The Liminal Librarian

At Information Wants to be Free, Meredith Farkas posts on “Alternative ways to participate (or why I probably won’t be at Midwinter.”

What she said.

As ALA conferences approach, my e-mail box fills up with messages asking if I’ll be there, if I’ll participate on a panel, if I’ll serve on a committee, if I’ll shell out more dues to join a division or roundtable so I can then have the privilege of serving on yet another committee. I still can’t fathom why anyone is startled when I say I only get to ALA every few years when it swings through Chicago (and then… shh… sometimes I only swing through the exhibits and meet people for meals).

I’m self employed (and, even when I wasn’t, mpow was less than likely to fund out-of-state conference attendance). Attending either Annual or Midwinter would run me at least $1000, a significant amount for someone who’s self-employed. What’s my ROI here, esp. when I do get to conferences such as IL and CIL that are more directly relevant to my personal and professional interests? My presence on any given ALA panel or committee would be minor at best; my online and other professional activities seem to have a more direct and immediate impact.

I think it’s a darn shame that ALA drags its heels on virtual participation, and that the tendency of larger/wealthier libraries to be overrepresented on committees, on panels, at in-person events skews the association’s direction and representation. It’s a vicious cycle: the people advocating for change tend to be those less likely to be represented in-person, thus those less likely to have a voice and impact.