Hello!
As President of the Maryland Chapter, I attended the SLA Leadership Summit 2 weeks ago in Savannah, representing the interests of our members and learning about association-wide plans and endeavors. I was joined at the meeting by Sean Henry, President-elect; Ashley Conaway, Director; and Susan Fingerman, Chair of our Membership Committee. Each of us attended meeting sessions and participated in discussions to gather insights and ideas from the more than 250 SLA leaders in attendance -- the volunteers who lead SLA chapters and divisions around the world.
Sean and I attended the SLA open board meeting and learned about association activities and decisions. Several new initiatives were announced aimed at enhancing your membership and dealing with tough economic times.
-- Click University (virtual learning) Live sessions and Replays are now free to SLA members! The ClickU web site hasn't been updated yet to reflect this new "pricing", but it's true-- sessions are free for SLA members! (You'll need your membership info to get into ClickU.) Note that there is a 50 seat limit for attending the live sessions, so if you see something you want to attend, sign up ASAP. If you have space for other Maryland chapter members to join you in your office for a session, please use this chapter listserv to announce and invite your colleagues to join you.
Here are the details: http://slaconnections.typepad.com/insidethebox/2009/01/click-university-offers-free-online-courses-to-help-members-thrive-in-bad-economy.html
-- SLA annual membership is now $35 for those making less than $18,000 a year. This new membership category enables Maryland chapter members who are retired/retiring to stay in touch with the profession at a reasonable annual fee, as well as for unemployed members looking to keep their professional network "working."
-- Members going to the annual conference (June 14-17) in Washington, D.C., can save $45 on the early bird registration cost by registering by Jan. 31. If you weren't among the first 100 attendees who registered Jan. 7 and saved $100, then register by Jan 31st and save $45!
-- Other announcements:
* SLA staff members are skipping salary increases in 2009 and will pay part of their medial coverage costs.
* SLA's magazine, Information Outlook, will be published eight times a year rather than 12, because of increased printing and publishing costs, and decreased advertising.
* There is a new Rising Star award.
* SLA has a new Academic Division.
Our Image as Information Professionals
SLA has undertaken a comprehensive, multi-year project aimed at improving the value perceptions and image of our profession and SLA members. Called the SLA Alignment Project, its research team reported on its latest series of activities and research findings at the Summit. I won't go into details here, suffice to say that the research was thorough, the process fascinating, and the results conclusive. This Project promises to establish a solid, proactive and future-oriented foundation for our members. To review the latest results of the project, as well as to peruse reports and plans, go to the SLA Alignment Project web page at http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/alignment/index.cfm. You'll be glad that you did!
Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of SLA
The Summit officially kicked off Anniversary events recognizing the first 100 years of SLA. Guy St. Clair, author of the anniversary book, SLA at 100, read excerpts which brought to life the energetic and far-sighted leaders and thinkers of our profession and association. I bought a copy of the book and it's an interesting read. Did you know that the founders had difficulty defining the term "special library"! Gee whiz. If the the results from the alignment project had been on hand...
This year SLA chapters and members across the world will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary, including events at the annual conference. Our chapter will be observing the Anniversary with a unique twist, as I will explain in my February message to Maryland members.
SLA has a web site devoted to the Centennial which I invite you to browse to learn about our heritage and accomplishments: http://www.sla.org/centennial/
The Georgia Chapter held a very nice reception for Summit attendees, complete with champagne and cake to kick-off the Anniversary. Here's a photo of the cake.
Our Chapter's Board will be holding a meeting Feb 3rd to discuss details of what we learned at the Summit and plans for our chapter this year, including 4 excellent networking events!
best regards,
Chris
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