Get Involved In SLA's Homeland Security Initiative
by Anthony Blue

In June of this year, President Bush outlined his plan for homeland security. This broad new strategy titled "National Strategy for Homeland Security" called for the reorganization of several government agencies and the consolidation of more than 100 domestic security operations into the new Homeland Security department. He appointed Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge as director. The President asked Congress to quickly approve his plan in order to strengthen our national security. Chaired by Rep. Dick Armey, the Select Committee on Homeland Security incorporated additional improvements to the President's proposal. The revised bill preserved the essential functions outlined in the President's plan while adding several changes to help ensure successful implementation and continued congressional oversight.

In July 2002, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5005. As this publication went to press, the Senate had not taken their vote on the President's proposal. In light of these developments, SLA launched a new initiative in late summer to promote special librarians and information professionals to congressional leaders and government officials as key decisions were debated in Congress. Specifically, the initiative calls for the Select Committee on Homeland Security, key congressional leaders and government officials who will be overseeing this massive reorganization to seek qualified information experts for positions in these agencies.

The initiative will also seek the assistance of other national library organizations for industry wide collaboration. But to effectively represent information professionals and implement this campaign, the association is asking for input from its membership to accurately convey the information industry's position. SLA members are the best sources of information about what their roles should be in regard to government reorganization and the creation of the Homeland Security Agency. SLA members also have a grassroots understanding of what is happening in their own geographic area, area of specialization and interest. A massive membership write in will help the federal government take notice. Lawmakers like hearing from the public, especially their constituents. This communication tool keeps them connected to the pulse of the people.

While input from one person can make a difference, correspondence from a large group lends credibility to the cause. We are asking the members to contact their representatives and write a series of letters outlining the need for information professionals to be part of the solution on integrating and exchanging information between the agencies.

But making your voice heard through the halls of congress and government may seem like a daunting task. The Homeland Security page of the front page of Virtual SLA contains links to the members of the Select Committee on Homeland Security as well as the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. Your participation provides a great opportunity for SLA to enhance the future of the information profession by nudging our elected officials to take a look at our profession.

SLA members are experts who understand the vital role of credible information in respect to our nation's security and possess the best competencies to serve those needs. I hate to preach to the choir but corporations and academics have learned the value of these skills over the course of many years, relying on information experts as in a variety of non-traditional capacities. I challenge the new department of Homeland Security as well as the reorganized agencies to find a more qualified information candidate to efficiently manage and navigate the inevitable, overwhelming flow of information that it will be faced with. I also challenge SLA membership to get the letters rolling into Congress to raise awareness for the profession and our cause.

Homeland security will be an enormous task that will take some time and patience if it is to work properly. It will require fundamental cooperation, information sharing, innovation and knowledge exchange. However, if it is to succeed, we must aggressively seek new solutions to existing and future problems. It is our national responsibility to put our knowledge and skills to work to protect our freedom and communicate that we are apart of the solution. The SLA Board of Directors and headquarters staff would like to hear your feedback on what our members' role should be in regard to Homeland Security.

Please send your comments and suggestions to lynn@sla.org.