Dear ASCLA Members:
First let me say how grateful the ASCLA Board and Staff are that you have chosen to be a member of this fine organization. ASCLA may be the smallest of ALA divisions, but it is the friendliest and easiest division with which to get involved. Our individual memberships are growing well, but we still need your organizations to join us as institutional members. This is an especially important year for ASCLA as our division is the center of expertise in ALA’s efforts on accessibility. Also we are launching our educational and networking trip to Paris, the first of what we hope will be an annual ASCLA offering. The trip is sold out! We are also gearing up for a series of excellent online courses for your professional development. Please let us know topics you wish us to cover.
I hope you will consider joining an ASCLA committee. The committees are small, meet in convenient ways, and the committee chairs welcome new members at any time. To see the rosters and contact the committee chairs or to fill out a volunteer form, just go to the ASCLA division on the ALA website. There you will also see at least ten interest groups you may choose to join. The number of interest groups is ever increasing as people find more topics about which they wish to interact.
Last year was a year of reorganization. This year is the year of planning for ASCLA. We will be reaching out for your feedback by conducting a member satisfaction/needs survey this fall. The board will discuss a draft strategic plan at ALA Midwinter and have more to share with you in the spring.
Again, thank you for all your loyalty and support for ASCLA!
Sincerely,
Norma Blake, ASCLA President and NJ State Librarian