*Note: The following is from our archived collection of older documents, and may not reflect the most current information.
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SLA NEW YORK CHAPTER VISIT Wednesday, September 14, 2005 |
Excerpted Remarks By
Janice R. Lachance, Executive Director, SLA
ON CURRENT MEMBER VOTE ON PROPOSED BYLAWS AMENDMENT:
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 (President) 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, they'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.
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.
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.
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