Aside from following the provision of the law governing the profession of librarianship (RA 9246, Article IV, Sec. 30), a member gets the following benefits which he/she does not get from joining other library associations:
For Individual Members
- get the prestige of belonging to a national accredited professional organization;
- have something to show accrediting agencies and/or government agencies (i.e., CHED, PRC) that are inspecting libraries;
- get an official certification when attending international conferences (especially when asking for a grant or discounted registration fee);
- pay reduced registration rate to PLAI-sponsored continuing professional development activities;
- get a copy of PLAI online newsletter;
- get discounts from several bookstores/book dealers;
- linkages and networks (both local and international);
- possibility of being considered for prestigious awards (e.g., Severino Velasco Award)
Hall of Fame Award, Outstanding Professional Librarian Award
- opportunity to do service to colleagues or to the profession as a contribution to nation building
- formulation of / amendments to laws, policies, etc.
- outreach program to help libraries/librarians who are victims of calamities
In return, a member can give the following to PLAI:
- quality time and effort;
- talent and skill;
- wisdom acquired from experience through the years;
- new ideas and innovative ways of doing things;
- financial resources;
- contacts for networking/linkages;
- support to its programs and activities through paying of annual dues, participation in meetings and CPD activities, cooperation on policies and guidelines, and inviting other librarians to be members and /or to pay their annual dues
