One of the biggest surprises of this month was receiving a letter from ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels informing me that I am now a “lifetime” Continuing Member of ALA.  It’s a welcome acknowledgement of more than 25 years of active membership in the association.

I’m about to become Chair of the ALA Committee on Research and Statistics for the first time–though I’ve served on that committee three times before–and, since 1986, have served on and chaired its divisional counterparts in:

• American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
• Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
• Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA)
• Library Leadership, Administration and Management Association (LLAMA)
• Public Library Association (PLA)

According to the ALA website, one is supposed to apply for this honor, but I didn’t.  So thank you to whomever decided to confer it at ALA’s initiative.