2002 Conference Wrap-Up
byAnthony Blue
Anthony Blue is SLA's director of public relations.
The Los Angeles Conference 
The past year has certainly not been a quiet one for SLA. With the retirement of longtime Executive Director David Bender in August 2001 and the departure of his succesor, Executive Director Roberta Shaffer in March 2002, (not to mention bylaws, 9/11 and a slowing economy) SLA has managed to steer through the choppy waters of the association year.
But a bit of normalcy returned in June. For the 93rd time, SLA gathered for its annual conference, this year in Los Angeles. Although the attendance of more than 4,600 was lower than last year, turnout was higher than expected in light of travel cutbacks after 9/11. The following is a peek at some of the highlights.
2001/02 Board of Directors Meeting
During the SLA 2001/02 annual board meeting, Friday and Saturday, June 7-8, several key issues were addressed, including: the interim employment agreement for the acting executive director; Langan & Associates report on 2002 spring election; the appointment of the 2004 Annual Conference Program Committee; the 2002 Research Grant Recipient; the appointment of the 2004 Nomination Committee; the report on Actions of the Executive Session; pre-conference highlights; the 2002 report of the spring AOOC meeting; the board policy document from the bylaws; the 2003 Association Program Plan; the Branding Task Force update; treasurer's remarks and report of spring Finance Committee meeting; conference site selections; capital expenditures; the 2003 New York Program Committee report; and reports from the Networking, AOOC, Scholarship and Competencies Committees.
The Nominating Committee also completed its deliberations for the 2003 slate of Board candidates. The candidates are: Doris Helfer and Ethel M. Salonen for president-elect; Scott D. Trask and Brent Mai for division cabinet chair-elect; and Karen L. Holloway and Jacquelyn B. Knuckle for chapter cabinet chair-elect.
SLA President's Reception
The SLA President's Reception was held on Saturday evening at the Museum of Neon Art (MONA) in downtown Los Angeles. The MONA was founded in 1981 and is the only permanent institution of its kind in the world.
This cultural and educational organization exhibits, documents and preserves contemporary fine art in electronic media, as well as showcasing outstanding examples of neon signs. SLA President Hope Tillman served as the host of the event, which provided a wonderful atmosphere of hobnobbing and networking for SLA leaders and fellow members. Attendees were treated to a culturally diverse buffet of music, food and drink.
Leadership Development Institute
and Luncheon
The Leadership Development Institute deviated from the norm this year to focus on preparing leaders for a time of potential change.SLA's chapter, division and caucus leaders will be key in educating their members on the importance of examining how the association does business, as well as encouraging members to vote when they receive the ballot for a bylaws change.If a bylaws change is approved, all SLA units may be examining their own governance structures and guiding documents to align with this change.Each leader was given the opportunity to person
alize their Institute learning experience by participating in one or multiple roundtable discussions on 23 leadership topics.
Leadership Day, sponsored by Factiva, was highlighted by a luncheon honoring SLA's leaders and featured keynote speaker, Mary Boone, who spoke on managing interactively.Today's technologies offer many modes of communicating and managing. It's important to pick the right method for the right time.Boone gave helpful tips on connecting,informing and engaging people to achieve your mission. She outlined five key tips to interactive communication: 1. Get over yourself; 2. Make meetings satisfying and fun experiences;3. Ask and Engage (versus Tell and Sell);4. Use technology wisely; 5. Apply interactive methods.
"A Hollywood Affair" INFO-EXPO Sneak Preview
On Sunday, June 9, SLA President Hope Tillman and Acting Executive Director Lynn K. Smith kicked off the opening of the 2002 SLA INFO-EXPO (exhibit hall). The theme for this year's opening, "A Hollywood Affair," captured the golden era of Hollywood's most famous industry. Sponsored by LexisNexis, Standard and Poor's and Chemical Abstract Services, the INFO-EXPO boasted more than 400 exhibits showcasing the latest electronic and online resources in the information industry.
Southern California Chapter's
75th Anniversary Bash
The Southern California Chapter of SLA held its 75th anniversary party at the Richard J. Reardon Central Library, Los Angeles Public Library on Sunday, June 9. The event featured a variety of dessert dishes and drinks for participants who were there to celebrate the Southern California Chapter's 75 years of dedication, commitment and excellent service to the association and information community. SLA President Hope Tillman was on-hand to acknowledge and thank incoming SLA President and chapter member Bill Fisher, Chapter President Kathleen Smith, President-Elect Laurel Krump and Southern California Chapter members for their diligence and hard work throughout the years.
Opening General Session
On Monday, June 10, information management guru and father of modern management science, Peter Drucker, amazed a crowd of 3,500 conference participants with his wit and management expertise. Drucker, informative as he was entertaining, spoke on many topics including: technology and utilization of the Internet; the importance of librarians in society; and the key to staying active in the later years of your life. (See Hlava article on page 40 for more detail.)
President's Series on Bylaws
The President's Series Bylaws Question & Answer was an opportunity for members to address concerns about the revised Bylaws Document, which was then voted on at the Annual Business Meeting.
Closing General Session/Annual Business Meeting
On Wednesday, June 12, in the Los Angeles Convention Center, Pulitzer Prize winner, best-selling author and television commentator Doris Kearns Goodwin treated conference participants to a unique history lesson based on her life experiences growing up as a kid in New York City. She spoke on such topics as the Brooklyn Dodgers; the true meaning of Catholicism in the eyes of a child; interning in the Johnson White House; Presidents Nixon, Franklin Roosevelt and Kennedy; race relations; and women's rights.
The SLA Annual Business meeting was held immediately after the Closing General Session. Hope Tillman presided over her final Board of Director's meeting as president of the association. The agenda items included: the introduction of SLA 2002/03 Board of Directors; the SLA President's Report by Hope Tillman; the SLA Treasurer's Report given by Richard Geiger; the SLA Executive Director's Report presented by Lynn Smith; the Introduction of Collette Troham Colliere; and the bylaws vote. Tillman presented the outgoing Board of Directors with gifts. SLA President Bill Fisher gave his inaugural address and officially introduced the New York conference logo and video.
SLA Awards Premiere
On Wednesday evening, SLA hosted the Awards Premiere in the Crystal Ballroom of the historic Millennium Biltmore Hotel. The awards premiere was co-hosted by SLA President Hope Tillman and longtime SLA member Stephen Abram. This year, 24 award winners and a slew of sponsors, guests and attendees were treated to an evening of fine food, music and dancing. SLA sponsors and major conference partners were also acknowledged for their continued support of various SLA activities and events. The premiere also unveiled the new Dana Award, the official award of the association. The highlight of the evening featured Tillman presenting the Silver Chain of Office to incoming President Bill Fisher. The list of award winners and sponsors recognized at the awards premiere includes:
SLA Hall of Fame
Mary E. Dickerson
Elizabeth "Betty" Eddison
Richard L. Funkhouser
John Cotton Dana Award
Miriam A. Drake
Rose L. Vormelker Award
Billie Connor-Dominguez
Nettie Seaberry
SLA Fellows
Lynne K. McCay
Peter S. Moon
Charlene Baldwin
Sandy E. Spurlock
Factiva Leadership Award
Thomas Fearon
Innovations in Technology Award
Gary D. Price
SLA President's Award
Judith J. Field
Carol L. Ginsburg
L. Susan Hayes
Tom Rink
Ethel M. Salonen
Barbara P. Semonche
SLA Professional Award
Mary Ellen Bates
H.W. Wilson Company Award
Martha K. Heyman
Member Achievement Award
Michael F. Keating
Diversity Leadership Development Award
Suzan J. Lee
Jeffery Mah
International Special Librarians Day Award
Mary Howrey
Special Projects
Standard & Poor's
EBSCO
Factiva
Other Major Partners
LexisNexis
Factiva
Dialog
Conference Major Partners
LexisNexis
Factiva
Dialog
Chemical Abstracts Service
SLA President's Circle
H.W. Wilson Company
Standard & Poor's
LexisNexis
Factiva
West Group
Dialog
Elsevier Science
2002/03 Board of Directors Meeting
On Thursday, June 13, Bill Fisher held the first meeting of the 2002/03 Board of Directors. The agenda items included: the report of actions of the executive session and the International Relations Committee update.
The 2002/03 Board of Directors will hold their fall meeting October 24-26, at the SLA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. For more information on the Board of Directors, please visit Virtual SLA at www.sla.org. [Something in here]
around the entire world. Every organization can be a multinational corporation, and every institution must be globally competitive, according to Drucker.
The bulk of information that technology provides allows us to think strategically. Strategic information cannot come from data. It must come from a person. As Drucker said, for instance, the Catholic Church has enormous information about the inside workings of the church but knows nothing about the laity. They don't know how to deal with it. They have no idea how the common people live. How do they find out how to deal with them? Who are they? How do I find out?
It will be the job of the librarian. Information is not in the data system until we put it there, Drucker said.
Restructuring of the Organization
We have restructured the university. In the past, "they never spent a moment raising money," Drucker said.
Universities used to provide an education, he continued. Now, the university CEO spends about 75 percent of their time fundraising with people, yet the CEO doesn't know what is going on inside the university. Operations people run the business of the university. Universities are not much better than the Catholic Church. They don't know much about the people on the outside and have lost their focus. That's where information specialists step in.
Information managers are the market mangers, according to Drucker. In every business, information is the main competitive advantagenot because there is more, but because it is universally available. There has been an information revolution. The experts are finding and making the information meaningful. They are becoming the 'key competence' of their organizations. Information managers find and translate information into something an institution can use. The knowledge workers find, identify and transmit the information that enables others to be effective. You can make others into knowledge workers, too. Librarians leverage that ability.
What should we do?
The first thing Drucker tells us to do is read. It doesn't matter what you read, as long as you do. As a young child learns to read, the process should be enjoyable, not burdensome. If you go into mathematics because you are afraid of people, then reading physics and perhaps a little chemistry could be considered "great moments of self-indulgence."
Don't just react. Don't just answer questions. Become providers of information.
Thoughts for Life
Take some time off. Drucker took six weeks off each summer and recommends taking time off to refresh. Don't work 24/7. Read Shakespeare. He just finished reading all 37 plays for the third time.
Drucker also suggested joining a nonprofit organization. Take, for example, the Girl Scouts. The Girl Scouts' main customer is the volunteer. In order to change with the times, the Girl Scouts made joining the association an attractive alternative to the career woman. This has changed the character of the job. In a nonprofit you can meet totally different people, Drucker said.
Don't let your job be your entire life. These days the employee outlives the corporation. "Be loyal to God, country and your wife," Drucker said. Have a meaningful interest, which is not your job. You need the balance.
Drucker credits his outside interests in helping him to keep his mind young. He also has to try and keep up with his wife, who is the same age and still working as a patent expert and playing tournament tennis. He has a bad knee at the moment, but at 92 he is not ready to retire. He is starting a new book in the fall.
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