The Role of Professional Associations

Citation

Harrison, K.C. (1999), "The Role of Professional Associations", Library Review, Vol. 48 No. 6, pp. 47-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.1999.48.6.47.3

This issue of Library Trends contains 12 chapters on the role of professional associations, plus an introduction by editor Joy Thomas, who was president of the California Library Association in 1994. Having myself written about library associations, I approached this volume with enthusiasm. I was, however, disappointed. I thought the time had passed when the Middle West was the home of isolationism, but it seems I was wrong. You can′t get much further midwest than Urbana‐Champaign, and if this publication is anything to go by, the Middle West is just as hidebound with the United States as ever it was. For this issue of Library Trends is entirely ‐‐ but entirely! ‐‐ concerned with US libraries, librarians and library associations.

True, there is one contribution on international library associations written by Charlene Baldwin, Assistant University Librarian for the Sciences at the University of California, Riverside. Judging from the notes on contributors, Ms Baldwin is an eminent librarian, listed in many biographical dictionaries including Who′s Who of American Women. But she has contrived to present a piece on international library associations which has a mere half‐page on IFLA and its activities, and totally ignores organisations such as COMLA (Commonwealth Library Association), ACURIL (Association of Caribbean University and Research Libraries), LIBER (Ligue des Bibliotheques Europeennes de Recherche), and several others which might have merited inclusion. To be fair to Ms Baldwin, she does mention IAALD (International Association of Agricultural Librarians and Documentalists) and IATUL (International Association of Technological University Libraries), and she justifies herself to some extent by pointing out that she has chosen just five bodies to typify the common activities and goals of international library associations. But the chapter could have been so much more useful if it had been more comprehensive.

Other contributions in this issue cover such topics as the relationships between professional associations and unions; paraprofessional groups and associations; the value of such associations to personal careers; the role of library association staffs; and other matters. But they are without exception American‐oriented. We must not complain too much about this. Library Trends is an American journal and over the years it has produced many issues of great value and interest to librarians world‐wide. This one does not fall into that category. Libraries outside the United States which subscribe regularly to Library Trends are stuck with this issue. But those which buy individual numbers should look twice at spending $82 on this, unless they are specialising on American librarianship.