I think the hardest part of getting involved professionally is knowing where to start. I remember when I was in library school and went to my first ALA Annual Conference, I had no idea what I should get involved in and what meetings I should go to. RUSA? ACRL? LITA? They all made sense for someone wanting to work with public services and technology in an academic library setting. I ended up making friends in the profession and then simply followed them to the divisions and sections they were involved in. I was asked to be on an ACRL sub-committee and just went with the flow. But I always wonder how other people figure out where they fit in professional organizations.

Many people seem to get involved in the New Member Round Table (NMRT) since it's designed for new members and is apparently a good place to get experience on ALA committees. Other ALA Divisions seem to be reaching out more to new members. ACRL has created a new member wiki which looks interesting (with they'd had that when I was starting out!). The ALA Member Blog also offers useful guidance.

I think the key when you're starting out is to finding the place that's right for you. For some people, getting involved at the local level might be a better fit. You can usually meet with people in your local area more often, which can create tighter bonds than develop when you meet with people twice a year at national conferences. But contributing at the national level can also be very positive for your career, especially if you don't want to live in the same area forever. The connections you make at the national level can be extremely valuable and you can also learn from the wisdom and experiences of a more diverse group of librarians. ALA also isn't the only national organization out there. ASIS&T and SLA are two other major national organizations that many librarians get involved with. There are also regional chapters of each.

And maybe you'll find that professional organizations aren't for you. There are many people who have come to that conclusion. There are other ways to serve the profession. Speak at conferences. Write blog posts and articles that help your fellow librarians. Give free webcasts online through OPAL or the SirsiDynix Institute. The key is figuring out what is right for you and not feeling like you have to do what everyone else does. There are many flavors of participation and contribution. Of course, if you're on the tenure track, it's a completely different story because there are certain prescribed modes of contributing to the profession. But even then, there are many different options regarding division and committee involvement.

So, how did you get started with your professional involvement? Did you struggle with this? Did you make any wrong turns? How did you find the right fit for you?

If you are lucky enough to find an employer who will pay for some of your professional memberships, this helps out a lot too! :)

Belonging to a state or local library association can be a good way to start. It is a big help to get to know and network with other librarians in your local area. Then once you are comfortable at the local level, it can be easier to become active at the state or national level... just my two cents!

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Check out the Talking Books Librarian blog at http://talkingbookslibrarian.blogspot.com

I can try to answer a few of your questions, Courtney:



Sometimes. I think it helps to pace yourself, which I happen to be terrible at. Don't get roped into too many responsibilities at the first ALA conference you go to. It might be flattering to be asked to do things, but make sure you're aware of the time commitments. Some committee responsibilities are minimal, others are a lot of work. It's a good idea to ask people already involved in these committees how much work it really is.

You may want to find out from your employer if you'd be allowed to do some committee work on work time. Some libraries see contributing to the profession as part of your job, some think it's something you should do on your own time.



Some are amazingly supportive, some aren't; it seems to very widely. Mine's pretty much in the middle; she lets me go to a lot, but I have had to take some vacation time to attend conferences. But she'd definitely be fine with me going to ALA MW and Annual.

And as one commenter wrote, having funding definitely helps! It's really expensive to do Annual and MW every year. This year's Midwinter will actually be my first midwinter as finances have kept me from attending in the past.



It's a rule, but from what I hear, it's not one that is often enforced. I think very few committees would kick you off for that unless you found you couldn't make it to any of the meetings for 2 years. Even then, it would depend on the committee, as some do a lot of collaborative work online. Some committees in ACRL and LITA, I believe, allow for online committee membership.

I am a member of the California Library Association, the Medical Library Association, the Association for College and Research Libraries, the Special Library Association, and the Public Library Association. I attended a lot of conferences. I was at two ACRL conferences (One in Minneapolis in 2005 and one in Baltimore in 2007), three Medical Library Conferences (in Phoenix, San Antonio, and Philadelphia) and one Special Library Association conference in Denver. I graduated from Library School last May and I am looking for jobs. I was at every placement booth and I applied for jobs. I interviewed for jobs at the last conferenes I was at. I will be attending the Public Library Association conference in Minneapolis next March to look for jobs. I am on the MLA TSS membership committee. I like the travel, but I am out of savings from my last paid job. I don't know if I am doing a poor job networking, no jobs exist for people who graduated from library school last May, or if membership in librarian organizations does not lead to jobs.

I just received my MS in Library and Information Studies in April. Since many library systems in Florida have been under a hiring freeze, I have not yet been able to get a full time position. However, since I am a part-time Librarian, I do have a lot of time available for professional development. I have had the time to start a blog (Senior Friendly Libraries), read a lot of library and tech blogs, and do some social networking. I have attended the last three Florida Library Association conferences and really enjoyed them.

At some point in the future, I would like to become active in one of the FLA committees. However, I do not think that I will be able to join any ALA committees for a while - there is no way that I could afford to go to one of the national meetings! So for the present I look for interesting online learning opportunities and conferences. For example, there is a free online conference coming up next month called "Creating Aging-Friendly Communities". It includes all aspects of planning for older adults in the community - including lifelong learning. Libraries are an important provider of lifelong learning.

This conference is a great idea since it is free, there are recorded presentations that can be viewed when convenient, and there are chats for participants to discuss ideas and network. It is also great for librarians, because they have the opportunity to interact with social workers, aging services providers, non profits, etc. We definitely need to increase the visibility of librarians and and to have a "seat at the table" for community planning. This way we can learn about what information and services are needed by local non profits and showcase how we can help.

So, I recommend looking for online participation, if you can not afford face-to-face conference meetings. Also, consider looking at other conferences or "unconferences" (like podcamps) that may tie into your library work or give you helpful technical knowledge.