The Liminal Librarian

Well, my ALA membership renewal came in the mail this week. I’ve been a continous member for 14 years now. Should I make it 15? Discuss.

I just read on the ALA Inside Scoop blog that ALA’s membership numbers are dropping because of the recession. (Yup, this was posted 3 weeks ago — I have a lot of blogs to read, people!)

With ALA Publishing Department revenue already in decline, membership dues revenue at $4.3 million is under budget by $127,000 or 2.8%. The number of new and renewing members has declined from 67,827 to 65,437, or -3.52%.

On the plus side, ALA continues to see growth in student membership; May numbers were up by 2.3%. Year-to-date statistics show a flat renewal rate overall for personal members and new membership enrolments are down 6.33%. The YTD statistics also show movement from regular and other classes of membership to the “continuous member” category, which is up 8.7% and no doubt reflects the retirement trend within the profession.

Of ALA’s 11 divisions, only the Young Adult Library Services division has seen growth of 1.04% over FY2008. Not surprisingly, the Public Library Association has born the severest drop at (12.67%), followed by the Reference and User Services Association (8.24%), the Library and Information Technology Association (8.18%), the Library Leadership and Management Association (7.25%), the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (6.05%), and the American Association of School Librarians (5.17%).

YALSA makes sense to me, since they seem to be the rockingest division of all. I’m trying to wrap my head around this decrease in numbers, though, in conjunction with reports of the very strong conference attendance in Chicago. And am wondering if the decrease in memberships is a temporary fluke or signs of an ongoing trend. Are people going to re-up when the economic situation gets better, or will they find that they don’t miss the membership?

Then I went a-reading further and saw Nicole Engard over on What I Learned Today posting about library association memberships. Her reason for not joining more associations?

I was recently asked to participate in an interest group for an association. I said, ‘heck yeah, but I’m not a member do I have to be?’ Apparently I can participate for a period of time without being a member – but why not join the association?? It’s simple. I do a lot of speaking and I have only one rule when it comes to speaking – I will not pay to speak for an association (local libraries – sure – but big associations – fat chance). I will accept a reimbursement of my expenses (without honorarium) in most cases, but I will not pay out of pocket to speak for an association when I can educate librarians at no cost to me via several other venues.

Today I filled out forms to speak at 3 conferences. Two of them require that members speak without any compensation and I just can’t live with that – so I don’t join. I spoke at a state conference last year and had to fight to get my mileage reimbursed because they insisted that association members and librarians who work in the state don’t get paid to speak. Why?

I want to belong to more associations, I want to help the library profession and share my knowledge, but I do not want to – and will not – go bankrupt doing so.

This has always been a mystery to me, and is one reason why I let my own state association membership drop lo these many years ago.

Anyway. Sorry for the post-o-quotes, but I’ve been up with some (hopefully 24-hour) flu since 3AM and am too fuzzy to think about this further — I just wanted to throw the topic out there and see what you all thought. Even comment on Facebook, if you must.

The following authors will be signing at the Information Today, Inc. booth [#4525] on Saturday July 11 from 1:00 — 2:00 p.m.

Tasha Squires, author of Library Partnerships: Making Connections Between School and Public Libraries

Pop culture mavens Sophie Brookover and Elizabeth Burns, authors of Pop Goes the Library: Using Pop Culture to Connect With Your Whole Community

They. All. Rock! Come on by .

It’s been an honor and a privilege to work with a number of ITI authors, but I was never so intimidated as when editing Kathy Dempsey’s The Accidental Library Marketer — given that she edited some of my own earliest work over at Computers in Libraries magazine. Be that as it may, her due-out-any-day-now book, quite simply, rocks. Get it. Now. In tough economic times her succinct and down-to-earth advice is more important than ever.

Also, if you’re headed to ALA next weekend, be sure to stop by Kathy’s book signing at the annual Swap & Shop on Sunday July 12. Swap & Shop runs from 11-1:30 in the special events area in the exhibit hall — so you can go even if, like me, you’re only springing for the exhibits pass! And check out her new site at LibrariesAreEssential.com — the URL sums it up right there.

I’ve been doing some talks lately on career building in a down economy, so was interested to see ALA’s new Getting a Job in a Tough Economy Toolkit. It’s obviously a work in progress, and kind of weirdly organized, but I’m cheered to see any association movement toward helping librarians instead of solely focusing on libraries.

Dear ALA: Here’s a shamelessly self-promoting suggestion — why not link up to LISjobs.com? Just a thought.

Anyway. What do you all think of it?

Want to meet up? Have a book idea to talk about? Drop me a line: rachel@lisjobs.com. That is all.

This is fascinating. I’m wondering how it reconciles with the whole recruitment push, or if they’re going to lay off that for a while?

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For Immediate Release                                                                 Jenifer Grady
May 15, 2009                                                                                     jgrady@ala.org

ALA Wants Your Stories About How to Get a Job

In preparation for a new American Library Association (ALA) Web-based toolkit called Get a Job!, the association is seeking your stories and advice about what to do and what NOT to do to find employment, particularly in this economy.  ALA asks employers and consultants to share words of wisdom about what a candidate has done to impress you.  ALA wants new employees to share their best tactics in landing the job of their dreams.  ALA also invites everyone to send their best preparation, interviewing or “I wish someone had told me” anecdotes for possible inclusion on the website.

Get a Job!, will debut at the ALA Annual Conference, and in addition to the expected resume and cover letters suggestions, will also feature advice on how to use social networking tools in your job search, what to do if you’re laid off, budgeting assistance, networking techniques, and strategies for finding out about the economy and jobs in various parts of the United States.  The interactive toolkit will include information specific to those seeking their first job, mid-career staff and those changing professions.

The site will be a one-stop resource including and/or linking to information prepared by units within ALA, as well as linking to information about related best practices from other fields. As the site evolves, it will offer tips, suggested links and readings, a blog, podcasts from experts, timelines, and activities/checklists for new librarians and support staff.

Get a Job! is being developed by nine units within the American Library Association in collaboration with the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association.

Email your stories to Jenifer Grady at jgrady@ala.org by Friday, June 5, 2009.

Went to check something on ala.org this morning. Whoopsie!

This should be REQUIRED for ALL ALA programs. Thank you, LITA BIGWIG — you are made of awesome!

So help me, if I see this ONE MORE TIME… I understand this happens in a redesign; I just broke 10,000 links on my own site. However, when it keeps happening, say, from announcements posted SINCE the redesign… one gets a little, dare we say, annoyed.