Good Example Of Library Profession Associations Essay

Library Professional Associations

Introduction
Library professional associations are professional bodies that are also referred to as professional societies, professional institutes or rather, professional organizations, which seek to provide vital services to members in regards to their career path or to the interests of the public or individuals in such professional societies. Library professional associations are no exception of such useful institutions that aims at disseminating valuable information about career development and changes in that field as well as availing library resources to less disadvantaged communities. Most importantly, Library Professional Associations work along with communities to impact them in a positive perspective via utilizing available resources.
In this discussion, we’ll narrow down to 2 specifically, Library Information Science (LIS) professional associations: The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and The Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)

ALSC is among the world’s vanguard societies, which is focused to help and improve provision of library services to young generations. It aims at breeding library culture in children so that to prep them to take over responsible management of reading resources. Its obligations are creation of programs and exercises that enable sustainable learning environment and establish networks with different professional associtions. Though the association targets children, it equally interacts with the adult librarians such authors, children’s literature-specialists not forgetting individuals with a profound passion to help children excel through finding knowledge in libraries.
This Library Professional Association does not leave out its members, as it also makes sure that members enjoy benefits such as networking with professionals in the industry together with improving and encouraging children’s librarianship in the communities it serves. The children members also stand a chance to win scholarships.
On the other hand, its structural organization; 60 actively coordinating and working committees, present numerous opportunities to members who willingly share experience and knowledge accrued in various specialties. Also, members are granted the platform to develop personal career objectives through interactions and discussions with other older members and guests from other associations with a common goal. Through this organization one is capable of enhancing library services for children population in various communities.
ALSC also provides publications in support of librarians and children. For example, it has one about an invitation to 2016 Arbuthnot Lecture etc. with a vibrant social media platform that offer guidelines and support to librarians while going through their daily professional challenges and activities. Being linked to major social media forums helps it interact freely with outside associations and individuals with interests in its operations. Most of their publications recognize the need and willingness to prepare children to learn. These have managed to create worldwide awareness to understand that literacy level can be elevated into new heights. Some products, such as songs, poems and other meaningful games are available for sell to promote and finance the institutional activities.
The association still encourages more membership as its online platform allows any individuals to sign up at a fee, and join the rampant movement to serve and rescue children from all walk of lives. ALSC also carry out every day advocacy activities to build a rich membership base, which is not restricted, but welcomes business and corporate membership to realize its objectives.

The Association for Rural & Small Libraries

The organizations for Rural & Small libraries constituent of members from the entire country. It is strongly dedicated to the enhancement and improvement; furtherance of libraries in the remote areas within the nation. It believes that equal potential and value of urban libraries are also available in rural and small libraries in the remote settings. It has always fought for provision of duties together with powers across local, national and individual state fundamental issues to the rural community-libraries. Being one huge association towering in rural settings, ARSL is fully determined to set conducive conditions that will ultimately enable success to such libraries in those settings. On the other hand, ARSL provides its employees with better remunerations to serve the communities diligently for prudent outcome (mission).
The members of ARSL benefits through access to information that promote success and pieces of advice to tackle problems hindering progress of the rural and small libraries. It also provides the chance to understand the development of the rural settings along with creation of professional networking channel with individuals in rural occupations. The ARSL present equal opportunities for members to lead and manage the institution through vying for its management positions. The members are also able to represent their rural and small libraries at the national library with other discounts such as discount for annual conference registration, where one may win scholarships.
ARSL has a varied membership that ranges from students to business membership, with each membership with specific annual-subscriptions. However, you can join the association via its online platform available at its website. Here, you’ll be able to buy membership directly. The payments are available in a number of options making it easy to register. It also has a felt presence in the social media space that enables it to sell out its policies to the public.
It is clear that the associations have a special and definite interest in the society. Though both the ALSC and ARSL use the library as a tool to disseminate information and improving the society, one majors at reaching out to children of the society and the other at equipping and improving rural and small libraries in remote settings. All these are done to achieve a common goal fight illiteracy and avail knowledge to the community. The duo institutions are of great value to LIS as they create employment to such professions. This is because librarians are not limited to managing collection of literature. Before their establishments, the problems of the society were evaluated and analyzed, organized and packaged eventually presented and trained communities to uses. Therefore, these professional associations, grants students the opportunity to research, apply and practice skills of Library Information Science, in turn, they develop relevant knowledge and experience in regards to information organization and representation, architecture, collection and content, technology, requirements and uses. In a nutshell, LIS is the link between people and information technology.

References

American Library Association. (n.d.). Association for Library Services to Children. Retrieved from American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/alsc/
Association for Rural & Urban Libraries. (n.d.). Association for Rural & Urban Libraries. Retrieved from Association for Rural & Urban Libraries: http://arsl.info/