What librarians say they want from their professional associations: A survey of business librarians

Abstract

Library organizations exist to provide professional development, networking, and service and presentation opportunities to librarians. Yet membership in many library organizations is declining. A survey of business librarians from all types of libraries provided data on benefits of membership. Respondents identified characteristics of successful organizations as well as reasons for their disappointments. Quality programming and training, networking opportunities, and member engagement were positives while poor communication and a lack of opportunities to get involved were the most common concerns. The article concludes with four recommendations on ways library organizations can remain relevant, useful, and valued to their members.

A beginner’s guide to library association service

“…Librarians value associations for the professional development opportunities they provide. These opportunities include conferences, workshops, continuing education courses, webinars, publications, and discussion lists (Garrison and Cramer 2021;Hines 2014;Thomas 2012). Other opportunities include mentoring programs, grants, and scholarships (Baldwin 1995;Zabel 2008).…”

“…By participating in association service work, a librarian can develop a professional network outside their workplace. Several studies have identified networking as one of the primary reasons why librarians get involved in professional associations (Davidson and Middleton 2006;Garrison and Cramer 2021;Kamm 1997).…”

Creating a Forum for Library Professionals

“…According to Garrison and Cramer (2021), memberships in many library organizations are declining as "increasingly librarians are foregoing formal organizational memberships to instead connect, learn, and network with each other in new and innovative ways." The challenges for engaging with professional organization, as observed from focus groups conducted by Frank (1997), include the absence of sufficient financial support, the considerable amount of time required, as well the pressure of navigating complex organizations.…”