*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.
What Does the Bylaws Amendment Approval Mean?
This is my first SLA Connections column since members voted overwhelmingly to approve a Bylaws amendment that ushers in a new dues structure and, yes, higher dues for most members. The ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote stripped the Bylaws of a 12% cap on dues increases. Removal of that ceiling meant the Board of Directors, meeting at SLA Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, on 20–21 October, could formally implement the new dues structure, which it had previously approved at its meeting in Toronto last June.
We have already provided you a wealth of communication and detail about the new, more flexible membership dues structure. (See the Bylaws Information Center online or read back-issues of this newsletter.) The big changes are that in 2006 dues will increase to US$160 for members earning more than US$35,000. There will, however, be an alternative dues rate for members earning less than US$35,000 a year. Dues for these members will be US$99 a year.
So the approaching new year will see a modest (US$35) dues increase for members earning more than US$35,000 a year and a modest decrease for members earning less than that. We expect the new, lower dues rate to make membership more attractive to many prospective members in various sectors. Also, the higher dues rate for most SLA members is expected to provide a much-needed financial “shot in the arm”—this is the first SLA dues increase since 1999.
Now, what does this mean to you other than your dues rate changing?
First, you should know there’s nothing magic about 1 January. You will not get an invoice on New Year’s Day that says ‘Okay, cough up more money.’ Your dues will change—up or down—when your membership renewal comes due. So some of you may be paying your new dues rate early in the year, and some of you may not be paying it until late in 2006. Are you a “Type-A” personality that has prepaid into the future? Well, then, your dues will not change until your dues are up for renewal.
There are several outstanding and noteworthy aspects of the vote. For one, the majority of you who voted did so online through our new e-Voting system. Many of you responded to the SLA Connections Special Edition survey last month, saying you loved voting electronically. That praise and validation makes the staff and leadership feel wonderful—it means leadership gave you what you wanted and staff implemented it well.
Also, a key member benefit for the units—Divisions, Chapters, and Caucuses—is higher allotments. Increased dues funding means chapter allotments will increase to US$14.40 from $12. Division allotments will rise to $12 from $10. Caucus allotments will increase to $7.20 from $6. Your unit leaders are very happy about that.
Increased funding for your professional Association means that we can move forward on membership service enhancements that you have been requesting. When you express your opinions—either directly to staff or through your elected representatives—we hear you, and we commit to working hard to make your wishes and desires into reality.
Again, thank you for the confidence you have so strongly signaled to leadership and staff. Most of all, though, thank you for participating in your Association’s democratic process.
What Happened at the Board Meeting?
Your SLA Board of Directors met here at Headquarters on 20–21 October and approved both a Strategic Plan and a budget for 2006. The long and short of it is that we continue to focus where you’ve told us—on initiatives targeted toward Learning, Advocacy, and Networking. A key strategic thrust continues to be professional development, which members consistently identify as their ‘Number One’ need. The 2006 budget is targeted specifically at product and service deliverables that support the Strategic Plan.
If you would like more detail, Board documents are posted online or, if you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact me directly at janice@sla.org or you may contact President Pam Rollo at prollo@nypl.org.
Janice’s List
Everyone can be more successful if they know how to work effectively within a team. Teamwork, says Patrick M. Lencioni, is both powerful and rare. He calls it "the ultimate competitive advantage"—more important, even, than strategy. My book recommendation this month is The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. Check it out.
Burning Question
Have you ever been on a team that delivered outstanding results? I’m interested in your successes and victories. Email me at janice@sla.org.
Consider This
”What we need to do is learn to work in the system, by which I mean that everybody, every team, every platform, every division, every component is there not for individual competitive profit or recognition, but for contribution to the system as a whole on a win-win basis.”
W. Edwards Deming
U.S. author, business advisor, and quality control advocate responsible for rebuilding the Japanese economy after WWII (1900–1993)
Google Makes Public Domain Books Accessible to the World
Australian Library & Information Association Warns of Global Librarian Shortage
2005–2006 NLM / AAHSL Leadership Fellows Announced
Purdue University Creates First U.S. Info Literacy Endowed Chair
NCLIS Launches New Web Site
NCLIS Unveils New Health Information Program Award
Cool Site: Optical Illusions & Visual Phenomena
Do you love those funky optical tricks your friends send you? This Web site demonstrates visual phenomena called “optical illusions” or “visual illusions.” The site’s owner says the term “visual illusions” is more appropriate because most effects have their basis in the visual pathway to the brain, not the optics of the eye.
2005 Salary Survey and New Workplace Study Available
Results of the most recent SLA Annual Salary Survey are now available through SLA’s online Marketplace. The survey includes the new Workplace Study that provides data about benefits, trends in hiring and expenditures, and changes in job descriptions and competencies.
The study indicates 55% of information professionals now work outside the library/information center and 80% consider the new skill sets of Web content management, database management, and knowledge management ‘important’ or ‘very important.’
American respondents reported salaries rose 4.6% while the U.S. Consumer Price Index rose 3.5% (April 2004–2005). Canadian members reported salaries up 3.6% with inflation rising 2.5%. The survey found mean salaries were US$65,482 and CN$63,083.
For additional detail or to order the report, click here.
Disaster Relief for SLA Members
SLA members who have suffered Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Pakistan Earthquake, and the South Asian Tsunami are receiving a special membership benefit. At the October SLA Board meeting, directors unanimously voted to provide gratis one-year membership extensions for people in the affected areas.
If you need more info, you may contact Jill Calabria of Linda Broussard of SLA.
SLA’s Information Professionals’ Alliance on Natural Disasters and Accidents (IPANDA) Weblog continues to post news and information designed to aid recovery and planning. Also, the Disaster Planning & Recovery Information Portal is up to date with a wealth of information.
Call for Nominations—2006 SLA Awards & Honors
Do you know an “information star”—an information professional who has exhibited stellar performance? Then prepare to nominate him, her or them for a 2006 SLA Award or Honor. Take note, the nomination submission deadline for 2006 will be 4 January.
Awards and honors will be presented at SLA 2006 in Baltimore in June. Staff are endeavoring to make the nomination submission and award/honor selection process entirely electronic, and a new Community of Practice (CoP) has been established to facilitate award committee work.
Watch for detailed info about SLA’s 2006 Awards & Honors process to be posted online.
And for more info about the leading edge technology SLA CoPs put at your fingertips, click here.
Call for Papers—Abstracts Due 8 December
SLA is seeking papers for presentation at SLA 2006 Annual Conference. The papers also will be published on our Web site.
Though not formally peer-reviewed, a panel of SLA members will evaluate submitted abstracts. The author or at least one co-author must be an SLA member. Authors of accepted abstracts will be asked to write papers.
Topics should be related to library science, information management, research, or other issues related to the work of special librarians. Abstracts will be judged on substance, potential member interest, and relevance to the Annual Conference theme—“Where Tradition and Transformation Converge”—or SLA’s slogan—“Connecting People and Information”.
Abstracts are due 8 December. Papers will be due 1 May. Conference presentations will be June 11–14 in Baltimore.
Click here for more details.
Task Force Work Commences
All of the task forces appointed by SLA President Pam Rollo have begun working on their targeted subjects/goals. If you want to volunteer for a task force, there’s still time.
Task forces and their Chairs:
New
• Alliances & Partners – Anne Caputo & Willem Noorlander
• Chapter Modeling – Gayle Gossen
• Executive Growth – Pamela Clark
• New Visions – Amy Disch
• Recognition – Bill Fisher
Continuing
• Professional Value – Ethel Salonen
• Natural Disasters – Dav Robertson
For more information, visit Task Forces on our Web site.
Outsell Study Responses Due 10 November
SLA members should have received an email asking for participation in Outsell’s annual Vendor Portfolio Management Benchmark Study. The survey deadline is 12:00 a.m. PST / 3:00 a.m. EST / 0800 GMT on 10 November.
This year’s study covers corporate and government information managers and academic libraries, not-for-profit and public libraries. It focuses on information management functions such as information centers and libraries; knowledge management; records management; and competitive intelligence functions and examines budgets, spending, vendor/product evaluation and vendor portfolio management.
All responses are confidential. Outsell requests only one response per department or buying unit. Respondents will receive a listing of 2004 product winners and a full report of 2005 study results.
To complete the survey, visit www.digisurvey.com and enter username “Outsell” and password “survey.” The survey must be completed online.
If you have questions, please contact Karen Wilson of Outsell or click here for more information.
Newest Student Group
The School of Information & Library Science at Pratt Institution in New York City is home to SLA’s most-recently chartered Student Group. Student member Lisa Ryan is president, and the group’s advisors are Visiting Professor Pam Rollo and School of Library & Information Science Director Virginia Papandrea.
Upcoming SLA Meetings
Leadership Summit, 18–21 January, Houston, Texas
SLA 2006 Conference Web Site
Plan to participate in the SLA Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, on 11–14 June. Visit the new conference Web site.
What Are You Doing?
Share your news. Email your unit’s news to Karen Santos Freeman of SLA.
Click University an Incentive for Membership? 
SLA staff exhibiting at the Internet Librarian conference in Monterey, California, 24–26 October report Click University appears to be a strong prospective membership draw. Staff say Click University as an online learning tool exhibited tremendous appeal to non-members stopping by the SLA booth. Not only did Click University appear to be attractive to non-members who are special librarians, but public librarians expressed interest in the online learning opportunities as well.
Got a question about Click University? Email learning@sla.org.
SLA Virtual Learning Series
November 2005
Topic: Text Mining
Part I: November 15, 2005
Unlocking Knowledge from Text
Part II: November 29, 2005
Case Studies and Implementation Roadmap
Speaker: Seth Grimes, Alta Plana Corporation
For more Professional Development news, look for SLA’s monthly Learning Connections newsletter.
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