Smoke and Mirrors

However, a logo is only a reflection of our identity-not the identity itself. For our association to make the leap into the new millennium, each of us-members, officers, and staff-must put a new spin on our identity as well.

Our board is doing its part to help prepare us. For example, if you haven't seen "Competencies for Special Librarians for the 21st Century," I urge you do to so. This document analyzes the major professional and personal competencies that we will need to succeed in the future.

This report, prepared by the Special Committee on Competencies for Special Librarians, was initially presented at the Board of Directors meeting in June 1996. The board felt the report was of such great importance to special librarians that it deserved the widest possible dissemination. Therefore, we have posted it on the SLA Web site at www.sla.org, published it in SpeciaList, and mailed brochures prepared by the committee for your convenience. This classy executive summary is an excellent way for us to move our profession forward in the eyes of those for whom we work. Extra copies are available by faxing a request to SLA's Professional Development Department at 1-202-265-9317.

We also focused our very successful 1996 State-of-the-Art Institute on creating the virtual library. Participants learned how to take advantage of the increased capability and reliability of today's technology to revolutionize how their libraries operate. They also learned about the special skills that they will need as managers in this new environment. (Proceedings from the 1996 SLA State-of-the-Art Institute can be purchased by faxing a request to SLA's Nonserial Publications staff at 1-202-265-9317.)

Similarly, the board and I are committed to creating a virtual association. We want you to be able to communicate with SLA and find the information you want when you need it-not just during headquarters office hours. We also intend to create partnerships with businesses, government, and other associations to ensure SLA's electronic presence in the Information Age.

Something you will be hearing a lot about is our "Five Bold Steps" to move SLA into the 21st century. Very simply, these steps are to strengthen relationships with our members, strengthen the global infrastructure of the association, strengthen staff skills, and strengthen our financial position. These steps used together will make this virtual association, our fifth step, a reality.

Our Web site was an important place to start. Sponsored by Disclosure, Inc., I like to think of our site as a work of art in progress. We are continuing to expand and improve the content by adding new features, such as more government relations information, marketing aids that can be downloaded, and a new feedback page. There is also a virtual slide show that presents the association's objectives for 1997 and beyond.

This year, we plan to begin integrating our paper and electronic publishing efforts and to develop an online system to make it easier and faster for you to purchase SLA products and services. For our chapters and divisions, we will enable our Web site to host their Web pages, and we will begin implementing "discussion lists" and "chat rooms." I have one chat room under development which will be titled My Web-Footed Friend (its logo will be a Canada goose). More on this later!

Clearly, all of the changes within our association and profession have necessitated the adoption of a new logo, and I hope that you are as proud of it as I am. I believe it is a very positive step for all of us to take together.

It is now up to us to reinforce the modern, dynamic, forceful image that our new logo conveys. Ultimately, we will be measured by the quality and substance of our work. We must strive to meet the information needs of our organizations harder, faster, and smarter. If we continue to do only what we have done in the past, the new logo will be nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

I am confident, however, that we will not allow this to happen. I look forward to working with each of you in 1997 to shape our future!

David R. Bender, Ph.D.
Executive Director

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