Student Member Blog

Posted December 13, 2018 by DWOOD

Forty-six Chapters (aka state library associations) partner with ALA to offer students the opportunity to join them and ALA for one low price of $42, now through August 31, 2019. New partners in 2017 were Colorado Association of Libraries, Florida Library Association, Nebraska Library Association, and New Hampshire Library Association. New partners in 2018 are North Dakota Library, Utah Library Association, and West Virginia Library Association. ALA encourages you to join online by completing the secure forms found at the joint membership program page. If you join online, ALA membership and the participating Chapters each receive...

Posted December 4, 2018 by DWOOD

Forty student members of the American Library Association (ALA) will participate in the ALA Student-to-Staff program at the 2019 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC, June 20-June 25. Established in 1973, the program allows 40 students, both ALA members and members of their school's ALA student chapter, to attend and participate in an annual conference in exchange for working 16 hours for ALA staff during the conference. These students also receive free conference registration, housing, and a per diem for meals. Students are selected and nominated by their faculty advisors. Among other criteria, each student must be a current...

Posted November 28, 2018 by DWOOD

Would you like to spend a month studying abroad next summer in beautiful, historic London, while earning graduate course credits? If yes, then join me next June on British Studies 2019, a month-long study abroad program hosted by the Southern Miss School of Library and Information Science (SLIS), for on-site lectures and guided tours of some of the U.K.’s most important and historic libraries, archives, and special collections. The LIS course is offered May 31 - June 30, 2019, and carries six hours of credit from The University of Southern Mississippi, a fully-accredited university. Students participating in the LIS course will...

Posted July 20, 2018 by DWOOD

There are few occasions in one’s career that are ground-breaking. Being selected to represent Wayne State University (WSU) as a Student-to-Staff (S2S) at ALA’s Annual Conference was such an occasion for me. Between June 21-26, I partook in my first conference as an information science student at New Orleans. I was surprised that some ALA members did not know about the S2S program. Briefly, the program was designed in 1973 as an opportunity for students to network and interact with professionals in the field. I was assigned to the International Relations Office (IRO), a division of ALA, devoted to global communities and libraries....

Posted May 7, 2018 by DWOOD

Forty-five Chapters (aka state library associations) partner with ALA to offer students the opportunity to join one of them and ALA for one low price of $40, now through August 31, 2018. Dues increase to $42 on September 1, 2018. ALA encourages you to join and renew online by completing the secure forms found at the joint membership program page. If you join or renew online, ALA membership and the participating Chapters each receive a receipt that day of your having joined! And you save the cost of mailing or faxing your application! These are the 45 state library associations participating in the joint student membership program...

Posted May 3, 2011 by DWOOD

One of the best things a prospective MLIS student can do when preparing for a future in librarianship is to take advantage of all of the opportunities offered through professional organizations. The Student Chapters of ALA offered at Library Schools across the country are a fantastic way for students to jumpstart their career while building new relationships and getting hands on experience. Regardless of whatever stage you are presently in, this opportunity offers a wide range of possibilities for any student looking to strengthen their library and information skills. 1. Networking Opportunities Networking is essential in our...

Posted May 4, 2010 by DWOOD

The seventh draft of “Librarianship and Traditional Cultural Expressions: Nurturing Understanding and Respect” is available for review and comment. “The responsible management of traditional cultural expressions—in which the principle of open access to information is balanced with a respect for the rights of indigenous and traditional communities—is an important issue for the American Library Association and for libraries,” said ALA President Camila Alire. The author of this statement is the Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) and its Advisory Committee. The World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO), which OITP...