Guarantee the Future
"We must plan from the future backward." That piece of pithy advice from the 2002 Program Mission Statements Document aptly describes the efforts of association leaders and the five Task Forces which have been charged with guaranteeing the future of SLA. Guarantee the Future was initiated at the Winter 2000 board meeting to recognize that the association needs to think ahead to be relevant to the information professionals it seeks to serve. If SLA is to fulfill its vision and be known as the leading organization in the information industry, then it must move forward in five critical areas: branding, membership, partnerships, simplification, and conferences.
The first two of these, branding and membership, are inextricably linked as they were in the days of the founding of SLA. John Cotton Dana and his colleagues saw a need then to "brand" their new form of practice of librarianship and to set it apart from traditional methods used in the profession. Today, SLA has arrived at the next milestone in that endeavor. Whether you are reading the Chronicle of Higher Education or Occupation Outlook, you cannot escape the fact that those practicing the principles of librarianship are once again breaking new ground and creating new ways to practice. Those engaging in new endeavors are creating new titles to describe their positions. Information Architect and Knowledge Managers are just two of those.
As our current baby-boomer membership reaches retirement age, will the new breed of librarians see SLA as the place for them? The word special no longer differentiates our brand in a meaningful way. In addition, our research tells us that one of the most highly valued benefits of membership is the personal network. That means it has to be broad and comprehensive. Since membership is the foundation of a strong network, declining membership threatens the strength and value of our network. Once SLA attracts members, it must be able to tailor membership benefits packages that meet individual needs. The brand identity of SLA can be enhanced to facilitate our membership goals.
In order to be a strategic partner in the information society, SLA must form and grow the right partnerships. The Partnership Task Force has documented the many and diverse partnerships and alliances that currently exist in the association. The strategic directions that evolve from the other Task Forces will guide the association in its efforts to nurture those partnerships that leverage our strengths and further our strategic goals.
Simplification is a key strategy aimed at creating a more nimble SLA that can act quickly to incorporate new, more efficient ways of doing business. The Simplification Task Force is also charged to make it easier for volunteer members, the lifeblood of the organization, to concentrate on the delivery of programs and services to members.
One major area of content delivery is conference programming. A special task force is looking at the conference experience and seeking to ensure that its content is focused on what will be of most value to our members.
The Guarantee the Future initiative needs the creative mind of each SLA member. Join this conversation so when we reach our one-hundredth birthday in 2009, we can all celebrate a strong and vital SLA that represents the best the information profession has to offer.
Donna Scheeder, President,
Special Libraries Association
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