There’s an interesting discussion going on right now about speaker fees, registration, and state library conferences. I have faced the same type of thing in the past with the Missouri Library Association.
From the discussion and everyone’s comments, it looks like the common practice is this: if you’re in-state, you’re welcome to speak – but you have to pay registration and don’t get any honorarium or travel expenses. If you live out-of-state, your travel expenses are covered and you might get an honorarium and a comped registration.
To fix this stupid problem, you can do two things:
- Discuss it – and this is happening via blogs right now – so that’s good. Well, except for the fact that percentage-wise, most librarians are probably NOT reading the blog-based discussion. So maybe we should ALSO be discussing it elsewhere…
- Get involved in your local library association. And I don’t mean the pay-the-yearly-dues, get-the-magazine type of join. I mean the run-for-office, serve-on-committees type of join.
That’s the only way these aged behemoths (ie., the associations) will change – get people who actually WANT TO CHANGE them in charge of them.
Period.
I was very actively involved in NJLA for several years and even co-chaired the conference committee in an attempt to change this practice. Perhaps I was not forceful enough or vocal enough, but mostly I was just outvoted all around. Conferences are held to make income for the association, they do not want to change this practice. I am a cynic about where this a change that will ever be made.
I was very actively involved in NJLA for several years and even co-chaired the conference committee in an attempt to change this practice. Perhaps I was not forceful enough or vocal enough, but mostly I was just outvoted all around. Conferences are held to make income for the association, they do not want to change this practice. I am a cynic about where this a change that will ever be made.
There’s a much larger discussion that needs to take place about state associations and their role in tomorrow’s LibraryLand.
So… are you gonna start it?
So… are you gonna start it?
I’m conflicted. I very much like our state association where I am now.
I’m conflicted. I very much like our state association where I am now.
As someone who was involved in her library organization (assembly member for three years, VP of the IT Section for one year, and President of the IT Section for two years), I can say that I tried numerous times to bring this issue to the association’s attention. The response I got varied, but it all boiled down to “Well, if we did that, we’d lost money, and we’re barely scraping by as it is because membership is so low. No way!” My responses varied too, but I made all the arguments you can think of. State associations, like Karen says, are really outliving their usefulness. Let’s call a spade a spade. State associations lobby on our libraries behalf, and that’s about it.
As someone who was involved in her library organization (assembly member for three years, VP of the IT Section for one year, and President of the IT Section for two years), I can say that I tried numerous times to bring this issue to the association’s attention. The response I got varied, but it all boiled down to “Well, if we did that, we’d lost money, and we’re barely scraping by as it is because membership is so low. No way!” My responses varied too, but I made all the arguments you can think of. State associations, like Karen says, are really outliving their usefulness. Let’s call a spade a spade. State associations lobby on our libraries behalf, and that’s about it.
Um… I didn’t say state associations had outlived their usefulness. What I will say is that it’s worthwhile exploring the role of the state association. In some states it plays a vital role as a member organization, but in others its most fundamental role–and this is not a bad thing–is as a lobbying/advocacy group.
Um… I didn’t say state associations had outlived their usefulness. What I will say is that it’s worthwhile exploring the role of the state association. In some states it plays a vital role as a member organization, but in others its most fundamental role–and this is not a bad thing–is as a lobbying/advocacy group.
There's a much larger discussion that needs to take place about state associations and their role in tomorrow's LibraryLand.