Three ALA Divisions (LITA, LLAMA, ALCTS) are Exploring Possible Formal Collaboration or Mergers, Working Document Now Available
From a LITA Blog Post by Division President, Andromeda Yelton:
The context for this document is that, as you may know, LITA, ALA, and membership associations generally have been experiencing declining membership for some time. The resulting budgetary deficits make it difficult for us to sustain services. The Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Executive Directors of LITA, LLAMA, and ALCTS have been discussing our shared challenges in this arena, and imagining how we could reduce duplication and build on our strengths were we to work together, whether through formal collaboration or potentially merging our divisions.
All three division Boards discussed this document on Monday afternoon at Midwinter, and we decided it is worth considering further. The division leadership, myself included, will be regrouping on February 28 to update each other on our Board meetings and discuss next steps.
I want to emphasize that nothing has been decided; this document is only the beginning of a discussion. We will be planning a process and timeline for gathering information and other next steps. This will include an open and public dialogue with you, our members, with numerous opportunities for you to participate across a variety of channels.
Read the Complete Blog Post
Direct to Working Document Exploration of Integration and Realignment Opportunities for ALCTS, LITA, and LLAMA (3 pages; PDF)
Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Management and Leadership, News
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.