2025 Membership Survey: Turning Your Input Into Action
In the 2025 ASIS&T Membership Survey, we asked you how we could improve your member experience. Our dedicated Membership Committee took time to analyze your feedback, and created a summary for the Board to use as a foundational document to guide the Strategic Planning process. Here are some of the items we wanted to highlight and give you an update on the progress or plan for them. The full report from the Membership Committee on the 2025 Annual Survey is available HERE.
Priorities for Promotion/Improvement/Potential Additional Services
Membership Recommendation/Request:
Resulting Action or Comment:
Mentoring Program: Improve onboarding, visibility, and usability
This program was initially launched in March of 2025, so it only has four months of utilization to date. We intend to evaluate the program once a year has concluded and will adjust (as the system allows) at that time. Additionally, we are taking steps to make it more visible on the website.
iConnect: Improve usability and visibility; targeted promotion
We are limited by the software as to how usable we can make the system. While we recognize that it has some challenges, the software platform for iConnect is the best out there for member communication and document storage. We provide detailed information on how to use iConnect in our Welcome Wednesday new member orientation. In August we will be offering the first of a quarterly How to Use iConnect interactive webinar.
Chapters: Improve discoverability of local events and activities
We rely on the chapters to make their members aware of activities in the region. All members are automatically assigned to the chapter in their region and should start getting iConnect messages from them. The reality is that there are not enough local events hosted by chapters. We regularly encourage this. We are optimistic that the SLA merger will greatly enhance local activity as the local and regional SLA groups are quite active.
Volunteer Opportunities: Simplify access and offer more roles
In 2024 we changed the process for SIG and Chapter elections to limit the positions that are elected to chair-elect. However, there continue to be multiple volunteer roles within each Chapter or SIG that are appointed by the Chair of the Chapter or SIG. To access those roles a member should reach out to the leadership of the Chapter or SIG that they wish to volunteer with. Access to volunteering is through iConnect. Open volunteer positions will always be listed here and individual emails will be sent out to all active members when new opportunities are opened. There are about 1,000 volunteer opportunities each year in ASIS&T. See also Strategic Plan Tactic 1.3.3 Identify micro-volunteering opportunities throughout the year that allow ASIS&T members to engage at a level and time commitment amenable to them. See also Strategic Plan Tactic 1.3.1 Provide step by step resources for those interested in committee participation, conference reviewers, journal editorial boards and participation in SIGs/Chapters.
Awards Program: Clarify the application/nomination process
We have never received a complaint at ASIS&T Central that the application/nomination process for the awards program is unclear. If this is a concern, please reach out to Lydia Middleton to share your specific experience so that we can address it.
Funding: More travel grants, waived fees, and affordable membership options
Unfortunately, ASIS&T operates on a very small and limited budget. Annual member dues provide only about 15% of the overall revenue, and the Annual Meeting generally operates at a loss. The JASIST royalty agreement pays the lion’s share of ASIS&T’s financial obligations, and that revenue is steadily decreasing. As a result, there are no funds available to provide grants to members and fees are what pay our expenses, so waiving them is not an option. Our member dues levels are modest compared to other associations of our scope, and tiered to accommodate members from countries with developing economies.
Access: Hybrid events, global time zones, face-to-face and virtual training
This is an important component of the 2025-28 Strategic Plan. However, in order to offer content in global time zones, we need members who wish to host events in global time zones. All of our content and events come from members, and if they are not coming forward to provide events in global time zones, the staff is unable to develop this on our own. We encourage chapters and SIGs to hold webinars and other events in time zones conducive to your region.
Mentorship and Networking: Programs for students, early-career, non-librarians, and retirees
The current mentorship platform allows for all of the noted member types to engage. The system is designed to pair people by either career stage or interest area. As more and more people become active on the platform (particularly as mentors), the opportunities will become more robust. See also Strategic Plan Objective 3.1 Enhance mentorship and leadership development programs to members at different career stages.
Professional Development: Webinars/workshops on AI, data science, teaching, and public speaking
Many recent webinars have been on the topic of AI, and there are two Annual Meeting workshops (in addition to the entire Annual Meeting) focusing on this topic. Teaching is a major goal in the 2025-28 Strategic Plan, so members can expect more content coming on that in the near future. See Strategic Plan Goal 4: Expand services and programming to support the pedagogical endeavors of the ASIS&T membership.
Public speaking is not an area in which ASIS&T staff or members that we know of have particular expertise. If there are ASIS&T members who feel they could present on this topic, we would welcome the opportunity to offer a webinar on it!
Career Support: Job boards, career coaching, non-academic career guidance
Publishing Support: Help with peer review, editorial roles, OA publishing, and research planning
See Strategic Plan Tactic 2.1.3 Develop training and resources for reviewers of ASIS&T publications, to include Meeting Proceedings, to increase reviewer pool. See also Strategic Plan Tactic 3.1.1 Develop opportunity for virtual “Speed mentoring” for junior scholars to rapidly share research and receive feedback and guidance. We welcome more input on what other support we might provide.
Diversity and Well-being: DEI programs, mental health support
The approach ASIS&T has taken to DEI is a commitment to ensuring Access, Belonging, and Community (ABC). Because of its highly global nature, DEI as a concept does not apply. As to mental health support, ASIS&T does not have the expertise or capacity to offer this type of programming. That said, we would welcome speakers on topics such as work-life balance if any in our membership are expert in this area.
Global and Political Challenges: Guidance on censorship, collaboration restrictions, and advocacy
See Strategic Plan Tactic 5.3.1 Identify issues about which ASIS&T should take a position and develop public statements or position papers in support of the ASIS&T view on the issue. See also Strategic Plan Tactic 5.3. 2 Develop a process for publishing policy briefs and white papers on current issues and events of importance to the membership. (ASIS&T Board/Staff)
Resource Access: Better communication, LIS awareness, database access, etc.
Communicating with members is an ongoing challenge. We have tried to reduce the number of emails sent to members and concentrating communication in the Weekly Roundup, but then we hear that people don’t reliably read the Weekly Roundup or Inside ASIS&T so we increase the number of stand-alone emails and have complaints about that. We try to communicate all important news through social media, but not all members use those platforms. It is likely that only a small handful of people will read this communication. If our members have ideas for how we can better communicate with you, please let us know. We are eager to find better ways to communicate with you! In terms of LIS awareness and database access, if the individuals who provided these comments could reach out directly to provide more clarity on what is meant, we are happy to discuss this further.
SIGs & Local Engagement: More topic-specific groups, local/regional chapters, interdisciplinary support
The merger with SLA will bring with it a significant number of new communities in which ASIS&T members can engage. In particular, topic-specific groups will be forming as soon as the merger is concluded. And more local activity is expected as well.