Member Participation Task Force

The Member Participation Task Force met in Seattle during the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Here are the notes from the discussion.

• We need to tap members’ enthusiasm
• Who in ALA is doing online leadership training?
• We need to look at what is in the “member only” category of the ALA Web site. (This came up as well at the December Web retreat at ALA headquarters.)
• We should encourage early engagement by truly welcoming new members
  
  • John Chrastka says his office is working on this
  • Renewing members needs this as well
    
    • American Libraries will have information—new members, renewals, and near-expiring members
      
      • This is a good supplement to emails sent to members
• NMRT has and online newsletter with one print issue before annual
• Membership card mailing is an opportunity to welcome new members
  
  • Welcome kit is under revision
  • This information should also be on the ALA Web site
• A wiki for student members is under development
  
  • How can ALA partner with library schools?
• See Read Write Connect on ALA homepage
• There are member opportunities in the divisions and round tables (e.g., LITA Web editor)
• Threaded discussion—user friendly—allows observation
• ALA orientation for committee interns with committee chairs present
  
  • Suggests opportunities of ways to use interns successfully
• John Chrastka wishes for participation by the divisions in marketing efforts
• Recommend training programs for committee chairs
• Encourage moving things in ala.org
  
  • New CMS offers opportunities
• Look at moveon.org as a model
• No micro-engagement in ALA
  
  • ALA involvement tends to be all or nothing
  • Micro-engagement opportunities need to be available
    
    • e.g., petitions through the Washington Office (not sure what this means?)
• Random acts of kindness from ALA
• We can’t rely on retention of “checkbook” members
• ALA has 10,000 student members

Recommendations

1. Welcome new members


2. Inform them of ways to contribute/get involved


3. Engagement through brief meaningful encounters

1. David Lee King's take on his first Midwinter (sounds like his first ALA):

2. Karen Coomb's take on ALA:

3. Michelle Boule's take on ALA

I am very sorry to report that some comments have been languishing in moderator limbo, with no one realizing it. By default, the b2e blogging software moderates new comments and apparently doesn't send email notification of new arrivals, something I just recently realized. This morning I found a bunch of stuff waiting to be approved, thoughts that would have helped with the discussion.

They're all there now, so I encourage everyone to go back and read them. I've set comments to publish automatically in the future. Sorry about that.

A week ago...

Which is something a student or new member will otherwise do at some point, right? And I added a division (not telling which one).

So why is it that the only welcome I received is a receipt for my purchase?

No thank you from the division I renewed with?

No hello from the division I added?