Note From Rachel

June 27, 2024

Last month, Debbie asked me to write a note about membership for this month's newsletter, and I thought, "Sure, why not?" MLA's fiscal year is ending soon so we've been managing organizational renewals and I’ve had membership on my mind. I’ve been at MLA since 2015 and working in a membership role for almost nine years, I’ve had some time to think about why we do what we do, why dedicated individuals get involved and invest their time, energy, and money, and why libraries continue to renew their memberships and support staff memberships and involvement. 

I know membership is beneficial to individual members, libraries, and our communities – I’ve seen it first-hand: Individuals get involved and then advance in their careers, they bring fresh ideas to their libraries, they move into new leadership roles. Our advocacy efforts at the capitol put money back into libraries’ budgets, and our collective advocacy protects our communities' access to information and the right to read. And, while some of the benefits members receive are tangible, like increases to State aid (Michigan lawmakers just passed the FY25 budget– $1M!) and discounts on events like our upcoming annual conference (registration is open!) most of the benefits aren’t so easily defined. 

So what ARE the benefits of membership? Why should you pay money to be involved in an association? Why should libraries be organizational members AND support staff memberships? 

As one is wont to do in this day and age, I asked ChatGPT: What are the benefits of membership in an association? The response: 

Future Pathways Grant Accepting Applications

Join us on Wednesday, May 26 at 11:00 AM to learn more about the Future Pathways Grant Program. Get your questions answered, learn about upcoming opportunities that the grant could fund, and brainstorm project ideas. We’ll discuss the grant application requirements, demo how to submit an application packet, and answer all of your questions! Register here