5 June 2007
SLA Annual Membership Meeting, featuring Candidate Speeches
Speech given by Susan Fifer Canby, Candidate for Chapter Cabinet Chair-Elect
Hello everyone. I remember when I got my first library job and joined SLA in 1975 - I was startled that many people didn't believe me when I said I was a librarian. Somehow I didn't match their stereotype of a librarian.
Now, it's ironic: while many of us feel called to this work because it excites and stimulates us and we know improves Society, the new "information stereotype" still questions the need for librarians in today's Google world. We are challenged to justify our personal choice of profession, as well as its relevance and significance in our institutions, and sometimes even the world. While we are transforming ourselves and our organizations to fly into the Digital Age, doing that excellent work that only we can do, still we have to justify our existence over and over, or our resources dry up.
I've worked for one employer for a long time, so Special Libraries Association has always been important to me because it provided me a venue to learn new skills when I had no model to learn on the job. My SLA colleagues shared with me a breadth of experience that can't be found at any single workplace, plus encouragement and a sympathetic ear, a built-in network, and more.
I appreciate that SLA amplifies our voices, provides us a forum to share information and best practices, provides us learning tools, leads by example, and in more recent years has become a major advocate. I believe in the progressive role SLA plays for all of us - that it is working at our side to enhance our profession, the roles we play.
I want to be elected to the board, because I want to work with SLA to develop emerging leaders in our field. We MUST develop new leaders to ensure a strong future for SLA, and to meet our obligation to our profession, and to Society. Energetic creative leadership leads to excellent library services and programs. I'm not a library director. I'm a vice president of my company, and it's that kind of executive leadership that brings my organization recognition and a strong position for my library.
My resume is on the SLA Web site. In brief, I offer you 32 years of library management experience, 20 years of board experience including the OCLC Membership Council, recent Washington DC chapter presidency and program experience.
People tell me I am a good listener, team builder, coach and mentor and I would apply those skills with individual chapters and their officers to make their association with SLA successful. I have been recognized by SLA with awards for both Leadership and Innovation with Technology and the National Geographic Library has been recognized as a Center of Excellence for management. Let me bring that expertise to bear for our Association.
If you believe as I do that the future requires developing strong leaders for the Association and our profession, please consider voting for me to serve as chapter cabinet chair elect. Thank you.
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