ALA presidential candidate Molly Raphael will be in town the evening of March 16

Please save the date - Tuesday evening, March 16. Molly will be in DC to meet new friends and greet long-time colleagues. We will have the opportunity to talk with Molly about her vision for ALA. DCLA's long-time members will remember Molly as a past president of DCLA and Chapter Councilor. After retiring as Director of the DC Public Library, she continued her distinguished career as Director of the Multnomah Co. (Oregon) Public Library system. Nationally, she served on the ALA executive board and was a tireless advocate for the Freedom to Read Foundation. Learn more about Molly by visiting her website http://mollyraphael.org/ or her facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Molly-Raphael-for-ALA-President/198157358325

Details of the March 16 program are being finalized. Information will be forthcoming.

Kathryn Ray


DCLA Past President

DC/LA The Twentieth Annual Elizabeth W. Stone Lecture Series Featuring Clifford A. Lynch, Ph.D

The Catholic University of America School of Library and Information Science & The Potomac Valley Chapter of ASIS&T proudly announce The Twentieth Annual Elizabeth W. Stone Lecture Featuring
Clifford A. Lynch, Ph.D. Executive Director, Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), USA
 on  Tuesday, April 20, 2010 @ 7-9PM, Caldwell Hall Auditorium, The Catholic University of America,
http://www.cua.edu/res/docs/cuamap.pdf, Reception to Follow, RSVPs are encouraged. Please contact Robin Foltz: foltz@cua.edu, Please feel free to contact the SLIS alumni board at cua-slis-alumni-board@cua.edu with any questions.

Getting Ready for the Conference? Try the SLA 2010 Annual Online Conference Planner

Wouldn't it be nice if you could keep track of all the sessions you'll be attending at SLA 2010? You can!
Here's how:

1. Create a new My Briefcase account by navigating to Conference Planner --> My Briefcase
2. When you're done, come back to the Conference Planner
3. Check off all sessions that you'd like to attend
4. Scroll to the bottom of the calendar and click the Update My Itinerary button
5. Whenever you'd like to check/update your itinerary, navigate to Conference Planner --> My Itinerary

 Try it by clicking HERE

Last Night, The Army Art Program - Wow!

The Military Libraries Group of DC/SLA met in the Franklin Court facilities of the Center of Military History Art Collection last night and were astounded at the depth and breath of the Army Art Collection that spans the history of the United States plus other “pocket Collection” such as the Life Magazine Collection of WW II Art, and other collections from the Mexican War to the humanitarian activities in Haiti. Army Art Curator, Renee Klish and her Assistant, Sarah provided a fabulous tour of the Collection. Renee pointed out that the collection contains works by many of the outstanding artists of the mid-20th Century. Interesting poster art proved an unusual side-light…..we saw the original art, often very large size, of familiar poster art. The collection is still growing, from purchases of art from E-Bay to works by the Collections’ Artist-in-residence, to donations, and “finds” from various office collections. Absolutely fascinating!

The Army Art Collection will be moved to Ft Belvoir, Virginia this summer to be part of the Army Museum now under construction. If we think library collections are difficult to move, consider fine art crates for individual pieces! Currently, some works from the Army Art Collection are on display at the Holocaust Museum. We are already thinking of a tour of the new Ft Belvoir facility in late spring, 2011! Watch for the announcement!

Sharon Lenius, MLG Committee Member

SLA CLICK U LIVE SEMINAR FOR FEB 24TH RESCHEDULED TO MARCH 17TH

The SLA CLICK U LIVE SEMINAR: Pain-free Public Speaking will not be held on Wednesday, February 24th as originally scheduled. It has been rescheduled to Wednesday, 17 March from 2-3:30pm EST.
Here's the new notice:
SLA CLICK U LIVE SEMINAR: Pain-free Public Speaking

Presenter: Maura Kennedy, Strategic Communications Director, SLA
Program Description:

Do you die a thousand deaths every time you approach a podium to speak? Do you tear your hair out whenever you sit down to try to write a speech? Get over it!

Librarians and information professionals share information, and the occasional speaking engagement can be an important part of both your job and your professional development. Learn how to overcome your fears by using tried-and-true methods to organize and draft your remarks, practice your presentation and deliver a speech that delivers. Learn the right way to use visual aids such as PowerPoint that complement your remarks and help you stay on track.
This Webinar is an expanded version of a presentation given at the Leadership Development Institute at the SLA 2009 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO.



************************************************************************

*************



Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2010



Time: 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM EST



Location:



LexisNexis
6th Floor
1150 18th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
(Metro: Farragut West/North)



Guests must show a photo ID to the guard in the lobby.


RSVP:
Please RSVP directly to Marie Kaddell at marie.kaddell@lexisnexis.com to reserve your seat. Make sure to note whether or not you are a SLA member in your RSVP.

Price:

Free for DC/SLA members; $25.00 for non-DC/SLA members (payable via PayPal at http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/events_files/clicku09.html

Please note:


Seminars begin PROMPTLY; please arrive at least 10 minutes early to sign in and get seated. Please make sure to bring your own handouts. A link to the course materials will be provided a few days before the seminar. Please share this seminar announcement with others who may be interested (SLA members/non-members).

Marie

Marie Kaddell, M.L.S., M.S., M.B.A.

Senior Information Professional Consultant marie.kaddell@lexisnexis.com

DC/SLA Click U Coordinator

Chair Elect, SLA Division of Government Information

From the Desk of the Chapter Notes Editor-in-Chief: Chris Vestal

Hi everyone,
I'm really excited to say that the January/February issue of Chapter Notes is available at:
http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/cnotes/JanFeb2010.pdf

There's a lot of photos so download time might not be very fast but we have some really good material that I hope everyone will enjoy. You'll see that we've made a number of changes based off the results of the Chapter Notes Membership Survey.

Here's a sneak preview at this issue:

• Take a look at the chapter's strategic plan in "President's Corner"
• Hear about upcoming events and professional development opportunities
• See how the "Snowapolapse" left its mark on the area
• Find out how many records we broke in 2009
• Learn about how volunteering can enhance your career in "Taking the Reins"
• See how you can share your stories about positioning yourself for the future in "The Way Forward"
• Hear the inside scoop from the Leadership Summit
• Get to know SLA President and DC/SLA chapter member, Ann Caputo
• See how special libraries are changing lives in Africa
• Read about living in multiple worlds
• Examine highlights from the Chapter Notes Membership Survey
• Find out why Molly Raphael, candidate for ALA president, refers to herself as a "backdoor librarian"

Remember:
The survey may be over but we're still accepting feedback, so please feel free to send your suggestions/comments/questions to me :)

  

Cheers!

 

Chris

Chapter Notes Editor-in-Chief

Christopher M. Vestal, Patent Researcher

 

ASRC MS, USPTO Contractor

 

Phone: (540) 227-0718

 

DCLA: Registration Closes Tomorrow for Department of Justice Library and Building Art Tour

Due to security requirements, registration for the Friday, March 5 tour of the Department of Justice Library and Building Art will close Wednesday, February 24. If you'd like to attend this tour, you can register at http://www.dcla.org/calendar.

The Library supports the research needs of the U.S. Department of Justice and occupies historic space in the main Justice Building on Constitution Avenue, NW. The tour lasts about one hour covering the library and the public areas of the Department's Robert F. Kennedy Building.

Due to security requirements, registrants are required to include their name, date of birth, and social security numbers. Participants should plan to arrive early. Each person will be issued a badge and then must go through a scanning booth like at the airport. Participants should enter at the DOJ Visitor Center on Constitution Avenue, NW, between 9th and 10th Streets. Cameras are allowed but no photos can be taken of entrances or exits.

Richard Huffine, President-Elect
District of Columbia Library Association
202-253-3511 c
richardhuffine@yahoo.com

2011 SLA Board of Directors Candidates Announced

Alexandria, Virginia, February 19, 2010 - The SLA Nominating Committee has identified ten candidates for election to the 2011 SLA Board of Directors. The committee is responsible for soliciting names of potential candidates from the membership and putting together a slate of candidates that has exceptional talent, is professionally diverse, and provides regionally balanced representation. Members will have several opportunities to hear from and get to know candidates at the SLA 2010 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO in New Orleans. The election will be held electronically in mid-September 2010. The candidates running for election to the 2011 SLA Board of Directors are:

For President-Elect:

• Brent Mai, Concordia University, Portland, Ore.
• David Stern, Maximize Information, Providence, R.I.

For Chapter Cabinet Chair-Elect:

• James E. Manasco, University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky.
• Ulla de Stricker, de Stricker Associates, Toronto

For Division Cabinet Chair-Elect:

• Scott Brown, Social Information Group, Longmont, Colo.
• Richard Huffine, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va.

For Director (two positions):

• Nerida Hart, HartKnowledge Consulting, Murrumbateman, NSW, Australia
• Jill Hurst-Wahl, Syracuse University/Hurst Associates Ltd., Syracuse, N.Y.
• P.K. Jain, Institute of Economic Growth, University of Delhi Enclave, Delhi, India
• Sara Tompson, University of Southern California, Los Angeles

SLA Press Release - 19 February 2010

Contact:

Cara Schatz 

703.647.4917  
cara@sla.org

Tour of Army Art Collection - Feb 25, 6 p.m.

The Military Libraries Group of DC/SLA is sponsoring a special tour of the Army Art Collection by the Art Historian and Curator, Renee Klish. Check out this video from November 2009 for a preview! This tour is limited to the first 40 PAID registrants. We will take a waiting list.

Renee Klish, Center for Military History (CMH) art historian and curator was featured on CBS Sunday Morning in November 2009, discussing the Army's art collection.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5658744n&tag=cbsnewsVideoArea.0

Please register ASAP:

http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/events_files/feb022510.html


Light refreshments will be served.

DATE: Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010

TIME: 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

PLACE: U.S. Army Art Collection  1099 14th St., NW (Franklin Court), Washington, D.C. 20005

METRO: Blue or Orange Line, McPherson Square (use 14th Street exit, 1 1/2
blocks, next to Hamilton Plaza Hotel

PRICE: To pay by check, send your name, address and affiliation, along with a
check payable to DCSLA to Sharon Lenius.

Cost:

$12 - SLA member

$6 - Retired/unemployed/student members

$20 - Non-members



REGISTER: RSVP to Sharon Lenius ( sharon.lenius@us.army.mil ) or 703-601-2710
regardless of form of payment.

Librarians & Friends book club: Cancelled for February 17th but Scheduled for March 17th

So - no in person meeting of the group tonite. But, those of us in the group did actually read on our topic - which was main characters who were librarians - and I have those recommendations which I will post on Friday along with our topic for March. Hoping that the weather is much better and we'll all be glad to be out and about - the date will be Wednesday, March 17. For those who are wanting to celebrate St. Patrick's Day I guarantee we will be done by 7pm which is more than enough time to go drink some green beer and hear Irish music on a weekday.


Barbara

Barbara Folensbee-Moore
Director of Library Services
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004

Direct: 202.739.5131
Main: 202.739.3000
Fax: 202.739.3001

February 22nd: Young Professionals/Student Happy Hour and Trivia

Please join the DC/SLA Young Professionals group for a February Happy Hour & Trivia Night!
Date:
Monday February 22nd
Time:
Happy Hour starts at 6:30; Trivia starts at 8:00
Join us for one or both!

Place:
Fado Irish Pub, 808 7th St. NW, Washington DCOn the corner of 7th & H St.
Metro accessible from the Gallery Place/Chinatown stop on the Red, Yellow & Green lines

RSVP to cwidowski@gmail.com or carrieport@gmail.com

Janice Lachance, CEO of SLA, State of the Association, 2010, Recorded on January 28, 2010

Library Leaders Series with Roberta Shaffer, February 24th

Join DC/SLA on Wednesday evening, February 24th, for an out-of-the-ordinary conversation with Roberta Shaffer, Law Librarian of Congress. Come hear this library leader's views on career strategies, managing complex organizations in challenging times and the future of libraries.

What:   Library Leaders Series with Roberta Shaffer

When:   Wednesday, February 24, 2010


Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Where: Covington and Burling, 1201 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004-2401

Metro: Metro Center or Federal Triangle

Cost:
$15 - SLA members


$10 - SLA Unemployed/students/retired


$25 - Non-SLA members


For more information and to register, click here or go to the Events page on the DC/SLA Chapter website. For additional information, contact Mary Talley at dcslaprograms@gmail.com.

DC/SLA Chapter President's Summary of DC/SLA Board Actions - January 2010 meeting

Hi,

First, I’d like to say that I’m honored to be your 2010 DC/SLA Chapter President!  To help our membership know what the Washington DC Chapter of SLA is doing for you, I have decided to send out regular updates on the actions that have been taken at chapter board meetings. Our January meeting was the first official meeting of the 2010 DC/SLA Board, composed of:

• James King, President 
• Mary Talley, President-Elect 
• Lorraine Bell, Second Vice President 
• Greta Ober, Immediate Past President 
• Eileen Deegan, Recording Secretary 
• Gulnar Nagashybayeva, Treasurer 
• Martha Reifschneider, Assistant Treasurer
• Alison Raab-Labonte, Communications Secretary 
• Lois Ireland, Fundraising Director 
• David Hemingway, Membership Director

The first action to note is that due to the impending departure of Gulnar Nagashybayeva, the DC/SLA board has voted to bring Martha Reifschneider back as Assistant Treasurer to help this year. We have started up the nominating committee early to find a replacement treasurer so if you’re interested or know of someone who may be, please contact the nominating committee chair – Diane Schnurrpusch at dschnurr@dtic.mil.

  

The focus of the January meeting was to describe the DC/SLA Strategic Plan and 2010 priorities. I first noted our history – that our awesome chapter members have won numerous awards (58 at last count), started new divisions (including Military Libraries Division and Government Information Division), hosted six annual conferences (including the Centennial Conference last year), and six of our members have advanced to lead our association (including Anne Caputo our current SLA President). Building upon the extensive successes of the past and leaning heavily upon our outstanding team of volunteers, I have high expectations of this being one of the best years for our chapter.

  

Despite our many successes and our enviable position, this isn’t a time to be resting on our laurels. I’ve worked in special libraries in the area for the past 20 years and I’ve seen libraries as well as information centers struggle to adapt to the new digital environment and show value within their organizations, resulting in budget cuts, staff cuts, and closures-even prior to the Great Recession. The SLA Alignment Project helped us see the stakeholders’ and decision makers’ perspectives and how we can begin to reposition ourselves to be strategic in our organizations.

  

Jessica Beauchamp, the 2009 second-vice president, and her team updated the DC SLA Strategic Plan last year. She and her entire team did a great job creating a vision and a direction for our chapter. I will strive to do them honor by implementing as much of the strategic plan as I possible during my year of service. To start off, the new chapter vision states, “The Washington, DC Chapter of the Special Libraries Association is the recognized model of excellence as it prepares knowledge leaders for the future.”

  

This vision is driving everything that the DC SLA Board is working on for our chapter members, and is being carried out through five strategic goals:

• Membership & Participation - Grow and support a vital and active chapter representing a broad demographic of information professionals. Priorities include establishing a volunteer coordinator position and a membership committee, and to promote volunteer opportunities.

• Communications - Maintain a communications infrastructure providing timely and high quality information dissemination and exchange that benefits individual members and Chapter/Association leaders. Priorities include expanding the Communications Secretary to oversee all communications (Web, e-mail, and Chapter Notes), expanding the Archivist position to build a born-digital strategy for the chapter and to explore digitizing the existing chapter archives, and to simplify our Web site administration, adding collaboration options if possible.

• Finances - Run a fiscally responsible organization. Priorities include maintaining a balanced budget with adequate reserves, providing quarterly financial summaries to chapter membership, and expanding fundraising/vendor relations efforts.

• Outreach / Community Service - Provide outreach programs and community service opportunities for all members. Priorities include expanding mentoring efforts and enhancing mentoring opportunities, building an employment/career connection Web portal, creating a Retirement committee, and increasing connections to local and distance-learning schools utilizing liaisons.

• Programming & Events - Provide the chapter’s broad demographic of membership with a variety of appealing and easily accessible programs and events, focusing heavily on professional development, but also including networking and special interest opportunities. Priorities include simplifying the event-ticketing process, coordinating with other local library groups by sharing calendar and producing joint programs, instituting new program series (i.e. library director series, technology series), and to make WebEx available at more programs to allow more of our members to participate in events/meetings.

For more details about each of these goals see the DC SLA Strategic Plan at http://tinyurl.com/ykvwl2u. The Strategic Plan and Priorities slide deck at http://tinyurl.com/yhndxlu, has information on how we plan to implement the Strategic Plan this year.

  

We’ve created a number of new committees and volunteer positions in the chapter to help execute this ambitious agenda. A sign-up web site has been setup at http://signupgenius.com/go/chapter, to help us manage and clearly advertise volunteer opportunities. Having a diverse and active group of volunteers is critical to our success so please see if there is an opening that interests you.

- James

  

James King, MLS

President (2010)

Washington, DC Chapter

Special Libraries Association

http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/

SLA Leadership Summit - Highlights, January 27-29

Sabah Eltareb, Chair of the SLA Government Information Division, did a great job writing up a summary of the recent SLA Leadership Summit. I’ve obtained permission to share it with all of you.  - James King, MLS, President (2010), Washington, DC Chapter, Special Libraries Association, http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/

Greetings Everyone,  The SLA Leadership Summit was held in St. Louis, Missouri this year, January 27 - 29. One of the themes of the Summit was how do we engage and foster engagement, at work as well as through our volunteer efforts in SLA and other organizations. How we act, what we do, what we choose to do, how we interact with each other - all are interconnected, with each of us in charge of creating our individual role while shaping and being shaped by other factors.

Planning for the 2011 Annual Conference to be held in Philadelphia. Marie Kaddell, Chair-Elect of DGI is leading our division planning efforts - please contact her directly at marie.kaddell@lexisnexis.com with your ideas or suggestions for topics or speakers, or if you are interested in volunteering.

Updates from SLA Headquarters staff: Anne Caputo (President) and Janice Lachance (CEO) on the state of our association, the upcoming year ahead, and the Alignment project:

Janice set the stage by defining "Lagniappe" - [pronounced lan-yap] - as 'something extra', unexpected/unnecessary - making an ordinary experience extraordinary. Especially during tough times, listen, develop and demonstrate value.

A virtual conference component to the Annual Conference will be available for the 1st time, with the Keynote and Spotlight sessions among those offerings - cost of admission to virtual offerings being worked out, will be announced soon.

SLA dues & benefits - average membership dues are $130 with a return on that investment at over $531 so please remember to take advantage of:

Continuing education opportunities, many of which are free to members, through ClickU, eBrary collection of books, Innovation Lab, Execubooks;

Information Outlook subscription - trends and developments in the industry;

Searchable online membership directory - to locate members, ask questions;

SLA Career Center - resources including Competencies for Information Professionals;

Communication Mechanisms including listservs, wikis and blogs, free RSS feeder;

Discounts on office supplies and higher education.

Anne mentioned that Janice has renewed her contract with SLA with an additional 5 years.

Five global trends that knowledge professionals are affected by:

Globalization - more connections intertwining all aspects of life worldwide - government, business, mass media, etc.;

Distressed markets - world trade declined more in 2009 than since 1950's and most economies have been affected;

Disintermediation - 'cutting out the middleman' - individual wants to do more by him/her self, when desired; people more connected through technology, for greater periods of time;

Disruptive technologies - technology that improves product or service unexpectedly; examples include the online shoe market, Zappos.com that has changed the way that people shop/purchase shoes and Google.com that has changed the way that we provide value to our organization and patrons/clients;

Competition - technology has changed the way that people look for information, the way we find/deliver information - the competition to do so comes from a variety of areas

Mary Ellen Bates will head a taskforce to create a Toolkit of applications and tools using the Alignment findings, to help us understand & communicate our role in the world.

Healthy disagreement is vitally important to capture the diversity of SLA members yet must be done in a civil manner, to foster greater inclusion and understanding.

Kudos to Academic and SLA-Europe for highest growth in membership and to Taxonomy and SLA-Europe for highest % growth

Moving Forward with the Alignment - Maura Kennedy and Cara Schatz

Tips to implement now:

Stories - are very powerful and convey information in a strengthened fashion;

Use brand/logo on everything produced to increase visibility;

Share best practices;

Be prepared with a sound bite/elevator speech - and deliver when appropriate;

Promote yourself and colleagues to your boss, other clients/patrons;

Learn technology and use it;

Volunteer for committees, be willing to help out as needed

Keynote Presentation by Jim (James) Kane on Building and Maintaining Loyal Relationships.

Loyalty is an emotion that is built into our brain.

Four relationship levels:

Loyal - highest level; takes work to achieve (equivalent to love in personal life);

Predisposed - transactional - too lazy to look elsewhere, will stick with something until something bad happens;

Transactional - usually some exchange or purchase - most relationships are at this level;

Antagonistic (I hate you) - small number at this level

Jim was very clear that loyalty does not equal satisfaction - he believes our job is to find out what is needed by our clients

Satisfaction is a mood, about the past, what you do for them

Loyalty is a behavior, about the future, what they do for you

Essential components to foster and develop a loyal relationship:

Trust - competency, capacity, character, consistency - This is the foundation and EXPECTED from you; do not/will not get extra points for this; without this, unable to build any relationship to endure;

Belonging:

Recognition about what the people in your life care about;

Insightful - collect data important to your client, share before it's requested

Proactive - can't wait for someone to ask you to do something and expect to be thanked - you are just doing your job;

you must be proactive in solving your client's needs

humans are looking for shortcuts - what are you doing to help achieve it?

Identity - to be loyal, must make a connection

Inclusion - we like to be asked to be included; ask those around you to be involved with decision making, the process; effort needs to be made; transparency is key

Purpose - have a greater sense of the world - vision, fellowship, commitment



With the first day of the Summit (January 27) a day for the 2011 Planners to begin work and the second day (January 28) a day for reflection and inspiration, the last day of the Summit was more of a hands-on sharing and exchange of ideas. An opportunity to listen to and share 'best practices' and hear from Chapters and Divisions representatives.



One low-cost idea is fortune cookies - a nice alternative to a bowl of candy that could be used for a special occasion or every day. Anne ordered a batch which included three personalized messages for about $35. She left a bowl in her library/resource center for clients to pick up and each message was directly tied in to a service or product she wanted to feature.



Alignment Ambassador Projects as a Leadership Model - Jill Strand

Good practice to develop clear vision and goal;

Train on the details and best manner to communicate message(s); engage audience, regardless of size, and allow time for dialogue;

Offer tools that encourage thoughtful feedback and communication;

Use resources judiciously;

Be outward focused - pay attention for non-verbal signs, to follow-up for opportunity of more meaningful dialogue.

Hands-On Experience Panel 1: First Five Years Advisory Council

Services geared toward SLA members recently graduated, this panel discussed recruiting and retaining new members & leaders. Much of information may equally applicable to members with greater experience - it is going back to getting members engaged, wanting to join and participate. Panelists were asked a few questions:

How do you recruit/retain new members?

Offer lots of programs, wide variety, some social/networking opportunities - follow up with attendees who are not members to discuss benefits of membership;

Have strong relationship with LIS Director, provide internship opportunities for students with Chapter members;

Formal mentoring program, sub development of professional development

Publicize events to other information professionals in area;

Special welcome sessions for new members, match up with established member at programs/events

Give new members something small to do early on, to get connections established

Send energetic Chapter leadership representative to speak to LIS students to communicate benefits of SLA as opportunity to develop personally and professionally.

What does Your Chapter for members new to the profession?

Hold quarterly events - mix of formal, network/social (library tours of special libraries; dine-around, pub night);

Strong connections with student groups, have Chapter liaison to student group to keep communications channel open;

Library School liaison to Chapter - recent library school graduate

Have recently graduated professional be part of programming committee;

Advisory Board position, 'First 5 Years Director'

Career Guidance Chair - not just for new professional

Reward student graduating with the highest GPA a 1 year SLA membership

When LIS student chapter has a raffle, will offer SLA membership donated by Chapter

Offers New Professional Travel Stipend - to attend Annual

What advice do you have about the nominating process?

Start early, before the need for a candidate;

Look for enthusiastic members - about SLA, what it stands for;

Offer Past Chairs/Presidents as resource (after speaking with them first and getting approval);

Be open and transparent about the process, expectations, duties

Throw open to the discussion list - nominations, self-nominations

Think of this as a long-term process, looking for sustainability and growth

Hands-On Experience Panel 2: Presidents of Recently Merged Philadelphia and Michigan Chapters & Chairs of New Academic & Taxonomy Divisions Discuss the Process

Chapters merged due to the economy and membership numbers. Logistically, locating physical meeting sites that meet the needs of members have been a challenge and both Chapters have tried to employ greater virtual programming to maximize usefulness for members. It has been helpful to keep prior leaders engaged and working on structure of merged Chapter to ensure perspectives and needs are better addressed in the move forward.



New Divisions were created in response to identified needs of members. It is important to realize the first year will be housekeeping requirements to put things in order- electing officers, establishing communication channels/process/procedures, bank account. Funding will affect what level of programming can be implemented at Annual Conference - may be a bit of a lag time involved to get corporate sponsorship, membership stipend funds from SLA where timing is critical as this is counted and distributed at end of calendar year.



Joint Cabinet Meeting

SLA has been affected by the economy, financial records strong and in good standing - as confirmed with required annual audit; projected revenues dropped by 20% last year, 5 SLA HQ staff were laid off and 2 additional positions remain unfilled - work has been reallocated amongst remaining staff.

Task forces will be looking at SLA revenue options and how Chapters/Divisions get allotments and how that is shared.

Alignment work will continue, with task force looking at creating tools & toolkit; Alignment Ambassadors to continue, role to be determined.

Be on the lookout for individuals to nominate for "Rising Stars", "Fellows" and "Diversity Leadership" awards.

SLA 2010 in New Orleans will be a wonderful opportunity to learn from the wonderful program sessions, network with colleagues, participate in volunteer opportunities and know that by attending you are helping to bolster the economy of a region still recuperating from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

A question was posed as to the progress of SLA in pulling in Drupal - originally scheduled for last year, it has fallen victim to loss in revenues SLA has experienced

Daniel Lee mentioned exploring a multi-user platform in WordPress and asked interested units to contact him

The Leadership Summit was truly inspirational. It is open for all members, a good opportunity to develop and practice leadership skills applicable in our work lives as well as our personal lives.