Understanding the impact of national library association membership: strengthening the profession for sustainability

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of a recent doctoral research study of the impact of national library associations. The study adopted, with slight modifications, the impact assessment framework provided by ISO 16439:2014 Methods and Procedures for Assessing the Impact of Libraries. Being a phenomenological study it used a qualitative methodology including semi-structured interviews to gather data from 53 members of four national library associations: ALA, ALIA, CILIP and LIANZA. The study identified twelve perceived impacts across the three categories of the study: impact on the individual (4 impacts); impact on the employing organization (3 impacts); and impact on the profession (5 impacts). It also identified three perceived causes of impact: association participation, professional community and leadership.