An Open Letter to the Information Profession
The following is a condensed and adapted version of a message delivered recently by David R. Bender, Ph.D., executive director of SLA, to the SLA membership:
I've been reflecting quite a bit on the future of the information profession. What does it hold for all of us who have called this profession home, as well as those who are looking to it for the first time? Although I cannot say for sure what the future holds, I've recently had the opportunity to glimpse at a possible future.
The August 28th issue of Business Week featured a series of articles focusing on the twenty-first century workplace. These articles discuss such things as new age careers (Chief Web Officer & Chief Knowledge Officer), the need for visionaries in the corporate world, and current executives' views on the knowledge economy. You can view the text of these articles on the web at http://www.businessweek.com.
These articles have been a catalyst for discussion on many SLA discussion lists. I say "kudos" to those of you who have done so. Our virtual community exists so that we can work together to share information and meet common goals. It's also quite appropriate that, in a time of change, we should be carefully examining where our profession and our association are headed. These articles were the perfect fodder for such discussions.
The training we have received through our professional studies and the skills inherent to our daily work environments are incredibly important and valuable. But we must be careful to avoid the mantra that our training and skills, in and of themselves, position us to take on primary leadership roles in our organizations. We as individuals must seek out opportunities and anticipate changes so that such things benefit us. The qualities that transform an individual into a leader, a "Chief (insert subject) Officer," a visionary, are only realized through an individual willingness to step outside of existing roles and pre-set norms. Information professionals need to "become the change [they] wish to see in the world" (Mahatma Gandhi).
We as an association must identify the intangible assets that transform the individual with potential into the capable leader. We as an association should be promoting the fact that anyone with the skills and the training inherent in the information profession are well-qualified to expand their horizons and take on new and exciting roles in organizations. Our purpose, as an association, is not to promote the notion that a library degree and ten to fifteen years of experience will get you to the top. It's an excellent start! But we as information professionals, with the aid of our professional association, must strive to do more. SLA's role in the new economy is to promote the possibilities for the profession; to challenge our members to grow with the changes in their organizations and become the change they wish to see.
I think that the sum value of the articles in question is this: Companies must find people who are willing to be bold in their pursuit of new ideas; people who have the skills to take on new and never-before-attempted challenges; people who are visionary in the way they see the company in the future; and people who are willing to change on the fly. Those who identify with the Special Libraries Association should embrace these articles as key learning tools for growth. For, if we are to survive in the new economy, we must embrace change and seek out opportunities like never before.
In closing, I'd like to refer you to a article published in the September issue of Knowledge Management magazine. The article is titled, "For Knowledge, Look Within," and it highlights the roles of people who serve as infomediaries within their organizations. This insightful article follows the Business Week articles quite nicely, and speaks well of your abilities as a leader in knowledge dissemination. To read the Knowledge Management magazine article on the web, go to www.kmmag.com.
For more information contact John Crosby (john-c@sla.org)
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