Trustee Listserv

Trustees from all types of libraries are invited to participate in ALTAFF's electronic discussion group focused on topics of interest to library Trustees. When you send an email to the listserv it is automatically sent to all subscribers, and their emails are sent to your email. In this way Trustees from around the country can share advice and their real world experiences. Messages are automatically archived for future searching.

Discussion topics can be whatever interests you - effective meetings, board recruitment, library policies, the possibilities are endless. Participants agree to abide by a few simple guidelines:

  • The listserv is an information forum for those wishing to seek and share best practices for library Trustees.
  • You do not need to be an ALA member or ALTAFF member or affiliate to participate.
  • All participants are to be treated with courtesy.
  • Spam is not allowed.
  • Commercial solicitation is prohibited.

Joining the Listserv

To join, send an email to sympa@ala.org. In the subject line of your message type:

subscribe altafftr Firstname Name

Insert your own first name and full name as indicated. Leave the body of the message blank (remove any signature that is automatically included). Send the message. In a few minutes you will receive a welcome message and you can then begin posting emails to the listserv.

Posting to the Listserv

To start a discussion, send an email to altafftr@ala.org. Please use an appropriate subject line so readers have an idea of what your message is about. Other listserv members can then reply to your message and everyone on the listserv will receive the response to continue the discussion.

Managing Your Listserv Subscription

To manage your subscription to the ALTAFF Trustee Listserv and any other ALA listserv, visit http://lists.ala.org/sympa. On your first visit to Sympa select the option, "First login?" under the login boxes in the upper left corner of the screen. Once you log in you can change the address to which you receive listserv messages, change your settings to digest format (a single daily email with all messages posted that day), search the archives, and sign up for other ALA listservs.

Searching the Archives

To read the archives of the ALTAFF Trustee Listserv you must login to Sympa, the listserv management website. Visit http://lists.ala.org/sympa. If you have never visited this site before, please view the for first time login-in and accessing the archives (PDF).

If you have previously logged into the Sympa site and have a password already, please view the simplified instructions for accessing the archives (PDF).

Additional Help

If you have any questions about the listserv or experience difficulty signing up, please email bnawalinski@ala.org for assistance.