
-I feel like the world is in 2011 and sometimes ALA is like 5-7 years behind.
It doesn’t do anything for me.
-I tried so hard to love ALA. I was an Emerging Leader in 2010 and I LOVED the experience, but like most organizations out there, it tires me out. There are too many hoops to jump through, too much politics. The world we live in, like it or not, is full of immediate gratification. Libraries and library organizations need to understand this and act more immediately.
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Justin, It saddens me to hear that you are so frustrated with ALA you’re one of the new people I’ve been watching and I think will make a difference. I hope you don’t give up.
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I’m glad I said something in regards to this post. I had a discussion with a few people in the library world about ALA, YALSA, and ALA Emerging Leaders and a lot was made clearer to me about the organization.
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I’ve been a member of ALA since library school. Heck, I was even our student chapter president. But lately I’ve been frustrated with ALA because I don’t feel like there’s anything in it for me. Maybe this is my own problem since I don’t work in a library (but in a related field with similar job duties).
I went to Annual last year and I didn’t find one great panel. I agree with Lisa that ALA is behind. I laugh when I read articles in the ALA magazine about why libraries should use social media. I think most libraries are beyond this stage and need concrete advice on how to analyze use and improve services from it. I also don’t understand the barriers to greater virtual participation. If it’s important, then find the money and do it. Cut other things if needed.
I also know that I should be the change I want to see. I’ve tried to get involved in committees. I’ve offered ideas and time. In the end, the committees are poorly run and my input is wasted. It seems like people are only on committees for the resume line.
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Michelle I’m sorry to hear about your experience on the committees. Any chance you’d consider chairing one? It sounds like we need people like you in charge.
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Likes:
* Conference hallway meet-ups
(Even though I usually blank on names… uh… You’re Bobbi, right?)
* ALA Washington Office
(they keep up with library legislation so I don’t have to – and they tell me when I *do* have to pay attention and “have a little chat” with my legislators)
* ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom
(a bunch of folks who work on IF stuff for which I don’t make enough time)
* Collocation of Library Issues and Advocacy efforts:
http://ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/index.cfm
* Collocation of Education and Careers:
http://ala.org/ala/educationcareers/index.cfm
* AL Direct
(no, really. It’s often a week behind my feeds, but I always find something I missed from somewhere unexpected)
* There’s more, but this is getting long already…
Stuff I want to see change:
* Pay more attention to the demographics of the Association
(like the Dutch Tulip market, then the Western Land market, then the stock market, then the housing market, etc. — there is a significant bubble expanding in the ALA membership statistics; this does not bode well for a few years down the road. To be crass, where are the new dues to replace the departing dues? The trend shows imminent negative growth, then what?)
* Shorten the conference program planning time line
(LITA did it by changing to an all-online process, why can’t ALA?)
* More people using ALA Connect for committee work
(eMail discussion lists are so much clunkier than ALA Connect)
* More committee work and discussions set to “Public” visibility
(It’s not that I don’t trust what you’re doing behind closed doors as much as it’s that I want to know what to expect and have an opportunity to comment on what you’re doing in there)
* Better member engagement
(Members engaging members, members engaging the association, the association engaging members, etc.)
* Better cross-silo cross-pollenization of ideas and efforts
(The “Library Type” divisions and the “Type of Job” Divisions have a lot of cross-over. e.g. [RUSA and ACRL] or [ALCTS and LITA] or [ALA Training and RUSA, ACRL, ALSC, PLA, YALSA, etc.] — why have so much cross-over and such minimal cross-pollenization?)
* There’s more, but now this is really long…
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Aaron this is a great list. Thank you so much for taking the time to share it with us.
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I was concerned about due structures and bloated bureaucracies and then they handled the CIPA legislation very poorly. It made librarians look hysterical next to a cool, rational John Ashcroft. The lobbying campaign against CIPA was fundamentally dishonest and they did not play the game well. I haven’t been a member since.
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Thanks Neil. CIPA was a big deal.
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I don’t like ALA. It tries to be everything for everyone and as a consequence, the meetings are so watered down, the programs are unendurable. I don’t understand why it costs so much — why do we have our conventions in high season every year? Membership, airfare, hotel and conference registration last year cost more than a semester’s tuition at my employer!! I know that many schools pay for the cost of conferences for their employees, so maybe most librarians don’t “feel” the pain of the cost of belonging to ALA, but I would love to be able to opt-out of this organization. To me, it just has outgrown its usefulness.
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CIPA was really a turning point for me too. Not because I thought they did it bad necessarily, but because it meant that to be a national organization, ALA basically had to support filtering. And I just can’t support filtering.
I have other philosophical differences with ALA including
- The lagginess in getting association business doable remotely. The Midwinter meeting and nearly mandatory attendance at it for people doing committee work makes membership and especially participation very costly. People who could afford the membership fees [and I am speaking as literally the only Council member at the time who voted against the dues increase] could not really afford to participate. This has been taking too long. I know they are working on it, but it’s just a disconnect for me. This discussion recently about streaming is just driving the point home.
- The lack of tech savviness among leadership. The ALA website has improved substantially but it’s still not the shining beacon of usability and accessibility that I think our association should provide. I served on the web advisory committee and felt like my suggestions were not appreciated and were definitely not implemented. Again, I know there are reasons for this, but I wanted to put my limited time into working for an organization that shared my values slightly more.
- The fact that they are not a librarian organization they are a library organization which means seeing all sorts of stuff at conferences about various corporations and how much they’re honored and feted by the association at the same time as they are often involved in not-so-great business practices that are costing libraries a ton of money. I am thinking here of the serials crisis and RoweCom and other companies who were defaulting on their agreements with libraries at the same time as they were held up as whatever sort of corporate sponsor/donor/hero level ALA has. Again, I understand this, I do not share this values system.
- They’re timid about advocating for libraries when the interests of libraries and vendors collide. Many times they claim that their non-profit status prohibits them from doing active lobbying about things like health care and national level elections, but I see them as afraid to take a real stand.
- They were too little too late talking about the realities of the job market, claiming that there would be more jobs than people were actually seeing.
- They’re just not as relevant in the library world as they’d like to be, and I find them insular and defensive about this instead of trying to fix the problem in some general way.
I find that whenever I make these lists I am anticipating someone from ALA showing up and hassling me about these beliefs instead of saying “Hey we hear you, here are some concrete changes we’re trying to make to make the association more relevant.” So I’m heavily involved in my local library association and I find my work there much more rewarding and appreciated.
For the record, things I love about them include the ALA-OIF, The Freedom to Read Foundation, American Libraries and AL Direct, the hallway time at conferences and many specific people who have made happy careers there, but ultimately, I’m just not a big association joiner and I didn’t find a place there where I personally felt comfortable and respected.
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Jessamyn this is a great list. I don’t think any of these things are going to change over night, but I do hope to be able to say we’re working on them (if I’m elected of course)
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It’s complicated. I have been an ALA member since I was a student (can it be 9 years ago?) and for the first couple of years I didn’t make enough to pay full dues. But now that I do…ouch! I really like staying up to date with what’s going on, so I really do want to get my copy of American Libraries, Public Libraries, and Children and Libraries. (ALA, PLA, ALSC). This year I had to split the cost and pay it in two installments!! (I like that you can do that, but I shouldn’t have to do that just for a membership.) I think there should be more tiering of dues.
I love the conferences and continuing ed. I am such a conference geek. I completely agree with what an earlier commenter said:
“ALA conferences, both MidWinter and Annual provide the opportunity to meet and work with people that inspire me, always. I never fail to come home from a conference without an I-love-my-profession feeling. Frankly, I never fail to read an AL Direct issue without that same feeling.”
Thanks for letting us vent, Bobbi, and yes, we’ll vote for you!! Have a cupcake!! (Have two, they’re virtual, so no calories.)
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Thank you Suzi!
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I’ve been mulling this for a while now. I am a member and am looking to get more actively involved, but I can see the points that others have put out here. To be honest, I’d like to think that many of the new, young (yes, in age) and driven librarians will join and begin to work toward reforming the organization to suit our needs and the needs of the profession. I can also see how complicated that might be. ALA is huge. Its overwhelming. Its difficult to muddle through all the membership options (Round Table? Committee? Interest Group?) and without seeing immediate payback, which we are all so used to, it could often look like its not worth it.
But I am the eternal optimist (friends call me Micah the Longsuffering) and as long as I see potential to make progress, I plan to be as involved as I can afford (time and money). I do also fully support the DIY way of doing things, and if there can be efforts founded to do the same things that ALA does in different ways, in different spaces and through different methods, I’d be behind that also. The point is we need a way to organize and work together, and for the history of our profession, ALA has been that.
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I looked at membership in ALA a couple of years ago. My library would pay for it, and it would cost $499 per. But for me, to get anything out of it meant going to the conferences. My background is in IT, and I know the value of going to the cons to see what is up-and-coming, the networking, and of course the tips and tricks you learn from others in the profession.
However, my state’s Public Library Association is far better at having up-to-date information & presentations at its conferences. Plus, if I’m going to put up for a larger conference, for my money I’ll do one of the ITI shows (Computers in Libraries or Internet Librarian). I realize I’m focusing more on technology, but isn’t that one of the fronts on which we fight?
ALA’s and other conferences should keep the Social Media 101 presentations around, because there are still libraries that need that. However, there should also be presentations on advanced technology beyond just general use. Just yesterday, Bo Hyun Kim linked to her blog post that asks why there aren’t more libraries encouraging staff to do some coding on Twitter? (http://www.bohyunkim.net/blog/archives/1099)
That’s an interesting question, and the type of thinking that ALA and other library organizations need to pursue.
So for the lack of timeliness and lack of technological prowess, the ALA just isn’t a good fit. I’ll continue to rely on my peers in both the library (all ‘divisions’) and IT worlds for my information & training.
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By the way, Thanks to the ALA for lobbying sometimes in Washington.
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Others have mentioned most of my thoughts of ALA.
Like:
-the ability to connect with other librarians and professionals
-there is always a way to get involved
-things I learn from my peers at conference meet-ups
-my student and local chapter
Dislike
-expensive, especially if you’re interested in multiple divisions
-lack of currency and technological savy (LITA excluded for the last part). I swear I went to a conference on how to teach those dag nabbit millenial students at 2010, and how awful “millenials” are, and the whole time all I could think of was A) it’s 2010 and B) I’m a millenial, and not even one on the cusp of that definition
-I still have a hard time figuring out what exactly a committee does. It would be great to see more transparency.
I’m not ready to scrap the organization but it’s definitely not the first place I think about when it comes to professional development
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Some great responses to my questions ->I Want to Know Your Thoughts on ALA. Love it? Hate it? Tell Me Why http://librarianbyday.net/2011/02/23/i-w...
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So impressed by @librarianbyday’s social media campaign surrounding her ALA council bid. I am running, too, but am not nearly as clever.
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@wsstephens campaign? you make it sound as if I’ve put thought into it lol. I am totally voting for you! do you have a page set up?
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@librarianbyday Yours is a BRILLIANT use of fb, e.g. I don’t have anything up yet, but hope to soon — maybe after the weekend
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@wsstephens thanks! I already had a page for Librarian by Day so adding an event for council was easy
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Like:
+Connections with other Librarians, networking opportunities.
+ALA Annual: best money I think I have ever spend professionally.
+Accreditation standards of LIS programs
Dislike:
-The political nature of ALA. I wish ALA would narrow its focus politically. I’d rather have it be a professional organization that focuses on library issues. I don’t believe that every issue is a Library issue just because Librarians are talking about it.
-Cost. I am a Librarian at an International School and I have to pay my dues out of pocket. As a Librarian for K-12 I am a member of 3 divisions. It adds up quickly.
-The fighting that seems to be going on between ALSC and YALSA. There is overlap so why does it matter?
-Hard for me to be active and involved since I live overseas.
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I find the comments of interest, particularly those related to ACRL and dues. Having participated in many ACRL program planning efforts I can say that an effort is always made to be open to programs directed to those in areas other than instruction or reference. The reality is that we get little response. Not a surprise because those folks are doing things in their own silos and it is tough to get crossover activity. I think we’ll see more of that because the divisions are looking to cooperate for program time rather than compete for it. As a candidate for ACRL VP/Pres-Elect I would like to hear from those who want to share issues and concerns about ACRL and ALA. With respect to dues, at ACRLog – http://bit.ly/icq6Um – I recently suggested we examine an alternate approach to dues that is more like the state assn structure where dues are based on your salary. I would not mind paying higher dues so that a newer-to-the-profession librarian could pay less – and when they earn a higher salary they’ll pay more so others can pay less. I advocated the same structure for our conferences. I’d gladly pay more so we can have many newer, prospective members able to attend. Like Aaron says, we need to make the changes that will encourage new folks to join ALA and also be actively engaged at the local and national level.
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@librarianbyday best thing about ALA? connections, networking, & realizing “your” library is not the library world
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I’m still undecided. I’m in my last semester of library school, and have attended one annual and one midwinter. Annual was completely overwhelming, and left me without any understanding of the structure of ALA-and I even attended some of the NMRT and ALA 101 sessions! I think Midwinter was an excellent experience, but I’m still at a loss as to where to “start” in the organization. Since I am looking for a position, I’m sort of waiting to see where I end up-as an earlier poster noted, sometimes state organizations are better organized and accessible. I’m also waiting to see what my professional life might be, and see if it aligns me with a specific section or committee. The jury is still out on ALA for me-I can see myself both being extremely involved if I find an area where I “fit,” but I can also see myself exploring other avenues that keep me professionally involved and educated.
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I have ALA fatigue. I’ve been to conference, served on committees, voted, and written articles over the 10 years since I graduated with my MIS, but … I’m tired. I can live with the popularity contest, the dues, the incredibly slow pace, but I need ALA in exchange to do advocacy on a national and political scale that I have not seen.
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