Wednesday, July 18, 2012

TLA Membership

At each TLA Board meeting, we have a topic for discussion. The topic for the August meeting will be about membership. Why are you a member of TLA? What else could we do to add value to your membership? Please comment. Thanks!

6 comments:

  1. I'm a member of TLA because I want to be involved in the profession beyond just my job. I joined TLA because my friends did, and now I stay in TLA because my friends do! :) It's such an easy yet profoundly effective way to stay in touch with the library world in our state.

    To add value to the membership: One thing I think we should be looking at is discounts and ways we can help our members save money on various purchases. In this economy, if folks can see a dollar amount of savings on their membership, I think they'll see it as more valuable.

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  2. It would be really nice to find a company to work with TLA like Ingram does with Tenn-Share. Ingram gives about a 40% discount on purchases if you are a member of Tenn-Share.

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  3. As a special librarian who is embedded on a floor with 100+ folks who aren't librarians, I am a member of TLA because I need my librarian fix! I need an outlet to network and chat with others in my field. Plus, I've met some of the coolest, smartest, and funniest folks through TLA!

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  4. I learned very quickly that being connected to others in my field was important, so I joined as a student. Being active was (is) exciting and rewarding, so I have kept being as active as I can be.

    The value to me is being able to call on friends and colleagues with whom I do not normally work. I feel comfortable calling any of the people I've met in TLA to ask a simple, or complex, question. Everyone is extremely open and welcoming...to me this is the greatest value.

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  5. I am a member of TLA because I want to give back to the library community of which I am a part. Our field is in flux right now more than ever.

    Hopefully TLA can be a stabilizing force in the state to help library professionals not only keep abreast of industry changes but acquire new skills and stay relevant in this volatile economy.

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  6. I joined TLA as a student while in Library School at UTK. It was my first real experience at belonging to a professional organization. I stayed involved in TLA despite not living IN Tennessee because I found a "home"... a sense of belonging... a network of highly dedicated and talented library folk that I trusted, admired and depended upon. Through my involvement in TLA, I also became actively involved in ALA.

    As Membership co-chair for the last few years, my focus has been to add additional return on investment for our members. Many of our members cannot come to conferences but can benefit from the webinars and networking that TLA provides. I look forward to working with my co-chair, Jodie Gambill, and Dinah (and others) in finding additional added benefits to membership.

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