Professional Associations - Blog for 5/31/07

I visited the American Library Association’s website and the Public Library Association’s website.
I learned from the ALA website that in the United States there are more than 117,000 libraries. I read about the history of the ALA and how the association works. It was interesting to find out that “Its membership is open to ‘any person, library, or other organization interested in library service and librarianship…’.” An ALA council is elected and makes the policies. There is also an Executive Board that “acts for the Council in the administration of established policies and programs.”
From the PLA website I learned that it is a division of ALA. The core values of the PLA are similar to my personal values as an employee of the Somerset County Public Library System in Maryland. “The PLA Core Values are: Provides visionary leadership ever open to new ideas; dedicated to lifelong learning; focused on and responsive to member needs; committed to a free and open exchange of information and active collaboration; respects diversity of opinion and community needs; and committed to excellence and innovation.”
The ALA is a professional organization that I am considering joining. In navigating the ALA website, I discovered that they have a Student Membership for $28 per year. The student membership is limited to “five years from the first time you become a Student Member.”