Join YALSA
Join today!
Invest in your career or show your support for library services to teens and join YALSA! YALSA is a division of the American Library Association, and YALSA's goal is to make all libraries awesome for teens! Here's a quick snapshot of how we do that.
Who can join? Anyone! We have over 4,700 members across all 50 states and abroad. Together we are stronger and can increase our ability to help teens through libraries. Check out our YALSA Member Google Map to find a member near you and watch this 90 second video to see what members have to say about YALSA!
Benefits I Dues I Learn More I About our Members
Membership Benefits
YALSA members enjoy all benefits that ALA members receive (see a complete list of ALA benefits) as well as additional benefits just for them, including exclusive benefits that helps members
- build skills and knowledge to give you a competitive edge over colleagues via free access to live monthly webinars, as well as $760 worth of archived webinars via YELL (YALSA E-Learning Library), discounts on products and books, discounted registration for online courses, conferences, and more
- add more value to your library and become indispensable at work via eligibility for more than $195,000 in YALSA's grants, scholarships, stipends, and contests for members each year
- stay up to date on the latest trends and resources via free subscriptions to publications like YALSA's award-winning quarterly journal, YALS (print and digital version), and YALSA E-News, the weekly e-newsletter
- meet new professional contacts that can lead to career opportunities via members you meet and interact with on virtual and face-to-face committees, Interest Groups and more
- make your daily work easier via access to support to help you deal successfully with book challenges, cutbacks and more
- get recognition for your achievements via members' only awards
- gain leadership skills to take you to the next level via our mentoring program, Board Fellowship, and more
- make a difference for libraries and teens via service projects and fundraisers (.pdf)
- raise your profile in the library community by blogging for The Hub or the YALSAblog, presenting a webinar & more
See a full list of YALSA's members' only benefits and watch a free video on making the most of your membership and getting involved in YALSA, featuring YALSA members Jack Martin and Kate McNair.
Are you a student? YALSA student members enjoy all the same benefits that ALA members receive (see a complete list of ALA benefits) as well as additional benefits from YALSA such as access to free monthly webinars. Check out our student member benefits here.
Join online today or by phone 1-800.545.2433 or (312) 944.6780 option 1
Dues and Rates
You can join ALA/YALSA using a secure, electronic form. Membership dues and rates are:
| Dues and Rates | YALSA | ALA | Total |
| I want to join YALSA & ALA for the first time. | $62 | $75 | $137 |
| I want to renew/reinstate my YALSA & ALA membership for the second year. | $62 | $114 | $176 |
| I want to renew/reinstate my YALSA & ALA membership for the third and later years. | $62 | $150 | $212 |
| I am a student and want to join YALSA & ALA. | $27 | $40 | $67 |
| I am a nonsalaried worker (unemployed, nonsalaried, or library support staff) and want to join YALSA & ALA. | $27 | $54 | $81 |
| I am retired and want to join YALSA & ALA. | $27 | $54 | $81 |
| I am an international member and want to join YALSA & ALA. | $62 | $89 | $151 |
|
I am a friend and supporter of YALSA (for appropriate individuals who do not work in the library field such as authors, booksellers, parents, teachers, etc.) and want to join YALSA & ALA. |
$27 | $68 | $95 |
|
I am a trustee (appropriate for non-librarian members of governing boards, advisory groups, friends organizations, and special citizen caucuses) and want to join YALSA & ALA. |
$27 | $68 | $95 |
| Organizational Membership | $72 | $175-$2000 | TBD |
| Corporate Membership | TBD | TBD | $570+ |
Learn More
- Watch a free video on making the most of your YALSA membership and getting involved in the organization, featuring YALSA members Jack Martin and Kate McNair.
- Find out how to get involved in YALSA and watch this brief video about one member's path to getting involved in ALA. For details on how to get involved in ALA, watch this 2 minute presentation
- Still not sure joining an association is right for you? Read this Hack Library School blog post or watch this 90 second video.
- Do you have questions about YALSA membership? Contact Letitia Smith, YALSA's Membership Manager at lsmith@ala.org
Who are our Members?
YALSA members are an amazing and wonderfully diverse group of dedicated individuals who work with or for teens, including:
- library support staff, librarian generalists, teen services specialists, youth services librarians, reference librarians, managers, trustees, and administrators at public libraries
- school librarians, school library support staff, reading specialists, educators and administrators in middle and high schools
- graduate students in library science or young adult literature programs
- faculty at graduate schools of library and information science
- librarians who work with teens in special libraries, including hospitals and correctional facilities
- afterschool providers who work with teens
- supporters of youth literacy, bookstores, corporations and authors
- supporters of libraries, including parents, teens, Friends of the Library groups and community members
Check out our YALSA Member Google Map to see who's near you and watch this 90 second video featuring our members.
