Get Involved with YALSA

You’ve become a member of YALSA! Now what?

YALSA has many ways for its members to connect with others in the field, take part in professional development opportunities, and participate in the future of our profession. Below are some of the ways you can get involved based off of your goals.

If you have any questions about getting the most out of your YALSA membership, email us at yalsa@ala.org.

I Want To...

Connect With Other Professionals

YALSA boasts 3,000+ members from the areas of libraries, education, research, youth development, and more. Connect and learn from fellow members by:

  • Taking part in YALSA's space in ALA Connect. This is a great place to seek professional advice and share your own knowledge.
  • Hosting a local YALSA Meet-Up in your community – be sure to let us know by emailing yalsa@ala.org so we can let our full membership know!
  • Attending ALA events, such as ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition – YALSA often hosts member events at these events so you can connect with fellow members. We even have grant opportunities to aid in expenses!

Learn New Skills

As a YALSA member, you have access to ALA’s eLearning platform, the leading global content provider of courses, webinars, and customized eLearning content for library and information workers. Members also receive discounts on paid content!

Choose from a wide variety of learning opportunities, including:

Participate in Decision Making

If you’re interested in influencing the future of YALSA, there are a number of opportunities to volunteer at various levels of commitment.

Committees and Advisory Boards

Committees and advisory boards are a fantastic way to get involved with YALSA!

Committees are appointed in March of each year and start work in July. The purpose of each committee is to help carry out a specific area of business for the association – examples include membership recruitment, finance and fundraising, and programming.

See a list of committees and advisory boards here.

Award Committees

Award Committees are slightly different than normal YALSA committees since they require specific qualifications to be involved. Learn more about each of YALSA’s award committees by clicking on the links below:

Taskforces

If you aren’t ready to fully commit to a committee, joining a taskforce might be the right choice for you! Taskforces typically serve a shorter term (3-6 months) and are assembled as needed to address a specific project.

See a full list of current taskforces here.

Serve on the YALSA Board

If you’re ready to fully dive into the workings of YALSA, run for YALSA office!

YALSA holds annual elections in conjunction with the ALA Elections. Each year, YALSA elects a division President-Elect, Board members and, depending on the year, a Division Councilor, Fiscal Officer and Secretary.

YALSA's Board Development Committee starts building a slate of candidates 14 months prior to the election. If you are interested in running, please contact the Board Development Committee Chair or the YALSA Office for more information.

For information on governance, visit the YALSA Handbook and read the Election FAQ.

Share My Knowledge

YALSA offers opportunities members to share their expertise, informally and formally. Here are just a few ways:

Be Recognized For My Work

Each year YALSA offers more than $195,000 in grants and awards to members who work with or on behalf of teens. These range from collection development grants, to awards for innovation in the field, to financial assistance to attend ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition.

See a full list of awards, scholarships, and grants here.

Support YALSA

There are many opportunities to support YALSA’s work financially, including:

  • Giving to YALSA by making a donation to the Friends of YALSA, the Leadership Endowment, the Margaret Edwards Trust or the Bill Morris Endowment. Individuals can also support YALSA via planned giving.
  • Joining YALSA’s Financial Advancement Committee, which provides oversight and continued enhancement of the Friends of YALSA program.
  • Encouraging your colleagues to join YALSA! A strong membership base helps keep the association going.
  • Organizing a fundraising event on behalf of YALSA. Use YALSA's Fundraising Guide (.pdf) to host a fundraising event in your community.