Student Chapters

Who is Eligible to Form an Official ALA Student Chapter?   

ALA student members at the master's level and beyond are eligible to form official ALA student chapter groups at schools offering ALA-accredited programs of library and information services, or a master's degree with a specialty in school library media from an NCATE/AASL-accredited program.

How Do I Form a Student Group?   

How to start a student chapter
What you need to know to start a new ALA Student Chapter on your campus.

How Do I Join ALA?   

Joint membership program 
Links to joint student membership brochures (PDFs) and to secure online forms.

Round tables are a good way to find a "place" in ALA and to make your voice heard on topics of interest to you.  The New Members Round Table sponsors the NMRT student chapter of the year award. See also Student and Student Chapter Outreach Committee (SASCO), which develops and maintains a network of individuals able to promote ALA and NMRT.

See also Other ALA Round Tables.

How Do I Contact Other Student Chapters?   

Directory of student chapters
Links to Student Chapter Websites, current President and Faculty Advisor contacts

Directory of ALA-accredited master's programs in library and information studies
The directory, available in four unique formats, provides information about library and information studies programs that are accredited by the American Library Association (ALA). The ALA Office for Accreditation publishes the directory annually, and provides the opportunity for programs to update their entries when information changes.

If you're a student chapter leader, you can be subscribed to the student chapter e-list. Contact Don Wood at dwood@ala.org.

See also Social Networking.

Where Can I Find Chapter Resources?   

ALA Student Chapter projects 
Information on projects accomplished by ALA Student Chapers

Student chapter resources
Helpful information for Student Chapters, including the Student to Staff Program.

ALA Chapters: Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions about ALA and Chapters

Overview of ALA Resources for Chapters
Links to key action areas, resources by subject, and more

Student chapter speaker list 
Contact information for speakers and presenters available to speak to Student Chapters.

And Information about Jobs?   

Links to information about ALA Conference Placement Service, JobList, scholarships, and more, can be found at the ALA Office for Human Resource Development & Recruitment.

Want a great resume? Go to the NMRT Resume Review Service!

And Information about Scholarships?   

Through its ALA Scholarship Program, the American Library Association (ALA) is committed to promoting and advancing the librarian profession. To demonstrate this commitment, the ALA and its units provide more than $300,000 annually for study in a master's degree in library and information studies from an ALA accredited program, or for a master's degree in school library media program that meets the ALA curriculum guidelines for a National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accredited unit. See ALA-accredited programs of library and information services and NCATE/AASL-accredited program.

If you are considering a degree in library and information science, or if you know a student, library worker, or college graduate from an underrepresented group who might help shape the future of library services, the time is now to learn more about the American Library Association's Spectrum Scholarships.

Established in 1997, the Spectrum Scholarship Program is ALA's national diversity and recruitment effort designed to address the specific issue of under-representation of critically needed ethnic librarians within the profession while serving as a model for ways to bring attention to larger diversity issues in the future.

What's the Student to Staff Program, or How Do I Volunteer at an ALA Conference?   

Each year 40 library students are chosen to assist ALA staff during ALA Annual Conference. In exchange for working about four hours a day, these students receive free conference registration, housing, and a per diem for meal expenses. During free time, they may attend programs and participate in other conference activities. See Student to Staff Program.

I Need a Mentor (And I Could Be One, Too!), So What Do I Do?   

MentorConnect is an informal mentoring network implemented within ALA Connect that allows all ALA members to participate and only requires that you actively choose to join the network in order to begin serving as a mentor or seeking a mentor.

Mentoring others is one of the most powerful ways you can give back to the profession, but it's not a relationship to be entered into lightly. If you join MC, you're making a commitment to help someone else. A strong mentoring relationship requires consistent contact between the mentor and mentee so think carefully about making this commitment before offering your services as a mentor.

Having effective mentors is important for your professional and personal growth. Asking someone to take the time to mentor you is a serious commitment . When someone agrees to mentor you, they're making an investment in your future. Plan on spending time with your mentor via MentorConnect in order to get the most from this important relationship.

Change of Address Form/Contact ALA   

Please send any changes to Don Wood, Chapter Relations Office. Refer any comments and questions regarding these pages to Don, as well.

Don Wood, Program Officer
Chapter Relations Office
dwood@ala.org, 1-800-545-2433, ext. 2429