Professional associations are a part of any professional field. They are a great resource, bring many individuals facing similar issues together, and most usually help those in the field continue learning about new advances or challenges their profession is undergoing.
In the MLIS field, there are many professional associations because there are so many different divisions of the Library and Information field. I chose two different organizations to look into the Michigan Library Association and the Reference and User Services Association.
The reason I chose the Michigan Library Association is because at the moment, I am located in Michigan and wanted to see what would be somewhat local for me. I visited the MLA's website at www.mla.lib.mi.us. I liked what the MLA's mission is: "Helping Libraries and Library Professionals Succeed" (Michigan Library Association, 2014). This is exactly what I as a MLIS student is looking for, an organization that will continue to help me grow as a professional and help me become a successful professional. The MLA has many membership benefits including advocacy for library professionals, professional development, statewide networking, leadership and career advancement. All these benefits would be an asset at this point in my career and education. There are some seminars that would be within driving distance for me in the near future that I believe would be good opportunity to learn and network.
MLA has a presence on Facebook and Twitter as well. MLA also has three publications: MLA Update, Professional Development Update and Advocacy Update however only MLA members have access to these publications so I was unable to explore them further.
While MLA has many great qualities, the biggest pitfall in regards to membership for me is the cost of membership. For a student membership the cost is $50.00 per year. That is a bit steep for a student however I do believe I will keep this association in mind and hopefully be able to join sometime in the next year or so.
The second association I researched was the RUSA: Reference and User Services Association. They are a subset of the ALA or the American Library Association. I first visited their website at http://www.ala.org/rusa/. I chose the RUSA because the reference field is one that I am very interested in and wanted to gain more knowledge about. Like the MLA, the RUSA offers conferences, opportunities to connect with others in similar situation as your own and helps to continue to education its participants.
The RUSA has many on line discussion boards, a RUSA blog, a RUSA wiki as well as a presence on Facebook and Twitter. This is a huge convenience as RUSA members are all throughout the United States and it gives the users an easy way to connect with each other. The RUSA also offers on line learning tools for its members. RUSA has a quarterly newsletter that I was able to review that contains current information on what is going on at RUSA. RUSA encourages its members to become involved in RUSA through volunteer work on committees.
The cost of RUSA to students is $25 per year, this is much more manageable for students with limited financial resources. To me, it appears that RUSA also has many resources available to its members which makes this cost well worth while.
Both of the above associations have some really great opportunities for members. In the LIS profession, continued learning and education is essential. I believe any organization that help connect like individuals is a great asset. I look forward into looking into more organizations in the future when my career and education goals are more focused and set.
In the MLIS field, there are many professional associations because there are so many different divisions of the Library and Information field. I chose two different organizations to look into the Michigan Library Association and the Reference and User Services Association.
The reason I chose the Michigan Library Association is because at the moment, I am located in Michigan and wanted to see what would be somewhat local for me. I visited the MLA's website at www.mla.lib.mi.us. I liked what the MLA's mission is: "Helping Libraries and Library Professionals Succeed" (Michigan Library Association, 2014). This is exactly what I as a MLIS student is looking for, an organization that will continue to help me grow as a professional and help me become a successful professional. The MLA has many membership benefits including advocacy for library professionals, professional development, statewide networking, leadership and career advancement. All these benefits would be an asset at this point in my career and education. There are some seminars that would be within driving distance for me in the near future that I believe would be good opportunity to learn and network.
MLA has a presence on Facebook and Twitter as well. MLA also has three publications: MLA Update, Professional Development Update and Advocacy Update however only MLA members have access to these publications so I was unable to explore them further.
While MLA has many great qualities, the biggest pitfall in regards to membership for me is the cost of membership. For a student membership the cost is $50.00 per year. That is a bit steep for a student however I do believe I will keep this association in mind and hopefully be able to join sometime in the next year or so.
The second association I researched was the RUSA: Reference and User Services Association. They are a subset of the ALA or the American Library Association. I first visited their website at http://www.ala.org/rusa/. I chose the RUSA because the reference field is one that I am very interested in and wanted to gain more knowledge about. Like the MLA, the RUSA offers conferences, opportunities to connect with others in similar situation as your own and helps to continue to education its participants.
The RUSA has many on line discussion boards, a RUSA blog, a RUSA wiki as well as a presence on Facebook and Twitter. This is a huge convenience as RUSA members are all throughout the United States and it gives the users an easy way to connect with each other. The RUSA also offers on line learning tools for its members. RUSA has a quarterly newsletter that I was able to review that contains current information on what is going on at RUSA. RUSA encourages its members to become involved in RUSA through volunteer work on committees.
The cost of RUSA to students is $25 per year, this is much more manageable for students with limited financial resources. To me, it appears that RUSA also has many resources available to its members which makes this cost well worth while.
Both of the above associations have some really great opportunities for members. In the LIS profession, continued learning and education is essential. I believe any organization that help connect like individuals is a great asset. I look forward into looking into more organizations in the future when my career and education goals are more focused and set.
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