It has been almost one hundred and forty years since the founding of the American Library Association (ALA), eighty years since the founding of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and eight decades since the beginning of professional associating in Serbia, yet the question of unequal achievements of individual library associations is still being topical. While the primary motives for joining the American Library Association are professional development, continuing education, professional connections and support, it is quite legitimate to ask whether this could be motivation for joining one of the library associations in the local conditions. Additionally, what the existing associations can do to increase their membership and encourage it to involve more dynamically?

The section Theme of the No. 25 of Čitalište - No. 25 brings the indirect reminder of the foundations of the Serbian Library Association (SLA) that were set by the Association of Yugoslav Librarians and its activities in the period 1931–1941 (the author of the text is Biljana Đurašinović). There is also a somewhat more direct reminder of insufficient involvement of the Serbian Library Association in solving problems of the special professional groups (school librarians, museum librarians) which has resulted in establishing their independent associations (the authors of this article are Roksanda Ignjatović and Olivera Nastić). On the other hand, while the Serbian Library Association is investigating and “listening carefully” to the opinion of the librarian public getting ready to strengthen communication channels and its own structure (the article by Vesna Vuksan), one could, in the light of the increasingly unstable status of librarians in our society, examine what are the goals that the new associations have achieved by separation.

Contrary to the current situation in Serbia, the strongest professional organizations in the world are actually an umbrella for dozens of the other ones, specialized, for whom they provide access thanks to a wide platform upon which they offer cooperation. As shown by the examples of ALA (the text by Michael Dowling) and IFLA (there is the review of its eightieth congress in the section Link), mass participation goes hand in hand with high dues and attendance fees, internationalism with dominance of the most developed, and diversity with a certain amount of nonchalance and freedom of speech. The only thing that is unquestionable is belonging to the profession, a sense of common interest and willingness to cooperate. Only this and nothing more.

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