Just in case you did not see this message that went out last week from SLA President Gloria Zamora.
I would encourage you to take a look at the Alignment Project portal that is referred to in the message. You may remember we discussed briefly The Alignment Poject at our meeting last spring.
Dave Martin
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Dear SLA Member:
John Cotton Dana, who founded SLA a century ago, wrote, "The name Special Libraries was chosen with some hesitation, or rather in default of a better..." We, as special librarians and information professionals you have elected to SLA's Board of Directors, believe that validated research has identified a better name, one that will help all of us communicate our value in the workplace.
We are excited to propose that SLA change its name to the Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals, or ASKPro. We encourage all SLA members to voice their opinion on this proposal by casting an electronic vote in a special referendum that will begin on 16 November and end 9 December. The result will be announced on 10 December.
The choice of this proposed name began when the board concluded in June that the alignment research conducted over the past three years revealed a clear challenge posed by SLA's name: executives who make hiring decisions and allocate budget dollars do not understand what it means. Furthermore, they do not recognize or appreciate the contributions that special librarians and information professionals are making now or the potential they hold for building more successful organizations in the future. This disconnect endangers the jobs of our members, and we are determined to act.
The proposed name is the result of the same rigorous process used in the Alignment Project research. We began by compiling words, terms and critical concepts that both information professionals and executives agree best articulate the value and potential of the information profession and the association. We also received and considered input from members around the globe via Twitter, blogs, e-mail, FaceBook and listservs after the annual conference. The result was a long list of potential names. We then began eliminating names if they caused confusion, were too close to names already in use, posed legal difficulties, or could have different meanings in various countries. We also eliminated names that did not have good acronyms or shortened versions associated with them.
We feel that the name that emerged, the Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals, strongly ties special librarians and information professionals to the strategic goals of their organizations, increases the perceived value of their services, and stresses their professionalism. We also want to emphasize that by changing our organization's name, we will not change the name of our profession. It is important to note, that in fact, SLA members have more than 2,000 different job titles.
Before settling on our proposed name, we subjected it to a survey of U.S. and U.K. information professionals and executives in human resources, marketing, information technology and strategic planning in the corporate, academic, healthcare and government sectors. The results prove that the proposed name will help us accomplish some important objectives:
- It was well liked, fit well with a description of the association, and was judged relevant and credible.
- Executives felt it promotes our members as invaluable assets to their organizations; information professionals said it made them more likely to join the association.
- The abbreviated form, ASKPro, was very well received and also fulfilled the desire frequently stated in member discussions for a name with a meaningful acronym or shortened form.
The topic of changing SLA's name has been much discussed in recent months in a variety of SLA chapter and division listservs and other forums, and board members have heard individually from many members. We have compiled a list of some of the most frequently stated questions and opinions and responses to them. In some cases, we have borrowed heavily from the words of members, and we thank all of you for your input. We hope you will take the time to read this document before continuing the conversation.
You will receive notification on 16 November that the e-vote system is open and have until 9 December to cast your vote. Please note especially that when and if the new name is approved, it will be a matter of months before the association can put it into use because of various legal requirements, the need for a new "look," and other technicalities.
As your representatives, we are dedicated to your success, and we firmly believe that adopting a new name for SLA will further that goal. Ultimately, however, it is up to you to vote on a new name for SLA -- the Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals (ASKPro) and launch us into our second century.
Sincerely,
Gloria Zamora, President, and the SLA Board of Directors
Send questions or comments to the SLA Board of Directors. You can also follow the discussion on Twitter or Share your thoughts in the Express section of the Alignment Portal.
The above message was sent to SLA members on 14 October 2009
