GRADUATE EDUCATION POSITION STATEMENT
Background
In June of 1988, SLA's Board of Directors approved the association's first-ever assertion of the competencies and skills desirable to meet the educational needs of potential special librarians. Provision was made for the Professional Development Committee, which had developed the statement, to periodically review and revise the document, if necessary.
The following is the first revision of the position statement since its inception. The committee feels that the statement is a very forward-looking document and has stood the test of time remarkably well. The changes made are not major and have been done mainly to emphasize the importance based on the different quality value-added services offered by corporate and other information specialists.
Please note that revisions are indicated by being underlined.
GRADUATE EDUCATION POSITION STATEMENT
Revision - Spring 1992
Introduction
Special librarians must meet a set of professional demands requiring competencies and skills that are not required in other library settings. The Special Libraries Association agrees that the competencies, skills, and attitudes derived from an accredited MLS program are important in any information environment. However, SLA is concerned that many library schools' curricula do not offer the type or range of educational experiences necessary to prepare students for careers in special librarianship.
A brief analysis of each component of the Professional Development Program provides enlightening information:
- Annual Conference
The SLA Annual Conference and professional development programs were ranked numbers l and 2 of current and proposed services in the 1991 "Super Survey." More than 900 individuals (over 7% of the entire membership) participated in an annual conference continuing education course in 1991. One of every three conference registrants took part in a professional development offering. - Cosponsored/Regional Courses
The cosponsored regional courses appeared to be hard hit by the recession. However, it is interesting to note that, after only three months of the 1992 fiscal year, registration in regional cosponsored courses has reached over 50% of 1991 totals. It is also interesting to note that, according to the 1991 "Super Survey," fully 25% of SLA's membership has, at some point, participated in a regional or regional cosponsored CE program. This participation rate reflects well on SLA's 1978 decision to specifically design a program to bring SLA's educational offerings to those unable to attend major conferences. - Middle Management Institute
The MMI continues to attract a solid number of registrants. In fact, participation rates in 1991, arguably the worst year of the current recession, were up 18% over 1990. - Winter Education Conference
The 1992 Winter Education Conference in Clearwater attracted over 130 attendees, a 10% increase over 1991. - State-of-the-Art Institute
Attendance at the 1991 State-of-the-Art Institute expanded to 50 participants in 1991, a significant increase over 1990. The extremely timely and thought-provoking topics of this conference contribute to its popularity. - Self-Study Program
Self-study has proved to be a significant success, with over 1,300 units sold in the two years ending December 1991. This trend appears to be continuing in 1992: 400 units have been purchased in the first quarter of the year alone. Interestingly enough, the 1991 "Super Survey" revealed only a 60% awareness factor of the Self-Study Programs, indicating a potential for further sales.
Generally speaking, between 20% and 25% of the membership participates in a professional development offering in any given year. Over the past four years, more than 35 new courses and workshops have been introduced in response to members' learning needs and requirements. New courses have represented approximately 30% of each year's professional development offerings. In addition, the 1991 "Super Survey" results indicate that more than 80% of the membership is aware of the SLA Annual Conference as an opportunity for continuing education, the regional cosponsored courses, the Middle Management Institute, and the Winter Education Conference.
It is evident that the membership participates in and requires a vital and innovative continuing education program. It is equally evident that the financial considerations of maintaining these essential programs are of paramount importance. It must be noted that, even in the economically depressed year of 1991, the professional development program was a break-even operation, with 100% of all costs (including salaries, benefits, and overhead) allocated. Professional development has been, at least for the past five years, either a break-even or money-making area of the association.
This has been accomplished by offering more and better services to more and more members. It has also been accomplished by extremely diligent planning and assiduous effort on the part of the 1.5 full-time professional staff members dedicated to this area. While we can celebrate the fact that in the years between 1987 and 1991 gross income from professional development increased 66%, we must also take note of the fact that in the same period of time, direct expenses (not including allocations for salaries, benefits and overhead) increased 51%. An equally important and more ominous statistic is that course fees charged to participants have not increased in proportion with rising expenses.
The issues facing us at this moment in time involve pressure and a shrinking pool of available funds. Professional development is under pressure not only to recover costs, but to provide additional monies to support development as well as sustaining other, non-income-producing areas of the association. The association is under pressure to provide more services to members in many areas, including (but certainly not limited to) professional development, public relations, and research. These pressures are being exerted in a time frame in which the failure of the dues increase, in conjunction with current economic restraint, has led to inevitable financial tension. Simultaneously, an inordinate proportion of present membership growth is coming from the "Student" category. While no one could possibly argue the fact that students are the future of our profession, it is nevertheless true that in terms of SLA's finances, the association expends considerably more monies on each student member than it takes in. On a purely practical basis, this phenomenon deserves further study.
There are no easy solutions to many of these issues. However, it is imperative that the association examine and enunciate its priorities yet again. The membership has demonstrated that professional development has been, is, and will continue to be of significant value. Professional development will continue to pursue its goal to serve each member's learning needs, from entry into the profession through the executive level, and do so on a cost-effective basis.
The growth of our profession will result from our efforts to improve the services we provide. We must continue to foster the gains we have made in the area of professional development and to nurture our considerable investment in the education and continuous improvement of our members.
Approved: June 1992
Supersedes: June 1988
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