Lost in the Stacks

Topic: Professional associations are voluntary and take time away from one’s regular job, are expensive, and require travel to meetings. Considering all of this, why do people join professional associations and seek leadership positions?

I think professional organizations have a great deal going for them. They offer workshops and seminars so that an individual can continue to learn the latest information about their chosen field. Conventions offer the opportunity to get to know your fellow professionals in a different setting. (I love conventions! They are such fun and interesting and they are often in interesting places.) The magazines that some organizations offer, such as the Association of College and Research Libraries’ CRL News magazine, keep their members up-to-date on the latest information as well as offering a place for publication.

The only aspect of a professional organization that I don’t understand would be an individual’s desire to work their way up the ladder of leadership positions. Not being ambitious myself, I would not desire such a political move. But I am sure that many people believe that for an organization to remain “fresh”, new ideas have to be injected into the organization on a regular basis. If the people at the top are getting old and stale, then someone with new ideas will want to take their place.

Despite my reluctance to be involved in the leadership of a professional organization, I think they are great things to join in order to help in your professional career. I myself became a member of the ALA (at student rates) so I might have the opportunity to apply for scholarships. Professional organization offer so much for people at all stages of their careers.