Pick Two by Naomi House
Just a quick thought on getting involved and networking. There are tons of library and other related organizations you can join and volunteer with. Sometimes the number can be overwhelming so I recommend the strategy of Pick Two.
By this I mean picking one national organization and getting involved with them at your local level or a local library association and then picking an organization that is tangentially related (literacy, reading, animal rights, etc) and volunteering with them as well.
I have begun to interview several Great Organizations you might not have thought of as well as membership at some of the national organizations. This is in no way an exhaustive list but if I am missing something please let me know by emailing me at ineedalibraryjob at gmail.com.
Great Organizations
- Kids Need to Read works to create a culture of reading for children by providing inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries, and literacy programs across the United States, especially those serving disadvantaged children. See my interview with Denise here.
- Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud. See my interview with Jackie here.
- buildOn runs afterschool youth service programs that mobilize urban teens to lift up their communities and change the world through intensive local community service and by building schools in some of the poorest countries on the planet. We are a movement of students, educators and communities. We believe in the power of partnerships that passionately act for the common good. See my interview with Missy here.
- Librarians Without Borders a non-profit organization that strives to improve access to information resources regardless of language, geography, or religion, by forming partnerships with community organizations in developing regions.
- African Library Project changes lives book by book by starting libraries in rural Africa. Their grassroots approach mobilizes U.S. volunteers, young and old, to organize book drives and ship books to a partner library in Africa. Their method makes a concrete and personal difference for children on both continents. Also interviewed here.
Library Organizations
- ALA (American Library Association) find your local chapter
- SLA (Special Libraries Association)– volunteer with your local org and see an interview with Carolyn of SLA here
- Wikipedia list of Library Associations with links
- APRA (Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement
- SCIP (Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals)
- CILIP(Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals)
- CLA(Canadian Library Association)
- ALIA(Australian Library and Information Association)
But this is just a start!
reposted from 7/25/12 and updated 4/10/13