Member Insights: 2017 SLA Board of Directors

dee_squareI launched my 2017 communications on January 11 by introducing my presidential theme, “Experience SLA for Career Success,” and my blog series, Member Insights. During the year, I will reach out to different constituencies of our membership with questions that are both professional and fun. We’ll spend the year celebrating accomplishments, sharing stories, and exchanging ideas.

Today I’m sharing my first Member Insights post, which includes thoughts from the SLA Board of Directors. I asked them three questions: 

  1. What are you looking forward to with SLA in 2017?
  2. Where do you turn to keep professionally current?
  3. What was your favorite read of 2016?

Universally, board members are excited to build on the good work of our past and to look strategically forward. Forming a strong team and engaging with staff, members, and vendor partners will all be highlights. Continuous learning for leaders and members is a key focus, with webinars and in-person events underway. The Phoenix conference will be awesome and will feature many new elements, from Main Street SLA in the INFO-EXPO Hall to The Park to mapped learning streams, morning workout options, and more. Of course, we all value our networking time at the conference, and we’ll have plenty of it. There is a great sense of optimism, and board members are looking forward to making SLA the association of choice for library and information professionals.

“I’m looking forward to using this (continuous learning) approach and other means to connect leaders (and members) to each other and to SLA, giving them a  greater sense of belonging to a professionally nurturing and necessary organization.” —Mary Talley, Chapter Cabinet Chair

Our board members have diverse backgrounds, which are reflected in their professional resources. The universal source was, of course, SLA and its units. Other associations were also key, from the American Library Association to the Center for Creative Leadership to the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. Social and other media ranged from the usual suspects such as LinkedIn and Twitter to Pinterest and news media such as the British Broadcasting Corporation. Many of us turn to trusted colleagues and known experts. Individuals and blog examples include Erika Andersen, Martha Beck, 3 Geeks and a Law Blog, and Stephen’s Lighthouse. Journals, magazines, books, and news sources made the list. Topics of interest include leadership, AI, dynamic marketing, transportation, research data management, communication, and digital preservation. For a complete list, click here.

Erika Andersen at SLA 2016

Erika Andersen, SLA 2016 Keynote Speaker

And what did we most enjoy reading in 2016? The list could keep me busy for a couple of years! In the non-fiction department, we read books about statistics (Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers) and books on writing (John Darnton’s Writers on Writing). To relax we read about mindfulness (Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness for Beginners) and fermentation (Sandor Katz’s The Art of Fermentation). We read titles set in Norway, Iran, and the United States. For fiction, we traveled the globe and beyond (to Italy, Africa, Malaya [now Malaysia], and other worlds) and traveled through time (to the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries). I’ve assembled the complete list of titles along with links. Check them out!

We have a passionate, curious, and dedicated board of directors. I learned a great deal about their interests and thoughts, and now share them with you. What stories come next? I’ll be traveling to the northeastern United States, where we’ll talk sights, food, and programming. Have a wonderful week, and please feel free to share your own favorite resources and reads as well as directions for 2017. Cheers!

—Dee Magnoni, 2017 SLA President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

©2024 Special Libraries Association. All Rights Reserved
Special Libraries Association
X

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close