Candidate for Division Cabinet Chair-Elect
Lawrence S. Guthrie II
My Fellow SLA Members,
Today we are standing on hallowed ground. Hallowed because this is the familial pathway of Woody Guthrie bound for glory in Oklahoma. 750 miles north of here Woody Guthrie's portrait hangs in the Oklahoma Capitol. His father was County Clerk in Bell County, Texas.
What does this have to do with SLA? What does a the work of a man who loved those who served others, who encouraged these many to speak with one voice for the benefit of all, who traveled the vast spaces of this country from coast to coast uniting in song and sign the work of the humble. What does this have to do with SLA today?
Hopefully, a lot.
Today we are faced with many challenges. Our once quiet and humble workplaces are being thrust into the forefront. Our workplace issues are national and international issues.
For example, the Patriot Act has arrived in Interlibrary Loan. A University of Massachusetts Dartmouth senior was visited by agents of the Department of Homeland Security for books he requested through Interlibrary Loan. As an interlibrary loan librarian, this is a concern to me. Another issue is FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Once relegated to the mid-pages of law reviews, the FISA court at the Department of Justice is suddenly kitchen-table conversation over fears of domestic spying by the government, which can involve libraries. This is a concern.
Recently we received the first Google Librarian newsletter. In it Google has invited us to join hands with them. It states, "Librarians and Google share the same mission, to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." We wonder what such a marriage holds.
With online access we are told that "everything is online."
However, we are busier than ever and "doing more with less." Soon we will not be immune to outsourcing.
A debate rages about whether the printed word is dead. The website FastCompany hosted a debate between blogger Jeff Jarvis at BuzzMagazine and John Griffin, President of National Geographic magazine. Jarvis says "..Print is where words go to die." Griffin responds, "Actually, print is where words go to live -- we're still reading the ancient Greeks. On the other hand, I question the lifespan of blogs."
A recent Online magazine article implies that librarians have a responsibility to police copyright compliance in our own workplaces. As past chair of the SLA Copyright Committee, I am concerned about this responsibility.
All these issues are arriving on the doorstep of SLA. In the face of all these challenges, we must stick to our game plan. We are one of the most respected professions. Our service-orientation is our hallmark of success. Patrons feel welcome where the librarian and information professional is. They have confidence in our guidance and integrity. We share our technology knowledge with developing cultures, and push forward in research. We must continue to be bridge-builders both domestically and internationally. Our challenge is still in solidarity to get the word out about what we do. The train is moving and we are all aboard and bound for glory.
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