Welcome!  I’m glad you’re joining me today. Complete show notes for today can be found at masterfullibrarian.com/ep-8.

Over the last several days, the American Librarian Association held it’s annual Midwinter Meeting.  The meeting was virtual, of course, but still filled with great speakers, programs, and events. ALA programs and conferences never disappoint. There was so much to learn and see!

Being a part of this conference got me to thinking.  One of the most effective ways to up your librarian game and have greater impact in your work is to become an active member of your library associations.  

At a bare minimum, we all should belong to our state and any local library associations or consortia. Our state associations often do the most specific work to help out libraries.

If at all possible, join the American Library Association and the divisions relevant to your work.  

For instance, if you’re a school librarian you should definitely join the American Association of School Librarians or AASL, which is the school division of ALA. If you’re in a public library, join the Public Library Association, and if you’re an academic, the Association of College and Research Libraries.  There are many other professional groups you could consider as well.  I’ll put a list with links in the show notes. 

If there’s one thing I know for sure it’s that, as librarians, we are definitely better together. I’m always amazed at how many librarians don’t take advantage of that. Today, I’m going to give you three good reasons for joining library associations.

Education

If it’s one thing library associations and consortia do well and do often, it’s education.  Whether it’s in-person workshops or online conferences and webinars, there are always opportunities for learning. 

Although some of the highest quality events are not free and may even have a substantial fee, many others are free or extremely low cost.  

Here’s where it’s especially smart to be a member. Many associations allow attendance at events by non-members, but that will almost always cost substantially more. 

I’ve noticed that during the pandemic, there’s an opportunity for learning with some association or division almost every week. Some weeks, there’s something almost every day!  

I think this is especially important for people serving in libraries who don’t have an MLS or who have never taken any coursework.  There’s so much to know about library work.  If you don’t have the professional educational background, please take advantage of association offerings.

Even if you do have an MLS or coursework, things are always changing and we all need to keep up. If you want to deliver the highest quality service to you library community and have the greatest impact, you must keep your knowledge base current and your toolkit strong.  

In my experience, the saddest, most ineffective libraries are the ones where no one on staff has received any type of library education or where continuing education and professional development don’t happen because no one cares.

For two more reaons and complete show notes, join me at masterfullibrarian.com/ep-8.