Candidate for Director
Carol L. Ginsburg
There is almost nothing that would keep me away from an SLA Conference. So…I apologize for my absence. This week my daughter Marjorie is giving birth to my first grandchild, a girl named Charley! I promise to be with you next year complete with lots of pictures! I also want to thank Cris Kinghorn, a good friend for delivering my remarks.
I am honored to be running for the office of director on the SLA Board. It is an opportunity to give back to SLA some of what I have received through the 23 years of my membership.When I began my membership in SLA I was a newly minted bank librarian with several librarian friends from Graduate School. They are the ones I called on when I was stumped. The best advice I ever got from my business librarian friends was to immediately join SLA.
From the moment I went to that first New York City midtown luncheon (and got recruited to co-run the luncheons for the next season) I have never looked back. So much of the pragmatic skills I acquired (secrets of the sisterhood if you will) came from my SLA colleagues.
As I advanced in my career, I determined that I would always share what I had learned with newer librarians in the field. I enjoyed being Chairman of the Business and Finance Group of the NY Chapter, President of the NY Chapter and later Chairman of the Business and Finance Division. Along the way, I have also had the privilege of both serving on Association Committees and Chairing some of those committees. Each new assignment was a challenge and an opportunity to meet more SLA members and meet new goals. I have had the opportunity to be part of the committee (Public Relations) that established the Public Relations awards. My years on the Professional Development Comm. began with the first Competencies document. We worked hard to ensure that courses taught by both the Association and the Divisions were relevant to those competencies. Our New Visions Task Force is searching for ways that will enhance the relevancy of the organization and the profession to current members as well as potential members.
I also had the great opportunity to teach for Queens College Graduate Library Program and Long Island University’s Graduate Program. My specialty (as you would imagine) is “Management of Special Libraries” and “Business Reference Sources.” Teaching also has given me the chance to influence and nurture other generations of new special librarians. Every librarian I have mentored has become an enlarging experience. Mentoring for me has always provided much satisfaction.
I believe that much of my success in the business world can be traced to the confidence engendered by my involvement with SLA and teaching graduate classes.
What can I offer SLA as a Director? I can act as a “Janus” the God of doorways or gates who had two faces. Janus was frequently used to symbolize change and transitions such as the progression of past to future, of one condition to another, of one vision to another, and of one universe to another I can look back at what SLA has been, what has been successful and meaningful to us, the members, and I can look forward to what must happen to continue that success, meet our strategic goals and flourish in the twenty first century. Each Board member brings his/her beliefs, experience and skills to the team. My role on the Board will be enhanced by my perspective. I have also had many years of Board experience with other organizations. I know how to move projects forward in a consensual environment.
I believe that one of the great strengths of SLA has always been our ability to reinvent itself as members wanted and as technology allowed. Believe it or not, it wasn’t that long ago that fierce discussion ensued as to whether SLA should accept credit cards! What a long way we have come!
As a beginner librarian I was hired to start a small three person library. As time went by, my organization grew into an international organization with offices in many world capitals. I was able to create a global team who worked together for common goals. This is the way our SLA Board works. This is the way I work best.
I want to help lead SLA into an organization with more members who find relevancy in our benefits. Click University has only just begun. We can market that benefit to librarians who can’t always attend conferences or classes. The personal touch, the friendships, the collegiality of SLA has to be sold to our current and potential members.
The Board’s job is to envision what can be, present it cogently to the membership and move the organization forward. The Board must also keep its collective ears open for ideas and feedback from our membership.
I believe that we can recruit more interested members from graduate schools as well as from the information industries many faceted companies. We have a lot to offer information workers and we need to sell our advantages.
Our “recruit a member” program has been successful, but we have to do even more. I am currently Co-Chairing the New Visions Task Force formed by President Rollo. We are looking at what will attract more members to the Association. Where the gaps are in our offerings, what the environment tells us about the current information climate. As a librarian who lived through mergers, downsizing and great changes in the way information is delivered, Pam thought I would be a good choice for this Task Force. We expect that by the June Annual Conference we will have some great suggestions for the Board to consider.
If you have any questions or comments about my current SLA role, or anything else about my candidacy, please feel free to email me. In between visiting my new granddaughter I will be happy to respond.
I look forward to seeing you all in Baltimore in June. I’ll be the smiling happy grandmother!!
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