Professional Associations

Illinois Library Association (ila.org)

This not-for profit association serves public, academic, and special libraries and its 3,600 members throughout Illinois. Their mission is to provide “leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library services in Illinois and for the library community in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all” (ila.org). Their primary goals are to advocate for the public interest, promote excellence and innovation, and to manage the presence to prepare for the future.

There are three different kinds of memberships and each is open to any organization or person: personal, advocate, and institutional. The benefits from having a membership with the ILA include being able to network with a wide range of professionals, participate in conferences and workshops, free special interest group meet-ups, access to a wide range of useful publications, many opportunities for professional growth. There are multiple opportunities to get involved with local chapters and committees as well as attend conferences and workshops on various topics. There doesn’t seem to be a special designated sign up for students only; it only matters if you’re a student for the personal membership fee, which is a bit cheaper.

The ILA has several publications to its name including the ILA Reporter, Illinois Library Laws, Service Our Public: Standards for Illinois Public Libraries, Trustee Facts Files, and Cyberguide for Kids and Parents.

Their social media presence is pretty good. They have six blogs that discuss a variety of topics from young children to adults, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The Facebook/Twitter accounts have a ton of great articles and links to what the association is doing at conferences and in general. The website is chalked full of useful links and information about what the ILA is involved in and current projects. The ILA Reporter publication is beautiful. It looks classy and professional with gorgeous pictures of their featured stories. The stories and content inside are relevant to the Illinois area and are mixed with articles that pertain to the library and information science industry in general.

Substance Abuse Librarian and Information Specialists (salis.org)

Created with the help of the help of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the SALIS is an international organization that helps disseminate information about drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse. Their goals are to promote accurate knowledge about the use and consequences of various substances, to provide communication, to encourage member cooperation, and to serve as advocates and supporters for common interests and development programs.

Their memberships are open to librarians, information professionals and anyone who works with or is interested in substance abuse information/knowledge. Members are the frontrunner and advocates that speak out about research, resource centers, and hospital/treatment centers. There is a student discount for a membership. The benefits of a membership include new and archived issues of their SALIS News publication and Addiction Professional, able to participate in committee and special interest groups, conference presentations available online, access to a members directory, access to the SALIS-L listserv and their LinkedIn Group.

I wasn’t able to read any of their publications because I am not currently a member. Beside that, their website does have an entire page of links for resources pertaining to the AOTD database and other topics relating to substance abuse. The website had a ton of contact information for their directors and people in charge for the association. I think that’s pretty neat that that information is so readily available. There doesn’t seem to be any social media presence in regard to Twitter, Facebook, or Blogs. There is a LinkedIn group, but it is a private group and to join you must be a member.

My Thoughts and Observations

I chose ILA because I am from the Chicago area and plan on being a librarian in Illinois once I obtain my MLIS. I also like seeing the state association with a major profession, I feel like it sets the tone for all other branches and other smaller associations. I went into the association with high expectations on their website and social media because they are the state association. I was not disappointed. I like how upfront they are about their mission and how it is reiterated throughout all of their content and media. Their website and social media was easy to navigate and nicely laid out; a very friendly user-experience. I will most definitely join this association because it seems in-line with everything I hope to accomplish with my career.

I chose SALIS because I have always been interested in the psychology behind substance abuse and recovery. At one point in my life I was toying with the idea of being a substance abuse counselor. That being said, this association does not seem like something I will become a member to in the future. It seems more directed to health professionals who specialize in substance abuse. Not that I can’t be a part of that, but it just didn’t seem as appealing or informative as I perused the website. It seems like you can’t really get into any of the information or publications unless you are a member. It’s hard to really get a firm grip on if this is a good association for me or not; not sure if I would be getting my money’s worth.