|
SLA NEW YORK CHAPTER VISIT Wednesday, 14 September 2005 |
Remarks By
Janice R. Lachance, Executive Director, SLA
I'm happy to be here in New York, meeting with all of you. It is always a joy to be with such great SLA leaders such as SLA's current president, Pam Rollo, and Board Member Agnes Mattis. I also want to recognize Past President Guy St. Clair. I had the opportunity to meet with the New York Chapter's board this afternoon. It isn't easy to be a volunteer leader-it takes time and a lot of sweat equity. The members of the Board all work very hard to make sure New York's membership has the kind of quality programming and networking that you want. Please join me in thanking them for their efforts-Board Members, would you please stand and be recognized.
SLA has quite a history with New York. Our Association was formed in 1909, and was incorporated in Rhode Island in 1927. We were headquartered here in New York from 1931 to 1985, when we moved to Washington. I have to tell you, I love being in New York so much, I wish the Association had never moved. But our home base in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, is much more affordable property, I assure you. It's less expensive to do business there, and we have a beautiful, new building that we moved into last year, which the Association owns.
So please, when you're visiting the Washington area, make plans to visit your global headquarters. And of course, our state-of-the-art meeting space is available to any SLA group. We also have a very comfortable telecommuter's lounge which any of you are welcome to use if you are in the area.
SLA certainly has long ties with New York, but so do I. The New York Chapter was the first chapter I visited upon taking this position in 2003, and I have been back every year since. It is always a delight to be here with you, and I look forward to the town hall when I get to hear from you. I know none of you are shy and retiring, so I will be happy to answer any questions, or listen to what's on your mind.
First, though, let me update you on what's going on back at headquarters. There's a LOT going on-
- We have a membership vote beginning tomorrow to amend SLA's Bylaws.
- It's our first online vote, so we've put a new system in place to make that happen.
- If passed, we will implement a new dues structure-proposed by the Finance Committee and approved by the Board-at the first of the year.
- We've been working with the Natural Disasters Task Force, responding to Hurricane Katrina, trying to help our units and members there.
- If all that isn't enough, we have Click University up and running, and we're working hard to build it out.
- We had a tremendously successful Annual Conference in June.
- We're working with our new President, Pam Rollo, who, of course, hails from right here in your chapter.
- And, Pam has appointed six new task forces and continued two others which I believe will set the stage for SLA's future success.
- The Board meets next month to, hopefully, approve the '06 Strategic Plan and Budget.
- Work is well underway for Annual Conference for next year.
And there's more. Like I said, there's a lot going on.
First, let me talk about the vote-
Beginning tomorrow, you the members of SLA will begin casting your votes on an important amendment to the Association's bylaws. This vote is particularly important for a couple of reasons. Number one, it is the first time SLA members have ever been able to vote electronically over the Internet-it's our first "e-Vote." Number two, it decides whether we can implement the new Membership Dues Structure recommended by the Finance Committee and approved by the Board in June.
About the e-Vote-
At the Association's Annual Business Meeting in Toronto in June, the membership-about 3,000 of you-overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the bylaws. That successful vote made it possible for the Association to give a voice to the rank-and-file member-members no longer have to attend a business meeting in person to get to vote, they can cast their ballot electronically through the Internet. This is the future of Association Democracy. It means more members can make their voice heard and participate in determining the course of their professional Association.
So, after that successful vote in Toronto, we went back to Virginia and set about finding a tool to make SLA e-Voting a reality. An online voting tool is known as a "secure remote electronic voting system." What that means, of course, is that you can cast your vote from almost anywhere, electronically, and you are assured the system is secure-that your vote will be counted correctly and the electronic ballot box is not vulnerable to corruption.
We chose a tool called "VoteNet." We now have it in place and tested. Beginning tomorrow, you will be able to see it and use it yourself. We think you'll like it. And please, any of you who are cyber-phobic or closet Luddites, give us a chance. Voting online is quicker, easier, and cheaper. Please give it a try. It literally will take two- to three-minutes for you to vote-five if you read all of the text very slowly.
You have been getting emails about the upcoming vote, and soon you will receive an email with the link to the secure VoteNet site. You'll need to log-in using your SLA ID and PIN. Your ID and PIN are your unique identifier, your "signature," your authenticator. And for any of you who don't have your SLA ID and PIN memorized, the personalized email you receive will tell you what your unique ID and PIN are.
Now, if you don't have email, you will receive a paper ballot through the mail. Or if you just don't want to vote online, you can request a paper ballot.
No matter how you vote, all members are eligible, and we encourage you to participate in the process. The voting period begins tomorrow, Thursday, September 15, and goes through Friday, October 7.
Let's talk a little more about the vote, the ballot question before you-
The vote is related to your Association dues, your membership dues.
Now, I know-I can hear the moans and groans already. I want to be right up front about this-the vote is related to a membership dues increase.
SLA hasn't had a dues increase since 1999-we are going on seven years now. The Finance Committee, the watchdog of your Association's finances, looked at the revenues and proposed the increase. The Board approved it.
But, although it will be an increase for most of you, it actually is part of a flexible new dues structure that will reduce some members' dues. More about that in a minute.
Let's face it, nobody likes dues increases. Nobody likes to pay more for anything. I certainly don't like to pull my SUV up to the gas station these days. And I can't believe what's going on with my electric bill. But the Board and I hope we have made the case for the new, flexible dues structure and provided you with enough information so that you can make an informed, intelligent decision and cast your vote.
We have held two "virtual forums," which were not well-attended. On August 31 and September 8, (SLA President) Pam (Rollo), Board Treasurer Gloria Zamora, former Bylaws Committee Chair Lyle Minter, and I hosted meetings to present the proposed bylaws amendment and discuss the new dues structure. Members could participate by telephone and through the Web.
Although we did not have a large number of people participate, we did receive questions, which I think we answered straightforwardly. We also have received questions via email, and Pam and other Board Members have tried to answer each one personally.
The vote, the question actually before you, is not whether to raise dues or restructure your dues-it is to amend the Association's bylaws.
The amendment would lift a provision of the bylaws that prohibits dues increases higher than 12%.
There are a number of factors at play here-
A dues increase higher than 12% sounds like a lot. The reality is that within the last 20-years, SLA has had only three dues increases-this is the fourth in 20 years-and ALL of them have been above 12%. The highest recent increase, in 1995, was 40%. The amount of the current dues increase is 28% or $35 a year. And some members will actually see their dues reduced. But let's stick to discussing the 12% cap for the moment.
The 12% cap was put into the bylaws in 2002. It originated with a Bylaws Committee Task Force in 1999. As Pam (Rollo) does such a good job pointing out to members, historically the cap has not been there-it's relatively new. And so far, it has not served a purpose-it has never been used. And, indeed, if history is our guide, it "hamstrings" the Board as it endeavors now to exercise its fiduciary responsibility.
Membership dues have not increased since 1999-six years ago, seven from when the new dues structure takes effect. In order to keep up with inflation, keep the Association's finances stable now and into the near future, and continue to deliver, expand, and enhance some key member services, it is the Board's judgment that the Association needs additional dues funding.
Coinciding with the need for additional dues, the Board and the Finance Committee were considering a request for a new, more flexible dues structure. In late 2003, the Kentucky Chapter submitted to the Board a written request for a revamping of the dues. Kentucky's membership rolls had declined as that region suffered economically.
Chapter members looked at the short- and long-term future and determined a new, more flexible dues structure would help. The new structure, they suggested, should allow for membership dues determined by income level. Kentucky envisioned a tiered dues structure that would be beneficial to their short- and long-term health and survival.
After reviewing the Kentucky Chapter request and investigating possible alternatives, the Finance Committee developed a new, more flexible membership dues structure and recommended it to the Board. At the June Board meeting in Toronto, Board Members unanimously approved the recommendation. The new dues structure is to take effect January 1.
Here's what the new, tiered structure looks like-
- For retired, student, and virtual members, there's no change.
- For organizational members, dues would increase to $650 a year.
- For members earning more than $35,000 U.S., which is probably everyone in this room, dues would increase $35 a year. Currently your dues are $125 a year. Beginning January 1, you'll be $160.
I'll talk more about that in a minute, but first let me tell you about the new dues tier, the one that responds to the need expressed by the Kentucky Chapter.
- Members who earn less than $35,000 a year will pay dues of $99 a year. For current members who fall into that category, they will actually see their dues drop by $26. That's a decrease of almost 21%.
For SLA, this new dues level means that we can retain members, rather than lose them, and attract greater numbers. It means we can keep our members who are in economic areas that are suffering. It means we can be more appealing to people who work part-time. It means we become more attractive to information professionals in markets around the world. It means we attract all of these people to our Association, rather than watching as they go to some other professional association.
The new tier will help us expand our numbers in the U.S. and North America, in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and throughout Asia and emerging markets around the world.
There is strength in numbers, and we will all be better served as our membership rolls rise rather than decline.
The Board has approved the new, tiered dues structure. But in order for the structure to be fully enacted, in order for it to fully take effect, the 12% cap must be lifted.
That's what you and your fellow members will be voting on beginning tomorrow.
As you consider how to cast your vote, there's another provision in the Bylaws of which you should be aware.
In addition to the current 12% cap, the Bylaws provide that membership dues cannot be increased more often than every three years. When the Board moved to put a new dues structure in place and put a bylaws amendment before the membership, it chose to leave intact this other Bylaws protection.
The Bylaws will continue to say that dues cannot be raised but once in any three-year period. That means that when the new dues structure takes effect at the beginning of the year the soonest your dues could be raised again would be January 1, 2009.
That's not to say there's a plan to do that-I'm just saying there's a Bylaws protection that assures that.
And dues historically have not been raised every three-years. This is the first increase in seven-years. Before that, it was four-years. And before that, it was eight-years.
The portion of dues funding returning to chapters, divisions, and caucuses will increase 20%. So you'll have more funds here in New York to support your chapter work.
And the additional revenue will sustain, expand, and enhance member benefits and services like-
Click University. The site is up and running-please visit it, if you haven't already done so. Just go to sla.learn.com.
Members have repeatedly identified professional development and continuing education as a primary need, and Click University will provide that to every member, everywhere, any time. The first and only one of its kind, Click University offers courses specific to the information professional's needs.
Working with Syracuse and Drexel Universities and the WISE Consortium, we are expanding the course offerings. Additional funding would mean we could move into offering certificate and even degree programs through SLA's online university-your Association's professional development resource.
Click University is a benefit exclusively for members. With appropriate funding, we will build an online university so strong that members will join SLA just to get access. With proper funding, the Association's investment will pay off in the long run.
Another resource that desperately needs greater investment is our Web site.
Today, most Web sites are retooled every year or even more often. Substantial improvements to your SLA Web site have not been made since the re-launch in 2004. That sounds pretty recent, but the site has not kept pace with technology.
With additional funding we could expand into newer areas, like audio- and video-streaming-we could have put last week's member forum on our Web site. We could enhance the availability of resources formerly provided in hardcopy form, and expand the transactions you can do online-like membership renewal. We could improve the site's navigability and taxonomy, making it easier to move around and find what you're looking for.
SLA must make a proper investment in keeping the Web site current and efficient. It is the only way business is done in this Internet age and I believe it is key to our survival.
We have, in recent budgets, put off needed improvements, like to the Web site. One project entirely postponed due to lack of funding was a wide-ranging compensation study.
SLA's salary survey, detailing the salaries of information professionals across the far-reaches of industries, is a hallmark of our Association. It is the study regarded across the information industry and used by all special librarians and information professionals. As a famous New Orleans chef likes to say, it's time to take it up a notch. We need to contract with a globally-recognized consultancy to conduct the compensation study and release the results. It will give the study more credibility when you talk with your bosses, and it strengthens SLA's reputation as a resource for empirical data related to our profession.
And, speaking of bosses, (President) Pam (Rollo) has established a task force to examine what we can do to help executives work more effectively-something I have advocated since my arrival.
Those are just a few of the key member benefits and services in need of new revenues. As you consider your vote on the bylaws amendment, please keep in mind that additional dues revenues are greatly needed for these and other initiatives.
Aside from the vote, e-Voting, the new dues structure, Click University, and the other initiatives I've just mentioned, we also have spent a great deal of time over the past couple of weeks responding to Hurricane Katrina.
Probably each of us in this room has been touched in some way by the Gulf Coast disaster. Some of you may know that I am a graduate of Tulane Law School so I had the privilege of spending three years in New Orleans. That glorious city is also where I became passionate about politics. So, in many ways, I am who I am today because of that magnificent city. As soon as the storm subsided, Pam (Rollo) and a number of us were on the phone and the Internet trying to reach the officers of our chapters in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
As far as we have learned, all of SLA's members are safe. There, of course, is great need, however. About 48-hours after Hurricane Katrina hit our shores, Associate Executive Director for Communications John Crosby and I were on the phone with IPANDA. I think that may have been faster than FEMA's response.
For those of you not that familiar with IPANDA, it is SLA's "Information Professionals Alliance on Natural Disasters and Accidents." It was formed from the Disasters Task Force created in response to the devastating Southeast Asia tsunami of Christmas 2004.
Within hours of our meeting, the IPANDA-net Web-log was focused on the Gulf Coast. IPANDA Chair Dav Robertson and SLA members and staff were posting information and resources to the blog. Members were posting the most generous offers of help and assistance. One even offered to fly an evacuated family out of region and provide room and board for three months. Another offered a family the use of her vacation home.
The concern, kindness, and generosity of SLA members became evident immediately after the disaster. Now that emergency food and shelter are in place for most victims, SLA's assistance is becoming more special library-specific. IPANDA, members, and staff are identifying the special collection needs of information professionals in the disaster zone and elsewhere and working to match them with units and members who can help. If you haven't yet visited the blog, you can get there from our Web site's homepage.
I am so proud to be associated with the concerned, kind, and generous people who are so selflessly giving in this time of national crisis. SLA is a great association.
Beyond Katrina, when we have time to catch our breath, work is progressing on SLA 2006, our Annual Conference to be held in Baltimore. You are going to love attending conference in Baltimore. Everything centers around the beautiful Inner Harbor, and the convention center and all the hotels, restaurants, and shopping are within walking distance. And oh my, are Baltimore's crab cakes good.
The theme for the conference is "Baltimore-Where Tradition and Transformation Converge." It will be focused on where SLA is going in relation to where it has been. Our keynote speakers are Walt Mossberg of your own Wall Street Journal and Gwen Ifill of PBS's "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." The dates are June 11 through 14, so mark your calendars to be in Baltimore.
SLA 2005, our Annual Conference in Toronto, was a huge success. It was our biggest conference in years-about 5,300 people attended. The INFO-EXPO exhibit hall was one of the biggest and busiest ever. We had more than 440 booths that brought in about $950,000-more than $200,000 over the year before. Exhibit sales for Baltimore are very strong, partially because of the city's proximity to Washington, and we hope for a very strong conference next year.
SLA's strategic priority moving into 2006 is two-fold-
One, we need to grow and retain membership.
Two, we must invest in providing professional development and continuing education opportunities for our members.
The two go hand-in-hand. We cannot do one without the other.
As the Association moves through this first decade of the new millennium, Learning is the key to its success, and the key to our members' success in their workplaces. We must continue to emphasize Learning as an integral part of our Association mission.
I've given you a lot to think about. Please participate in the member vote that begins tomorrow. Please educate yourself and your fellow members so that you cast an informed, intelligent ballot.
You may have questions about that or about our strategic priorities or some of the other initiatives I've talked about. Please, I would like to entertain your questions or listen to your points of view.
Thank you for inviting me here, and thank you for your attention.
Now, I'll be happy to take your questions.
RSS
Feedback form
