22 Years of Putting Knowledge to Work ®
 | SLA is an institution that has been blessed with a long line of remarkable leaders who have had clarity of vision, courage of conviction, and a the skill to devise the critical strategies that will make that vision a reality. This June, SLA says farewell to one of those leaders, Dr. David Bender, the unifying presence that has moved SLA forward over the last 22 years. During this period he has been an invaluable partner who provided the continuity and a growing institutional memory that has enabled SLA's elected leadership to chart a steady course in a rapidly changing environment. |
David Bender will be remembered as a constant in a period of remarkable change. When he joined SLA in 1979, our membership worked in a far different world. Databases were a relatively new phenomena. There was no Internet, no CD-ROMs, no networked environments, portals, or knowledge management workshops. Members usually worked in physical spaces called libraries or information centers, and conferences warned that the information revolution was coming some day.
Our association had approximately 10,900 members, and its nine staff were crowded into a tiny rented space in New York City. SLA operated on a $726,000 budget with no reserve funds and minimal fund-raising activities.
Today our association owns its building in Washington, D.C., and has a budget of $8,100,000 that includes several endowment funds. It has reserves to help guarantee our future should we face a rough financial road. It has developed critical partnerships with vendors and coalitions of interest groups. It has a government relations program to educate policymakers on issues of critical importance to the profession and a Website that provides 24/7 access to members needing to conduct business with their association. The membership has grown to 13,200 and has grown from 49 to 57 chapters. Chapters outside North America grew and new ones formed, and the first conference outside the United states and Canada was successfully held this year. We now can claim members in 72 countries. Student groups have increased from 30 to 40. The Board of Directors and association staff work in partnership to move the association forward through the strategic planning and budgeting process.
Our progress cannot be assessed in terms of mere numbers. We as members have grown both professionally and personally over that time, and SLA has been a critical factor in that growth. The salary survey and other research on the value of the information professional assist us in proving our worth and our contribution to the bottom line. The virtual association provides a wide array of products and services through the SLA website and has expanded the reach of the association to the global community. SLA discussion lists that unite us with fellow professionals around the globe give us access to the expertise of our colleagues, and innovative professional learning programs allow us to be lifelong students of our profession. Our public relations program is now aggressive, and we see more positive articles on the value of the information professional in a wide variety of publications.
Change in SLA continues this year as we explore our branding, seek new members, and explore ways to effect positive change more rapidly through simplification of process and structure. David has been with us every step of the way. As we undergo this process, we acknowledge gratefully his leadership, which has guided us successfully through a time of great change and leaves SLA positioned perfectly to guarantee its future. Thank you, David, for putting your knowledge to work for the benefit of us all.
Donna Scheeder, SLA President
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