It is the policy of Special Libraries Association to uphold equal employment opportunities and support an Affirmative Action program in the field of special librarianship.
The purpose of this statement is to enable members of minority groups the opportunity to enter, develop and advance in the fields of special librarianship and information management.
The Association carries out this policy through the following:
A. Affirmative Action Committee
Five members appointed for overlapping terms of three years each. The functions of the Committee require that members should have a particular interest in minority groups and several should be members of a minority group.
The Committee shall (1) plan, direct, and monitor an affirmative action plan for the Association in accordance with its policy statement for an Affirmative Action Program; (2) initiate, develop, and encourage Association-wide plans related to the recruitment, development, and advancement of minority librarians and information professionals; (3) communicate minority concerns through the Association newsletter; (4) assist the SLA Scholarship Committee with requests related to Affirmation Action Scholarship(s).
Currently the Affirmative Action Committee produces a brochure that invites minorities to embark upon careers in special librarianship and information management.
B. Scholarship Committee
Three members appointed for overlapping terms of three years each; each member to serve one year as Chair. The Committee shall (1) recommend annually to the Board of Directors the number of scholarships to be awarded in accordance with the approved regulations governing the Scholarship Fund; (2) receive and review applications for scholarships; (3) select the scholarship winners(s); and (4) initiate publicity regarding SLA scholarships.
Currently the Scholarship Committee select one Affirmative Action Scholarship recipient and awards that individual $6000 toward a M.L.S. degree.
C. Equal Employment
The Special Libraries Association provides equal employment opportunity to its employees and qualified candidates for employment. The SLA does not discriminate against individuals based on their race, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, color, sex, religion, age, marital status, family responsibilities, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, personal appearance, or matriculation as outlined by federal laws and the District of Columbia Human Rights Act. All employment policies are developed with this foundation in mind.
- Association official and public statements are usually made for one of the following reasons:
- Increase the awareness of special libraries and the importance of their present and future role.
- Enhance the public impression of librarianship and widen interests in special librarianship as a career.
- Cooperate with other professional Associations, governmental units and other groups with similar interests.
- Delineate the position of the Association regarding matters of public significance that affects its membership.
- Increase the awareness of special libraries and the importance of their present and future role.
- Source of Association Statements
Statements may emanate from association officers, representatives, committee chairs, chapter presidents, division chairs, section chairs, and members of the Headquarters professional staff who may speak or act officially on matters which are within their respective areas of official responsibility and on which they are fully informed. When circumstances require, an official may designate an alternate to exercise this privilege. The alternate should be equally qualified and should hold a related official capacity in the Association.
- Preparation of Statements
The statement should be quoted to ensure consistency of response. When used as background for local or special situations, a supplementary statement by the official is supplied to clarify the application. Advice from higher Association authorities should be sought when the official position is not known. Without exception, controversial matters should be referred to the Association president and Executive Director before drafting a statement that will reflect the Association's position.
For uniformity, the concise description of SLA's history, structure, publications and programs is ordinarily used in such statements, as it appears in the most recent version of the appropriate Association brochure.
- Approval of New Association Statements
When time permits, statements of the Association position or policy are referred to the Board of Directors for approval prior to release or use by any unit or representative of the Association.
When time does not permit referral to the full Board of Directors, the unit or representative refers a draft to the executive director and the president. If they concur with the draft, the executive director reports their release for use and distributes information copies to the full Board of Directors and includes the item on the agenda of its next meeting for ratification.
If any of the above concurs with the draft as submitted, the president makes the final decision to approve the draft for release, to rework the draft for release, or to decide that no statement may be made at that time. These transactions are also referred to the full Board of Directors and included on the agenda of its next meeting.
- Professional Activities and Public Events
Participation in professional activities and public events bringing credit to the Association is desirable. Invitations for others to participate in Special Libraries Association activities is equally desirable. The decision to participated in such activities rests with the individual authorized to commit funds or take such action.
- Affiliation, Contracts and Agreements
Association affiliation and disaffiliation with a society having objectives allied to those of Special Libraries Association is authorized by the Board of Directors (Bylaws, Article XIV, Section 1 ). Similarly a Chapter, Division or Section may affiliate and disaffiliate with a local or common interest group in accordance with the provisions of its own bylaws which have been approved by Association authority. Affiliation or disaffiliation with a national or international society must be approved by the Association Board of Directors. Notice of affiliation or disaffiliation is reported to Association Headquarters, for information.
An agreement, contract, or obligation entered into by any Association unit requires advance approval by the Association Board of Directors if liability exceeds the units available or budgeted funds. All affiliate and contractual relationships shall be directed toward the best interest of the Association and shall protect its property and identity.
In 1956 when the Special Libraries Association began its free consultation service, there were few full-time professional library consultants. Most of those who were in operation consulted with large academic or public libraries.
Today the field has changed. Special libraries/ information centers have become very sophisticated operations. They use expensive computers, buy costly software, use automated catalogs and circulation systems, run expensive databases, maintain automated files and more.
As a result, library planning is no longer a simple task. It takes many hours. In many cases a high degree of specialization is required. Planning libraries is a full-time occupation. It is the job of a professional library consultant.
The focus of SLA's free consultation service has changed. Although we no longer plan full scale libraries free of charge, we have an excellent opportunity to help the profession grow and help create new opportunities for employment.
Today the purpose of SLA consultations is to provide management with strategic guidance on whether to establish a special library/information center, whether to abandon an existing one or whether to change an existing one. The consultation focuses on the strategic issues necessary for operating a library. We hear and discuss both problems and solutions. In most cases, we set the stage for step two--hiring the professional consultant.
The role of the Special Libraries Association Consultation Service is to provide strategic, professional guidance to organizations that see a need to improve their systems of information collection and dissemination. The committee functions as a public service to aid all users of information and to benefit the special library profession. The service does not compete with professional consultants; it provides brief guidance with no monetary or material gain to the committee member(s) or to the Special Libraries Association.
History
The Special Libraries Association has offered free, brief consultations since 1956.
Purpose and Function
The purpose of SLA consultations is to provide management with guidance on whether to establish a special library/information center, whether to abandon an existing one or whether to change an existing one. The consultation focuses on the strategic issues necessary for operating a library. Some consultations are merely handholding. Such questions as where to find a person to catalog 50 books should continue to be answered. These cover formal chapter consultation visits.
Chapter Consultation Committees
Consultation generally takes place at the chapter level. Divisions that do consultations must use these Guidelines as well. The chapter consultation committee consists of a chair plus one or more members. Each chair and committee member should have a master's degree in library or information science, a minimum of five years working experience and excellent communication skills--both oral and written. This will give a firm base of knowledge to the committee so it can provide sound advice.
Professional library consultants should not be consultation chairs. Professional library consultants can serve on the consultation committees only if they understand that absolutely no monetary gain can be obtained by their firm either before, during or within a period of two years following the pro bono consultation.
Consultation Activities
Initial contact with the users of SLA's consultation services may come from referral from SLA headquarters, from referral from the chapter president or from chapter members.
The Consultation Chair must evaluate whom to send on the consultation. Members of the committee may do the consultation or others from the chapter may go. If possible, the person sent should run a library/information service in the same or similar field as the organization requesting the consultation. Care should be taken to avoid any conflicts of interest. If non-committee members are sent, the person must have the same experience and educational qualifications as committee members.
The meeting with the user takes place in the user's offices. It should last no longer than one-half day. The consultation committee representative listens carefully to the user's problems, evaluates the situation and discusses the situation with the user in general terms. This is the time to talk about computers, databases, salary ranges, full-text retrieval as well as encyclopedias. Remember to leave behind copies of the Association Consultation Service brochure or other Association brochures such as "Objectives for Special Libraries" or "Corporate Libraries and Information Centers: The Bottom Line."
While the consultation committee member focuses on the strategic issues necessary in establishing a library/information center, no tactical issues are discussed. This is a job for a professional consultant. The committee representative does not write specifications. Therefore, no equipment should be specified by brand name. Neither should specific hires, absolute size of staff, exact number of volumes nor specific titles be named. Failure to recognize this may result in lawsuits against the Special Libraries Association, the consultation committee member or the consultation committee member's employer.
If the user asks for recommendations for professional consultants, refer the person first to the CONSULT database maintained in the association office by the SLA Supervisor of Information Resources. Here, too, caution is advised. Recommending one consultant can be deemed collusion; recommending yourself is unethical. Both instances are grounds for lawsuits. Within ten working days of the request, the association office will send a list of at least two consultants in the user's geographic area.
Following the meeting, no extensive written reports should be sent to the user. Within a week of the meeting, a short note stating that the consultation committee representative enjoyed meeting the user, hopes that the discussion helped and wishes the user luck in the establishment of a library/information center should be sent. Brochures such as those mentioned in the earlier paragraph may be included.
All consultations are confidential. Just as it is inappropriate for a lawyer to discuss his/her client's problems and concerns with others, so is it wrong to discuss consultations with others.
Publicity and Promotion
The consultation service needs publicity and promotion in order to reach those who need it. Small ads in publications such as those published by the Chamber of Commerce will help. Articles contributed to local trade publications are good. The brochure describing the Consultation Service is a useful promotion piece. SLA will continue to promote the Service on an Association-wide basis.
Reports
As with any committee, reports must be sent to the chapter president in April. Care must be taken to maintain confidentiality in reports to the chapter board. During the chapter year reports following each consultation must be sent to the Manager of the Information Resources Center at the association office. A form is attached for this report. The Supervisor will maintain a file of these and will send an additional copy to the Chair of the Consultation Services Committee. The Committee will follow-up with a small sample of these to evaluate how the service is being received.
- Units should be aware of the Association's "Extra Association Relations Policy" which contains this statement: "An agreement, contract or obligation entered into by any Association unit requires advance approval by the Association's Board of Directors if liability exceeds available or budgeted funds."
- These Guidelines apply to property such as office machines, filing cabinets, etc. having a purchase value exceeding the unit's available or budgeted funds, or exceeding $5,000.00.
- The executive director at SLA Headquarters should be informed of the purchase value, the name of the individual responsible for the property, and the address of its location immediately upon receipt of the property. The property should be clearly marked: "Property of the Special Libraries Association, 1700 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009."
- Appended to the annual financial report of the unit should be a property report listing the date of acquisition, the purchase value and the name of the person responsible for the property and address of the location of the property.
- The proper care and maintenance of the property is the responsibility of the audit.
- When the unit disposes of the property, SLA Headquarters must be informed immediately and any outstanding debt on the property must be discharged by the unit.
- All Association property will be insured, at the discretion of the executive director, by the addition of riders to the Association's insurance policy. To meet the requirements of the insurance company, it is mandatory that the permanent location and the responsible custodian be identified. Units will be billed at cost by Headquarters for such insurance.
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