All graduates are eligible for membership in ISTA, and students are welcome at its events. Once a year, ISTA sponsors a social gathering at a Philadelphia cultural center. ISTA also awards the John B. Hall Scholarship to at least one master's student each fall. The ISTA loan fund is available to IST graduate students for low interest loans. Technically, only students who are members of the national organizations of ALA, SCIP, and SLA are members of the student chapters.
All students benefit, however, from the panels and other events sponsored by the student chapters.
IST alumni participate in these panel discussions about their careers. The panels focus on specific topics such as career advancement, organizational politics or computer applications. All IST graduate students are encouraged to attend alumni panels. Professional SCIP and SLA chapters produce newsletters and hold regular business and dinner meetings in the Philadelphia area to which students are invited. Membership applications for the national professional associations are available in the IST Placement Office, Rush Building, Room 304.