Janice LaChance, SLA's Chief Executive Officer, recently distributed a communication through the Association's "Leadership List," a distribution list for communications to/from Janice, the Association Board, and the unit Presidents and President-Elects. ("Units" means both Divisions and Chapters for those of you wondering.) This list is used for various distributions, such as noteworthy events, news about HQ activities, leadership tips and more. It helps leaders stay tuned-in with the Association as a dynamic and evolving entity. It helps me keep a perspective on the Association and our profession beyond San Andreas Chapter and my friends and colleagues in this region.
For instance, a chapter survey is conducted annually and results are made accessible to chapter leaders through the Leadership List. It has been fascinating to review the variables across the Association and to hear the "voices" of other leaders sharing the perspectives of members and chapters in other places. It has really opened me up to a new understanding and ownership of the Association. Whereas once I held the thinking that "I belong to the Association," now I think more along the lines of "the Association belongs to me"--to us.
And with that shift of perspective, I find myself thinking of how I cultivate, nurture, caretake the Association--just as I do about other things that "belong" to me. I've started to steer away from thinking about what I can get from the Association and instead am turning toward what I want the Association to be, to do, to become. A variation on "pride of ownership" has sprung up. The little cotyledon of my "member as consumer" self has fallen away and baby leaves are sprouting a self-identity of "member as participant." It is exhilarating, in a quiet and harnessed kind of way.
Anyway, back to the list--the list that lets me feel connected to so many more members of SLA and such diversity of humanness. I want to share with you some of the latest news distributed by Janice. She has shared with us some of the analysis provided by SLA's Chief Policy Officer, Doug Newcomb. Doug has analyzed the Obama Administration Agenda and has relayed to us, through Janice, his perspectives on what impact the Agenda will have on our profession. I have forwarded Janice's message in full to the San Andreas Chapter's discussion list. But for the Chapter's blog, I will just post a section of the message that pertains to the SLA Public Policy blog, where you can find news on a lot of things going on in our world and how SLA is responding.
From Janice on 25 February 2009: SLA works hard to keep members informed on a variety of issues that may affect the profession, and we encourage you to provide your input and perspective. One of the most efficient ways to do this is to read SLA’s Public Policy blog located at http://slaconnections.typepad.com/public_policy_blog/. This is where you will find news and information about SLA's efforts to shape legislation and regulatory proposals. I also recommend signing up to receive email updates from the SLA Pubic Policy blog on the link above—it is a great way to have this information delivered directly to you. (JC)
If you are reading this blog posting but are not a member of the Chapter's discussion list and want to see the full set of comments from Doug, please let me know. Also, if this is the case, I encourage you to subscribe to the San Andreas discussion list. San Andreas leadership is developing use policies for the blog and the discussion list, so that in the future you will receive different types of postings in each medium.
As Janice said in the greeting in her recent posting, "Good day to you all."
Leslie R. Fisher
2009 President, San Andreas Chapter, SLA
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