President's Perspective

TLA Involvement 101

JoAnne Moore

As I have fulfilled the responsibilities of the TLA presidency, I have met and heard from a multitude of members who are interested in making a contribution to what our organization is doing. They quickly go on to ask what they can do and how. I would like to use this article to discuss some of the ways that members can become involved. The members of TLA who become actively involved are the life of the association. There are countless ways for members to become involved, including:

JoAnne Moore

Getting involved regionally in one of the ten TLA districts across the state by participating in the fall district meetings.
Volunteering for activity within the four divisions of TLA.
Participating in round tables and interest groups comprised of colleagues who share your own interests and goals. ¥ Serving on committees appointed by the president-elect.
Helping with one of the many jobs required to hold the TLA Annual Conference. The first responsibility of the president-elect is to choose a conference theme and chairs for the Conference Program and Conference Local Arrangements Committee. (Members of the Program Committee commonly reside in the area the president-elect calls home, while members of the Local Arrangements Committee are selected from the area surrounding the Conference site.) Hundreds of volunteers submit interest forms to work on one of the 22 committees that carry out TLAÕs ÒambitiousÓ work program. The interest forms are available on the Web, with the membership mailing, at the Fall district meetings, and at the Annual Conference. Volunteer opportunities abound within TLAÕs five internal organizational structures (divisions, committees, round tables, interest groups, and districts). TLA is committed to involving as many members as possible in the organization and, in fact, depends upon members serving as unit officers and members.
The four divisions represent the interests of colleges and university libraries, public libraries, special libraries and school libraries. They have members serving as officers and members who serve on sub-committees appointed by the chair-elect of each division.
Round tables represent specific groups in our library communities such as Acquisitions, Black Caucus, Interlibrary Loan, ChildrenÕs, Young Adult among others. Officers are elected for the Round Tables.
Interest groups enable TLA members to organize into areas of emerging interest. These groups may go on to become a round table after three years if they maintain 50 members per year.
Each of the ten regional districts within TLA adopts its own bylaws, elects officers and holds an annual fall meeting in order to conduct business, discuss library issues and offer continuing education programs.
The standing and ad hoc committees of TLA work to accomplish the goals and objectives of the organization. Service on these committees is by appointment only with approximately one-third of the committee being appointed by the president-elect each year. The selection process usually occurs over a period of six months from October through March. An important consideration in making appointments is to review the current composition of the committees to ensure equitable representation from the ten library districts, from the four library divisions, and from the diverse membership.

TLA has a number of ad hoc committees that are hard at work with very specific charges. They are:

Library and Museum Cooperation chaired by Cathy Ensign, director of Harris County Public Library, will identify current and potential collaborative programs between libraries and museums and communicate these program ideas to the library and museum communities through articles, publications and training sessions.
Public Library Standards is chaired by Eva Poole, director of Denton Public Library. The committee has developed a mission and values statements: To propose public library standards that will promote quality library service for all Texans. Value all public libraries and their importance as community resources; value the diversity and uniqueness of libraries across the state; value the needs of our communities; value intellectual freedom and access to information; value the skills, talents, and contributions of library staff.
Texas Bluebonnet Award Study Committee, chaired by Eileen Dunne, library director, Abilene ISD, is responsible for defining TBAÕs vision for the next decade and into the new century.

The TLA calendar of involvement and continuing education opportunities are centered around major TLA events:

TLA Annual Assembly in the summer (July) where the worker bees, officers, and committee members develop action plans and review their work.
TLA District Meetings in the fall (September and October) where district members have an opportunity to gather and discuss common issues within their own districts, provide continuing educational opportunities, recruit members, involve members, and market the benefits of membership in TLA.
Legislative Day in the winter (February 23, 1999) where TLA leaders and library advocates gather to visit legislators to discuss library issues.
TLA Annual Conference in the Spring (April 20-24, 1999) where TLAÕs mission of promoting and improving library services in Texas communities is fulfilled. As we approach the millennium, the goals of the 1999 program will play out the conference theme, ÒLibraries Linking CenturiesÓ by 1) Celebrating the past; 2) Examining current trends and issues affecting the library community; and 3) Motivating conference attendees to envision a plan of action for the future.

It takes a cast of thousands to pull off TLAÕs annual conference. Volunteers are needed in every nook and cranny of the conference site including unit booths, the registration area, the Placement Center, and the Internet Room. We really need you at conferenceÑlet us hear from you.

Teamwork is one important key to TLAÕs success. We know that we accomplish more when we work as a team. We want the chairs to help members feel they have important tasks to perform in the work of their divisions, units or committees. The chairs will have an opportunity to learn about the dreams, hopes, aspirations and philosophy of each individual on the committee and how these relate to the committee charge, goals and objectives. Collective minds and energy can make a difference in the life of each member and of the organization as a whole. We truly want each member of TLA to know they have important roles to play.

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