ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Getting Involved in ALA and ACRL

Beginning professional librarians sometimes ask how to get involved in national library affairs. Being involved carries with it a number of rewards: acquaintance with national leaders, an inside knowledge of professional matters, and the feeling that an individual can help to shape national policies.

The answer is almost absurdly simple. Go where the action is, and be ready to offer help when an opportunity occurs. Begin by attending the Annual Conference of the American Library Association. Read the program carefully. It will list not only the major programs but also nearly a thousand committee meetings, all open to the public. It is at these meetings you will find your best contacts. Choose two or three committees concerned with topics that appeal to you and attend their meetings. Most committees are very small, sometimes only five or six members sitting around a table surrounded by a larger circle of chairs for observers.

Listen to the proceedings, sign the visitors’ attendance sheet, and let the committee get used to seeing you there. Sooner or later a committee member will propose a project that requires more people for its achievement; it is perfectly natural for the committee to draft subcommittee members from those already on the scene. Volunteer for simple tasks which anyone can do: addressing envelopes, taking notes. Then follow through. Before you know it, you will have established a reputation as a dependable worker. When vacancies occur, your name will be remembered.

Your next conference will be much more rewarding; you will be part of the action.— Catharine J. Reynolds, Head, Government Publications, University of Colorado Libraries at Boulder.