The fluctuations of the world's financial markets over the past year have certainly laid bare the reality of the New Economy. Technology can drive a business, but technologists can't do it alone. The stock prices of online services and retailers certainly reflect this fact. Recall about five years ago, when the technology/business wave first swelled. Well, the wave has swelled, crested, broken, and is preparing for its next assault on our cultural shoreline. Those of us who greatly value technology but also revere the human component in business success can breathe a sigh of relieffor now.

Okay, time's up! If you're in a position to establish partnerships with the technologistsor if you are an information professional in technologist's clothingit's time to position yourself immediately for the next Big Hairy Audacious Goal (or BHAGthanks to Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, authors of Built to Last) in the tech/biz wave. What is that wave? I don't know, I'm just a two-bit association professional! You know better than I or you should. The point is not what is coming, but that it will be coming. And now that the techies have had their run of fun for half a decade without truly resolving the same problems that we all faced before the Internet (namely, how to make information and knowledge make money for us), it's time for YOU to energize and start developing partnerships and strategies that will make you indispensable across your organization. Does that sound like too much to handle? It shouldn't, because for many in the profession, it means survival.

The trends driving financial markets are also likely to drive perceptions of the people who foster those trends. So while the techies might still keep senior executives starry-eyed, the luster on those stars has faded a bit. Why not seize the opportunity now to improve your own market valuation. How? Remember that this isn't about proving that you are better at information and knowledge management than technologists. It's merely about proving to the right people who are open to new ideas that you are reliable, effective, innovative, and strategic in your efforts to deliver your services to your customers. If you were in Savannah, Georgia, USA back in January for SLA's Strategic Learning Symposium, you know about the importance of client service. And while all clients are important, everyone knows that a few of the "right" clients can change the organization's perception of your services.

Celebrate International Special Librarians Day 2001!

Make the most of your day with a festive commemoration of your profession's value on April 5, 2001. Information professionals around the world will be partying and promoting themselves to clients and colleagues, so why not do the same? We're providing free promotional kits to a limited number of SLA members, so don't delay in contacting our staff (1-202-939-3633). The kits come to you courtesy of Factiva and the Freedom Forum, the sponsors for International Special Librarians Day. You can learn more about ISLD 2001 on Virtual SLA at www.sla.org.

For more information,
contact John Crosby
(john-c@sla.org)