College and Research Libraries


On Being Fully Professional 
By A R T H U R T . H A M L I N 

ALA M E M B E R S H I P D A Y — M a r c h 1 8 — 
is an o p p o r t u n i t y for all libraries a n d li-
brarians to become fully professional by 
joining their professional organization. 
At present less than fifty per cent of those 
who rank as professional librarians in 
colleges and universities are members. 

T h i s lack of membership seriously 
weakens the prestige a n d authority of 
ALA, and the lack of financial support 
curtails its program. 

Since membership is a voluntary mat-
ter that requires personal sacrifice in the 
form of a n n u a l dues many librarians 
quite naturally ask themselves what the 
association does for them. In b l u n t terms 
the query is, " W h a t do I get for my 
money?" T h e only true answer to this 
question that I have ever found that is 
applicable to all librarians is that we all 
benefit individually and directly as the 
Association serves the profession. Not 
only our individual benefits, b u t our 
strength, comes in union. 

Every single advance and accomplish-
ment of the profession is of benefit to 
each of its members. On the one hand 
this may be a new code for interlibrary 
loans or standards for college libraries. 
O r the advance may come as national 
legislation or a program of grants for col-
lege libraries. Much has been done over 
the years toward the improvement of sal-
aries and professional status. Few if any 
librarians ever do a day's work of a pro-
fessional n a t u r e without using ALA-de-
veloped publications, procedures, and 
techniques. O u r very training is taken at 
schools over which our national associa-
tion exercises i m p o r t a n t control. 

Nearly all members have at some time 
felt lost and unrecognized because offices 
and committee assignments have not 
come their way. For some this situation 

Mr. Hamlin is University Librarian, Uni-
versity of Cincinnati. 

changes so drastically with age a n d ex-
perience that much of the working day 
and considerable personal f u n d s are spent 
in ALA activity; to these people less rec-
ognition would be a great relief. Inequal-
ities of b u r d e n and recognition are in-
evitable in any large organization. 
Equally inevitable is the fact that no as-
sociation action wins universal approval. 
T h e r e are undoubtedly few members of 
any great, active, democratic organiza-
tion who could not, if they wished, make 
u p a plausible case for withdrawal of 
their support. 

ALA has proudly maintained its mem-
bership on a purely voluntary basis. 
T h e r e has never been coercion on either 
the national or the local level, and ours 
is one of the very few professions which 
can claim this distinction. O t h e r profes-
sions openly require membership for the 
privilege of practicing, or they exert sub-
tle pressure in less obvious ways. It seems 
hardly necessary to point out that free-
dom in political organization a n d in pro-
fessional affairs must have moral and fi-
nancial support. T h e alternative is coer-
cion. 

T h i s is the time for each and every li-
brarian to stand u p and be counted. In-
dividually and collectively we need a 
strong professional association. In order 
to grow stronger the Association needs 
additional membership, not only for the 
dues involved, b u t to speak with greater 
authority to legislatures, to other profes-
sions, and to the country at large. Only 
in union is there strength. 

172 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S