SLA sent the following email to members on Sept. 16:
Dear SLA Member:
In order to continue to deliver the services members expect, the SLA Board of Directors has voted to increase dues by 15 percent for most members and add a new dues tier for members with an annual income of US$75,000 or greater, effective 1 January 2010.
In the four years since it last raised dues, SLA has done much more for members with far less funding, introducing an array of new member benefits to ensure that information professionals have the tools they need to remain competitive in today's marketplace. These include greatly expanded online and in-person professional development opportunities, free online libraries and webinars, discounts on conferences, publications and higher education, and much more. In addition, SLA has vastly extended member networks by adding access to new communications technologies as they emerge and is aggressively building the global membership so important in the new economy.
The cost of delivering these member services each year is now almost US$600 per member. SLA has worked hard to reduce and offset that cost by becoming more operationally efficient, obtaining sponsorships, and building partnerships. Over the past year, SLA staff have forfeited raises, paid a larger percentage of their medical benefits, and lost professional development opportunities, and we have reduced staff by 18 percent, among many other measures. We were also able to fund one of our most important efforts ever, the Alignment Research Project, with funds reserved from the sale of our previous headquarters building. SLA dues continue to be substantially lower than those of most comparable organizations, and there is more value in SLA membership than ever before.
Dues rates will be as follows:
| Category of Membership |
2010 Dues |
| Student/Retired Members |
US$40.00 |
| Full Members |
|
| Annual Salary under US$18,000 |
US$40.00 |
| Annual Salary US$18,000-US$34,999 |
US$114.00 |
| Annual Salary US$35,000-US$74,999 |
US$185.00 |
| Annual Salary US$75,000 or greater |
US$200.00 |
| Organizational Members |
US$750.00 |
| Honorary/Life Members |
$0.00 |
| Retired Members/45 Years |
$0.00 |
|
| |
| Extra chapter/division fee |
US$20.00 |
| Caucus |
US$12.00 |
We have created a Web page with questions and answers about the dues increase and more information about membership finances. We will add answers to new questions as they emerge.
Sincerely,
Gloria Zamora, President, and the SLA Board of Directors