This year marks my 40th as a librarian. During that span, I’ve worked in international, federal, bi-state government; quasi-government; academic; solo; company; and public libraries—and have volunteered in el-hi school libraries.
Subject areas with which I’ve dealt include business, transportation, engineering, defense, law, political science, trade, news, and labor. My job descriptions have covered reference, technical services, cataloging, collection development, abstracting, indexing, thesaurus construction, database creation and maintenance, head librarian, information specialist, researcher, webmaster, senior communications advisor, and a myriad of other electronic applications (e-alerts, digital business cards, etc.).
Except for 10 years as a part-time public librarian while my daughters were young, I have been a devoted member of SLA through it all…And I’ve been explaining our profession and SLA throughout.
Of course, I no longer work in a library. Ours was closed and the collection donated to a university that is a depository of ours. The august library school I attended—the first founded by Melville Dewey, where I took the inaugural course in “Computers in Librarianship” in 1969—vanished in the ‘80s. A few years ago, it was reinvented as the Center for Advanced Information Management. And way back in 1975, I converted a library into an information center. All of which only illustrates that times change; life moves on; so must we all, lest we be eclipsed.
Regardless of where we work or our specific position or title, as information professionals we provide strategic knowledge. We facilitate informed decision-making, whether for a scholar, a researcher, an executive, or an official.
That is the essence of “strategic knowledge”—a term demonstrated by the extensive research to resonate most effectively with our clients/patrons and employers. Our professional identities compel us to value and respect research.
To serve and sustain our profession, our association, and its individual members most effectively, we must align ourselves for the challenges of the 21st century. For many years, members have overwhelmingly indicated a desire for a new name; and now we have the research to enable us to move forward with a change. The details of the Alignment Project have been publicized for more than a year and available to members and the public.
The selection of Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals comes directly from the research results.
Whether the association’s name is changed this year or not, we must proceed to align ourselves and our organization for the new century.
Still, I urge you to vote (November 16 – December 9) in favor of the name change. Broaden your perspective. Look to the future.
Ann Sweeney
Division Cabinet Chair-Elect; Chair, International Relations Section, Social Science Division
[Senior Communications Advisor: Electronic Publications
European Union - European Commission Delegation
2300 M Street, NW, 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 862-9546
Fax: (202-429-1766
Email:
ann.sweeney@ec.europa.eu
Website:
http://www.eurunion.org]
