Member Initiative Groups
A Membership Initiative Group (MIG) is formed when a group of ALA members identifies a common concern for some aspect of librarianship and wishes to establish a short-term mechanism to meet about or address that concern. To establish a MIG, which much be approved by the Council, groups must submit to the Committee on Organization a statement of purpose, at least one hundred signatures of ALA members in good standing, and the names and addresses of the designated organizers. Contact Danielle Alderson, dalderson@ala.org, Member Programs and Services, ALA Headquarters.
Libraries Fostering Civic Engagement
To provide an ALA organizational home for members interested in facilitating public forums, fostering civic engagement, and framing issues for deliberation in their communities. To provide a mechanism for sharing experiÂences in convening and/or moderating forums. To provide a base for conference programming, formal contacts, e-lists, etc. To encourage parÂticipation in deliberative forum training efforts and local partnerships to help communities understand issues of concern and solve problems together. Open to all ALA members. Staff liaison, Mary W. Ghikas, mghikas@ala.org.
Information Commons
To provide a mechanism for sharing experiences with promoting, developing and sustainÂing commons. To provide a base for conference programming, formal contacts, e-lists, etc. To encourage participation in efforts and partnerships to help promote, build and sustain inforÂmation commons. This group includes librarians from all types of libraries who are eager to learn about and share their experiences with developing and preserving commonly shared resources, as well as understanding and promoting the concept of the commons. Staff liaison, Mary W. Ghikas, mghikas@ala.org.
Virtual Communities and Libraries
To provide a group within ALA for members interested in fostering the practice of library work, the visibility of libraries and library workers, and the extension of library services within online social networks, virtual worlds, and other communities of intention. To provide a mechanism for sharing experiences and practices in-person or virtually through programming or asynchronous communications. To encourage wider participation by the profession and the association in virtual worlds. To establish a forum across all types of libraries and at all levels of library employment concerned with the development of library services in emerging social networks, virtual worlds, and other communities of intention. This group is open to all members. Staff liaison, Tina Coleman, ccoleman@ala.org.
Games and Gaming in Libraries
To engage those interested in games and gaming activities in libraries and to collaborate with ALA units to support gaming initiatives and programs across the Association. Games, as defined in their broadest sense to include traditional and modern board, card, video, mobile, computer, live-action, roleplaying and miniature games, and gaming activities, including planning and running gaming programs, providing games for informal play, developing a game collection, creating games, development of information and other literacies through games and partnering with other community organizations to support gaming, will be topics for professional exploration. This group is open to all members. Staff liaison, Jenny Levine, jlevine@ala.org.