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About

MLA Membership for Individuals

Find your professional home with MLA!

  • Connect with the expert colleagues and innovative skills you need to advance your career.
  • Expand your knowledge base by joining the discussions in public and members-only communities.
  • Equip yourself with the latest tools and education in health information management, research, and practice.
  • Explore the latest tips, tricks, and evidence to advocate for your role and expertise in your institution.
  • Apply for funding to finish school, do that next research project, or travel!

 [See also MLA Membership for Institutions | Need to Renew for 2024? | Upgrade from Guest to Member!]

The MLA membership year is currently the calendar year (January 1 to December 31). All dues are payable in US dollars. Dues are non-refundable. Discounts noted below are based on the individual membership $245 dues amount.

2024 Categories and Dues for Individuals

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS

You are an information practitioner who works or has worked in health- or health information-related environments: $245/year CHOOSE >>
     You're a first time member: take a one-year test drive with an introductory membership: $184/year (25% off)
CHOOSE >>
     Your salary is $50,000 or less; this lower dues membership is $123/year (50% off)
CHOOSE >>
     You are currently unemployed: $61 for one year only (75% off)
CHOOSE >>
     You are retired and have been a member 10 years or more: special emeritus rate of $98/year (60% off)
EMAIL US >>

STUDENT MEMBERSHIP

Student membership is available for a single consecutive 2-year term to persons enrolled in a degree program--not certificate--related to health information or health sciences librarianship. Proof of at least part time (two or more courses) enrollment is required for each year of membership: $61/year (75% off)
CHOOSE >>

INTERNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP

You are a health information practitioner outside the US or Canada: $184/year CHOOSE >>
You are from an Research4Life-eligible Group A or B country: $25/year (90% off)
CHOOSE >>

AFFILIATE MEMBERS

You are support staff in health information or a representative of a company/organization interested in health sciences librarianship: $184/year (25% off)
CHOOSE >>

What Are My Benefits?

Connect

  • Share and gain ideas, insights, experiences, and expertise in your MLA online communities.
  • Collaborate and connect with other topic experts by joining an MLA Caucus. Caucuses (based on institution, library, activity type, or short-term issue) provide leadership, programs, and networking for members' wide array of professional practice environments.
  • Share your next great idea with a poster, paper, article, or book—at MLA's annual meeting, in MLAConnect, in the peer-reviewed Journal of the Medical Library Association, in an MLA-sponsored CE course, an MLA book—or even on a #medlibs twitter chat!

Learn

  • Build knowledge throughout your career. Individuals save $40 on MLA's on-demand webinars, $90 on live webcast courses, and $140 to $240 on annual meeting CE.
  • Access hundreds of hours of meeting content—free! Registrants to each MLA annual meeting get immediate access to e-conference content and all members receive meeting content free after one year. [Comong soon.]

Lead

  • Gain leadership experience by volunteering on an MLA committee or section at the national level.
  • Gain recognition with MLA's awards and honors. Apply or nominate deserving colleagues by November 1 each year.
  • Save 15-30% on MLA publications that address information needs of the profession.
  • Save on membership in the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP), MLA's peer-reviewed professional development and career recognition program. The academy provides a structure for individual professional development no matter how long you've been in the field, plus members receive a discount of $195 to join.

Discover

  • Keep pace with the latest professional information with the online weekly MLAConnect (including email content alerts).
  • Watch the online association calendar for information on meetings, seminars, CE, activities, deadlines, and more.
  • Align your library goals with your institution's mission and educate your administration with advocacy resources from MLA. Aim for Excellence!
  • Gain financial support for your education, research, or travel, with more than $50,000 in grants, scholarships, and fellowships available from MLA.
  • Apply critical research to your everyday practice with open access to the electronic archives of the Journal of the Medical Library Association, MLA's peer-reviewed journal.
  • Reach out to patients and families with MLA resources: connect with MLA's "What did my doctor say?" to help patients decipher "medspeak" terms. Or, complete MLA's consumer health information specialization and establish your role as a patient advocate and educator!
  • Connect with your peer community through the online membership directory
  • Find colleagues by expertise area, by geographic region, or search for a mentor—your colleagues are your best resource!
  • Maintain your own professional profile through your "My Page" area and choose what fields and information to share with your colleagues.
  • Looking for a job? Have an expert review your CV or resume, or provide tips on interviewing skills, with MLA's online or annual meeting Resume Clinic services.
  • VOTE! You may become immediately involved in all of the Association's programs, but if you can't, we still listen! Register your voice through MLA's annual ballot elections or on association business at the annual meeting. Your vote counts!
  • Your membership travels with you as your job or status changes. No matter who pays for your membership, it's yours.
  • Expanded leadership roles: as an individual member, you're eligible to hold office at the national, section, and chapter level and to chair important association committees.
  • Get your Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) electronic table of contents regularly.
  • Promote yourself during National Medical Librarians Month each October! MLA provides you with a free poster (on request) each year to help you advocate inside your institution for the roles and critical services medical librarians provide. Also available: other resources and other posters.
  • Your membership travels with you as you move from student to professional. Use our step-up dues program so you can retain your membership as your financial circumstances change—students "step-up" to a discounted dues rate before paying dues as a regular member.
  • Take advantage of special student rates on annual meeting registration and CE courses. Register for the meeting at a significant discount. Student members also qualify for meeting CE courses and symposia for only $50 each, pending available space.
  • Looking for your first professional job? Find a mentor to provide advice about the profession, or have an expert review your resume or provide tips on interviewing skills.
  • Compete for scholarships to finish library school: MLA offers the MLA Scholarship and MLA Scholarship for Underrepresented Students, each offering up to $5,000 to students who've completed at least half of their library school curriculum. Plus, MLA and the National Library of Medicine jointly sponsor two scholarships through the American Library Association (ALA) Spectrum Initiative Scholarship program. This is funded by the National Library of Medicine under NLM Contract NO1-LM-1-3515 with the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library. The two organizations make a total annual donation of $6,500 each year to support minority students in their goals to become health sciences information professionals.
  • VOTE! You might become immediately involved in all of the Association's programs, but if you want to wait until you are out of library school, we'll still listen! Register your voice through MLA's annual ballot elections or on association business at the annual meeting. Your vote counts!

Your country or regional health library association may be your first professional home, but MLA offers you the option to participate in the field globally—we've targeted these special benefits to meet your needs as an international professional:

  • Join and participate in one or more of MLA's 43 caucuses. The International Cooperation Caucus has programs dedicated to international colleagues, including the Visiting Health Information Professionals Program.
  • Access free and low-cost educational opportunities, including on-demand recorded "webinars", online workshops, and past MLA meeting content (papers, posters, plenary speakers) to learn state-of-the-art practices from librarians all over the world.
  • Publish and present your international health information research in the Journal of the Medical Library Association or at MLA's annual meeting.
  • Stay up-to-date with association activities, peer discussions, and more with the online MLAConnect email newsletter, and virtual connections and resources accessible on the MLA website.
  • International members are eligible to win MLA awards and to apply for grants, scholarships, and fellowships, including the Cunningham Fellowship—gain recognition from your peers and gain monetary awards for your research, education, or travel.

Are you...
—a knowledge manager in a health institution, but not in the library profession?
—a representative of a company or organization interested in health sciences librarianship and want to stay abreast of the field?
—support staff working in a health or information-related environment?
If you answered "yes!" to any of these, MLA Affiliate Membership is for you!

  • Participate in the association, connect with leaders in the field, and discover resources that can help you in your job--at a lower dues rate.
  • Looking for a new job in health sciences information? Have an expert review your CV or resume, or provide tips on interviewing skills, with MLA's online or annual meeting Resume Clinic services.
  • Access low-cost (or free!) educational opportunities, including on-demand recorded "webinars", online workshops, and past MLA meeting content (papers, posters, plenary speakers) to learn state-of-the-art practices from health information professionals all over the world.
  • Serve on association section or national committees and gain leadership experience, topic expertise, and a network of peers to support your career goals.
  • Stay informed about association activities, peer discussions, best health information practices, and more with the online MLAConnect (with emailed table of contents) email newsletter, and virtual connections and resources accessible on the MLA website.
  • Need specific help? Search for mentors and experts in more than seventy expertise areas.
  • Maintain your own professional profile through your "My Page" area and choose what fields and information to share with your colleagues.

Upgrade from Guest to Member

Already a guest on MLANET? No need to create a new record to become a member! Visit your profile and add membership easily:

  • Log in
  • View your profile (access from "My Options" under your name in upper right)
  • Choose "Membership" tab
  • Use ellipses menu to "Add individual membership"

Please see the visual reference below. 

upgrade from guest to member

Need to know more? Contact us! Connect with Jim Westwood, Tomi Gunn or Kate Corcoran (312.419.9094) for answers to your questions.