Join or Renew your DLA Membership

Benefits of DLA Memberships

DLA members enjoy reduced registration fees for conference and other events, listserv access, leadership opportunities, voting rights and more!

Benefits of DLA Membership include the option to join the Library of Congress Federal Credit Union!

Institutional Memberships for Libraries!

Does your library provide DLA memberships for its staff? You may save by becoming an Institutional Membership.
Sustaining and Substantial levels of membership include library staff memberships with no additional charge. Institutional memberships include unlimited job advertising on DLA’s website; this is a great way to get the word out about hiring opportunities.


Personal Memberships!

  • DLA Membership Online Application – Apply and pay online!
  • DLA Membership Form to print, fill out, send in
    (Please download, fill out and save to your computer first, to retain information when you fill this form out.)
    Print your completed membership form to mail in with check, or drop it off for the Treasurer at DLA office in Dover (c/o Delaware Division of Libraries, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dover DE 19901) Contact DLA if you have questions: dlamembership AT lib.de.us.

What is Rolling membership?
This means that you get a full year’s membership, no matter when you renew! We encourage you to stay active in the Delaware Library Association – from renewing your membership to joining a committee to attending meetings – there are many ways to get involved. You will receive an email about a month before your membership is due to expire. Please contact Kathy Joseph to check the status of your membership.

Special combined offer for student members:
Join DLA and the American Library Association (ALA) for only $44.00! For general information and to join, visit: ala.org joint membership program and select Delaware Library Association. Contact Kathy Joseph, Membership Committee Chair, with questions.


I. Membership Categories

A. Personal Membership

  1. Professional – persons employed in a professional capacity in library services.
  2. Paraprofessional – persons employed in a paraprofessional capacity in library services.
  3. Student – persons involved in a program of Library and Information science.
  4. Retired – persons who have retired from active library work.
  5. Trustees – library trustees, Library Advisory Commission members.
  6. Sustaining – persons willing to support the Association to a larger extent than the regular membership.
  7. Honorary Life Members – members who have retired from active library work and are selected by the Executive Board of the Association

(To join the Friends of the Delaware Libraries (FODL),  please see this page.  Note that joining FODL does not automatically include membership with DLA.)

B. Institutional Membership

  1. Regular – libraries, library schools, and other non-profit library-related institutions or agencies.
  2. Sustaining – institutions willing to support the Association to a larger extent than regular membership. Included with Sustaining level are two staff memberships. Please be sure to fill out the appropriate membership forms and include information for staff preferences (Divisions, Committees, level of membership).
  3. Substantial institutions with budgets exceeding $1,000,000. Included with Substantial level are four staff memberships. Please be sure to fill out the appropriate membership forms and include information for staff preferences (Divisions, Committees, level of membership).

II. Dues

  1. The membership year for any member is twelve consecutive months effective the first day of the month following receipt of dues payment.
  2. Membership in one division is included in the general membership dues. Additional divisional memberships can be obtained by payment of an additional fee per division.
  3. Members who have not paid dues for the current year are no longer members of the Association. Their names will be retained on the mailing list for a time period selected by the Membership Committee, with the approval of the Executive Board.
  4. The annual dues for each membership category shall be specified by the Executive Board, provided that the increase for any year is no more than 20% for each category.

III. Rights and Privileges of Members

A. Personal Members

  1. Personal members shall have the right to vote and hold office. They shall be eligible for any special membership rates at Association conferences, workshops, and meetings.
  2. Membership in one division is included in the general membership dues. Additional divisional memberships can be obtained by payment of an additional fee per division to the Association.
  3. Each personal member shall receive a confirmation of payment and membership.
  4. Each personal member shall receive issues of the DLA Bulletin (if distributed in print) and copies of all general mailings to the Association membership.
  5. Membership includes a subscription to the DLA listserv (dla-l).

B. Institutional Members

  1. Institutions paying membership dues shall receive a confirmation of payment and membership.
  2. Institutional members shall receive issues of the DLA Bulletin (if distributed in print) and copies of all general mailings to the Association membership.

Contact Information

For questions pertaining to Delaware Library Association membership, contact the Membership Committee Chair:

Kathy Joseph
Dover Public Library
35 Loockerman Plaza
Dover, De 19901
Phone: (302) 736-7079
dlamembership AT lib.de.us