SLA is committed to developing the highest quality educational programming and partnerships to enhance the learning experiences of our members. Further, SLA is committed to generating meaningful research on the profession and its role in the workplace, in the economy, and in society. The combined efforts make SLA the premier association for information professionals to learn, lead, and succeed.
Click University
Proposed by SLA staff in early 2004, Click University provides a 24/7 virtual learning experience for the information profession, complete with libraries of courses ranging from software training and business management to technology and information design; internal communications tools to keep you connected with other participants; and a tracking system to show courses completed.
Site design was completed in late May and initial development with loading of courses and all active members, with all primary pages loaded was completed on June 4th.
Click University Launch was held at Annual Conference on June 6th. During the period June through September, the following site-related accomplishments occurred:
- All Professional Improvement course libraries were packaged and ready for sale;
- The first continuing education programs were made available to members, focusing on copyright law and web technology.
- Sessions recorded at the SLA Annual Conference in Toronto were made available for sale;
- Student forums on topics such as “Technology Trends,” “Managing Virtual Teams,” and “Experiences in Change Management” were launched in the Student Lounge.
- On 15 September, the site was re-configured so that all descriptive pages are open to the public, with membership only necessary to purchase.
- Due to increasing demands for functionality and greater ease of use, a site redesign was scheduled for early 2006.
In order to drive expansion of Click University as a central learning hub for the profession, staff has committed to developing partnerships with universities around the world. Staff began investigating a partnership with Drexel University, with two goals in mind. The first goal would be to allow members who would like to complete an advanced degree or a certificate program to do so through Drexel’s eLearning online campus at a significantly discounted price. The second goal is to match courses that Drexel offers online to the SLA competencies and to develop programs that would enable members to take those courses to complete certification in each of the 4 core competency areas.
Staff also met with SLA members Juanita Richardson and Rebecca Jones, director of the University of Toronto Professional Development Centre, to discuss opportunities for a partnership with Click University. It was agreed that the University of Toronto PDC would enter into a partnership with Click (SLA) in the same manner as the partnership with Drexel, whereby members will receive a 20 percent discount for graduate courses that they take online. It was also agreed that the two entities will continue to look for additional ways in which this partnership can be extended.
Finally, staff will be extending the Click University brand to include live learning events hosted by SLA. They will be recognized as part of “Click University Live!” – in reference to the nature of the learning. This will include all programs operated formerly as the SLA Virtual Learning Series (VLS), and all continuing education courses offered at SLA Annual Conferences and organized by SLA staff.
Virtual Learning Series
SLA continued this increasingly popular option for live learning with 22 total VLS programs and 3 CDS programs in 2005, more than in any previous year. Content has covered a broad range of topics – from content management to negotiating. Additionally, pricing dropped to USD 99.00 for members / USD 149.00 for non-members to generate increased participation.
2005 marked the most successful year for the Virtual Learning Series in its brief history. More programs, more participants, and a lower cost per site meant that SLA and its members benefited from some excellent programming.
2005 Leadership Summit
Programming for the SLA Leadership Summit was broadened for 2005 to focus on development of general leadership skills and capabilities. Increased networking opportunities and inclusion of complete learning experiences are expected to make the event more valuable to participants in the application of leadership in their careers.
Over 230 participants attended the 2005 Leadership Summit. The quality of the programming was enhanced, but transformation of the event so that it attracts information professionals outside the leadership will take time. More focused marketing aided in generating greater awareness of the event; over time, however, the Leadership Summit must develop its own brand and reputation as an opportunity for the profession at large.
Research
IMLS Study on the Future of Librarians in the Workforce
A USD 1,000,000 grant was awarded in September 2004 to a partnership of SLA and various academic institutions to carry out a two year research project into the Future of Librarians in the Workplace.
The first survey instruments have been submitted to the OMB for approval. They are scheduled to be distributed electronically in early 2006. Because of the length of the survey instrument, it has been split into five separate surveys. One main part will go to all libraries being surveyed, together with one of the four other surveys. There is an additional separate survey of library staff. SLA staff has continued to participate in meetings or regular conference calls with the group, and has been directly involved in the review of the survey instruments as part of the Statistics Working Group. SLA members have been appointed to the National Advisory Board and Advisory Panels on specific areas of the study. Information on the study can be found on the “Future of Librarians in the Workforce” Web site at http://libraryworkforce.org/tiki-index.php, and includes the PowerPoint slides of the presentation on the status of the Study that was delivered by Jose-Marie Griffiths and John Latham in June at the SLA Annual Conference.
The survey instruments being sent out in early 2006 will include one tailored for special librarians. SLA members will be notified in advance about the surveys and encouraged to complete them as part of this important study. Results from the initial surveys will be published prior to completion of the study, scheduled for late 2007.
2005 Salary Survey and Workplace Study
With the elimination of the funds for the compensation study in the 2005 budget, we added a small supplemental survey that was completed by the human resource managers of our members’ organizations. The objective of the additional survey is to enhance the SLA annual salary survey results with additional information about the benefits, trends in hiring and expenditure, and changes in job descriptions and competencies of information professionals.
The results of the surveys were published by the end of October. The results of the additional survey have been added as the 2005 Workplace Study. An initial summary of the results can be found on the SLA web site at www.sla.org/salarysurvey2005.
Salary Survey buyers were also granted access to the SLA Salary Calculator. This interactive tool enables the user to analyze salaries based on characteristics such as responsibility, title, budget size, experience, employees supervised, and location. The online tool provides more ways of slicing the information than a two-dimensional analysis in printed form.
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