SLA Timeline: A Glance Back into Our Past

Ninety years ago, standing on the veranda of Mt. Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, John Cotton Dana and a group of twenty-six librarians decided there was a need for specialized librarianship. The ideas they discussed at the "Veranda Conference" laid the foundation for the creation of an organization that could serve the special interests of corporate, government, and academic libraries. As a result, the Special Libraries Association was formed. At the time, the notion of a group of librarians creating their own organization based solely on specialized needs seemed far fetched, however, ninety years later, SLA's achievements stand as a testament to John Cotton Dana's original idea. As the ninetieth anniversary celebration begins, it would be appropriate to look back and reflect upon some of the significant events that have played a pivotal role in the association's history since its inception. This issue of Information Outlook features an SLA timeline of chronological events running concurrently with a world event timeline. You will have an opportunity to appreciate the history of the association and put into perspective the events, the people, and the places that undoubtedly shaped the future of the association as well as the world.

Here are a few of the SLA events that are featured on the timeline, many run parallel with world events that have changed the face and conscience of humankind. In 1920, the 19th Amendment allowed women in this country the right to vote, however, a year before SLA elected Maude A. Carabin Mann, as its first female president. In 1942, during the first stages of World War II, the association took the initiative to extend all of its services to public and private libraries engaged in national defense and the war effort. In the 1970's, the association played a role in denouncing the policies of apartheid in South Africa by protesting South Africa's membership in FID and the SLA membership also approved a resolution not to select conferences and meeting sites in states that have not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. One of SLA's most shining moments happened in 1985, when the association moved to the mansion at Dupont Circle in Washington, DC, after nearly fifty-five years in New York City. Coincidentally, SLA's new headquarters was originally built in 1909—the year SLA was founded—by a special librarian, Arthur Jeffrey Parsons. In Washington, SLA now had the opportunity to plan for future expansion, build stronger ties with trade associations, and enhance government relations with its close proximity to Capitol Hill, thus establishing itself as an international organization.

And here we are in 1999— a time of telecommuting, videoconferencing, online shopping, and virtual everything! Business moves at the speed of light and we're all expected to keep up. Technology has given way to a multitude of career options and a bright future for all information professionals. Take advantage of what the millennium has in store—it's certain to be exciting for SLA and the profession as a whole! Looking back on the ninety years of events that have placed the association as a world leader in the advancement of special librarianship, it is safe to say, this is what John Cotton Dana and a group of twenty-six librarians standing on the veranda of the Mt. Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, NH, had in mind.