Anyone can be a member. You don't have to work in a library, serve on a library board, or be a friend of a member in Library organization.
The Washington Library Association (WLA) is a resource for libraries and the people who make them great! WLA is a vibrant and effective advocate for libraries, library professionals and library allies. It’s also a community where its members learn, grow professionally, develop strong relationships & have fun.
The Association is guided by the following core values:
Community: WLA brings us together because of our shared interest in libraries.
Integrity: We hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards of honesty and truth.
Professionalism: We actively strive to use best practices in conducting our business as an organization and treat each other with respect as colleagues.
Responsiveness: We listen to input from members, anticipate changing trends that affect our profession, and meet the needs of our stakeholders in a timely manner.
Inclusivity: WLA encourages and is open to diverse viewpoints, values and cultures and welcomes the unsettling as well as the familiar.
Education: We create learning opportunities for members of the library community to expand their knowledge, develop their skills, and share knowledge with each others.
Intellectual Freedom: We support the role libraries play in providing access to information, as well as the principle of free, open and unrestricted access to information and ideas.
Leadership: We accept responsibility for helping to coalesce groups representing library interests in the state, provides opportunities for members to practice their skills as leaders, and serves as the voice of the industry and profession.
The Association offers opportunities for learning, both in structured professional development offerings and through informal networking opportunities. WLA members have built strong, collegial relationships with other library professionals, library supporters and trustees, and allied organizations around the state and frequently consult with each other as individuals and through shared interest groups.
Anyone can be a member. You only need to be interested in libraries and in the goals of the Association. Join WLA today to take advantage of all of the benefits.
