100 is just a beginning
John R. Latham
I am writing this at an important milestone in my life as well as SLA's in that I shall be retiring from the staff of SLA at the end of June after nearly fourteen years. As an information professional as well SLA has been my association professionally as well as my employer. Occasions such as these are a time for looking forward to the future with a quick glimpse at the past. With the world economy in such a mess we all have to reassess what we are doing, why are we doing it and should we continue to do it? And by "we" I mean you and I individually, and SLA as our family. SLA has just completed its alignment project and what a prescient piece of timing that turned out to be. It is a perfect time to refine SLA's current positioning in the marketplace, and provide its members with a framework for discussing the value that they bring to their employers in a clear, compelling and cohesive voice.
The quick glimpse at the past makes me think how little has changed, but in the same breath how much has changed. John Cotton Dana in 1909 stressed the importance of librarians fully understanding their organizations goals and providing information for users to achieve these goals. Nothing has changed there today. What has changed so significantly is the dissemination of this information, and I have always been impressed on how cutting edge SLA as an association has been in embracing these technological changes. We may not always have got it right the first time, but at least we did not flinch at accepting change. The Innovation Lab is a prime example of adopting new technologies for the benefit of SLA's members.
So where do we go from here? Here are a few thoughts that came to mind. Keep doing more of the same, but broaden our horizons. As an association we need to provide wide and attractive networking opportunities. We have such a diverse membership both by topic and by geography that the more we share information and experiences the more we will all gain. There are so many different ways of communicating with the new and changing Web2.0 formats. We must embrace all of them and put to good use the ones that suit our situation the best. By providing state-of-the-art learning opportunities SLA can help members develop their competencies and skill sets, but the members need to take these opportunities made available to them. An economic downturn is a great time to do this. Even when there is an economic upturn we will still be fighting for resources within our organization and proving our value within the organization to senior management will continue to be critical. By aligning ourselves with the right partners and researching developments within the profession and industry, such as embedded librarianship, and the many new roles for information professionals, we can continue to enhance the value of the association and its members.
2009 is just another beginning.
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