JOINING
To join ALA at the student rate, please click here and follow the link to the Massachusetts Library Association for joint student membership to both organizations.
GETTING INVOLVED
Divisions & Round Tables
There are many interest groups to explore within ALA – so many, in fact, that it’s easy to get confused! The New Members Round Table (NMRT) is a great place to start. The ALA’s own Guide to Divisions & Round Tables highlights what groups are best to join depending on the type of library you hope to work in. You can also consult the grid developed by ALASC that suggests divisions and round tables based on your interests and favorite GSLIS classes.
ALA Connect
This Drupal-based collaborative workspace allows both official and unofficial ALA groups to work together online. Log in with your member information to create a profile and interact with other members in groups like “Library Support Staff Interests Round Table” and “Social Networking for Librarians and Library Students.” Great networking tool! It’s largely thanks to ALA Connect that the Midwinter Meeting, which used to be very business-oriented, has come to include more author events and other workshops.
Calendars
The ALA sponsors a variety of Celebration Weeks and Promotional Events, such as Library Card Sign-Up Month, throughout the year. Other calendars show future Annual and Midwinter conference dates and locations, division events, and conference listings for ALA affliates and chapters.
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP
AL Direct
This e-newsletter, sent every Wednesday, is a weekly supplement to American Libraries magazine. It provides summaries and links to news, announcements, and other information of interest to library and information science professionals and students. Read the current issue or subscribe (non-members are welcome!) here.
JobLIST
Job listings for library and information science and technology, updated daily. Free registration allows job seekers to post resumes or subscribe to RSS feeds based on personal search criteria to receive notification of relevant openings.
Scholarships
The ALA and its divisions offer a variety of scholarships for graduate school, continuing education, and conference expenses. Search by keyword, deadline, or name.
CLOSER TO HOME
New England Library Association
http://www.nelib.org/
Massachusetts Library Association
http://mla.memberlodge.org/