Several years before beginning the MLIS program at the University of Washington Information School, I worked for the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, DC (a national professional organization for scientists). I was able to help plan their annual meeting and interact with influential scientists from around the world. As a result of that experience, I became a firm believer in professional and academic organizations and their power to define, direct, and advocate a profession or discipline.

When I started my graduate studies at the iSchool, I was very interested in being involved in the various professional organizations in Library & Information Science (LIS). I attended several events held by the Special Libraries Association (SLA), the American Library Association (ALA), and the American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T). The community I became most active in, however, was ASIS&T. Following are my most significant service experiences in the professional organizations of LIS:

Timeline

• July, 2002: Volunteered at Conceptions of Library & Information Science (CoLIS4), Seattle, WA
• September, 2002: Volunteered at ASIS&T Pacific Northwest Annual Meeting, Portland, OR
• November, 2002: Volunteered at ASIS&T National Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA

Process

CoLIS4

In May, 2002, a professor at the UW Information School, Raya Fidel, announced that CoLIS (an international semi-annual conference on the theoretical foundations of Library & Information Science) would be held at the University of Washington in July and that they were seeking volunteers to help run the conference. I jumped at the chance, hoping to see a few of the LIS "celebrities" whose works I had appreciated in my classes.

At the conference, I was put to work setting up the AV systems for conference rooms and signing in participants. As a volunteer, I had the unique role of acting simultaneously as an attendant and a participant. In this role, I was able to relate to the presenters in ways I may not have been able to otherwise. In addition, during the sessions where I was not working, I attended a variety of presentations and mingled with scholars and professionals from around the world.

Some of the sessions invited some interesting academic debate: I felt privileged to see Birger Hjřrland, Marcia Bates, and Michael Buckland arguing about information seeking strategies. This was my first exposure to the professional community of LIS, and I truly enjoyed the lively debate, the interesting histories, and the gossip. I considered it the sign of a healthy scholarly organization.

ASIS&T Pacific Northwest Chapter 2002 Annual Meeting

Following CoLIS, I was told about an opportunity to volunteer at the annual meeting of the Pacific Northwest chapter of ASIS&T in exchange for free registration. I was enthusiastic at the possibility of meeting local professionals and networking with those who will soon be my colleagues.

The conference was held at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. My duties included checking in participants, among other tasks. I spent much time chatting with local members of ASIS&T, asking them questions about their jobs and answering their questions about my graduate work. I was able to attend several sessions, notably the keynote speech by Peter Morville, co-author of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web.

Several of the presentations focused on the future of our profession and were punctuated with lively discussions of the state of the economy, organizational psychology, and best practices. It became clear to me that the people who make up the Pacific Northwest chapter of ASIS&T are a fairly diverse yet well-knit community of professionals. But most importantly, they seemed like my kind of people.

ASIS&T 2002 Annual Meeting

Because of the overwhelmingly positive experiences with my previous two conferences, I signed up immediately when the call for volunteers went out for the ASIS&T Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. No matter that it was in November, was a week long, was clear across the country, would cost over $600, and conflicted with all of my classes. Rumor had it that half the iSchool faculty were going to be there anyway.

To keep costs down, I shared a hotel room with two other iSchool students. This turned out to be an excellent decision, as they were able to attend the sessions I couldn't. We'd fill each other in on what we learned, keep each other informed of conference events, and, best of all, introduce each other to interesting people we met. We managed to collect a group of students from other universities with whom we became fast friends. Together we explored Philadelphia, shared thoughts and stories about our graduate programs, and talked about the future of our profession.

The conference sessions provided many opportunities to learn about the current state of research and practice in LIS. As a volunteer, I monitored several different sessions over the week. This exposed me to a diversity of presentations I may not have chosen myself but that were interesting and rewarding.

By the end of the conference, I was exhausted and behind in my schoolwork (although I was able to connect to the Internet from the hotel and submit my assignments online). However, the experience on the whole was well worth the time and energy.

Reflection

Each of these conferences allowed me a difference glimpse of the professional and academic community in Library & Information Science. I began to notice familiar faces, especially those of the leading thinkers and of the local chapter of ASIS&T. The discussions and presentations at each conference gave me a feeling for the most pertinent issues facing our discipline. My position as a volunteer gave me a perspective from behind-the-scenes at the inner workings and leadership of the conferences.

I feel that I came away from these experiences with skills in networking and the beginnings of a social network in LIS. While the volunteer work itself was not measurably arduous or intellectually challenging, it provided me with countless learning opportunities and contacts at each conference.

ASIS&T 2002 Annual Meeting, Philadelphia

What's Next

Since I will soon be entering the LIS profession, I hope to remain involved with all these professional organizations as time allows. I also plan to keep in touch with those I've met along the way and perhaps take an active role in planning and participating in activities at the regional and national level.

Artifacts

• ASIS&T Annual Meeting Re-cap article (from The Silverfish)
• iSchool Newsletter Article: "Camaraderie at ASIS&T Meeting a Highlight for MLIS Students" by Corrine Kator (see page 5)