Student Member Center

Add your State Association with Joint Student Membership

You can join both your state association and the American Library Association for a discounted price. Joint membership provides you with resources, benefits, and opportunities to expand your network and build your career at both the local and the national level. Learn more about the joint student membership program.

Connect with colleagues with ALA Connect

ALA Connect is the place to share ideas and make new connections with 50,000 library workers across the globe. Collaborate and network with colleagues at every type of library, plus you can connect with fellow LIS students in the Student Member Community.

Making the most of your ALA Student Membership

• Get started finding resources and tools from across the Association with the Member Center.
• Access exclusive perks and offers that can help you maximize your personal and professional life.
• Find out more about ALA Student Chapters, including how to find yours.

Not a member yet? Join Today!

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Finding a Master of Library and Information Studies (LIS) program

Check out the Guidelines for Choosing a Master’s Program in Library and Information Studies for tips on what to look for in an LIS program and more resources to help find the LIS program that works for you.

• Directory of ALA-accredited Master's Programs in Library and Information Studies
• Directory of AASL-recognized Master’s Programs in School Librarianship

Find out what you should know when you graduate from an ALA-accredited master’s program:

• Core Competencies of Librarianship
• Knowledge and Competence Statements Developed By Other Specialized Professional Organizations
• Introduction to Research in Library and Information Science

Financial Help

• ALA Scholarship Program - ALA provides 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 with a specialty in school librarianship that meets the ALA curriculum guidelines for a Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) accredited unit. Applications open from September 1st through March 1st annually.
• ALA maintains Financial Assistance for Library and Information Studies, an annual directory of awards from state library agencies, national and state library associations, local libraries, and academic institutions offering undergraduate or graduate education programs in library and information studies.

Build Leadership Skills

Learn more about the ALA Emerging Leaders program that encourages newer library workers to collaborate, network, and build their problem-solving and leadership skills. Applications for the next cohort opens in June 2023

Explore ALA eLearning

Access ALA’s wide range of library-related online learning–covering fundamentals, advances, trends, and hot topics with ALA eLearning.

Attend Conferences

Dive into learning at conferences with must-see speakers, innovative education sessions, and plenty of networking opportunities. Save with student member registration rates for ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition and LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience. Plus, look into Division Conferences, Symposia, Forums, and Institutes.

Need funds to help you get to conference? There are a host travel grants available from across the Association.