To join or not to join: how librarians make membership decisions about their associations.

INTRODUCTION

Librarians are urged to join and to participate in professional

associations from the time they enter library school. Indeed, by offering free

membership or greatly reduced dues to students, organizations such as the

American Library Association (ALA) and the Special libraries Association (SLA)

hope to build relationships with newcomers to the profession that will continue

throughout their careers. Do librarians join professional associations? Why? If

not, why don't they join?

Little research has been done on librarian behavior in professional

organizations. Literature searches revealed only a few articles on librarians'

or other professionals, relationships with their organizations. A 1992 survey of

academic librarians in California found that 98 percent of the respondents

considered the opportunity to network with colleagues as a very important or

somewhat important reason to join professional associations; 81 percent felt

that professional membership was important for retention, tenure, or promotion;

84 percent used professional memberships to influence librarians'

professional goals and to keep up with developments in the field through

professional journals; and 74 percent used their association membership to speak

or to publish (Anderson et al., 1992).

Although the authors are concerned with what is needed to start a new

organization, Cornell and Farkas (1995) define benefits of professional

associations to include "networking, technological advancements, sharing of

knowledge, financial benefits, and career opportunities" (p. 44). Diamond

and Haurin (1994) point out that membership in the American Economics

Association which, like library associations, is voluntary, is probably more

valuable for job-seekers--either younger economists or those with high

mobility.

Baldwin (1995) discusses the functions, history, membership, and

individual and professional benefits that SLA offers. For the individual,

she notes that leadership training for division and chapter officers, continuing

education courses at all levels, and networking opportunities are benefits

gained from SLA On a professional level, she cites SLA's focus on

professional issues such as image, copyright, professional standards, education,

and the future of the information profession.

The (British) Library Association plays a different role than its American

counterparts. Lowe (1980) notes that the Library Association had been "the

indispensable custodian of professional librarianship status [but] begins

to lose its hold in a free market for professional qualifications and

conditions." Reporting in the British Journal of Academic Librarianship, Fisher

(1994) points out that "the acquisition of Chartered status is a benchmark in

the career of the information professional" (p. 167).

Havener and Worrell (1994) studied the extent to which U. S. academic

librarians rely on continuing professional development activities. Their

study found that 89.9 percent of academic librarians surveyed belong to

professional associations. In addition, the librarians in their study had

attended meetings within the past year (80.9 percent), served on committees (47

percent), or presented papers (6 percent). Their conclusions showed that

librarians at doctorate-granting universities belonged to more professional

associations, particularly to ALA, and were more involved in the organization

than those at nondoctorate institutions.

HOW LIBRARIANS DECIDE WHICH ASSOCIATION

How do librarians decide which associations to join? For some, the choice

is easy; their employers pay dues and conference expenses and, absent any

financial pressure, the librarian's decision is based on which association

is most relevant to his or her job. Most, however, do not have this economic

freedom and must select from an array of professional organizations which

include the American Library Association and its divisions; American Society for

Information Science; Special Libraries Association; American Association of

Law Libraries; Medical Library Association; Music Library Association and

other specialized organizations; as well as state, regional, or local

professional bodies. This variety of organizations does not include unions,

staff associations, or collective bargaining units, which are covered elsewhere

in this issue. Since prospective members pay their own dues, they make choices

based on the cost of dues and the return on their investment whether that return

consists of informative publications, conference programs which are financially

accessible, are relevant to their jobs, and which afford them the opportunity to

network with colleagues or which serve as forums for presentations. Unlike

attorneys who may be required to be members of their state bar association in

order to practice law, librarians are under no legal compulsion to belong to

national, state, or other professional groups.

The author of this article has been active in professional organizations

both nationally and locally but has dropped out of both the Special

Libraries Association and her state association largely for financial reasons.

Although her current employer paid her dues in the state library association,

the association's conference programs were of little interest or relevance to

her job, its policy of charging for an exhibit pass was objectionable, and the

association's publication was of poor quality. With the SLA, her reasoning

was similar--i.e., the cost of dues and the fact that association publications

and conference programs lacked immediate job relevance. In SLA's case, the local

chapter's activities were frequently more pertinent or useful and offered

greater opportunities for networking than did the national association.

Additionally, meetings of the local chapter of SLA are open to members and

nonmembers at the same fee.

THE SURVEY

The issues described above are one person's experience and perception. To

discover whether her impressions were unique, the author posted a brief

survey on three Internet listservs of interest to librarians: CALIX, which is

directed at California librarians in all types of libraries; PUBLIB, whose

members are primarily public librarians worldwide; and Stumpers-Talk, an

offshoot of a listserv for librarians needing answers to difficult reference

questions. In addition, a subscriber to PUBLIB reposted the survey on a

listserv for Florida librarians. The author received 116 responses of which

fifty-five (47.4 percent) were public librarians, eighteen (15.5 percent) were

academic librarians, and eleven (9.5 percent) were special librarians. The

remainder were widely scattered by type of library. Since the survey appeared

on listservs directed at California and Florida librarians, these states are

heavily represented among the respondents, exactly half of the 116 respondents

were Californians, while 20 respondents (17.2 percent) were from Florida. The

remainder were widely scattered by state. There were no replies from outside the

United States.

The first survey question asked which associations the respondents

belonged to. Answers are shown in Table 1.

Table 1.

Question 1. Which library associations do you belong to; Check all that

apply.

Association                                          Number



American Library Association                          80

American Society for Information Science               7

Library Association (UK)                               1

Special Libraries Association                          9

Specialized Association (Medical Library

  Association, Art Librarians. etc.)                  14

State/Regional Library Association                    87

Other                                                 28

None                                                   8

A slightly larger number of respondents belong to their state or regional

organizations than to ALA Many belong to more than one organization. "Other"

groups listed include state school library associations, county organizations,

and REFORMA

The questionnaire sought to determine what swayed librarians'

attitudes when selecting a professional association. Question 2 asked what

factors influenced librarians'

decisions (see Table 2).

Table 2.

Question 2. What factors influenced your decision to join a professional

association? Check all that apply.

Factor                                              Number

Cost of dues                                          58

Employer pays all or part of conference/

  meeting expenses                                    28

Employer pays all or part of dues                     19

Opportunity to make a contribution to the

  profession                                          78

Opportunity to network with colleagues                74

Opportunity to serve on committees or as an

  officer                                             45

Quality of meetings and/or conferences                73

Quality of publications                               59

Other                                                 24

In a profession whose members are not noted for being overpaid, the

cost of dues, while obviously a factor, was not named as frequently as expected.

Respondents focused instead on more altruistic reasons. The

opportunity to network with colleagues (94 respondents), the opportunity to

make a contribution to the profession (78), and the quality of meetings or

conferences (73) drew a higher number of replies than did the cost of dues(59).

Several respondents mentioned the organization's political stance as an

important reason to join or not. One public librarian from Illinois

commented: "A professional organization should have a very strong advocacy

mission. This is probably the most important reason for me to belong" [emphasis

in the original]. A California public librarian was influenced by "[the ability

to] gain clout to attempt to influence public policy and opinion [and to]

develop theory in collaboration with colleagues from other systems, states, and

types of libraries." A California academic librarian said: "I ... look to see

that the organization does not direct attention, effort, and membership funds

towards what I consider indiscriminate lobbying against anti-pornography

legislation ... I would encourage ALA, and especially American Libraries to take

a more middle-of-the-road position on such issues as gays, abortion, freedom of

expression, sex, etc." [emphasis in the original]. It is not within the scope of

this article to discuss professional ethics. From this respondent's comments,

however, it seems that it is difficult for some people to separate their

personal beliefs from their ethical positions. The ALA's Committee on

Professional Ethics has, for the past several years, presented programs dealing

with ethical issues and eliciting comments from the audience.

Other reasons that respondents volunteered for belonging to professional

associations included "value to our library," "it's the fight thing to do,"

and the professional obligation of librarians to support library organizations.

Statements such as this reinforce the value of professional associations taught

in library school.

The third survey question asked those who do not belong to professional

organizations why they did not join. Their replies are noted in Table 3.

Table 3. Question 3. If you do not belong to a professional

association why:. Check all that apply.



Factor                                                 Number



Cost of dues                                             9

Employer does not give time to attend meetings           6

Employer does not pay dues                               7

Quality of publications                                  2

Quality of conferences/ meetings                         1

Other                                                    6

With Havener and Worrell's 1994 study in mind, it is not surprising that

only a small group of respondents said they did not belong to professional

associations. Although the cost of dues is the most frequent reason cited,

lack of employer support for professional activities (such as not paying dues or

conference or meeting expenses) is another. It is unclear why more

librarians not affiliated with professional associations did not respond to the

survey. Possible reasons for the low response to this question are that: (1)

librarians felt uncomfortable admitting that they do not join professional

organizations; (2) subscribers to professional listservs may be more likely to

be members of professional associations; (3) nonjoiners simply chose not to

answer; (4) the respondents in this self-selected sample may not have been

representative; or(5) the author's experiences with associations were not the

experiences of most librarians. Further research could focus on this question.

Question 4 asked whether respondents had dropped professional

memberships or if their level of participation had decreased. Fifty-one

respondents said they had dropped or reduced their participation, while

fifty-three had not. Respondents' reasons for decreasing or dropping membership

varied, as shown in Table 4.

Table 4.

Question 4. Responses to why survey participants had

decreased or dropped Membership in associations. If yes,

why did you do so? Check all that apply]



Factor                                                  Number



Cost of dues                                             25

Employer no longer pays dues                              1

Employer no longer pays conference/meeting expenses       4

Quality of publication declined                           3

Quality of conferences/ meetings declined                 4

Took too much time                                        3

Other                                                    16

Most respondents cited the cost of dues as a reason for dropping

professional membership or decreasing participation. "Costs are way too high

for ALA" remarked a public librarian from Florida. Such respondents have a

point. Basic ALA dues may indeed be too high for many librarians. Depending

on whether a member chooses one or more divisions or round tables, it is

possible for dues to be several hundred dollars. On the other hand,

includes one division and one chapter in its basic dues structure. One important

difference between the two organizations is that divisions and, to a lesser

extent, round tables in ALA are moving toward autonomy. Some people have

suggested a sliding scale for dues based on salary. However, this practice would

result in better-paid librarians subsidizing lower-paid members. A New York

public library system librarian remarked:

Although I feel it is important to belong to professional associations

because of networking with colleagues, publications received, educational

opportunities.... dues fare] very high for the salaries that most librarians

receive. If dues could be paid on a [periodic payment] schedule instead of

all at one time it would be financially easier. Even associations that base

dues on a scale relative to salary ... are still high, making it impossible

to belong to more than one.

Other reasons for nonparticipation included lack of local opportunities for

involvement, change of job responsibilities or job change from one type of

library to another or other motivations for changing memberships or level of

involvement. "I dropped out of PLA for a while because I was disgusted with

their disorganization," a Virginia public librarian wrote. Another public

librarian reported: "I usually join the California Library Association when the

conference is going to be nearby. I don't join in other years because I'm not

overly interested in the organizational issues. I sometimes join ALA to go to

conferences, but have not otherwise been interested in belonging until

recently, when l joined PLA to attend the PLA conference."

Political issues drew comments from respondents. An academic librarian in

California has "thought about dropping because there is too much emphasis

on politics. It's a waste of money." According to a California public librarian:

"The priorities of the ALA were no longer mine. I decided to get local (i.e.,

CIA), which is much more interesting to me." Another perspective was provided by

a public librarian from New Mexico who said, "I get a lot from ALA conferences,

then I can give a lot locally." A public librarian from Illinois remarked: "Most

library professional associations don't have an advocacy wing and that has cost

libraries and the library profession dearly." As mentioned above, lobbying and

political action are important roles for professional associations to follow. It

is unclear whether some organizations' reluctance to become involved with

working for funding and standards results from an impression that libraries

are a positive public service and will be funded anyway or the notion that

libraries should not be involved in politics.

On the other hand, as a public librarian from Illinois noted: "Ohio Library

Association (now called Ohio Library Council) was very good and effective

in the area of lobbying and coordination for political action." For publicly

supported libraries, active, vocal, and visible professional associations can

promote libraries and librarians to the public and in particular to the

legislatures and other governing bodies that hold the purse strings. Lobbying

and political activity on behalf of libraries and librarians is an important

function of professional associations at legislative hearings and city council

meetings where testimony from citizens in support of libraries is encouraged.

This can be a very persuasive appeal to potential members, but a school

librarian in Texas commented: "Organization with teacher-members do not

adequately support nor represent issues and concerns of the school librarians,

much less the library profession as a whole."

At the time of writing, there has been a heated discussion on the

PUBLIB listserv concerning the roles of school and public libraries in

serving students in grades K-12. It appears that no professional organization

on the local or national level is addressing the issue of cooperation

between the two type of institutions between and better communications

teachers and librarians.

Internal ALA politics angered a public librarian in Florida, who wrote:

"When ALA switched its conference from Orlando to NY it seemed like a slap

in the face of Florida librarians and librarianship. Orlando is the perfect

conference town. What can possibly top Disney, etc.? The area caters to

tourists'" The issue of locations for ALA and divisional conferences has been

discussed both on listservs and in the professional media. Because the number of

meetings during an ALA conference can be as many as 2,500, only a limited number

of cities can handle an ALA conference. In the past, ALA pulled meetings from

the state of Illinois because it had not ratified the Equal Rights

Amendment; from Cincinnati because of a controversy about displaying photographs

by Robert Mapplethorpe; and from Colorado as a result of the passage of an

antigay proposition. The Association of College and Research Libraries

(ACRL) canceled its meeting in Phoenix because Arizona refused to recognize the

holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and REFORMA relocated its

conference from California to Texas because of voter approval of an

anti-immigrant proposition.

"I have not been a member of ALA for many years because I felt I wasn't

receiving enough benefits for all the money I was spending on membership," a

librarian in a Wisconsin public library system noted. "Getting a committee

appointment was nearly impossible because I'm not employed at an academic

library and didn't have my employer's financial or professional support. I

can make more of a contribution at the state and local level." While this

respondent's experience differs from the author's, for an association truly

to represent the profession it must encourage participation by newcomers and by

librarians at all levels and from all types of libraries.

A California librarian from a multi-type cooperative system said:

Although I haven't dropped any memberships ... I think about it.

Even though a tremendous amount of work is undertaken each year

by the volunteer committees, we seldom seem to resolve problems

such as ALA structure [or certifying] public librarians. I get

discouraged ... when I think of the number of times each of these issues has

been studied. Librarians' organizations seem to dwell ... [on] issues such as

Internet policies. However, the fee or free policy is another contentious

issue.

Perhaps as a result of the sheer size of ALA, it appears that the

organization deals with the same issues repeatedly. "Hot" topics at conferences

frequently do not include nitty-gritty issues such as certification of

librarians and libraries, the political role that ALA should take in areas

within its purview, and whether the association's scope includes social issues.

An academic librarian from California revealed: -If it weren't necessary

for my continued promotion, I probably wouldn't belong to an,.. For my area of

specialization, ALA GODORT [Government Documents Round Table] is the

organization to belong to." Because little research has been done on library

associations, it is difficult to discover how many librarians belong only to one

type of organization or to several. Round tables, divisions, and other groups

within associations which deal with narrower concerns may be more attractive to

some librarians than the parent organization or may be more attractive at

particular career stages. This aspect of professional activity needs

further study.

A California public librarian commented at length: "Most of my front line

colleagues do not belong to any professional organization (except a

union) .... Non-joiners see these organizations promoting boosterism rather than

real dialogue .... It is too expensive to go to a conference or they cannot get

the time off. Both ... time and money are more often afforded to administrators

in an unfair manifestation of class prerogative." The impression here is that

certain organizations cater more to managers and administrators than to

frontline librarians, thus creating a vicious circle: Conference programs and

publications are directed at higher-ups; therefore, the rank-and-file

librarian is discouraged from attending. This results in a small audience

for programs directed at librarians who serve on reference desks, for example.

Time pressures weighed heavily on some respondents, who said that they were:

too busy just keeping the library together day-to-day .. I did not join my

professional organizations until ... I had the time to become engaged and

some flexibility over my time off to attend conferences. I became sharply

aware of the need to counteract trends ... which I felt were deleterious to

my ability to fulfill my calling of direct and equitable service to all

kinds of people in a public library. Rather than influencing policy, both

local and national, by becoming an administrator, I decided to try to do so

through my professional organizations.

Librarians, particularly those in large libraries or systems, frequently

find that they have no means of influencing how their library operates. They

may see using their professional associations, in addition to unions or

other collective bargaining organizations, as a way of putting pressure on their

particular agency to improve communication and to provide input from those

who perform the work.

From Florida, a public librarian described many of the values and

difficulties professional organizations present:

Our professional organizations have not marketed themselves very

aggressively ... I'm pleased to be able to "lively participate in my local

organization which provides continuing education and networking

opportunities and promotes the library community to our local citizens .... I

feel that my membership and participation are valuable. It seems

increasingly difficult to find ways to actively participate in state and

national organizations. Travel to conferences is sometimes a limited

opportunity ($$$, staffing, organizational policies/rules). In addition,

participation on a committee or other activity appears to be based upon who

one knows, not volunteerism, and can be very discouraging to would-be

participants .... I encourage my employees re join professional organizations

and hope I set a good example by belonging to several myself. For the "front

line" librarian, dues are expensive in many cases and they want to choose

wisely where to spend their hard-earned money. Some feel very strongly that

there is little return on their investment other than a small chance of

attending a conference. While I understand some people are not "joiners" by

nature, I wonder what more we should/ could do to alleviate the situation? Do

other professions have similar problems?

CONCLUSION

Librarians elect to join or not to join professional organizations for

several reasons. What one respondent called "sheer professionalism" or the

opportunity to contribute to the profession and to network with colleagues

is a primary factor in many librarians' choices. For others, the extent of

employer support of their activities, either by paying dues or paying the

expenses of conferences and meetings, is an important factor in their selection

of an association. Quality of meetings or conferences and publications is an

example of "bang for the buck" that many librarians receive from professional

associations.

Political action, particularly lobbying, is also important to many

respondents, some of whom commented specifically on their association's

strength in this area. The author would like to see more librarians

involved in politics and lobbying such as librarian participation in political

campaigns and the formation of librarian-based political action committees.

While the "legislative days" that state associations and ALA sponsor are useful,

librarians may gain more benefit from being on first-name terms with their

representatives or their chief aides.

The high cost of conferences is frequently mentioned in discussions

with colleagues. Perhaps ALA could review conference costs and seek to

reduce membership fees. A public librarian from California believes that:

"The networking aspect has in many ways, been made less important by electronic

networking . . . . In fact, perhaps because most of the publications produced by

the various organizations are not top drawer, I would rate listservs as better

there, too." It is too early to tell how the electronic revolution will affect

library association memberships. Another article by Valauskas in this issue of

Library Trends offers a vision of how the electronic revolution may affect

library associations that does not necessarily result in fewer conferences or

meetings. To this author, however, librarians appear to use listservs for

the networking that otherwise might be conducted through organization meetings.

ALA should review it's policies to encourage committees and task forces to

conduct their business electronically, thus reducing the number of sessions at

the midwinter  meeting and annual conference.

What can employers, individuals, and associations do to make professional

participation more attractive? Employers could assist staff who want to

become active and involved by offering paid leave sufficient to cover the entire

conference or meeting. They could provide other financial support, such as

paying basic dues to organizations such as ALA (exclusive of division or round

table dues) and registration fees for one or more conferences each fiscal year.

Like the Florida librarian quoted earlier, they can serve as examples to staff

by participating, but most important, employers should not make association

participation a perquisite solely for administrative and managerial librarians

but should offer support to rank-and-file staff as well.

Librarians themselves must recognize the value that association

participation offers them and must acknowledge that they have some

responsibility for setting the association's agenda. When their organization

falters, for example, by presenting programs of interest solely to one stratum

of librarians, those members whose interests are not represented must get

involved, raise their voices and, if necessary, vote with their wallets by

dropping out or reducing their level of participation.

While the present study shows that the cost of joining/participating in

Professional associations is an important element for some librarians, those

with other motivations for taking part in professional organizations will find

the means to do so. For example, low-cost housing at conferences is frequently

available either through the host city's convention bureau or by working with a

good travel agent.

Organizations must be responsive to their members. Many librarians perceive

ALA, for example, as an administrators' organization. Indeed, the ALA

Council seems to consist primarily of library directors or assistant directors

or library school deans. Few candidates for the council have been front-line

librarians. While lack of financial support from

employers doubtless plays a significant role in librarians' activities in

national or even local organizations, the perception that committee service or

elected office is open only to administrators may deter some librarians from

participating. Associations should consider offering some financial support to

committee members for attendance at meetings as well as encouraging electronic

participation wherever possible.

In the end, opting to join a professional body and deciding which one (s)

is a subjective choice for most librarians. Finances,job constraints, and the

goals of the organization affect that decision. Both organizations and employers

should review policies and provide means for more, not less, participation.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The author gratefully acknowledges research assistance by Chris Cockcroft,

South State Cooperative Library System, Huntington Park, California, and Bruce

A. Shuman, Visiting Professor, School of Library and Information Science,

University of South Florida, Tampa, as well as the librarians who responded to

her survey.

REFERENCES

Anderson, R. N.; D'Amicantonio, J.; & Dubois, H. (1992). Labor unions or

Professional organizations? Which have our first loyalty? College & Research

Libraries. 53(4). 331-341.

Baldwin, C. M. (1995). How a professional association promotes your career

(A forum at the SLA Annual Conference, Geography and Map Division Program, June

12, 1995). Special Libraries Association Geography and Map Division Bulletin,

no. 181, 23-31.

Cornell, R. A., & Farkas, P. R. (1995). Professional associations: What

value? Educational Media International, 32(1), 44-46.

Diamond, A. M., Jr., & Haurin, D. R. (1994). Determinants among Ph.D.

economists of membership in a professional association. Education Economics,

2(1), 13-28.

Fisher, B. (1994). Professional organisations and professional development.

British Journal of Academic Librarianship, 9, 167-178.

Havener, W. M., & Worrell, P. (1994). Environmental factors in professional

Development activities: Does type of academic library make a difference?

Library and Information Science Research, 16(3), 219-238.

Lowe, M. A. (1989). Professional association membership: A contribution to

market research. Library Association Record, 91, 591-593.

Sue Kamm, Inglewood Public Library, 101 W. Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood,

CA 90301