Get involved with SLA

Joining SLA

You can join SLA directly by registering on the main website and creating your SLA profile, making sure to join the Europe Community to receive email and forum updates. You can join as many communities as you want, including registering for events and serving on committees in other regional communities or on SLA-led committees.

Membership fees are typically priced in US Dollars ($) and charged at the exchange rate on renewal. The current rates are as below, as per the SLA website:

• $220 – Full Member – North America
• $220 – Full Member – Outside of North America
• $50 – Full Member – Outside of North America (salary $18,000 annually or less)
• $50 – Student Member (enrolled on a course of library or information science at least part-time (one or more courses). Student membership may be maintained only while actively a student, but for no more than five years.)
• $100 – Unemployed/Transitional Member (rate is available for one year only)
• $100 – Retired Member

Supporting our European community

We understand that the SLA membership cost can be challenging, particularly if employers are not keen to recognise and fund more than one professional association or if they require individuals to support their own costs.

This is why we have created a ‘Friend of SLA Europe’ option, which offers several benefits outside of the SLA environment, costing £20 (equivalent to 25 euros).

Benefits of ‘Friend of SLA Europe’ include:

• Opportunities to network with other information professionals within Europe, including prospective employers and recruiters
• Updates from SLA Europe, including meetings and planned events throughout the year
• Discounted price for attendance at our events, ranging from webinars, in-person seminars, and our conference
• Access to our fortnightly email and online magazine
• Updates from our Jobs Board including ad placement and recruitment

Volunteering with SLA Europe

Volunteers are what make an association. At SLA Europe, we rely on volunteers to dedicate their time and experience by serving on our committees and our Board to support our members.

Volunteering with us is a rewarding experience and a great way to add new skills, knowledge, and showcase professional development on your CV. You’ll also meet various people in your role with us – from members, to sponsors, vendors, and more.

We have a range of volunteering roles available, including:

• serving on a Committee (such as Events, Digital Communications – usually a one-year term)
• being a Board Member (roles include Treasurer or Secretary or Membership Coordinator)
• writing an article or blog post for us to publish on our website or newsletter

We are happy to help support any interest in volunteer roles that require employers to sign off on volunteering time. Many managers are usually supportive of employees who want to give back their time and experience to their chosen professional association, but we also understand that due to time commitments, it may be necessary to undertake some volunteer work during working hours or have support to attend conferences or events.

Please contact our President for an informal discussion via email at President [at] sla [dash] europe [dot] org or to learn more about any of our current volunteering roles.

Current volunteer roles

Blog editor (Digital Communications Committee)

We’re looking for keen writers and bloggers to produce regular blog posts for our website and newsletter. This can range from book or event reviews, highlights from a conference, or relevant discussions on topics involving the library and information profession. This role involves around 1-3 hours of work every month, depending on demand. Some experience with WordPress is required for those interested in working with our website, but is not essential and training will be provided.

Website editor (Digital Communications Committee)

We’re looking for anyone interested in improving their web editing skills and has an interest in WordPress. This role involves around 1-3 hours of work every month, including uploading or editing blog posts, creating, updating or managing webpages, and creating media using Canva. Some understanding of websites and content management systems is required but is not essential and training will be provided.

Event co-ordinators (Events Committee)

We have several roles open for anyone looking to help us host our online and in-person events. We regularly hold between one and two online events each month via Zoom and hold one large in-person event each year (either a summer or winter-themed event). This role involves around 1-3 hours of work every month, depending on demand. Some experience with Zoom and Excel is required, but is not essential and training will be provided.

Events Manager (Events Committee)

We have an open role for heading our Events Committee, which includes building our events programme throughout the year. This role requires speaking to vendors and suppliers to source sponsorship opportunities, recruiting speakers to present on topics relevant to key trends and developments happening in the profession, as well as liaising with other committees to advertise events. This role involves around 1-3 hours of work every week and is a Board position, which requires attendance at our monthly Board meetings and submission of a report. Some travel is required, but we would be happy to consider reasonable expenses.