Tag Archives: Library Associations

General

Learning About Library Associations: Atlantic Provinces Library Association

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Library science is an enormous field, home to every interest you could imagine! This means that there are many organizations out there for you to join, in order to connect with other people who share your professional interests.

So even if you work alone in your library, there are other people out there doing work similar to yours! Each week we will highlight a different library association for you to learn more about, and depending on your work, potentially join! You can also check out our page dedicated to Library Associations.

Let’s learn about the Atlantic Provinces Library Association (APLA) this week. The Atlantic Provinces include New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. The mission of APLA is to “promote the interests of libraries in the Atlantic provinces while fostering the development of librarians, library technicians and information professionals through cooperative efforts and the promotion of library interests.”

APLA’s mission statement and strategic goals are:

  1. Regional Voice Role To structure and position APLA so that the Association can effectively serve its mandate as a regional voice.
  2. Communication To improve internal and external communications.
  3. Value of Libraries To promote the value and worth of the library and its workers.
  4. Interest Groups To improve the effectiveness of the interest groups.
  5. Continuing Education To develop an effective continuing education programme.

APLA is holding their annual conference from June 6th – 9th this year in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Their theme for the 2018 conference is Libraries in Action!

Learn more about APLA by exploring their digital archives. Check out the many different awards they offer. Subscribe to their listserv to stay on top of library news in Atlantic Canada.

APLA membership comes with many benefits, including the Education Institute, access to The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, use of the Partnership Library Job Board, and a discounted rate for attendance at the APLA annual conference.

Learn more about how to become a member of APLA on their membership page!

General

Learning About Library Associations: NASIG (formerly the North American Serials Interest Group)

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Library science is an enormous field, home to every interest you could imagine! This means that there are many organizations out there for you to join, in order to connect with other people who share your professional interests.

So even if you work alone in your library, there are other people out there doing work similar to yours! Each week we will highlight a different library association for you to learn more about, and depending on your work, potentially join! You can also check out our page dedicated to Library Associations.

This week we’ll take a look at the organization called NASIG, formerly known as the North American Serials Interest Group. NASIG was established in 1985 with the goal of promoting “communication, information, and continuing education about serials, electronic resources, and the broader issues of scholarly communication.”

NASIG offers plenty of Continuing Education opportunities, such as webinars, several Core Competencies, and a page of Reference Resources for Serialists. NASIG also has an annual conference, this year in Atlanta from June 8th – 11th.

Keep up with NASIG news by reading their newsletter or blog. Or check out their many different awards, scholarships, and grants, and apply for one!

Some benefits of becoming a member of NASIG include access to networking forums and an online membership directory, handouts from the presenters at the annual conference, access to the the Proceedings archive, discounted admission to the annual conference, ability to only pay the member rate for NISO webinars, plus a special rate on subscriptions to The Serials Librarian.

Visit their membership page or download their pdf Membership Brochure to find out more about joining NASIG.

General

Learning About Library Associations: The Canadian Association for Information Science

Library science is an enormous field, home to every interest you could imagine! This means that there are many organizations out there for you to join, in order to connect with other people who share your professional interests.

So even if you work alone in your library, there are other people out there doing work similar to yours! Each week we will highlight a different library association for you to learn more about, and depending on your work, potentially join! You can also check out our page dedicated to Library Associations.

Founded in 1970, the goal of the Canadian Association of Information Science (CAIS) is to “promote the advancement of information science in Canada, and encourage and facilitate the exchange of information relating to the use, access, retrieval, organization, management, and dissemination of information.” It’s a bilingual association with the French name L’Association canadienne des sciences de l’information (ACSI).

Some members of CAIS include “information scientists and archivists, librarians, computer scientists, economists, educators,  and others who support its objectives.”

CAIS has an annual conference which will be held May 30th – June 1st 2018 at the University of Regina. Their annual conferences are to provide members a chance to “discuss the access, retrieval, production, value, use, and management of information.” If you are interested in viewing materials from last year’s conference, click here.

CAIS is the publisher of the Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science which is published in print on a quarterly basis and also available online. For more information on submitting to the journal, or to subscribe, see their website page. 

To learn more about the benefits of joining CAIS and to find out how to join, visit their membership page.

Communication, General

Learning about Library Associations: Black Caucus of the American Library Association

Library science is an enormous field, home to every interest you could imagine! This means that there are many organizations out there for you to join, in order to connect with other people who share your professional interests.

So even if you work alone in your library, there are other people out there doing work similar to yours! Each week we will highlight a different library association for you to learn more about, and depending on your work, potentially join! You can also check out our page dedicated to Library Associations.

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) “serves as an advocate for the development, promotion, and improvement of library services and resources to the nation’s African American community; and provides leadership for the recruitment and professional development of African American librarians.”

An easy way to learn more about BCALA is to check out their blog, which includes information on an upcoming ALA election, and also links to a 2018 programming grant application. You can also read their newsletter or explore some press releases.

Some of the resources available on the BCALA website include a career center, access to the African American Library Directors Database, and information about several awards.

Learn more about membership to BCALA on their membership page!

Communication

Learning About Library Associations: Association of Jewish Libraries

Library science is an enormous field, home to every interest you could imagine! This means that there are many organizations out there for you to join, in order to connect with other people who share your professional interests.

So even if you work alone in your library, there are other people out there doing work similar to yours! Each week we will highlight a different library association for you to learn more about, and depending on your work, potentially join! You can also check out our page dedicated to Library Associations.

This week we are looking at the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL). This organization was established in 1966 and “promotes Jewish literacy through enhancement of libraries and library resources and through leadership for the profession and practitioners of Judaica librarianship. The Association fosters access to information, learning, teaching and research relating to Jews, Judaism, the Jewish experience and Israel.”

Membership to AJL is open to individuals, libraries, library workers, and library supporters. AJL has two divisions which are RAS (Research Libraries, Archives, and Special Collections) and SSC (Schools, Synagogues, and Centers). Learn more about their mission and goals here.

AJL members are able to access many of the organization’s resources online. Members can check out their News and Reviews or listen to podcasts and read handouts from past conferences. They are currently working on a series of webinars.

Their website also has several Knowledgebases, which include Bibliography Bank, a collection of bibliographies compiled by AJL members and Jewish ValuesFinder, a searchable database that identifies quality Jewish children’s books. Check out their digital and print publications or apply for an award.

Want to become a member of AJL? Learn more about membership on their website page.