Organizing in and Beyond Library Professional Associations: Lessons from the First Year of the Elder Justice Task Force

The Elder Justice Task Force (EJTF) was founded in 2024 under the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association to fill gaps in the library profession around serving the fastest growing demographic group: people age 65 and older. Through examination of the action research steps taken for creating and sustaining EJTF, this article produces and discusses the Strategic Professional Association Creation Endeavor (SPACE) Framework which focuses on identifying, defining, filling, working, and reflecting on a need for creating or expanding a professional association. This framework could be applicable to broader professional association organizing in librarianship or other professions.