*Note: The following is from our archived collection of older documents, and may not reflect the most current information.
Welcome to SLA Connections, your source for news and information from the information profession and industry.
By Janice R. Lachance
New Association Year Brings New Changes, Opportunities
Congratulations to Pam Rollo, who assumed the presidency of SLA at the Annual Business Meeting on June 8 in Toronto. Your new president is enthusiastic and focused. In her inaugural speech, she charged members to help:
“…build an integrated program, the goal of which is to communicate our value as a profession and to enable our members to take their place as thought leaders and policy makers within organizations.”
Pam has definite plans to build on SLA’s progress under the leadership of the 2004-2005 president, Ethel M. Salonen. “I would like to thank Ethel Salonen for all of her work this past year because without her groundwork, these new efforts would not be possible,” Pam said.
Ethel continues to serve on the Board of Directors as Past-President. The new board met for the first time on June 8 in Toronto. New members are President-Elect Rebecca Vargha, Anne Caputo, Agnes Mattis, Cindy Romaine, and Roberto Sarmiento. Rotating off the board are 2003-2004 President Cindy Hill, Jacquelyne Knuckle, Jesus Lau, and Barbara Spiegelman.
We thank each for their service to SLA and their fellow members!
Bylaws Vote Success
In a well-attended Annual Business Meeting in Toronto, members overwhelmingly approved two proposals that change SLA’s bylaws. Both will have an impact on the membership at large.
One ushers in e-voting—the future of association democracy. Online voting in SLA elections will allow greater membership participation, making the organization more responsive to members. The recent business meeting attracted a room-filling crowd of several hundred members, which is great participation. SLA’s overall membership, however, is about 12,000. Internet balloting can expand participation exponentially. The vote was virtually unanimous and no one spoke in opposition.
SLA now is accepting bids for a secure remote electronic voting system, and we plan to have a system in place by October.
The second change aligns the governance and fiscal years. Starting in 2007, the governance year will begin in January when the fiscal year begins. Both will run concurrently from January through December. Previously, the governance year ran June to June while the fiscal year ran January through December, which caused a misalignment in financial and operational management and accountability.
Aligning the governance and fiscal years reduces reporting requirements, which makes accountability easier for SLA’s volunteer leaders. We expect more members will be willing to volunteer for leadership because of this.
Rebecca Vargha, who takes office in June 2006, will serve an extended term during the transition, until the succeeding president takes office in January 2008. Individual units will determine their own transition of terms and officers with all to be aligned by January 2007.
Putting SLA 2005 in the History Books
The recently concluded Annual Conference is one to remember—which is saying a lot in an association that’s almost 100 years old. The meeting drew almost 5,300 people from 45 countries. 740 people were attending for the first time. Here are some noteworthy facts:
• 2005 conference attendance was up almost 40% over last year.
• About 2,250 participants were SLA members.
• 405 were non-members. (The balance was exhibitors, CE students, speakers, etc.)
• Almost 160 people took advantage of the one-year’s free membership offered with a paid registration!
• The INFO-EXPO is the largest information and knowledge management show in North America.
• INFO-EXPO attracted 715 people who registered for the free “Expo-Only” pass.
• 262 companies exhibited in 441 booths.
• We welcomed 59 new exhibitors!
Congratulations to everyone who contributed to SLA 2005’s tremendous success! We value and benefit from your hard work and ideas!
SLA 2006 will be held in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 11-14. The theme is “Baltimore—Where Tradition Meets Transformation,” and keynote speakers will include Gwen Ifill of public television’s The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and Walter Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal. The 2006 CE “Call for Courses” is out now—look for details “Inside the Box” in this newsletter.
Baltimore is a GREAT conference town—with its Inner Harbor, nearby tourist attractions, and fabulous restaurants (the best crab cakes in the world!) within walking distance of the convention center and downtown hotels—so mark your calendars now!
Janice’s List
Recommended reading: A Tale of Two Employees: & The Person Who Wanted to Lead Them by Chris Bart. The four questions found at the heart of this book will help leaders lead more effectively, bring order to chaos, and focus an organization.
Burning Question
If SLA could do one thing for you, what would it be? Email me at janice@sla.org.
Consider This
“I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”
John Cage, composer of avant-garde music
Need for Competitive Intelligence Could Be Opportunity
Outsell’s recent benchmarking study indicates an upbeat marketplace for corporate information managers. The study indicates potential growth in the job function, allowing information managers to take on more powerful roles after the turmoil and uncertainty of recent years. Outsell’s findings, to be published later this summer, indicate that competitive intelligence remains a huge unmet need in many organizations. This unmet need translates into opportunity for information managers who can step in to meet the need, adding to their job function. The preview also indicates that information managers are working globally and budgets are up significantly. For more details on the study contact Outsell at info@outsellinc.com.
Does Your Company Need a Chief Risk Officer? -- In a recent survey, 45% of companies had a CRO or equivalent, and 24% plan to add such a post in the next two years. Another survey said the number of CROs grew 65% between 2002 - 2005 in the financial services sector.
ComputerWorld Best Places to Work in IT -- Careers Special Report
FreePint June Issue -- This is the most recent newsletter for a network of almost 74,000 information researchers around the world.
Cool Site: NASA – Deep Impact
This site has info and photos of NASA’s “Deep Impact” mission. The impactor spacecraft (about the size of a coffee table) collided with the comet at 1:52 a.m. on July 4 at a speed of 23,000 mph (37,000+ kph). The flyby spacecraft, collecting comet samples and data, is about the size of a VW Beetle.
SLA 2005 Keynote Speakers
Thought-provoking. That’s the phrase most often cited in feedback on the 2005 Annual Conference keynote speakers. Don Tapscott spoke to an overflowing, sitting-in-aisles-don’t-tell-the-fire-marshal crowd about info pros’ role in the post-Enron era of The Naked Corporation. Bill Buxton kept a full audience in rapt attention with his sense of humor and observations about amazing over-the-top technology. Gary Hamel captivated a none-of-the-3000-seats-empty crowd, challenged everyone to move from being custodians of information to catalysts for organizational renewal and improvement.
New Caucuses
SLA’s newest caucuses represent “Architecture” and “Inclusion.” The SLA Board of Directors approved the caucuses at their June 8 meeting in Toronto.
The Architecture, Building Engineering, Construction, and Design Caucus seeks to serve those information professionals working for public and private organizations in the building and real estate trades. This includes, but is not limited to, architecture; building engineering; construction; interior design; landscape architecture; development; public works; historic preservation; urban planning/urban design; planning; and real estate. Dennis Hamilton is the convener.
The Inclusion Caucus is founded on the belief that diversity is a strength and a challenge. The caucus seeks members from all ethnic, geographic, political, religious, sexual orientation, gender, ability, and age backgrounds and seeks to coordinate and partner with SLA units to help address any challenges arising from our broad membership’s diversity. The caucus also seeks to collect and disseminate information and best practices. Where the activities of other units are aligned with the scope of the Inclusion Caucus, the caucus is to link and promote the efforts of the other unit. Co-conveners are Linda Absher and Liz Blankson-Hemens.
To join one of the new caucuses as part of your existing membership, you may send a check for US$12 with a note specifying the name of the caucus(es) to Finance Department, SLA International Headquarters, 331 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-3501 USA. If paying by credit card, contact SLA Membership at +1.703.647.4900. For other information, you may email membership@sla.org.
SLA 2005 Media Coverage
As almost 5,300 people descended upon Toronto for the SLA 2005 Annual Conference, the impact on the city was impossible to miss. First, our conference’s demand for Internet access set a new record for the Metro Toronto Convention Center, which had to bring in additional servers to add capacity. The Canadian Visitors Bureau estimated the financial boon to the local economy at more than C$10 million. And then there were the local news media.
The Toronto Globe and Mail ran an almost half-page feature, including a photo, headlined “Librarians as Tech-Savvy Sleuths.” The tabloid-style Toronto Sun ran an item. And the CBC’s “Metro Morning” radio program featured a live in-studio interview with President Pam Rollo and member Michele Melady (of the CBC staff). (Both ladies reported to the studio at 6 a.m. for radio prime time.)
SLA Conference Presentations on Web
Speakers presentations from the SLA 2005 Annual Conference in June continue to be received at SLA HQ and posted on our Web site. Presentations were to be sent to staff immediately following conference. If you can’t find a particular presentation on the site (keynote speakers excluded), please contact the speaker and encourage them to email their presentation to events@sla.org.
Conference Photos
Photos from the SLA 2005 Annual Conference in Toronto are online and available for download. Go to www.thephotogroup.com and click on your connection speed, then click “Online Proofing.” Enter the password “sla05” (lower case, no quotation marks). To enter a category, click on the right-facing arrow. Many categories have multiple pages.
You may download photos in 300 dpi (for print) or 72 dpi (for Web) at no cost. You may download and print photos on your own photo paper (300 dpi recommended) or order prints through The Photo Group. If you order prints, the transaction is between you and The Photo Group and you pay them directly. You may reprint the photos in publications or on the Web with proper photo credit—“Mark Reinertson, SLA.” If you have questions, please email communications@sla.org.
Upcoming SLA Meetings
Have you made plans to attend the SLA South Atlantic Regional Conference (SARC III) in Williamsburg, Virginia, on September 28–October 1? How about the SLA Leadership Summit in Houston, Texas, on January 18–21? Mark your calendars and check the Web for details.
The SLA Board of Directors will meet October 20-21 at your international headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
Want info about upcoming industry events? You can always click on Industry Events Calendar on www.sla.org.
Systems Thinking Web Site Launched
Designed to help library and information professionals have greater impact on their organizations, SLA presents the new Systems Thinking Web site. Coordinated by members, the site builds on the work of business strategist Peter Senge and provides resources about “systems thinking.” The concept is about shifting workers’ mindset so they focus on how each action, decision, and omission has a domino effect, affecting their overall organization. The site includes a self-assessment to determine behavior that supports or detracts from “systemness;” an online component to collect benchmarking data; SLA competencies that support systems behavior; a blog to facilitate the sharing of stories and experiences; and more.
The project is coordinated by Lorri Zipperer and Jan Sykes and is sponsored by the Biomedical and Life Sciences Division. It was funded by an SLA Endowment Fund Grant. For more info, visit the site or email lorri@zap.com or jansykes@ameritech.net.
Write for Information Outlook
Do you have an idea for an article in our member magazine? Write for IO. Check out our writers guidelines at SLA.org or email John Adams.
News? Share it
To submit your unit’s news or announcements for SLA Connections or Information Outlook, email communications@sla.org.
The Best Thing to Happen to Professional Development Since…
A crowd of a few hundred gathered at Annual Conference for the unveiling of SLA’s Click University. Members have said their ongoing career development is their strongest need. SLA—the association for Learning, Networking, and Advocacy—is growing in its professional and continuing education offerings by expanding into distance education. A host of opportunities are available already, and they will continue to grow, allowing members to pursue professional certificates and earn degree credits online.
Call for Courses
Share your knowledge and experience with fellow members. You are invited to submit a proposal for a CE (Continuing Education) course at the SLA 2006 Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 11-14, 2006. The deadline for proposals is August 26, 2005. For more info, click Call for Courses.
SLA Virtual Learning Seminars
July 2005
Digital Collaboration Projects for Information Professionals
Part I: July 6
The Digital Collaboration Landscape
Part II: July 20
Launching a Digital Collaboration Project
Speaker: K. Matthew Dames, Founder, Seso Group, LLC
August 2005
Information Ethics
Part I: August 9
Introduction to Information Ethics, Libraries, and Professional Ethics
Part II: August 23
Issues in Information Ethics
Speaker: Elizabeth Buchanan, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Information Studies
September 2005
Seminar: September 15
Structuring and Delivering Content: Maximizing End-User Satisfaction
Speakers: Roger Beharry Lall, Research in Motion (RIM), Joyce Ward, Executive Consultant for LexisNexis
Seminar: September 28
Shrink-wrap and Click-wrap Licenses: Why Should Information Professionals Care?
Speaker: Jonathan Franklin, Associate Law Librarian, Gallagher Law Library, University of Washington
2005 Career Development Series
Seminar: September 21
Your Career: A Straight Shot or a Shot in the Dark?
Speakers: Heather Bradley, CPCC, specializes in human resource integration, Miriam Bamberger, CPCC, has more than 15 years experience working with companies of all sizes
LexisNexis, University of Maryland Team Up to Preserve Images of U.S. Serial Set Maps
Factiva Broadens Taxonomy Consultancy
Yahoo Partners to Launch Search Subscriptions Beta
LexisNexis Launches Taxonomy Program
Elsevier Honored for Enterprise Content Management
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