At the April 8, 2016 meeting, the Membership Chair reported 351 regular members, 4 retiree members, and 20 student members. Results of the recent Membership Survey were also shared. With a response rate of approximately 44%, survey respondents were fairly representative of the overall membership. The chart below describes the place of employment of the survey respondents as compared to the overall membership.

Several themes emerged from the responses. The annual conference was cited frequently as one of the valuable membership benefits and was the most preferred format for professional development. This is perhaps due to the networking opportunities provided by the organization. In fact, the opportunity to network with colleagues was the most valued benefit of ALAO membership. However, there were several suggestions to offer a variety of topics and formats for engagement with ALAO. The ALAO Executive Board has used this feedback to explore online workshop options with varying topics. More timely and editorial communication in the form of the website, newsletter, and social media were also suggested. The survey results will also be used to inform future planning for annual conference location, interest group workshop planning, and membership communication.

Katy Mathuews, Membership Chair, Ohio University