Information Outlook, Vol. 5, No. 8, August 2001
David Bender Closes the SLA Chapter of His Life
The summer of 2001 will be remembered for many things.
A solar eclipse over Africa. Blackouts over California. A change in control of the United States Senate due to a party defection. Liverpool Football Club wins the UEFA Cup. The Middle East simmers. Ironman athlete Cal Ripken, Jr. announces his retirement from professional baseball. In Washington, DC, SLA's very own ironman, David R. Bender, retires after 22 years of excellence and service.
David Bender Closes the SLA Chapter of His Life
Retirements are a dime a dozen, and usually capture our attention only when they occur within our own little corners of the world. This is no run-of-the-mill retirement. Dr. Bender didn't just work for SLA for 22 years, he led SLA for 22 years. In the corporate world, CEOs almost never last that long. Even in the academic universe, such tenures are extremely rare. In the association industry, such longevity of leadership is truly celebrated. But David is valued not just for his successes at the helm of SLA. He is a true gentleman, one who has always believed that honor and loyalty are the real benchmarks of success.
Building an International, Virtual Association
David R. Bender, Ph.D. ascended to the leadership of the Special Libraries Association at a time when its membership was predominantly North American (United States and Canada) and slowly evolving into digital information management. His vision was to create an association of global information professionals who share common bonds despite geographical or other boundaries. SLA's membership levels began to grow, particularly in Europe, Asia, and the Arabian Gulf. Information professionals in North America also flocked to SLA as it began to expand its reach and develop its scope into the global, digital realm. By 1990, SLA's total membership reached 13,000, and its service began to expand to meet the needs of a burgeoning membership that was beginning to realize the limits of a traditional library science education.
The early 1990's signaled a sea of change in the practices of information professionals worldwide, as digital management of content and resources began to evolve. Dr. Bender knew that SLA's products and services needed to change in order to meet the memberships needs and standards. By 1995, SLA was answering that call, with the creation of the Virtual Association. This wasn't merely borne of the desire to develop a strong Internet presence; it meant creation of a networked community through technology of all kinds, with SLA facilitating interaction, communication and knowledge sharing. That vision has been realized, with the Virtual SLA website as the keystone of the Association's efforts. Were it not for Dr. Bender's leadership and conviction in driving SLA toward this goal, SLA would not have served as the benchmark in technological development for other associations worldwide.
A Career Committed to a Profession
Dr. Bender established his career as a librarian from 1964 to 1971, working in public, secondary educational, and university environments. He continued that work while studying to receive a doctoral degree in curriculum and foundations at The Ohio State University. During and after his doctoral studies, Dr. Bender worked at the Maryland State Department of Education as Branch Chief of the School Library Media Services Branch. He served in that capacity until July of 1979, when he became Executive Director of SLA. While working for the State of Maryland, Dr. Bender also lectured on library and information science at Towson State University in Baltimore, Maryland; and at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He has been published extensively and has served as a consultant on library services and association management throughout the world.
Dr. Bender also possesses a Master's degree in Library Science from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, which he earned in 1969. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a Minor in Library Science in 1964 from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.
In 1979, he began his service as Executive Director of an association of approximately 11,000 information professionals in 49 chapters and 29 subject-specific divisions, most of whom worked in the United States. During Dr. Bender's stewardship, SLA has grown substantially, from a largely North American organization with an operating budget of less than US$1 million to a global and virtual association with a US$9 million operating budget. He oversaw the relocation of the Association's headquarters from New York City to Washington, D.C. in 1985. Through his leadership, SLA has taken bold steps to lead the profession through many changes that resulted in a membership prepared to meet challenges and adapt to change quickly in the workplace. He leaves SLA with nearly 14,000 members in 76 countries around the world, working together in 57 chapters, 25 divisions, 12 interest-related caucuses, and 39 student groups. Through Dr. Bender's vision, SLA evolved into a globally oriented professional association, expanding its services and providing access to its worldwide membership through a variety of methods, regardless of time or location.
"The Time for Significant Changes in Leadership...is During Good Times."
With SLA reaching an apex in its growth and development, Dr. Bender realized that the beginning of a new century was an appropriate time to initiate a new chapter in his life. By announcing his retirement, Dr. Bender ended the longest tenure for an executive director of the Special Libraries Association, and one of the longest tenures at the helm of any international organization. With his impending departure, SLA loses more than a leader and servant to the information profession. It also loses a major knowledge resource that has benefitted the Association and the profession for more than two decades.
Upon announcing his retirement, Dr. Bender proclaimed that "being Executive Director of the Special Libraries Association is the best job in the world! For twenty-one exciting and productive years, I have worked with members and staff to make SLA a vibrant, ever-changing and ever-growing professional association. I am sincerely thankful for the opportunity to have enjoyed this extraordinary and enriching period in my professional and personal life. It's been a thrill and a joy."
Donna Scheeder, SLA's President for the 2000-2001 Association Year (ending in June), gave glowing praise to Dr. Bender's dedication to the information profession. "SLA has been very fortunate to benefit from David's leadership, vision, and knowledge over such a long period of time. During a remarkable twenty-one years, he achieved an enviable list of accomplishments, including the growth of SLA into a global organization, the move of its headquarters, and the development of the Virtual Association that has benefitted us all. Most associations lack the kind of quality and length of service in their chief staff officers that our profession has experienced in David. We are going to miss him terribly."
Ten Questions for David Bender
Prior to SLA's Annual Conference in San Antonio, Information Outlook's Jeff De Cagna, Ed.M., sat down with David Bender and asked him to reflect on his 22 years of service to the worldwide community of information professionals.
IO: Retirement. It sounds like a bittersweet word for you. What parts of this job do you think you're going to miss the most?
DR. BENDER: That's really the easiest question you'll probably ask, because it certainly will be the people. I think that any CEO's job is unique in that it gives you a chance to work with a wide variety of people. But I think my role here at SLA is particularly unique because I have had the great fortune to work with so many different communities; from the information industry to the membership to the many members of staff with whom I have served. And then there are my many wonderful peers in the association industry who guided me early on and whom I have guided in the latter years of my tenure.
The leadership of the association is another unique community I have valued, and they have always kept me either trying to get where they are or race along with them. Sometimes it's like a marathon race without any finish line, but I think that most of the time we at least have some line in our imagination, if not in our foresight.
IO: What is the most important lesson you've learned as the CEO of the Special Libraries Association?
DR. BENDER: Choosing just one is difficult, but probably one of the most critical lessons I've learned is that, as our Association has become much larger, we've had to focus more on intimacy and "smallness." I think that we often look at the big picture and forget about what we did that got us where we are. And that things just simply need to be broken apart frequently, especially when you're serving a diverse membership, and think about what their needs are and how we're going to fulfill those needs, rather than lumping everything together and making things universal.
IO: You have invested a considerable amount of your time as SLA's executive director in the effort to build a global presence for the association, a global reputation for its members. What questions would you encourage other associations your peers ask themselves as they tackle the challenge of creating global organizations?
DR. BENDER: That's a challenging question, because one of the things we've found within SLA is that there's a core group of members who will go along with you in that direction, and there are some that are very strongly insular and do not see the value in it. If you look at the environment around a given membership, and if your association is truly involved in your membership's interests, then globalization should either be a natural phenomenon or clearly something to avoid. So by just a natural osmosis or process some have to expand their boundaries to a larger sphere.
In our profession, global information has become an extremely valuable commodity. If we assume that one of the greatest things that associations offer to their membership as a benefit is the network that they establish, globalization is a natural course of action. In the information profession, we would be remiss not to globalize that network, because businesses and corporations are either global themselves or they are learning from their global partners how to conduct various business practices that make them global by default.
IO: This question is probably a broader one related to that. We live in what many people refer to as "the knowledge age." And I'm wondering if you would be willing to look into your crystal ball and tell us where you think we are going to be going in the knowledge age over the next decade or so?
DR. BENDER: If you look at how the phrase "knowledge age" has evolved over the past several years, it might give us some perspective. A few years ago, I would have said that it just simply was a buzz word that some management guru was coming out with a term that was going to make them a hot commodity. Now, I'm not sure that is totally correct. When we made the leap from the industrial age to what has been called "the information age", we should have known that, eventually, knowledge rather than information would be of paramount importance. Information is the raw product, in essence, and the knowledge has some refinement to it. Somebody's done something with information, and it becomes knowledge. Well, if you take the next step on knowledge then, what's going to follow is the learned age, or the wisdom age. But it all comes down to who knows what and how they are putting it to use.
However you want to define knowledge or what comes after, it remains quite simply the use of data in some way towards accomplishing your goal. So I think that it just becomes a semantical kind of thing. Perhaps, though, the way knowledge is handled today is a very important subset of the information age, of how we go about of information accessible, how we use information, the vast amount of information that's available at our fingertips, and how, at least people in our profession, the information profession, have to repackage, retool, reinvent, reuse some of that information, is really I think part of knowledge creation itself. And our survival as professionals depends very much on what we do with knowledge.
IO: I'd like to probe that thought just a bit. Larry Prusak has said that we've always thought and certainly this has been true for SLA members, people that you and I work for that the algorithm for organizational success was getting the right information to the right people at the right time. And he believes that's incorrect because information is unlikely to really change anything that goes on in the organization; whereas, knowledge and everything that goes along with knowledge is more likely to actually effect the kind of changes that organizations need going forward. What's your reaction to that comment?
DR. BENDER: Larry is one of the more widely respected knowledge management gurus. I must agree with him to a certain extent. I still believe that delivery of the right information to the right person at the right time, for the right reason still is paramount, and that our roles as information professionals should be to evolved to the point where we can inspire the recipients of information to gain knowledge and insight from information in the right way. The problem comes when knowledge that is captured by an organization then becomes stale or loses its value because no one can interpret it. Knowledge then becomes nothing more than value-added information.
IO: Earlier this year, the president of the Association of American Publishers, Patricia Schroeder, made some less than flattering comments to The Washington Post about libraries regarding the free sharing of copyrighted and electronic materials, something that AAP would like to stop. What was it about her comments that most concerned you?
DR. BENDER: I think that, as with all association leaders speaking for their constituencies, her comments may have been blown somewhat out of proportion by many in our community. At least that's what I thought in the days following the publication of that article. I actually tried to give her a way out by offering to establish some form of dialogue with our community so that such misunderstandings might be resolved quickly. She never responded in a way that suggested she might be looking to us as partners to strengthening our collective community. Now, I think that perhaps she really meant what she said.
AAP has historically taken a position against access to information in the widest possible format. It's not that they don't want people to use their products; it's mostly due to fear. I've said all along that technology has generated a fair amount of fearfor content owners AND usersand technology will ultimately alleviate many of those fears.
I think the tone of Pat's remarks just simply stirs the pot a little bit more. It almost seems like we in the SLA community have a much better relationship with our individual vendors than we do with the association that represents them. So, I think that's where our strength is going to be.
If you look back to the early 1980s, SLA had a great relationship with AAP. We created a joint committee to investigate matters of mutual concern, and we offered a number of joint programs, too. At every one of our annual conferences, AAP sponsored programming for the participants. And because of the conflict that has occurred over issues related to digital copyright and the future flow of information, our relationship seems to have just eroded. Instead of strengthening our ties, which we are doing with many other associations at this point, the one association with which we've not been able to maintain our relationship in a positive way has been AAP.
IO: I know that you responded to Ms. Schroeder, and in that letter you chose to invite Patricia Schroeder to attend SLA's Annual Conference and work toward improved communications. I'm wondering why you chose that as a response.
DR. BENDER: Every year, we put together a list of notables and people who we feel are important to our community, who need to know more about SLA and why we need to have stronger relationships with them. We invite these people to our Annual Conference, which is our showcase event for the information profession. And for perhaps the last 15 years, a letter has gone to AAP inviting their CEO to the conference.
So this year was no different; the letter went. And I would say, if we've invited that individual for 15 years, we've probably received 13 regrets that they will not attend the conference. It would seem to me that, if the AAP considered our community to be of any value to their member companies, their CEO and many other staff might be very interested in attending the SLA Annual Conference. But then, I think associations can often lose touch with their members' interests.
IO: In a subsequent statement that Pat Schroeder issued, I think electronically, one of the things that she said was, "We understand the many problems that libraries face with respect to this area. New solutions and business models are being developed that can provide answers." What's your reaction to that?
DR. BENDER: Well, I would love to sit down at the table and discuss with her and some of her colleagues some of those new models and what they see as some of the new solutions. Their position, the general tone we've sensed from AAP over the past six years, and Pat's statement in The Washington Post don't suggest any new solutions, unless their solution is that the information professional roll over and play dead.
And nowhere has SLA ever supported the notion that the writer, or the producer, the photographer, the creator, whatever, should not get their fair share of income. There needs to be balanced policy. And I think that if there's a solution to be reached through dialogue, then yes, we're very much for that. But I think that they're not looking at a balanced program. So it would be very interesting to know what Pat sees as a solution in an imbalanced environment.
IO: Just looking ahead, what's your take on how you think this conflict between publishers and libraries will play itself out?
DR. BENDER: Well, if it were a new conflict, it might cause some true anxiety. Since it's an ongoing conflict, I'm not sure that it causes nearly as much anxiety as it would otherwise.
I think the fear factor is enhanced because of the lack of clarity in the law and judicial precedence. Congress punted on many critical matters, which gave the legal community carte blanche to convert the new frontier of the Internet into a legal bonanza. And there are a number of court cases evolving right now, which perhaps will clarify some of this. But I don't think a case here or there is going to clarify anything. Sure courts will settle matters between two parties, but the Internet is creating so many unique legal entanglementswhich forces me to think that Congress should have resolved more during the Digital Millennium Copyright Act debates.
IO: This seems to be an important issue to which information professionals should give serious attention, because they are in many cases both publishers and consumers of copyrighted works. So the way this is kind of perceived over the next several years seems to be a very important issue for them to think about.
DR. BENDER: Very true. I think that it's probably going to be one of the critical issues facing all information professionals, regardless of the organization's mission. These issues are involving all of us, and some people have the feeling that copyright and infringement does not exist in their organization. I think anyone who wishes to think strategically should reexamine the situation and look at what's happening in the environment around them because there are so many opportunities from trouble to arise from digital management and use of content.
Take some of the big companies National Geographic Society, The New York Timesthat are finding themselves in a court now. As all of their documentation indicates, they believe they're owners of the material, that they have not changed the format, they have not created new publications. These companies have used intellectual property in a manner that the creators consider a violation of their contractual arrangement.
So the courts are forced to decide this, but whatever the decision, it's going to face all information professionals in some way. We're going to be restricted in making some information available, or some archival material is going to disappear that is going to affect our research capabilities, or we're not going to be able to afford access because everyone who touches information has to get paid for it. So I think that it is a real issue that's going to face all information professionals at some point if it hasn't already.
IO: I have just two questions left that I want to ask you. The first one is, in recognition of your distinguished service to SLA, you have received the John Cotton Dana Award, one of the association's highest individual honors. And the question that I want to ask you is, what does that kind of recognition from people who really are your peers mean to you as you reflect on your years in this job?
DR. BENDER: Well, it's very humbling from one standpoint to receive an honor from your peers and to be recognized by your peers. Perhaps, it helps to reflect a little bit on what I have accomplished over the years, and ask whether they were accomplishments deserving of recognition or just the results of doing what needed to be done?
For 22 years I've done what is needed to be done. And in the end, to be recognized for that perhaps is where the honor has the greatest meaning. To be appreciated for service to the membership and to the profession is a true privilege.
I think one of the heart-warming things of working in the information field has always been that the field can have its differences and disagreements over various issues, but when it comes time for fun and enjoyment, the field does a very good job of that.
I truly am flattered and honored that my peers believed that what I was doing was noble and that I accomplished something. Hopefully, they know that I accomplished for them, and that what I've been able to do made the profession better. I know the association has grown and changed. It was my privilege to work with hundreds of staff members over the years. And they're the ones who really grew the association. I just happened to be in the fortunate position of guiding them, staying out of their way and letting them do what they knew best, and help shepherd some of that activity and energy. And it's great to be recognized for that.
IO: Here's the inevitable closing question for interviews such as this one.
What are your words and wisdom for future generations of information professionals, and in particular, leaders of SLA yet to come?
DR. BENDER: Current and future members of this profession need a blast of heat every so often, you know, to stir the juices and keep them nimble and ready for change. We've been faced with change probably as much as any other profession. But I think that the impact of change on the information profession has greater ramifications down the road because we simply are springboards constantly working with more people. We have such a trickle-down effect from the leadership of the community to individual members of the profession, and then the various other communities that our members serve. And so, it just keeps building.
What is paramount to information professionals is to maintain substance and continue to review your efforts and your activities, always trying to put forth what is seen as the best and the most important. But again, without knowing your customer and being involved in their activities, that's an impossibility. If you're open, and you're absorbing, and you're sharing, you're bound to do the right thing.
IO: Something you said in your response to that prompted a question in my mind that I'd like to pose to you that we can work into this in the appropriate way.
You have served for going on 22 years, absolutely 22 years of service as executive director, in an association and in a profession which on the one hand is very steeped in tradition. It has lots of tradition that revolves around the whole notion of the role of the library. On the other hand, you've been successful in pushing change. And I know that many of your colleagues in the information profession are probably facing this same challenge of how do you, on the one hand, respect tradition, but on the other hand, make the case for change. And I'm wondering if you can kind of comment on how you've struck a balance between those things in your time here.
DR. BENDER: Well, again, I think that information professionals need to be change agents, but we cannot work in isolation and be change managers completely without the our customers, without the information industry. But I think the important element is that the information professional can catalyze change by example.
I think one of the things that have kept us at least on the success track in SLA is that the membership is very open. The membership will voice their opinion. There are not many issues that we don't know what the other side of the coin is thinking about. Now, sometimes that message is biased; sometimes that message is only coming from a small number of people, so therefore, it's not a representative sampling. But even if it's coming from one member, and they're willing to share it with you, it still is worth consideration to be heard. Sometimes, in the minority opinion or view, there is a kernel of truth that we really need to consider. And maybe it doesn't apply to the current activity but one down the road.
Longevity has given me a chance to harvest more of those kernels than someone with an ephemeral tenure.
I have our membership to thank for that.
Parting Shots
On maintaining leadership momentum over 22 years:
"I think the power of relationships is undervalued in today's working world, with technology and money seemingly getting more attention. I wouldn't have moved off of square number one without effective relationship management."
On pondering an earlier retirement:
"The trick, over time, has been to always maintain focus on lofty goals, audacious objectives that you sometimes think will never be achieved. That has made all the difference."
On the lack of similar CEO tenures:
Lack of vision and lack of supportive organizational cultures. Actually, I would hate to think that any chief executive could meet all expectations in four or five years!"
On the changes in information and knowledge management over 22 years:
"Two words: The Computer. Technology is driving our organizational goals and objectives. But fear of technology and what it might do is limiting the possibilities."
On the future impact of librarians and information professionals:
The profession must be re-shaped, re-molded, re-energized so that the smart information professional will not dwell on a past existence, but will move into uncharted territory. If librarians do this, the sky is the limit! The skillset we bring to the table is an excellent base for the prototype employee of the New Economy. But it has to gel with other skills that make today's employee valuable.
The three most important qualities an information professional needs to thrive in the New Economy:
· Seek out challenges and see new opportunities both inside and outside your sphere of influence.
· Possess business skills and create new opportunities.
· Be flexible and positive in a time of continuing change.
The unique qualities that make SLA so special:
Our structure has historically been very different from our sister library organizations, where decision-making can be very time-consuming. Our structure gives authority to our Board of Directors to make strategic decisions in the best interests of the Association, but allows flexibility for staff and the leadership to go from there and mold the Association for the future.
We run the Association like a business. Although not driven by shareholders, profit, or market share, we understand the need to plan and operate in a responsible fashion, both fiscally and strategically. SLA has developed a planning model that balances short term and long term objectives within the Association's visionary framework.
On the impact of technology on the global culture:
But being "connected" in a virtual world has radically altered our expectations. Speed of delivery is a high priority, and quality of delivery has increasingly gained as an important factor. Just as Gütenberg's printing press revolutionized the sharing of information centuries ago, digital technologies are doing the same now. And in the long run, that can only be a good thing.
The next steps for using technology to enhance access:
Wireless access will broaden
the range and scope of information and knowledge available to users, and
improved sound and visual effects will allow us to capture the essence
of knowledge assets in what will feel like face-to-face encounters. But
we should not assume these advancements will only bring on
improvements in knowledge sharing. What will be the ramifications for our
culture, our society? And then we have to think about the growing use
of artificial agentscomputer-based intelligence that can do work for us.
That's the next step, but are we prepared for it? 
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