CONTACT:
John Crosby
+1.703.647.4916
jcrosby@sla.org
www.sla.org
SLA Creates New Competitive Intelligence Division
to Attract CI Professionals Worldwide
Alexandria, VA, USA, July 20, 2004 – The Special Libraries Association (SLA) has formed a new Competitive Intelligence Division, the 24th professional interest network within its membership. The SLA Board of Directors approved the new division during its meetings held last month in conjunction with the SLA Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
SLA member Karen Kreizman Reczek (Bureau Veritas, Buffalo, New York, USA) organized the petition drive urging the Association’s Board of Directors to create a “CI” Division. “I am really excited about this new SLA division, as I’ve been involved in competitive intelligence for 14 years now. Many SLA members are CI practitioners, and making us a recognized part of the SLA community means we can more easily draw other CI professionals into the fold.”
Competitive intelligence is an area of practice that directly integrates external information and knowledge management with business strategy and analysis in companies, governments, and non-profit organizations. Many information professionals have evolved beyond their core skills in collecting and managing information to provide the examination of data and content that can help their organizations succeed.
“With 12,000 information professional members worldwide, SLA is poised to grow rapidly in this very important sector of the profession,” declared Janice R. Lachance, Executive Director of SLA. “Competitive intelligence professionals are a major part of our growth strategy, so it just makes sense for us to create an official community where they can learn together and take advantage of the unmatched networking opportunities available at SLA.”
Jerry Miller (Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA), the inaugural Chair of the CI Division, was elated to assume leadership of such a critical Association unit. “This movement is very important to the continued growth of the profession, in blending the traditional roles of information professionals with strategic aspects of business or government.”
The new division has acquired 175 members in six weeks of existence.
For more information on the SLA Competitive Intelligence Division, go to http://www.sla.org/division/dci/cihome.htm.
About SLA
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves more than 12,000 members in 83 countries in the information profession, including corporate, academic and government information specialists. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives. Visit SLA on the Web at www.sla.org.
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