ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 2 4 0 / C & R L N e w s W orking with association s: A tip sh eet Prepared by the BIS Cooperation Committee Library promotion through the subject disciplines. ÄA' orking w ith professional associations in disci- plines other th a n library science can be both useful and rew arding. Attending national and regional meetings of the associations can lead to a better u n ­ derstanding of trends in teaching and research and possibly to better rap p o rt betw een librarians and teaching faculty. L ibrarians also can provide infor­ m ation about library-related issues through p re­ senting papers, p articipating in panel discussions, joining com m ittees, displaying the BIS Biblio­ graphic Instruction Liaison Project exhibit, and talking inform ally w ith attendees. The ACRL BIS C ooperation C om m ittee exists to encourage such contacts. Members of the com m ittee have com ­ posed the following list of tips for those who are in­ terested in becoming involved in professional asso­ ciation activities. Getting started •T a rg e t your interests in an area of personal or professional expertise; an area in w hich you have done b ib lio g ra p h ic in stru c tio n m ay be a good choice. •Id e n tify associations in your area of interest by looking through the Encyclopedia of Associations, and by talking to faculty members in appropriate disciplines. It may be easiest to begin w ith a local or regional association, and later join national level organizations. •R e a d the association journal and the newslet­ ter for reports of ongoing activities, notices of u p ­ com ing meetings, m em bership inform ation, and calls for papers and proposals for sessions at up­ com ing meetings. •Jo in the association. Most associations require m em bership for participation in activities and for presenting papers or sessions at meetings. Dues c at­ egories m ay in clu d e red u ced rates for stu d e n t m em bers, new members, and individuals outside the norm al association constituency. •A tte n d meetings. Most associations schedule meetings at different geographic locations. Many alternate w est/east/m idw est meetings. G etting the flavor of the sessions is good p reparation for p re­ paring a proposal for future meetings. If possible, attend meetings w ith someone who already is an active m em ber. Becoming active •R eview the association’s organizational struc­ tu re and activities. Are there committees th a t ap ­ peal to your interests? If so, call the headquarters or com m unicate w ith association officers to find out how appointm ents are m ade. Comm ittees th a t are concerned w ith teaching m ethods are frequently good choices. •B egin an inform al netw ork of librarians who are interested in the association and attend confer­ ences. Get-togethers at meetings can be profession­ ally useful; in a few cases inform al ties have be­ come association-affiliated task forces. •C o n ta c t local faculty members who belong to th e association for fu rth e r in fo rm a tio n on th e group, or to collaborate on a program proposal. • F in d out w hether the association has an ex­ hibits area and/or poster sessions at meetings. To make arrangem ents to display the BI exhibit, con­ ta ct the local arrangem ents chair for upcom ing m eetings. W hen at th e booth, try to determ ine w hich aspects of library services will most appeal to association members. M a y 1984 / 241 Publicizing library issues •W rite an article or letter to the editor of the as­ sociation newsletter or journal about library topics th a t seem to be of most interest to members. Co­ author articles w ith members of the discipline, if possible. •C onsider targeting your efforts at a state or re­ gional organization rath er th an a national group. Frequently the smaller associations are more w ill­ ing to consider library-oriented proposals th an the national discipline associations. •O rg an ize a session for a meeting. Check the newsletter for themes of upcom ing meetings and the due dates for proposals; try to couch a proposal in the term inology used to describe the them e. O r, if possible, attend a m eeting of the Program Com ­ m ittee. In most groups, it is easier to organize a com plete session w ith several presentations th a n to try to join a session as an individual. •P re p a re a program proposal, tailoring it to the them e of the m eeting and to the needs and interests of association members: 1. Ask for help. Members of the m eeting Pro­ gram C om m ittee are sometimes helpful in clarify­ ing criteria for accepting a proposal. Sponsorship by a particular com m ittee or division of the associ­ ation also is helpful. 2. Make it interesting. In p re p a rin g th e p ro ­ posal, consider the audience. Programs of interest to librarians are not necessarily of interest to indi­ viduals in other areas; try to keep library jargon at a m inim um and direct attention to im portant is­ sues or useful inform ation. 3. Consider program structure and participants. If the association consists mostly of members w ith academ ic affiliations, try a mix of sm all/large, u n ­ iversity/college interests on the program . 4. Topics for papers should be timely and titles and descriptions must be interesting and provoca­ tive. T ypically, program s require a m oderator (who also m ay present a paper), tw o or three p a ­ pers presented by their authors, and one or two com m entators (one of whom may also be the m od­ erator if he/she does not present a p a p e r). An alter­ native is to have comments and questions from the audience in place of com m entators, b u t every ses­ sion should include tim e for audience comments if possible. 5. Have papers available so th a t the audience can pick them up after the presentations; use a t­ tractive visual aids and dem onstrations w herever possible. ■ ■ The BIS Cooperation Com m ittee The C om m ittee th a t prepared the accom pa­ nying Tip Sheet consists of: Jane Rosenberg (ch air), C ouncil on L ib ra ry Resources and OMS/ARL; M ary Ellen Kyger Davis, C entral M ichigan University; Elizabeth Sibley, Univer­ sity of C alifornia, Berkeley; John W. Collins, Boston University; D avid J. Norden, University of M ichigan; S andra Ready, M ankato State University; Roland Person, Southern Illinois University; and Beth Shapiro, Michigan State University.