By virtue of its origin, the Special Libraries Association signified a giant leap in the advancement of librarianship. Though librarians were already working in organizational settings (corporate, government, non-profit, or otherwise), the creation of an association specifically intended to represent their interests marked the beginning of a new era not only in librarianship, but also in the way even non-librarians view information management. The proof comes from the fact that private sector librarianship has evolved so rapidly to keep up with the needs of companies and organizations. Businesses have always led the way in developing new and better ideas that improve our quality of work and life. It stands to reason that librarians who serve in workplace environments are pushed to generate better ideas that enhance information services.

SLA has always existed to serve the needs of the profession, and has come through in spades when the membership needed the help. We think only now of the opportunities for acquiring new skills and learning about trends and concerns through networking and SLA continuous education courses and publications. But SLA has always been pushed by the membership to fill the breach where necessary. It's a beautiful thing to see an organization driven by the people it serves to develop products, services, and programs that make the people it serves better at what they do.

Now, as we face the beginning of a new century (Let's stick with the next one-hundred hundred years. The next millennium is a little too much to consider!), where does SLA stand in the grand scheme of things? The first step would be to look at the profession. From where I stand, it seems to be in a constant state of change, as individuals within the profession are reshaping it themselves by redefining the roles they play as information professionals. This seems to be both the great thing about SLA members AND the challenging part in finding SLA's role in serving your needs. But the answer is quite simple: Look to the past. How did changes in SLA's service occur ten years ago? Twenty-five years ago? Fifty years ago? The answer is: YOU! SLA will continue to be driven by members like you constantly challenging conventions, taking risks, and asking for what you need to make your career more rewarding and profitable.

So, as we reflect on the fact that SLA is ninety years old, remember that it's folks like you who made the association what it is today. And, when our successors look back in another ninety years, they will see that it was you and your contemporaries who will have advanced the profession to the next level. Make history repeat itself by shaping your career and your profession simultaneously. Make your association work for you!

Press Notes SLA Executive Director David R. Bender was recently featured on two radio shows. In early May, Dr. Bender was interviewed by CIO Radio. You can listen to the interview at http://www.cio.com/radio. You need RealAudio to listen to the interview. Dr. Bender was also interviewed on May 24 by "Tomorrow's Business," a Washington, DC-based business talk show. Dr. Bender discussed the future of the information professional, and predicted that information overload is already overwhelming workers in many organizations, thus increasing the need for special librarians in workplace settings. The interview was aired live during evening rush hour.