FAQs

For ALA Student Members

Information about joining the ALA Student Chapter at UIUC

To join the ALA Student Chapter at UIUC, all you need to do is sign up! Email the ALA Board to be added to the list, or sign up at any event where ALA is represented (such as GSLIS Orientation, or an ALA monthly meeting). Then, attend the meetings, speaking engagements, social events, and/or become involved in a committee! You do not need to be a member of the national American Library Association in order to be a member of our Student Chapter.

Organizational chart of the ALA Student Chapter at GSLIS and its components

ALA has one faculty advisor, and elects its own Board Members. They include: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Print Publicity Officer & Electronic Publicity Officer.

We are the first ALA Student Chapter to have its own ACRL Student Division (Association of College & Research Libraries).

There are then 8 committees: Community Outreach, Conference, Field Trip/Travel, Fundraising, International, Lecture, LEEP/Distance Learning, & Social.

Information about joining ALA National

Please see the ALA National website for up-to-date information on becoming a member. As of October 2005, a student membership costs $25 for a year, and is limited to 5 years. With your membership, you will also receive monthly issues of the ALA magazine American Libraries, and the opportunity to be a part of division, committees, roundtables, etc. (for an additional fee, see website for details).

Meeting details

ALA Meetings are generally held once per month. There is usually a speaker on some area of librarianship, and we also cover ALA Student Chapter business. Minutes and schedules are found online.

For Committee Chairs & Board Members

What being a Committee Chair/Board Member involves

Being a Committee Chair or Board Member means that you can really make the most of your experience at ALA during your tenure at GSLIS!

Board Members: As an ALA Board Member, you will attend separate meetings occassionally, approve funding, act as a liason to at least one committee, and manage other situtations as needed.

The President schedules and runs meetings, along with the help of the Vice President. The Secretary takes minutes during meetings and collects minutes from the committee meetings. Treasurer attends a short informational session at the University to understand the procedures involved with our funds (managing accounts, reimbursing members for expenses, etc.). Print & Electronic Publicity Officers are responsible for advertising our meetings & events in their appropriate methods.

Committee Chairs: Your job is to stay in touch with your committee members (their names/emails will be provided to you), including scheduling meetings with them. You should all get together and brainstorm ideas for your committee to tackle during the semester/year. Each committee is assigned an ALA Board Member as a liason, who will attend your meetings, help answer your questions and keep the other Board Members informed. Don't be afraid to use your imaginations and make your committee as successful as possible!

Resources

As a Board Member or Committee Chair, the following resources are available to you:

LIS000ala : This shows up on your LEEP Homepage (i.e. your Happy Place) under Courses. Please visit this class space and read the Bulletin Boards there for current information.

ALA Bulletin Board : This is separate from the Bulletin Board on your LEEP Homepage (go to this link, click on "Professional Associations" and then "ALA"). This is open for all GSLIS students to read/post important events, committee meetings, and other details about ALA.

How to prepare for a presentation/speaker at GSLIS

General: Be sure that you have cleared the plans with your speaker (including what technical resources they need for the presentation) and received approval from the ALA Board before advertising the event. Verify that your speaker knows where to go, and exactly how to get there. You may want to plan to escort your speaker from his/her hotel room or car to the speaking location. If the speaker is from out of town, you could also suggest things for him/her to do while on campus. Don't forget about parking, if that is an issue.

Scheduling: To be sure your scheduled event does not conflict with too many other events, please check the following:
ALA@UIUC calendar of events
Current GSLIS Class Schedules
GSLIS Calendar of Events
UIUC Calendar
It is usually impossible to be totally conflict-free, but we want as many people as possible to be able to attend your event!

Technical Requirements: Also visit the GSLIS User Services Helpdesk, which has many useful resources. An Event Planning section will soon be available, lucky us! For now, these are the most common options that we need for events:

Fill out the AV Request Form (to get the event Audio Archived by the IT staff, or if your speaker is using a PowerPoint presentation, etc.) at least 2 DAYS IN ADVANCE!

Room Reservations should be emailed to Kathy Painter (painter@uiuc.edu) in the Main Office at GSLIS.

Advertising: Email the Print Publicity & Electronic Publicity Officers so that your event is properly publicized.

Funding: Any money that you would like to spend for your event (to bring food for the audience, take the speaker to dinner, or give a thank-you gift, for example) must be approved by the entire ALA Board. Please give them as much advance notice as possible (you may email the board, a board member such as your liason, or bring it up at a meeting).

Parking: It is possible to get a parking meter bagged in the GSLIS lot, so that it is reserved only for your speaker. This costs GSLIS $10 (as of October 2005), and is done through the Facilities & Services Parking Department online form (click on Bagged Meters). (Make sure to get approval from the ALA Board first.)

For Board Members Only

Access to listserv

As an ALA Board Member, you will become an owner of the ALA Listserv. A current Board Member or the Faculty Advisor needs to add you as an owner.
Then you can set your listserv password here, and manage the listserv from here.

Access to LIS000ala classroom on the LEEP space

You will be listed as a Teaching Assistant on the LIS000ala classroom space. That means you can enter that classroom space, and click on the "Instructor Options" link along the top. There you may add other Teaching Assistants (which are Board Members), and Students (which are the committee chairs). Don't forget to monitor and comment on the Bulletin Boards in this space, as well.

Monthly Meetings

Reserve your room for the ALA monthly meeting by emailing Kathy Painter in the GSLIS Main Office (painter@uiuc.edu). Pizza is usually arranged from the Illini Union or elsewhere, if affordable. Soda from Coca-Cola will no longer be provided freely for regular meetings (it is only freely available for special events – the Treasurer will have additional details).