Dear ARLIS/NA Members,
As the deadline to renew your ARLIS/NA membership approaches
(December 31, 2008), the Membership Committee would like to remind you of a few
of the many benefits of joining and participating in ARLIS/NA.
Get Involved
ARLIS/NA offers an array of opportunities for participation at all levels.
Serving on a committee
is a great way to get involved. Committee chairs are appointed by the
President, but the committees are made up of members looking to make a
difference in ARLIS/NA. Committees can influence our profession on a variety of
topics: intellectual property, cataloging standards, innovative uses of
technology, to name a few. Committees also work with other organizations such
as the Research Libraries Group (RLG) and the International Federation of
Library Associations (IFLA) and otherwise keep the membership informed of the
latest news within and beyond ARLIS/NA.
Divisions,
sections,
and round tables
are a great rallying point for members with common professional interests. Get
to know your peers at Divisional meetings, which include Museums, Art &
Design Schools, Academic libraries, and Visual Resources collections. Or pursue
more specific interests in Special Interest Group meetings –
GLBT, New Art, and Women and Art just to name a few of the diverse sections.
Awards
ARLIS/NA and several generous donors offer awards to support travel to the
annual conference. Whether you are a student or a librarian lacking funding
from your institution, there may be a travel award
that enables you to attend the annual conference. Several research awards are
also available for print and electronic publications. These awards demonstrate
the organization’s commitment to its members’ professional
development – take advantage of these opportunities!
Annual Conference
The ARLIS/NA annual
conference is our profession’s best opportunity to meet
colleagues, see lectures and presentations, and attend workshops on a variety
of topics. Not to mention the host locations, which invariably include amazing
art collections and architecture to take in. This year’s conference
in Indianapolis is no exception with events in the Eiteljorg Museum and Indianapolis Art Museum,
in addition to amazing tours of Columbus, Indiana’s modernist
architectural marvels and Indiana University’s top-notch collections. Register
before March 15, 2009 for lower rates.
Publications
ARLIS/NA offers ample opportunity to members interested in publishing. Art
Documentation comes out twice a year and covers a broad spectrum
of prescient issues for art information professionals. All members
automatically receive a one-year subscription and beginning in 2009 Art Docs
will be a peer-reviewed journal, a bonus for an already excellent publication.
The Occasional
Papers Series, ARLIS/NA Reviews,
and Online
Publications offer additional opportunities to make your voice
heard. Even if you aren’t interested in writing, these publications will
help you keep abreast of the latest trends in art librarianship.
Join the Dialogue
ARLIS-L, the organization’s official email listserv, is an ongoing
discussion among ARLIS/NA members and various arts professionals. Learn about
events, spark debate, and even help a colleague answer that obscure reference
question. Subscribing to the list is easy; directions can be found here.
As you can see, membership in
ARLIS/NA is a rewarding personal and professional experience. An exceedingly collegial
organization, ARLIS/NA’s member benefits offer something for everyone.
Please renew before December 31 by mail or fax or online.
Thank you and we all look forward to another great year for ARLIS/NA.
Sincerely,
ARLIS/NA Membership Committee
Chair: Shalimar Abigail Fojas White
Laurel Bliss
Margaret Boylan
Bryan Loar
Jill Luedke
Ian McDermott
Alyssa Resnick
Eva Revitt