Just as the library profession is being challenged by the ‘Google-phenomenon’ so too are library associations. Where the library is being challenged by the breakdown of the ‘physical library’, so too is the library association. When it is clearly the case that the public view of libraries is that they are no longer relevant in a digital age, so we find the library associations searching for relevance. This collection of articles, as well as additional pieces to come in the issues to come, explore the complex analyses and responses by professional colleagues across the globe. The articles explore the local ways in which the profession adapts to change and responds to the same global challenges.