Member Participation Task Force

Below is the text of the third email communication a new member received from ALA. The new member joined online on December 27, 2006, and received this email January 5, 2007.

From: Keith Michael Fiels kfiels2006@infomail.ala.org
To: xxxxxxxmember's email address
Sent: Friday, January 5, 2007 1:10:21 PM
Subject: Welcome to ALA!

xxxxxmember's name
ALA Member ID: xxxxxxx

I am delighted to welcome you as a member of the American
Library Association. Thank you for choosing ALA as your association.
Our goal is to make your membership as rewarding as possible and to help
you reach your personal and professional goals.

ALA's Divisions and Round Tables offer professional development and
continuing education opportunities for librarians of all specializations
and types, and are a great way to meet and work with others who are
interested in the issues you care about. We also encourage you to
explore the exciting programs offered at national conferences and
regional institutes held around the country. Our Offices work on vital
issues affecting the profession and issues such as intellectual freedom,
outreach, access, recruitment, diversity and advocating for libraries
and library legislation. And the @ your library(r) Campaign for
America's Libraries is a wonderful way to become involved in promoting
libraries and library workers nationally and locally.

Several excellent resources on our website will assist you with
finding information on ALA activities, help you become more
knowledgeable about the work of your association and discover ways to
become involved:

~ Check your email inbox every Wednesday for your complimentary issue of
AL Direct, the weekly news supplement to American Libraries. AL Direct
keeps you in touch with breaking news that affects all types of
libraries, and the thoughts of opinion-makers from around the
profession.

~Join the New Members Round Table, designed especially to help you and
other new members can get the most out of ALA:
http://www.ala.org/nmrt

~Become a member of one of ALA's Divisions, Sections and Round Tables:
http://www.ala.org/membership

~Learn more about the @ your library(r) campaign and how ALA works for
libraries:
http://www.ala.org/@yourlibrary

~Find out about educational conferences and annual library promotional
events:
http://www.ala.org/events

~ Review or download the ALA Handbook of Organization for ready
reference:
http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=handbook20042005

~Use your ALA Member discount for Editions and Graphics items:
http://www.alastore.ala.org

~Contact ALA with questions, concerns, or comments:
Member and Customer Service at http://cs.ala.org/scriptcontent/index.cfm
or by calling 1-800-545-2433, then pressing 5, or emailing
membership@ala.org

Thank you again for becoming a member of ALA. We look forward to
working with you - and for you - for many satisfying years to come.

Please feel free to contact John Chrastka, ALA's Membership Marketing
Manager at jchrastka@ala.org or 800-545-2433 x 2159 with questions about
your membership or to learn about other ways to get involved with ALA.

Sincerely,

Keith Michael Fiels
Executive Director,
American Library Association

K. Fiels - New Member ELetter Jan 2006.doc

I think this has a more upbeat tone to it than the second message the new member received. This one emphasized opportunities to participate in the organization.

The new member's ALA membership card just arrived in the mail. It was attached on the same sort perforated form that my renewal card came on recently. Since I didn't save anything once I removed my card along the perforations, I don't know if the message on the form for a new member differs from the message for a renewing member. The Library Bill of Rights and the ALA Code of Ethics are printed on the back of the form.

A new ALA member has agreed to share with me communications ALA sends as part of the “new member journey.” I’ll share them with you; this allows us to see ALA from the brand new member’s vantage point. The new member joined ALA only, no divisions or round tables.

I have embedded the text of the two email messages she received. Both arrived a short time after she joined online. The second was for verification of member preferences:

From: "webmaster@ala.org"
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 11:50:48 AM
Subject: Member Profile Modification
Thank you for updating your Member Profile. If you have any questions, please contact ALA Member and Customer Service at 1.800.545.2433, option 5, or email us at membership@ala.org. The new profile information we recorded is as follows:

xxxxxxxxxxx

This message then lists the new member’s name, address, phone, email, etc., information. If any had been incorrect or incomplete she could have gone into her profile and made needed changes.

Here is the text of the first message:

From: "membership@ala.org"
To: xxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 11:52:48 AM
Subject: ALA Membership Confirmation
Dear xxxxxxxxx,

ALA Member Id: xxxxxxxxxxx

Thank you for your membership in ALA, the American Library Association. Your membership has been processed and is now active. AL Direct, our weekly e-news service, will arrive on Wednesday. American Libraries will be delivered to your home or office within 4-6 weeks. Your member ID card will arrive by mail within 4-6 weeks.

The following Membership(s) were purchased:

1. REG - Regular Membership Basic Dues

If you need to register for conference or meetings, you can do so right away at discounted ALA Member rates. Please visit www.ala.org/events.

If you'd like to purchase titles from ALA Editions or promotional products like READ posters, you can now use your 10% member discount. Please visit www.alastore.ala.org.

If you are interested in continuing education and training for yourself or your library, over 1,500 e-based learning modules are now available to you at special ALA Member rates through www.libraryelearning.org/ala.

If you want to learn more about legislative, policy and funding issues that affect libraries and your salary, or to contact Congress about an area of concern, go to http://www.capwiz.com/ala/home/ or click on the 'Take Action' tab from the ALA homepage.

If you'd like information about any of ALA's member benefits, including exclusive member programs and services like auto and home insurance, car rental, personal health insurance, and vacation travel, visit www.ala.org/membership.

If you need to access 'Members Only' content on the website, your login ID and Password are active for the divisions and round tables you are a member of. You can review and change your password, login, address of record, ballot preference, communications preference, and personal profile by logging into the website, www.ala.org, and visiting "View My ALA".

Don't hesitate to contact ALA Staff for help in accessing ALA resources. The association has so much to offer our members. A contact list of staff by name, job title and responsibility is available online under the 'Contact Us' tab, or directly at www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=stafflists&Template=/CFApps/Information/staff_directory.cfm.
If you have any other questions, please contact ALA Member and Customer Service at 1.800.545.2433 option 5; email membership@ala.org, TDD 312-944-7298; International 1-312-280-3200; or Fax 312-944-2641. We are here to help you get the most out of your membership.

Also, please feel free to contact me personally for any of your membership needs. My information is below. Thank you again for your membership in ALA, the American Library Association.

Sincerely,

John Chrastka

Manager for Membership Development
American Library Association
[phone
e-mail, etc. deleted]

So, how does ALA look from the new member vantage point? Several weeks ago I heard students at one library school complain that the initial message seemed like an effort to get them to spend more on ALA products. Sure enough, the first several items (conference registration, book purchases) do just that.

The continuing education item that follows is a bridge between these and information about some member services.

All of this is useful nuts-and-bolts information, but it doesn’t stir one’s imagination.

Where is there a statement that affirms the new member’s decision to join? It does thank the individual for joining, but then plunges into procedural information. There ought to be something about the value of belonging to ALA and the opportunities members have to participate in ALA and contribute to its work. The obverse of that coin would, of course, be a companion statement about the work ALA does on behalf of its members and American society. There should be something that lets them know there is value in membership and value in ALA.

Why, I wonder, does it take 4 to 6 weeks to produce and mail a membership card?

Others’ thoughts about this?

Today I noticed the following at ALA's online communities Web page:

Welcome to ALA Online Communities
* We're tweaking the interface a little, so you may have noticed that My Communities is more prominent, and the Message Center is easier to find.
* Use the Feedback Module on this page to suggest improvements or add it yourself on the Online Communities Enhancements Wiki.
* We will post here to communicate news about interface changes and improved features.

I don't know when this was posted. The wiki's Announcements page does not yet have any content.

Jenny, could you please fill us in on what has been happening and where ALA sees this going?

Thank you!

Over on the ACRL blog Steven Bell's "New Members For The Digital Age" suggests a new, additional form of ALA membership: virtual membership. See it and comments by others.