ALCTS Volunteers Benefit in Many Ways: We Need You!

In today’s quick-paced, time-centered world, getting involved in your association may seem near impossible. We understand the pressures of your daily work and personal life. However, we hope you will take a moment to consider the many benefits of working with your association.

Volunteering to work with the association by serving on a committee offers both personal and professional benefits. By adding volunteering to your member experience, you can:

• Learn, develop, and polish professional skills to help you in your career. Working on a committee is a great way to develop and enhance professional skills such as leadership, teamwork, problem solving, delegation, editing, policy writing, organization, creative-thinking, publishing, program development and planning, project management, recruitment, writing, research, interpersonal communication, public relations, organizational management, and marketing.
• Network with other professionals. While meeting and working with colleagues from other states, you will not only learn from and share your valuable experiences with them, but also have fun doing it!
• Gain exposure and become known for your work. Whether you are looking for your first job, a promotion, tenure, or recognition in the profession, working on a committee can help you get the exposure you need for your career.

In addition to these professional and personal benefits, member participation within the organization is vital to the success of ALCTS. From the abilities, energies, and commitment of our members, ALCTS derives its strength to continue to give voice to the profession.

Committee appointments are made in the fall for two-year terms beginning after the next ALA Annual Conference, but appointments can also occur whenever committees have vacancies. Please note that committee members must belong to ALA and ALCTS, are expected to attend their committee’s meetings at both ALA Midwinter Meetings and Annual Conferences, and participate electronically between meetings.

For a listing of all the committees and their charges and a full description of duties, please see the ALCTS section of the ALA Handbook. You are encouraged to attend committee meetings at Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting to learn more about activities committees are currently engaged in, or contact ALCTS membership at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 5037; kahlen@ala.org.

To volunteer for an ALCTS committee, complete and submit the online volunteer form. Please join us in making our association even better!