Author: Andromeda Yelton

On February 23, I posted for discussion a proposal on a closer formal relationship between LITA, LLAMA, and ALCTS. That included an anonymous feedback form where you can ask questions, express feelings, et cetera. I will be collating and answering these questions every few weeks here on LITAblog (so please keep asking!). Since that time I’ve gotten six (!) questions/comments. I’m going to break them up across several posts; here are the last four. (The first two are addressed in the previous post.) As a member of ALA for over 40 years, I applaud this effort and would urge that these 3 divisions actually merge into one unit to reflect the changing structure and integration of libraries today….It’s been very confusing for a long time over who does what program and duplication is wasteful. And paying dues for 3 different sections has been frustrating….Good luck with all this! Rejoice! I…

On February 23, I posted for discussion a proposal on a closer formal relationship between LITA, LLAMA, and ALCTS. That included an anonymous feedback form where you can ask questions, express feelings, et cetera. I will be collating and answering these questions every few weeks here on LITAblog (so please keep asking!). Since that time I’ve gotten six (!) questions. I’m going to break them up across several posts; here are the first two. [S]ince tech is such a big field…[t]here is quite a lot that is relevant to me [in LITA], but it is difficult to find sometimes within discussions….I’m worried about how much a merger with ALCTS and LLAMA would amplify this problem. This is definitely a thing that’s on our minds as well. It can be hard to find your niche within an organization as large as ALA, and part of the role of the divisions is…

On February 23, I posted for discussion a proposal on a closer formal relationship between LITA, LLAMA, and ALCTS. That included an anonymous feedback form where you can ask questions, express feelings, et cetera. I will be collating and answering these questions every few weeks here on LITAblog (so please keep asking!). Since last time, I’ve gotten one question: It seems that there is the possibility of quite a bit of overlap between LITA and ALCTS so a merger of those two divisions could be justified. What seems very ad hoc is the inclusion of LLAMA in this – what is the logical connection in terms of subject matter? If LLAMA by itself is unsustainable, perhaps it should be shut down/abolished. Great question! One of the things I’ve been surprised to discover as LITA president is that a very high percentage of our members have titles like “Director”, “Associate University…

On February 23, I posted for discussion a proposal on a closer formal relationship between LITA, LLAMA, and ALCTS. That included an anonymous feedback form where you can ask questions, express feelings, et cetera. I will be collating and answering these questions every few weeks here on LITAblog (so please keep asking!). Thus far there is just one question, but I’m sure it speaks for many of you: “Will my dues go up if these three divisions combine?” And the answer is: we’re not totally sure yet; it depends, but up and down are both possibilities; and either way you’d get more value from your membership. We recognize that finances are an important issue for most of our members, and any combined effort has to be financially sustainable for both the divisions and our members, or it can’t go forward. We (the leadership of the three divisions) are in the…

Hi, LITAns. I’m sharing with you a document on small division collaboration (LITA, LLAMA, and ALCTS) which I encourage you all to read carefully. I am also interested in any thoughts, questions, feelings, or ideas that you may have.  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…