Contact:
Cara Battaglini Schatz
+1.703.647.4917
cara@sla.org

New Certificate Program for Knowledge Management Professionals
Offered by SLA's Click University

Courses Developed by SMR International Will Provide Info Pros with
Valuable Skills Needed in Today's Corporate Environment

Alexandria, VA, USA, 12 October 2007 -The Special Libraries Association (SLA), a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners, today announced it will offer its members a new opportunity to earn a knowledge management (KM) certificate. The certificate will be offered through Click University, the first and only online learning system for post-graduate, practicing librarians and information professionals.

Building on the success of the Competitive Intelligence Certificates Program offered by SLA's Click U over the last year, and in response to the changing needs of organizations to better harness and manage the use and application of proprietary and industry information, SLA will offer the KM certificate to members only. The KM certificates program will consist of three different levels of curriculum so that information professionals may choose courses based on their specific function within their organizations.

According the 2007 SLA Workplace Study and Salary Survey, KM is one of the highest paid disciplines within the information profession with a median annual salary of $76,000 for respondents in the U.S. who identified KM as their primary area of responsibility. The 7.2 percent increase in 2007 for KM pros in the same position as the previous year (in comparison to the 5.1 percent across-the-board increase for other information professionals same position as last year) demonstrates increased importance being placed on this function, as well as recognition of the significant strategic value KM pros add to an organization.

"Corporations of all sizes are recognizing that in order to be successful in today's competitive environment, smart and savvy management of institutional information is the cornerstone of a sound business strategy," said SLA CEO Janice R. Lachance. "I am extremely pleased we are making more advanced KM training available to SLA members with curricula designed specifically to enhance their capabilities in these roles. It is through participation in career shaping training and development, like the Click U Certificates Programs, that our members will be seen as the valuable and indispensable assets they are in any enterprise."

KM courses will begin in 2008 and will be open to those working towards a full KM certificate and to those SLA members seeking occasional courses to enhance their professional development and expertise. The programs will be appropriate for seasoned KM professionals as well as library and information science (LIS) professionals that are not currently performing a KM function. A third certificate will be a dual certificate combining the two.

The Certificate in Knowledge Management is designed for information professionals and other knowledge workers who are interested in transitioning into a more formal KM role in their organizations or are seeking to learn more about KM in anticipation of a future need for KM expertise in their careers.

The Certificate in Knowledge Services is designed for information professionals and other knowledge workers who are interested in bringing the benefits of well-managed information, knowledge, and strategic learning delivery into the service of the larger organization. Knowledge services is defined as the convergence of information management, knowledge management and strategic learning and is best thought of as putting knowledge management to work, the practical side of KM.

The Certificate in Knowledge Management and Knowledge Services is designed to provide information professionals and other knowledge workers with the expertise and skills they need for building an enterprise-wide knowledge culture for the organizations in which they are employed. The program combines theoretical and practical approaches to the subject, delivering an end result for the larger enterprise that serves as a framework for measurable and tangible benefits in the utilization of information, knowledge, and strategic learning in achieving the corporate or organizational mission.

SLA will work in partnership with SMR International drawing on the company's intelligence, research, and training expertise to design and develop the program. A blended learning approach, combining online modules with instructor-led classroom training, will be incorporated into all three certificates. Guy St. Clair, president, SMR International, will develop and present the online courses. Dale Stanley, associate director, Enterprise Information Science Services at Genentech, San Francisco, will join St. Clair as instructor in the classroom training. Both St. Clair and Stanley are active members of SLA's Knowledge Management Division.

About SLA
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves more than 11,000 members in 75 countries in the information profession, including corporate, academic, and government information specialists. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.sla.org.

About SLA's Click University
SLA's Click U, launched in 2005, is the first and only online learning community focusing on continuing professional education for librarians, information professionals and knowledge workers. Click U is primarily designed to provide SLA members with state-of-the-art learning opportunities in partnership with today's information industry superstars. Courses on software and technology, management, communications, and leadership are designed to enhance the skills acquired through traditional library education. Click U also provides accessible certificate programs for information professionals looking to take the next step into a new career and utilize their traditional information skills in fields such as competitive intelligence, knowledge management, and copyright management. For more information about Click U go to www.clickuniversity.com.

About SMR International
SMR International (http://www.smr-knowledge.com) is a New York-based consultancy firm focused on change and its impact on people, organizational effectiveness, and knowledge services delivery within the larger organization. SMR International specializes in helping institutions and organizations explore alternative future programs and then assisting them in crafting these visions into functional definition. Much of the firm's work has been helping organizations re-conceptualize, transform, and support new ways of managing knowledge services-defined as the convergence of information management (which includes the management of specialized libraries and resource centers), knowledge management, and strategic learning for enabling research, contextual decision-making, and innovation. Knowledge services is recognized as a management and service delivery methodology that leads to enterprise-wide knowledge development and knowledge sharing (KD/KS).

Notes to Editors:

• For additional information, statistics or to schedule a supporting interview contact Cara Battaglini Schatz in the SLA PR Office (cara@sla.org or +1.703.647.4917)