The Florida State University College of Information

Home : About The College : Professional Organizations in the Field

Professional Organizations in the Field

This page provides you with a list of professional organizations. They usually offer a number of benefits, such as reduced membership rates, discounts, conferences, reference sources, career opportunities, and job postings and listings.

Library Organizations :

American Association of Law Libraries ( AALL )
American Library Association ( ALA ) and Divisions:

American Association of School Librarians ( AASL )
Association for Library Collections & Technical Services ( ALCTS )
Association for Library Service to Children ( ALSC )
Library Administration and Management Association ( LAMA )
Library and Information Technology Association ( LITA )
Public Library Association ( PLA )
(ALA) Reference and User Services Association ( RUSA )
Young Adult Library Services Association ( YALSA )

Florida Library Association ( FLA )
Medical Library Association ( MLA )
Special Libraries Association ( SLA )
Other Links

Information Studies Organizations :

American Communication Association ( ACA )
Association for Computing Machinery ( ACM )
The American Medical Informatics Association ( AMIA )
American Society of Indexers ( ASI )
American Society for Information Science & Technology ( ASIS&T )
Association for Library and Information Science Education ( ALISE )
Association of Independent Information Professionals ( AIIP )
Association of Information Systems ( AIS )
Association of Information Technology Professionals ( AITP )
The Association for Educational Communication and Technology ( AETC )
Association for Information Management Professionals ( ARMA )
HTLM Writers Guild
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers ( IEEE )
IEEE Computer Society

Library Organizations

American Association of Law Libraries (AALL)

Student Membership - $32/yr

American Library Association (ALA)

Student Membership in ALA - $25/yr. *Members of ALA can join one of the divisions listed below for an additional membership fee.

ALA Division: American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

ALA Student Membership - $15/yr*

ALA Division: ALA Division: Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS)
"The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services is responsible for the following activities: acquisition, identification, cataloging, classification, and preservation of library materials; the development and coordination of the country's library resources; and those areas of selection and evaluation involved in the acquisition of library materials and pertinent to the development of library resources."

ALA Student Membership - $15/yr*

ALA Division: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)

ALA Student Membership - $18/yr*

ALA Division: Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA)

ALA Student Membership - $15/yr*

ALA Division: Library and Information Technology Association (LITA)

ALA Student Membership - $25/yr*

ALA Division: Public Library Association (PLA)

ALA Student Membership - $10/yr*

ALA Division: Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)

ALA Student Membership - $20/yr*

ALA Division: Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

ALA Student Membership - $15/yr*

Florida Library Organization (FLA)

Student Membership - $15/yr

Medical Library Association (MLA)

"If you're a student in library school, you know you're not just preparing for a job. You're looking for a career. And medical libraries have always been the most technically innovative and state-of-the-art libraries to work in. Start your professional growth with knowledge…connections…new channels of information. Invest in yourself—and your new career—with a Student Membership in MLA."

Student Membership - $30/yr

Special Libraries Organization (SLA)

Student Membership - $35/yr

Information Studies Organizations

American Communication Association (ACA)

This is a unique organization because it is all online, including all publications, and because individual membership is FREE.

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

Student Membership - $38/yr Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Membership - $15/yr

The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)

Student Membership - $35/yr

American Society of Indexers (ASI)

No student discount membership. Membership - $85/yr

American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T)

Student Membership - $30/yr Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Membership - $6/yr per SIG

Association for Library & Information Science Education (ALISE)

Student Membership - $40/yr

Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP)

Student Membership - $50/yr

Association of Information Systems (AIS)

Student Membership - $40/yr

Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)

The primary focus of the organization is skill and knowledge enhancement, and there are over 15 local student organizations in Florida. Find the student chapter nearest you for association dues amount.

The Association for Educational Communication and Technology (AETC)

Student Membership - $35/yr

Association for Information Management Professionals (ARMA)
"ARMA International is a not-for-profit association serving more than 10,000 information management professionals in the United States, Canada, and over 30 other nations. ARMA International members include records and information managers, MIS and ADP professionals, imaging specialists, archivists, hospital administrators, legal administrators, librarians, and educators."

Student Membership - $15/yr (full-time student status required)

HTML Writers Guild

Student Membership - $20/yr (educational discount for full-time students only) Regular Membership - $40/yr

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Join IEEE today - find the solutions to shape your future. IEEE solutions give you the edge." Again, one of the premier student and professional groups, even if it is little outside the usual haunts of IS students. It offers a wonderful digital library.

Student Membership - $19/yr

IEEE Computer Society Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) . The Computer Society's vision is to be the leading provider of technical information and services to the world's computing professionals. The Society is dedicated to advancing the theory, practice, and application of computer and information processing technology."

Student membership is in addition to IEEE membership. IEEE/IEEE Computer Society Student Membership - $36/yr

Benefits of Membership

Learning and Development

Conferences and Seminars Almost all organizations offer reduced rates for student members to attend conferences. Conference participation is one of the most rewarding methods of learning and professional development.
Tutorials and Online Education Members of AITP are able to participate in their lending library, "The AITP Lending Library is a unique training service. An annual fee gives unlimited borrowing privileges from a comprehensive collection of more than 800 video, CD-ROM and computer-based training courses. Courses in the library are desktop to high-end technical computer subjects, and non-technical courses in leadership, management, and supervision. These are just a few applications available: A+ / MCSE / MCSD / CNE/ CCNA /C / C++, Visual Basic, Java / XML / HTML, Database Management, AND hundreds more! Courses can be kept as long as needed, and maybe exchanged for other courses at any time."
Discussion Boards and Listservs Almost all the organizations have listservs available for participation. The listservs at times are limited to a particular focus within the organizations and at times span the activities and interests of the whole organization. An example is the MLA listserv, which keeps a running discussion of hot topics in medical librarianship. Current topics include the challenges of developing digital libraries, fair use policies, and the implications of new federal privacy regulations.

Scholarships and Awards

Many organizations award scholarships for study at the graduate and postgraduate levels. For example, the SLA awards over $30,000 in scholarship awards for students in graduate LIS programs.

Career Building

Membership in professional organizations is the evidence and means of professional development and responsibility. All of the services listed elsewhere in this essay on benefits contribute to professional development and to the advancement of your career. In addition, your participation gives something back to the profession. Among the specific benefits that potentially contribute to the development of your career are the following:

Job Listings Many organizations have a separate bulletin board for listing career opportunities and job postings. Examples are the ASIS Jobline Online and the Florida Association of Media in Education Jobline
Resume Posting Many organizations allow the posting of members' resumes. For an example, see American Medical Informatics Organization JobExchange.
Membership in professional organizations may be seen by potential employers as evidence of commitment, maturity and potential. Certainly, a history of membership in an organization such as ALA could be seen as almost a prerequisite for a management position in some libraries.
Networking The opportunity to network with practicing professionals can be priceless in a job setting. Networking takes place in many settings within the umbrella of organization membership. Participation in conferences, seminars, and meetings allows conversation opportunities. Participation in online newsgroups allows one to post questions and listen in to the conversations and discussions of other working professionals. A good example is the MLA Listserv, which discusses issues such as implementing digital libraries on a daily basis. Leaders in the organizations are also available through e-mail.

Information Resources

Digital Library Access Many organizations have extensive digital libraries, access to which is a member benefit. For example, the ACM Digital Library provides online access to over 20 publications, 15 years of archives, and 15 years of dozens of conference proceedings, with unlimited access time. ASIS (now known as ASIS&T) provides digital access to the archives of JASIS back to 1992. However, access to all the conference proceedings and journal holdings is presently not available through the FSU library. SLA, the Special Library Association, provides among a host of other products, current bibliographies in over 40 subjects.
Current News Many organizations have online newsletters that are invaluable in learning and keeping abreast of the issues in the profession. For example, ALA offers American Libraries, a weekly news report via e-mail. The service, available to ALA members only at no charge, will enable librarians and library supporters to read current news about censorship challenges, legislation, funding initiatives, technological developments, and international concerns. It is posted on the ALA Web site, usually on Friday afternoons. ACM publishes an electronic newsletter, the ACM TechNews, three times a week. It is a comprehensive news service that collects news articles to bring topics of interest to the busy IT/IS professional (incidentally, this service is currently free to non-members).
Print and Virtual Publications> Print and/or virtual publications are often included as a membership benefit. For example, "Members of AALL receive the following: The quarterly Law Library Journal publishes scholarly articles and practical pieces on law, legal information, and law librarianship. The AALL Spectrum, issued ten times per year, contains information about the activities of the Association. Published annually, the AALL Directory and Handbook is a complete listing of the Association's membership and description of AALL operations." Members of the IEE Computer Society receive the monthly print publication Computer.

Technical Support | Privacy Policy | About Us | Employment Opportunities | Contact Webmaster