…although they may well be confused. Welcome to the club! OK, I don’t really have 20,000 fans. But I did just pass 20,000 page views. I know, I know. A couple folks out here in the biblioblogosphere have half that many Bloglines subscribers and must …

Ashamedly, I must say I am not a member of NMRT yet. I know I really should fix that. I’ll let you know when I do.

I do not remember exactly which committees I volunteered for, but I do know that my 1st choice was CETRC (Committee on Education, Training and Recruitment for Cataloging). I did attend their committee meeting at Annual last year. Considering I joined (and filled out the volunteer) form in mid-year, I can understand that it may have gotten misplaced. I also have no doubt that it is a very competitive committee appointment.

But I also think back to how much angst was expressed at that meeting about attracting students to cataloging, much less getting them educated. [My comments from then: http://tinyurl.com/syvun ] I certainly will keep trying, though, as the education and training of catalogers is my passion, and why I am doing a CAS.

Synergy does look like a good opportunity for those of us in Illinois, but at the moment I work for GSLIS and not a library. I will keep an eye on it for the future, though.

Again, I don’t remember exactly what positions I volunteered for, but I’d be happy with an intern position. I certainly don’t expect to be given a choice committee assignment right of the bat, and do expect that some “dues” must be paid.

I think part of the problem is the really long lead time for these appointments. I also recently joined ILA and volunteered for some committees there, but I have no idea when they do the appointments. I guess I should learn to keep better track of my efforts, and the process. I don’t want to volunteer in too many places because I don’t want to end up turning a bunch of people down. That doesn’t seem to be a good “political” move. I also do not want to overextend myself.

From the comments here, and a few other things I’ve seen, it appears that there is a ‘movement’ afoot regarding getting ‘new blood’ involved in our professional organizations, just as there is regarding ‘next generation’ catalogs and LIS education in general.

I do know that there are folks who have been librarians for quite a while who also want to see some changes. Maybe we can find a way to harness their knowledge and our (“new” librarians and students) brio towards change. While it certainly must be done from within the organization(s), I also believe there is room to do so from without. Much of ALA’s recent forward progress, IMHO, has been driven more by external events/people than from within. That is, it is somewhat reactionary (in a good way).

Again, thanks for your excellent input Nanette! And I’ll get back with you on NMRT.

Anyone who has ideas on this topic should feel free to contact me. Email addres is on the about page, IM is on the sidebar. If you are a NMRT member, please contact Nanette.

Note regarding Karen’s comment and my reply above: I started doing some research this morning, but I’m not finding an awful lot yet. I’ll report back soon.

If you’re planning to stay in Illinois to work, you should look into Synergy–it’s similar to what Leslie wants to do, only it’s open to anyone of any age who works in a library (of any type!) in Illinois. The announcement usually comes out in the fall. You’d make a good Synergist.

As far as ALCTS goes, did you apply for an intern position on a committee? That’s how I got involved in committee work within ALCTS. Some of the committees seem to be fairly competitive, especially in the cataloging section (I’m thining CC:DA in particular). Keep trying, and go to the meetings at conference if you get the chance. ALCTS *is* looking for new blood–I can assure you of that–and persistence will pay off. There are also division and roundtable liaison positions available, which could help you get your foot in the door.

LITA’s a good division with a lot going on, but I don’t think it’s any easier to get an appointment with them. My husband was turned down for a committee appointment twice before he finally got an intern appointment this year. He actually e-mailed someone who is very active in LITA about committee opportunities and she was extremely discouraging, which I thought was sad.

Are you an NMRT member? I was just elected VP/Pres-Elect, and one of my presidential initiatives for next year is leadership training (both in-person and via online tools) for early-career librarians OF ANY AGE. If you’re an NMRT member, I’d be happy to offer you a committee appointment to help me plan it! Let me know.

I’m swamped with other things at the moment, including trying to get to Annual at the last minute. I have an option for an affordable room and can afford student registration, but I’m having an (understandable) issue finding an inexpensive ride at this point.

I will look into it a bit more as soon as I get a chance, and I’ll try and find some of the related conversation from sometime in the past few months that somewhat center on this issue of generations. Then, I’ll try and do a better job of addressing it from within, as you suggest.

But I probably won’t make it to Annual at this point, so any of you there that have a chance to, please bring it up!

I really have no desire to be any sort of ALA mover or shaker, but I have volunteered for some committees within ALCTS, but I guess I wasn’t selected this time around. Doesn’t mean I’ve given up, just need to keep trying.

As much of interest that I find in ACRL & ALCTS, it also looks like I may need to look at a lot of what LITA does. Just today I was looking back at some blog posts from the past LITA conference and there is *so* much there that impacts on my interests.

So, it seems that ALA has me hooked via its Divisions….

But very good point Karen! From within is the best (and/or correct) way. I’m not dropping my membership, but I’m not convinced they’re listening either. But since I haven’t really tried as well as I might, maybe I’m not entitled to make that claim (yet). The main reason I do believe that they’re not listening is this (seeming) rush to engage the “young.”

ALA is doing some changing; change for the better even. That is evident from some of the recent growing pains. But I’m “old” so I cannot afford to wait too long!

I, too, agree ALA can do better with all new members (maybe all members period). But, just as you, I do not hold it against any of the young’ns. At least not until they start suggesting that I am not a part of the future too!

I truly do hope they get an awesome crop of folks to take them up on this opportunity. I just wish it applied to *all* new folks.

I think what bothered me most about this initiative when I saw it was that I was never offered anything like it from ALA. I got sent to Annual to represent MPOW when I was in school. It was a godawful experience. I am a member of two roundtables, and have done committee service. Mostly a waste of my time, as I am not going for tenure, and that’s all that mattered to my fellow committe members.

It is too late for me to become an ALA mover & shaker, but even a teeny window of opportunity once would have been nice. I am trying to maintain an “all ships rise with the tide” attitude. ALA can do a better job with new members (regardless of chronological age.) So yes, I am cheesed off but not holding it against the whippersnappers and grasshoppers. I want them to get everything I did not and for ALA to be a better third place for us all.