Making Membership Worth It

Posted April 14, 2014 by Alec Chunn

I voted in my first ALA election today. So, consider this entry my big “I voted” sticker. I’m actually quite proud of myself. No joke. For once, I didn’t let those thoughts in my head of “I’m not a real librarian” get to me. Because, if you’ve read my previous entries, you’ll know that I am. We all are here at Simmons.

Anyways, since I didn’t really know most of the people on the ballots, I had to skim through everyone’s bios to see who I thought were the best candidates for each position. The best part, though, was when I did know someone (go Em Claire!). It kinda got me thinking about the strong likelihood that some of the people I’m in library school with now will someday be on that list. I may someday be on that list. And you never know who’s going to remember you, or whom you’re going to remember. I’m certainly going to take that to heart.

This extends beyond the Simmons community. I will probably meet a lot of the people who are on the ballots as I attend conferences in the coming years. They also matter. Among other things, they could be potential employers. Sometimes, when you spend so much time at Simmons, it’s easy to forget that there are (a) other library schools, and (b) librarians in this world who aren’t students or professors. This is certainly the case for me. In fact, I’m excited to graduate next summer so I can have even more world-shattering revelations. I recently realized that I’m qualified enough that people can pay me to do library work now. Let the job search begin!

A word of advice that they tell you at orientation: Join ALA. Listen to them and actually do it. I’m discovering that it’s worth it–and not just because you get to vote. It’s the smaller things, like being included in e-mails and getting copies of American Libraries Direct sent to you. Like Uncle Sam and the military, ALA wants you. Don’t deny the call. It’ll only help you achieve your dream.