Karen M. Drabenstott
Associate Professor
School of Information
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1092 USA
Voice: (734) 763-3581
Fax: (734) 764-2475
karen.drabenstott@umich.edu
New topic -- "Making the Most of Associations"
Our congratulations to our guest editor Lee Liming who helped us achieve an unprecedented level of discussion over a two-week period. Lee pursued a number of strategies to encourage discussion -- making invitations to specific people before the discussion period began and asking them to share their own experiences and observations. He also researched the topic by reviewing the CRISTAL-ED LISTSERV archives, taking note of members who had brought up this topic before, like Ned Fielden, Tim Wilson, and our next guest editor, Anne Abate, and incorporating their ideas into the discussion.
Please give a hearty thanks to Lee Liming who did a tremendous job prior to and during our two-week discussion. And let's also thank the many CRISTAL-ED LISTSERV members and guests who contributed their thoughts and suggestions over the last two weeks.
Our timing for our new topic "Making the Most of Associations" could not be better. Many CRISTAL-ED listserv members are now preparing for the American Library Association's Annual Meeting in San Francisco next week.
Anne Abate will be leading our discussion. She is no stranger to our LISTSERV membership. This is the third discussion Anne has led on our listserv. She is librarian at Dinsmore & Shohl, the largest law firm in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to working at Dinsmore & Shohl, she held professional positions in a variety of libraries. Anne has an MLS from the University of Kentucky, an HAB from Xavier University, and is currently writing the final paragraphs of her dissertation in computer technology in education from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Please join us for a discussion on "Making the Most of Associations."
Anne K. Abate
Doctoral Candidate
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
abate@scis.nova.edu
Professional associations are an important educational, political, and social force for many professions. An association can provide the foundation to inspire and nurture unique talents in professionals. Associations also provide the platform for a particular profession to gain wider publicity or support from a broader community. In many professions, the association serves as the primary vehicle for continuing education of the profession.
For some reason that I have not been able to determine, professional associations are extremely popular and populated in the field of library and information science. As with most of my colleagues, I cannot remember my career as a librarian without my connection to several associations. In a field where there is no professional competency testing or requirements, we draw an amazing number of professionals into our associations. There must be some particular quality or need of librarians that fosters this pull of association membership.
As I have become more active in several associations, the small number of people willing to step forward and take a leadership role has become a cause for constant concern. Can librarians possibly be so busy at their own jobs that they cannot devote a small amount of time to furthering the causes of their profession? There must be ways to draw upon the tremendous talents of this profession and put them to good use serving the profession as a whole.
I hope that this topic will take off in several different directions over the next two weeks. Please use these questions as an inspiration to let your own ideas flow:
On with the discussion.
Biddy Fisher
Head of Academic Services & Development
Sheffield Hallam University
United Kingdom
B.M.Fisher@shu.ac.uk
I welcome the opportunity to voice my support our professional associations. Some would say I am biased having been seconded to The Library Association of the UK for three years as their Academic Adviser. But even before then I was actively participating in a range of events planning and committee organizing for one or more subject interest professional groups.
The positive need for professional associations was made very clear to me when speaking to librarians from the previous communist countries of Eastern Europe. Some visited the UK in the immediate post-change period and were enthusiastically pursuing the establishment of professional organizations which had been almost impossible to sustain in the communist regimes. The ability to meet with other professionals and share professional practice had been limited and they looked with some envy the way in which we were able to establish contact through our professional networks.
I summarized my own personal thoughts in an article for the British Journal of Academic Librarianship in 1994, and continue to believe in them as instrumental in continuing professional education and ensuring good professional practice.
Bob Wats on
Executive Director
Franklin Park Public Library District
10311 Grand Avenue
Franklin Park, IL 60131
Voice: (847) 455-6016
bwatson@linc.lib.il.us
Thank you, Anne Abate, for hosting this topic.
I've long been of two minds on this issue. On the one hand, I tend to think that we have so many organizations because those we do have don't do much, so folks find a way to work around them. On the other hand, we may not have enough professional organizations.
As it is, ALA is a "library" association (at least on paper) and not a "professional" association at all. Which puts it in something of a quandary. Who, on a given issue, does it represent? There are no libraries with votes, only personal members (which seems very like the American Hospital Association being run by the physicians). The creative tension between "management" and "staff" seems broken, like in a "company" union.
James H. Sweetland
School of Library and Information Science
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Box 413
Milwaukee, WI 53201
Voice: (414) 229-6840
Fax: (414) 229-4848
sweetlnd@csd.uwm.edu
"Why are professional associations so important to library and information science professionals?"
A guess -- so many of us work in very small operations, where we are the only person who is "like" us. Even in larger libraries, a total staff of, say 10, with maybe 4 librarians, is small in comparison with the likely total staff of the agency, or even other units/departments. So, we rely on informal and formal organizations to meet our peers.
"If you are active in professional associations, why? If you are not active, why?"
Was formerly more active than now. First got involved for a complex of reasons: meet others like me, learn more about the profession, possibly make contacts. And, my then boss suggested it was a good idea, and that professional involvement would "look good at evaluation time". Stayed involved in part because of the friendships, in part because of a feeling one owes something to the profession, in part because I thought I was actually having some impact on larger issues, and, to be honest, because it appeared that at least some raises and some new job possibilities were in fact improved because of my involvement.
After about seven years of heavy involvement, including one national presidency and two state chairmanships, I decided for the time being to restrict my involvement to delivering papers, serving as a referee/ jury member, and similar tasks more closely related to my primary academic role.
Why the change? Money, time commitments, and a feeling that I had "paid my dues" and could now concentrate on things which appeared more rewarding to me. I also feel I accomplished some of my goals related to the organizations in question. A major factor regarding time is that, as I have been longer in my job, I have more claims on my time for important local university work.
"What drew you into the associations in which you participate? How can we draw younger professionals into associations and make them active participants?"
See above. As for younger (do you mean age, or years of experience?) members--treat them well, and take them seriously. As with any group, go out of your way to notice them, talk to them, make them feel welcome. This is *not* just the job of the "leadership", but of every member of the organization. But, see below regarding the costs of participation. And, consider that at least some library governing bodies do not see professional activity as contributions to the organization (I have hearsay evidence of opposition to "that time-wasting [library organization]" from both academic and public librarians, and at least one academic).
"What do you expect from the associations you join? What do you owe the other members?"
Expect: competence, provision of the services and products promised as part of one's dues, reasonably fast and accurate response to my specific questions. And, keep on target: I join an organization based on its claims of goals, etc.; changing these goals or the emphasis placed on them means the organization isn't what I joined, and so I'll quit.
Owe: the same thing -- if I agree to take on any job, do it on time and to the best of my ability; pay dues on time; keep the leadership informed (my basic argument -- you have no right to criticize unless you also praise where it's due; and the amount of criticism you are entitled to is related to your willingness to change what you don't like).
"There is a leadership drought in most library professional associations. Are we just joiners and not leaders?"
I think it's in the Beta Phi Mu charter that there is always a shortage of leaders. That's the way the world works.
Less facetiously, the expense of professional involvement is getting out of hand. I am going to ALA -- with plane fare, four nights in a mid-level hotel, and the $100+ registration, plus, of course at least some meals, I will have to spend at least $800. If I were on an ALA committee, I'd normally expect to spend at least one more day in San Francisco, plus I'd also have to attend midwinter. So, participation in ALA would cost me around $1,600 or more. For many younger members, that works out to about a month's (or more) takehome pay. Then, there's the time and the clerical support: the newer members tend to have less of the latter, certainly, and are, I'd guess, less likely to be able to do committee work and similar "on the job."
Sorry for the length, but I actually had something to say to all your questions on this topic. Hope this helps.
Monica Ertel
ertel@apple.com
I joined the local SLA chapter while I was still a student. It has been a very important part of my continuing education and professional (and often personal) network. About 15 years ago, I accepted another position outside of the library field in which I didn't have any direct experience (I had management experience but not experience in the area I was asked to manage) but I figured that I would join the professional association of that field and learn what I needed to know. What a surprise when I found that there really wasn't a professional association in this area and the fringe ones that did exist provided none of the supportive services (seminars, classes, publication, local meetings) that SLA did. It made me appreciate our profession even more and was one of the reasons I decided to go back into librarianship.
I think the key to getting people involved is often as simple as seeking people out and asking them to participate. As a student, I was approached by one of the "real" librarians and asked to be on a committee. Once there, I was hooked. But I am not sure that I would have volunteered without a little push. We often get too insular in the group of people we work with and tend to ask the same people over and over. I recently chaired a committee within a division of SLA and needed to put together a group of volunteers to serve with me. I sent out an email to some folks who were in the division but who hadn't been involved in division committees and got tremendous response. The committee of folks I put together were terrific workers and one of them has since become chair of this committee. I'll bet we see her involved in more and more association activities. It's important to look outside of our comfortable and immediate circles.
Barbara Silbersack
Thompson Hine & Flory LLP
312 Walnut St., 14th Floor
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Voice: (513) 352-6528
Fax: (513) 241-4771
bsilbersack@thf.com
Anne's comment about librarians being so busy they cannot devote a small amount of time to the profession should hit home with some at least. Other professions certainly make a point of making professional activities important; why shouldn't we?
I became active probably because I was asked; otherwise I probably wouldn't have even thought that I had anything at all to offer. That's just me I suppose, but I have to say that the whole experience can be quite rewarding. I know it's hard to find people to ask if you are in the position of looking for volunteers, but somehow we must find a way and get as many people involved as possible.
This profession is going through a great deal of change because of the technological revolution. It would be good if ALL of the professionals who deal with information could land under the library banner. That won't happen without effort on our part. That is a much bigger question.
Anne K. Abate
Doctoral Candidate
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
abate@scis.nova.edu
It seems to be going fairly well so far, but I fear the echoing silence that will be caused by ALA.
I like James Sweetland's point that many librarians flock to associations so that they can locate peers. So many librarians work alone, or feel like they are working alone. Association work allows us to gather with others who know many of the issues we face.
Along the same lines, I recently had the opportunity to visit with a librarian in the UK. Even though we were separated by distance, political system, culture, etc., we still had so much in common because of the common library issues and concerns. It gave me a new appreciation for the worldwide unity of librarians.
Barbara Silbersack suggesting welcoming other information professionals into our associations. How do others feel about that? What can we do to change in order to expand our focus? Do we need to change at all?
I'll be away for two days (important stuff -- my commencement festivities), but hope to return to a mailbox full of your thoughts.
James Shedlock
Director
Galter Health Sciences Library
Northwestern University
303 E. Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
Voice: (312) 503-8133
Fax: (312) 503-1204
j-shedlock@nwu.edu
This is a very good topic. To address the original questions, I am very active in the Medical Library Association and have been all of my professional career (20 years). All this activity lead to one of the ultimate positions in an association -- being elected nationally to serve on the MLA Board of Directors.
Association activity is part of professional culture, not just for us (librarians/information professionals) but for all professions (we hear all the time about our faculty -- medicine and dentistry -- participating in their various associations). I think all professionals want to be part of the culture and so joining multiple groups is not at all unusual. You put your money where you think it will do the most good -- for yourself or the causes you believe in.
Participating, as opposed to joining, is another thing. Sometimes it is very frustrating when only the same people volunteer to do association work. I encourage ALL professional staff here to participate, and I try to reward them with travel dollars if they are going to be involved in committees, task forces, editorial boards, section/chapter boards, etc. The reward (all expenses, when the dollars are available, and so far they have been) certainly helps motivate junior staff. I view association work as a valuable learning experience -- learning how to move a bureaucracy toward a goal, how to speak at meetings, how to lead meetings, how to evaluate conflicting ideas, how to compromise, etc.
What drew me to association activity is the idea of community -- a community of professionals or scholars or service-oriented and committed people. I find this idea very compelling. This idea also leads to much frustration, so I am learning, even after 20 years, to pull back from it and see associations a little more objectively. What I now expect from association is a clear statement of goals and clear statements of ways for the membership to reach those goals. Associations CANNOT do anything for individual members expect speak broadly on issues. Members have to deal with the specifics in their local environment. What gets very frustrating is the whining and complaining about associations. Members need to recognize they are the associations: if you don't like something, get involved and change it; don't waste your energy pointing out others' faults. Rather than complain, ask good questions of leadership about the reasons for action or lack of action. Background information clears up a lot reasoning for why associations don't move quickly.
Anyway ... I hope the above helps the discussion. I would like to ask the group if they think LIBRARY associations ought to start changing in order to make themselves more inviting to information professionals who do not hold library science degrees/credentials. Should LIBRARY associations try recruiting computer-types and business-types, etc. in order to broaden the association's perspective? What changes should be made in ALA, SLA, MLA, AALL that would make them more attractive to new information professionals?
Thanks!
William Arthur Liebi
Academic librarian
Stadt- und Universitaetsbibliothek Bern
CH-3000 Bern 7 Switzerland
Voice: +41 +31 320 32 259
Fax: +41 +31 320 32 99
liebi@stub.unibe.ch
Through their activities, professional organizations assure continuity and future of the respective professions or professional groups. I mention four aspects:
Cooperation
It is an advantage if the associations of related professions such as those of librarians, documentalists and archivists cooperate; synergies can be reached; mutual consultations can be arranged, common infrastructures established. From time to time, common meetings or even congresses can be organized, common programs of continuing education implemented. By occasionally transmitting news about such joint activities to the vast public, the position of librarians and other information professionals as a whole can be strengthened.
Sub-Entities
It is very useful if an association is organized into sub-entities such as sections, interest groups, committees or commissions. Tasks and responsibilities are then divided, efforts focused.
New Members
One of the future-oriented duties of professional associations is decidedly the recruitment of newcomers. Younger as well as older colleagues can be drawn into a professional association by mentioning that their expertise is needed and that they attain personal gains through membership.
Chairpersons
A further future-oriented and at the same time crucial question is the selection of chairpeople; what can we do? -- One can moderately apply principles of personnel development. This should be done first of all by the members of the different sub-entities:
Consider vacancies, if possible at an early stage. Find out when potential candidates could be available and prepared enough to assume a certain function. If both factors are all right, we may encourage and motivate the potential candidates. In negotiations with potential candidates it may be helpful saying that an engagement has not to endure a lifetime, but only a restricted timeframe. After that, the candidate would be in the situation whether to continue or to step back, having merited the heartfelt thanks of the other members. It assures candidates if one can affirm that they will receive support by other members and, if necessary, advice by previous chairpersons. Last but not least, one can mention that holding a chair position is not primarily a burden but first of all a "learning experience", as James Shedlock already emphasized. Holding a chair position can also be considered as an opportunity or a challenge which improves the individual's qualifications.
Barbara Silbersack
Thompson Hine & Flory LLP
312 Walnut St., 14th Floor
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Voice: (513) 352-6528
Fax: (513) 241-4771
bsilbersack@thf.com
In answer to James Shedlock's question about whether LIBRARY associations should change in order to invite the participation of others in the information field, I would say that it is worth considering. I brought up that idea earlier as a matter of fact.
The conference planning, the literature that we get from associations could change. I don't know how you would get past the jargon though; we definitely have some in the library world. Maybe someone out there has a good solution to melding those forces together.
Barbara M. Spiegelman
Manager, Technical Information and Communication
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
P.O. Box 355
Pittsburgh, PA 15230
Voice: (412) 374-4816
Fax: (412) 374-4042
spiegebm@westinghouse.com
I think we could equally well title this discussion "Associations Making the Most Out of Us!"
My first SLA activity was handling PR for the Pittsburgh Winter Meeting, followed by attending the Conference in New York. At the conference my manager, Mary Vasilakis, introduced me to lots of people and took me to the president's reception. I can distinctly remember being bowled over by all these people who had their act together, knew what needed to be done, and were doing it. If only I could be that good some day ... what a joke, since I was having difficulty making sense out of the conference program!
Some of the people I met at that conference are the same ones who have asked me to work on committees, make presentations, or run for office. The time people gave to me, and the time we are willing to give to new members and beginners in the profession is so valuable! At every Conference, I go out of my way to talk to some of the new (read younger) faces, remembering how it felt to be lost in a Conference and overwhelmed as others rush about, knowing exactly what to do, where to be, etc. I also write down their names, hoping to be able to get them involved in activities early, so they will come to future Conferences having a sense of their place in our world.
I mentioned "Associations Making the Most Out Of Us" because, for me, one of the best things about belonging to a professional association is that it lets you try out things - ideas, skills - in a non-threatening environment. Many of the ideas I have initiated on the job have been the result of either success or lessons learned from activities in SLA. You can make a presentation, run a meeting, plan a program, balance a budget, and if you don't do it perfectly the first time, no one will fire you! Not to mention that people are so grateful for your help and volunteerism that you feel like Mother Teresa ...
The relationships built in a professional association reach across subject field, industries, and borders. The number of times other SLA members have given me a helping hand boggles my mind. And I can't remember ever reaching out for a name, a contact, or an answer that someone hasn't been there for me. When I'm in the throes of need -- that is, I have a customer standing in front of me tapping their foot - I'm very grateful to be able to tap into my own resource. And then I remind myself to be one of the people who answers requests for help from others.
In the long run, I'm a better member of our profession because of what the Association has made of me.
Anne K. Abate
Doctoral Candidate
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
abate@scis.nova.edu
Notice the hired guns from SLA start to make their appearance?
Come on now, I know there are more of you out there with opinions.
James Shedlock mentioned that all professions are active in their associations. I must disagree with that. It seems that librarians participate in, or at least join, their associations at a higher rate than other professions. Can anyone else back me up on that?
Barbara Spiegelman gave us some encouraging memories of getting involved in SLA. Does anyone have thoughts on some of the other associations? Are the experiences there just as favorable?
Keep it coming.
Peter Moon
Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection & Insurance Co.
Hartford, CT
pmoon@hsb.com
I believe there are interrelated fundamental purposes for the presence and utility of associations. Whether you are in a one-person environment or a large staffed library environment, an association can act as a moderator, benchmark, facilitator for a given individual member.
What I mean is an association provides a broader picture of the industry, creates new alternatives for us as individual professionals to excel where within our own parent organizations there may or may not be many options. Politically, an association provides professional advancement that a corporate structure may not present.
An association also provides a sense of who else does similar work. Even in a large library organization, associations provide a communications vehicle with other libraries. Associations also provide an ability to identify others who face similar problems, challenges, opportunities "by associating" with each other, we can potentially come to a better solution for all parties. The Solo Librarians listserv for SLA Solo Librarians Division is a case in point, and proves itself almost daily with the support it provides to its members.
Suzi Hayes
Oak Arbor Publishing
Delray Beach Florida
Voice: (561) 498-7336
Fax: (561) 272-3828
suzi@pb.seflin.org
Several previous msgs have mentioned that people started their association participation very early in their careers, often while still students. This was my experience as well. So it seems we need to focus on getting new members of the profession involved early, so they will think of association activities as a routine part of their work lives. One problem I can see with this is that many newly minted librarians were support staff for a number of years before getting their degrees, and as such, were specifically excluded from association work. We should, therefore, be more aware of where our new professionals are coming from and bring them into the fold even before they know they might be librarians. (Won't this be a good trick?!) Mentoring new members will be an increasingly important challenge for the future.
Shirley Richardson
Catalog Librarian
Angelo State University
San Angelo, Texas 76909
Phone: (915) 942-2221
Fax: (915) 942-2198
Shirley.Richardson@mailserv.angelo.edu
Charlene M. Cunniffe
CCUNNIFF@bccb.com
When I entered the master's program for my library degree in 1985, I had powerful examples of involvement in the faculty and administration there; in particular Jim Matarazzo (SLA) and Candy Schwartz (ASIS). Students were encouraged to join at attractive rates (I think ASIS and SLA charged $12 for student membership). The student organizations were active, and had great speakers come in to do presentations. The networking was the biggest attraction, as I remember. Of course, this was Boston, home of thousands of professional librarians. I became active in SLA, even serving on the board for the Boston chapter.
The biggest problem with professional memberships is the cost. I could not afford to keep membership in several professional associations, and had to choose one. Years later, here in Nashville (not home to thousands of professional librarians), there is no active library community for any of the associations except for the local medical librarian group. My law firm employer will sponsor one professional membership, maybe even one conference a year, so my colleague and I split forces: as she was an AALL member for many years, and as SLA was wise enough to begin a Legal Division just when I needed it, one of us "does" SLA and the other AALL, and we share the best we can the information and perspectives from our respective organizations.
Each of us would prefer to be more active, but geographically and economically it is doubtful that will happen. It seems that despite the advantages of electronic communication, committees still prefer to meet in person, and commitments to attend rely on employers' needs. I have made offers both to chapter and division officers over the last three years to be more active in SLA activities but I haven't gotten much feedback beyond the "oh, sure, now that we know you're interested we'll certainly be in touch" variety. A lifetime of volunteer work always leaves me more options, so I begin to commit my time to the charitable rather than the professional, and so the time is filled by working in the schools that could have been spent working for an professional organization. This is not a complaint, by the way, only a personal observation of how I spend my "free" time in the absence of a better offer.
For library associations to reach their members, they need to start "young," that is, in the library schools. I'm trained from that early experience to belong to a professional group. Then they need to seriously outreach, e.g., SLA Boston was relatively successful in developing geographic outreach programs to New Hampshire and to Western Massachusetts beyond a tow hour drive of the city. The membership doesn't feel forgotten by the organization if they're occasionally recognized as existing.
Thanks for the opportunity to participate. I look forward to the continued discussion.
Steve Wooldridge
swooldri@umich.edu
The annual conference (some associations have more than one per year, some less than once a year) is always an interesting feature of association membership. I came across the following piece written by Dan Ryan (re-posted here with his permission) from Yale University. Although it is written toward those who might be attending a sociology conference, most of what is said is of interest to those attending any association conference. Much of what he says is addressed toward the importance of using a conference for "social networking" (more on that in a follow-up post).
How to Enjoy a Convention
by Dan Ryan (Yale University/Mills College) Institution for Social and Policy Studies
P.O. Box 208209
New Haven, CT 06520-8209
daniel.ryan@yale.edu
Think about this sociologically. You have a gathering of several thousand people from one profession. Most of them work in middle of nowhere places with two colleagues, one of whom they loathe. They spend all year teaching the writings of other people (some of whom are their heroes) to 19 year olds. Some of those heroes are walking around the hotel. Of course they're looking at the name tags.
Alternatively, here you have a gathering of several thousand people in the same profession. Profession and job are among the most common categories for sorting the people in one's world. If everyone around you is in the same profession, you need some other status markers to help you order the crowd. Look at the nametags.
Do not read your paper. Do not fight with the organizer over time. Do not be convinced that the audience will be enthralled if only you can get this one last point in. Do not edit out whole sections on the fly as you notice time running out. If you find yourself falling in love with your own prose, exercise caution.
All of these things will serve only to make you look inept, unprofessional, immature and uninteresting.
Anne K. Abate
Doctoral Candidate
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
abate@scis.nova.edu
Thank you, Steve.
I haven't laughed so much in weeks (or at least since SLA last month). I particularly was amazed at the speculations about nametag gazing. Didn't some of us participate in that last month?
OK. We have all said some of the academic stuff about association participation. Steve has opened the door for some of the "other" stuff. Would anyone care to begin?
Steve Wooldridge
swooldri@umich.edu
In my last post, I passed along the observations of a social scientist on "How to Enjoy a Conference." In this note, I want to point out some interesting comments on professional networking made by Phil Agre, an associate professor in the Department of Communication, University of California, San Diego. It is an excellent overview of professional networking via the net, although most of the comments are valid for any medium as well as association activities. Two publications of his this year include Computation and Human Experience, Cambridge University Press, 1997, and "Computing as a Social Practice" in Reinventing Technology, Rediscovering Community: Critical Studies in Computing as a Social Practice, Philip E. Agre and Douglas Schuler, eds, Ablex, 1997.
The "Networking on the Network" document can be viewed via a Web browser or retrieved via E-mail. To retrieve the most recent version, send a message to rre-request@weber.ucsd.edu with the subject line "archive send network."
Of particular relevance are:
Section 1 -- Introduces the rationale behind professional networking and explains why it is not just "politics".
Section 2 -- Provides a simple six-step model of the networking process without reference to electronic media.
While this document does spend some time talking about using electronic media and how it can help newcomers figure out where the net fits in the larger picture of their own careers, it does have some very good pointers about professional networking -- a phenomenon that professional associations set the background for and help to nurture.
Agre has spent some time and has invested his experience of some 15 years in providing his students some insights into the importance and nature of the process in promoting one's career for success. (It also happens to be a research area of his -- with specific emphasis on electronic media).
Since associations provide such good opportunities for professional/social networking, how might some of these ideas be incorporated into information curricula? How are faculty going about providing information, opportunities, and learning experiences for students to appreciate the value of professional associations? What are the best ways to help students become acculturated to professional norms and activities? How do we set up appropriate learning experiences to help students become self-sufficient in professional networking skills?
Did any librarians encounter anything like this in their master's work? From a practitioner's perspective, does anyone think that coverage of this in masters study would be helpful? From a student perspective how would it best be approached?
Barbara M. Spiegelman
spiegebm@westinghouse.com
Steve -- You've hit one of my hot buttons. I'm on the adjunct faculty at the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences. Our team includes Mary Vasilakis and Susan Hoehl. We teach "Management of Special Libraries and Information Centers."
As part of our course work we put forth the standards/research of SLA/ALA/AALL/MLA, etc. When I'm teaching this, I use that as a "jumping off" point to talk about professional associations and networking. I also teach one whole session on career planning, which includes strong emphasis on joining and becoming active in a professional association.
One of the things that I notice (every year!) is how most of the students are not used to informal networking in their own classroom, let alone in a professional association. Everything in the classroom is set up to elicit work from and reward the work of the individual. There is little, if any, reinforcement for helping others to succeed. In fact, doing so might be detrimental to your grade. So the whole basis of networking (learn from others/help others) may be foreign to students who have never been a part of a team activity. You may say that there are very few people like that -- who hasn't been a member of a club, played a sport, etc. But I am seeing a lot of people who do not seem comfortable creating obvious "linkages" with others.
The last session of our most recent semester I divided the students into groups to work on "the interview questions I fear most -- and how to answer them." This class had been together for months, but they had little knowledge of one another and found it difficult to begin a dialogue. I have already decided to begin next year's class by creating these groups and using them throughout the semester. At the end of the class I will ask them to evaluate their learning from one another (not just the instructors).
Perhaps they will appreciate a professional association because they are in control, and there is no grade involved. But if they aren't used to linking, how will they get there in the first place?
Dave Drummond
University of Wisconsin - Madison
David.Drummond@ccmail.adp.wisc.edu
Most of the discussion has focused on the networking role of professional organizations. But there are several other roles of at least equal importance:
Standard setting -- Someone, somewhere sets cataloguing standards or libraries would be unusable, so there is a precedent. About a year ago, several people complained about software with confusing documentation and user interfaces. Agency committees, especially if they include corporate members, can be very good at creating consensus standards.
Examples from other fields range from standardized position of major controls in automobiles to the dozens of model codes that provide a basis for governmental regulations. Standards for continuing education are often used to stimulate employer support for costs.
Research -- Voluntary organizations have been much more successful than government agencies, especially on small-scale research projects. Past non-government successes include bicycle and motorcycle helmets and polio vaccine. Simple research may include aggressively collecting and sharing success stories or creating standardized surveys that allow comparison of data between libraries:
Continuing Education -- Professional organizations sponsor the best continuing education programs in many professional areas. This may result from the good peer review that is built into the approval processes of most professional organizations. Standards for quality and quantity of continuing education help assure that members stay current with their profession. Some organizations use correspondence courses through their journals.
Employment Services -- Often go well beyond classified ads in the journals to include assisting employers with confidential searches and coaching job seekers.
If library organizations are not actively involved in these areas, great opportunities await.
Steve Wooldridge
swooldri@umich.edu
Another function of associations is that of attempting to form public opinion on issues of concern to members and to lobby and educate local, state and federal lawmakers and officials as they draft or amend public law covering issues of concern to the association. It is no accident that one can find state associations headquartered in state capitals and many national associations headquartered in Washington, D.C. (The fact that ALA is in Chicago is a vestige of 19th century geopolitics but they do maintain an office in D.C.)
Additionally, associations will file responses in response to proposed federal guidelines published in the U.S. Federal Register or will offer an official response in response to RFCs (request for comments) on proposed guidelines issued by government agencies or companies or organizations in the private sector.
Often associations will file amicus curiae briefs with the courts when salient issues near to the hearts and minds of association members are involved in cases. I'm sure that ALA filed a brief in the recently decided case of Reno v American Civil Liberties Union (in which the Supreme Court struck down the Communications Decency Act with a 9-0 vote).
It's often interesting to compare various associations. One needs to examine the charter of an organization and the makeup of membership to determine just what the association ends up doing or not doing. The American Library Association membership is comprised of librarians from many types of libraries (school, academic, public, special, corporate), support staff, trustees of library boards, library directors, library users, library/information school faculty, etc. Actually anyone who wishes to join may do so! With such a diffuse membership, one can be left wondering who/what the association represents on issues where there are divided interests between member constituencies. Ever wonder why level of compensation isn't a hot issue for ALA to press forward on as it might be for other groups? Also, can one imagine an organization such as the American Medical Association letting nurses, EMTs, etc. join into their ranks. Their mission is to represent almost exclusively the interests of physicians. This is not intended as a criticism of ALA and praise for the AMA -- rather it's offered as a comment to urge one to take a healthy look at mission statements and activities of any association.
Cynthia Barrancotto
Flagler College
cynthiab@flagler.edu
I have enjoyed all the comments thus far. Since we are nearing the end of this topic, my final thoughts are the following:
In closing, for me SLA exemplifies all of the above. Each year of membership gets better, and I look forward to not only the future of information but also the future of we who are responsible for molding it.
Monica Hammes
Convener: ULIS-2 Conference Organising Committee
Academic Information Service
University of Pretoria
Pretoria, South Africa
Voice: +27 (12) 420-2810
Fax: +27 (12) 3422452
hammes@acinfo.up.ac.za
At the moment this topic is very relevant for South African librarians and information workers: we are having a constituent conference for a new professional organization from 8-10 July at the University of Pretoria.
Please visit our home page and join us in this historic event!
Here you can find the draft constitution and other information on the history of the ULIS (Unification of Library and Information Stakeholders) process. We will welcome comments on it as well as other messages.
Peter Moon
pmoon@hsb.com
I believe there is no argument to Steve's statement regarding diversity of the ALA membership. Whether or not it suits ALA's purposes when they go to Capitol Hill and lobby on behalf of the association and the information industry, it is the prerogative of the representative individuals in the ALA Washington, D.C., office to use their association membership numbers to best orchestrate influence on the regulations and legislation impacting the information industry.
I was disappointed in Steve's message, in that the further I went into his message, the more I expected a question to pop out that I could really send a rejoinder... there was none. So this is my weak attempt at replying to his benign, straight-forward message.
Robert P. Holley Director Library and Information Science Program 106 Kresge Library Wayne State University Detroit, MI 48202 Voice: (313) 577-4021 Fax: (313) 577-7563 (fax) rholley@lisp.purdy.wayne.edu
I've been away at the ALA Conference and have just caught up on the discussion about professional associations.
I have one thought to add that I don't think that I've seen yet. Unlike some professions where state certification is required (doctors and lawyers), the job market for librarians is national in scope. We're not professionally tied to one state or region and can look for jobs anywhere in the country. In my opinion, professional associations are an important component in this national job seeking network from the first position at the association's placement center to soliciting recommendations for the most prestigious positions.
When asked to provide names of potential candidates, I recommend people that I know personally, mostly from my activities in ALA. I also use this network of colleagues when I'm looking for candidates or to check out the people in the pool.
While there must be many of example of librarians who have advanced professionally with little or no professional involvement, I don't think that this is the normal route. Associations lead to visibility and, as long as this visibility is positive, to greater potential for career advancement.
School librarians/media specialists may be the exception to the rule since they are often less likely to move to another state because of certification requirements and may change jobs less frequently because most advance in grade through longevity rather than through administrative appointments. Whether they have different patterns of professional involvement would be an interesting research topic.
You may join the discussion and look over the list of past and future topics.
 |
|