Continuity and Change
 | Now that you have Seized the Competitive Advantage in San Antonio, move on to Putting Knowledge to Work® in Los Angeles next June.
Each summer we are at the time of endings and beginnings. Some association officers finish their terms of office, others begin, and some continue. This year we celebrate David R. Bender's retirement after a very successful twenty-two years, and we welcome Roberta Schaffer as the new Executive Director this coming September. David leaves us with a strong association foundation and very competent association staff. Roberta brings a great deal of experience and fresh, new ideas. |
As association members, we are the source of our own continuity and change. We have a strong history of 92 years of action. We have a strong core of members providing continuity but also leading the way to change. Our profession is fast paced and changing, and our association is seeking to change to stay relevant.
Our members' expertise in finding information doesn't change. Service is our major source of continuity. Looking back at Ranganathan's laws, the goal of putting information and people together is changeless. Ranganathan's "every book its reader" and "save the time of the reader" translates well today to include multi-formats and computerized resources as well as the historical print. This year's work In Good Company by Larry Prusak and Don Cohen highlights the role we can play in bring people together to solve their information needs. Sources and methods of delivery keep changing around us. This past year, Past President Donna Scheeder coined the apt phrase, "change is our tradition."
In my library we have an intrusive column providing support for the building in one of the rooms in my library. An ergonomic specialist who visited made the point we couldn't get rid of the column so we needed to make the column "our friend." In the same way, in this time of rapid change, we need to make change "our friend. "
As we move closer to the end of our first century as an association, we need to keep in mind the long haul or the long view. Stewart Brand spoke about the long view at the Minneapolis annual conference. The Long Now Foundation guidelines (for a long-lived, long-valuable institution) have something to say to us: Now in its 92nd year, SLA is here to serve the long view and the long viewer.
The presidential term of one year is a very short term to effect change, and the best a president with his or her board of directors can do is initiate their best plans, continue movement in a right direction and make course corrections as needed, and be as involved as possible in the President-Elect and Past President years. Changes coming to fruition now represent the work of past and present Boards of Directors. Member participation and commitment is basic to our success. We need to use the many talents of our members and to facilitate their growth while at the same time we recognize the time constraints of volunteers. Two way communication is so important to achieve this goal listening and interacting with members. The simplification initiative has this goal at its core. I see the necessity of marrying change and communication for successful continuity.
I am very honored to have the opportunity to serve as President of SLA. I feel very strongly about my need and desire to give back to the association because I have gained so much as a member. Throughout my career as a business librarian and now as a library director at a college focusing on business and technology, I have kept turning to SLA and have kept learning and growing. For me, SLA is people and opportunities.
I see two types of change: change leading to success or change leading to challenge and opportunity for improvement. We need to celebrate our many successes and embrace our challenges. Help me by sharing these so that we can find ways to celebrate. We can be much more successful while we are having fun.
Hope Tillman
SLA President
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