Nashville Annual Conference: SLA Divisions, chapters, caucuses

Information Outlook, Feb, 2004

SLA is also organized into Divisions representing subject interests, fields, or types of information-handling techniques. Each Division elects officers and publishes a bulletin or newsletter. Most conduct professional programs during the Association's Annual Conferences. Affiliation with one Division at no charge is an important option available as part of SLA membership.

Divisions:

Advertising and Marketing (DAM) -- The Advertising and Marketing Division is concerned with the collection, retrieval and dissemination of information devoted to advertising, marketing and related disciplines, and in the management of libraries and information centers in these areas.

Biomedical and Life Sciences (DBIO) -- The scope of the Biomedical and Life Sciences Division encompasses all aspects of the life sciences. The Division promotes the exchange of information and ideas about trends and advances in information storage, retrieval and analysis, collection management, and dissemination of knowledge in these fields to support research, education, and commercial endeavors.

Business and Finance (DBF) -- The scope of the Business and Finance Division encompasses all aspects of business and financial libraries, including planning, collection binding, design of services and operation, personal education, and the development of new business information sources.

Chemistry (DCHE) -- The Chemistry Division is concerned with Chemistry and Chemical Technology, and the economics, educational advances, and information handling of the fields of chemistry and related subjects.

Education (DEDU) -- The Education Division provides a forum for librarians/information professionals in the interdisciplinary field of education.

Engineering (DENG) -- The Division encompasses diverse subjects that represent the interest of disciplines of engineering practice; it is concerned with the broad spectrum of technical knowledge pertinent to industry, engineers, and engineering education.

Environment and Resource Management (DERM) -- is committed to the creation, dissemination and informed use of information to support researchers and practitioners in the fields of environmental studies and natural resources management.

Food, Agriculture and Nutrition (DFAN) -- is a network of information professionals working in agriculture, food and nutrition. Members are from manufacturing companies, academic libraries, and trade associations.

Information Technology (DITE) of SLA encompasses the planning, development and practical application of existing and new technologies and systems for the processing and control of information, in any subject discipline and in any form, for its eventual retrieval and use convenient to the requester.

Insurance and Employee Benefits (DIEB) -- encompasses the many diverse aspects of insurance including: all types of private, social, and government insurance, employee benefits, financial and estate planning, financial retirement plans, risk theory and management, legal implications of insurance, managed care organizations and reinsurance, but not excluding other areas specifically noted above.

Legal (DLEG) -- the Legal Division serves as a forum for the exchange of information, ideas, and knowledge among law and regulatory affairs librarians. We address concerns unique to librarians practicing in private law firms, businesses, and government libraries.

Leadership and Management (LMD) -- Competitive Intelligence Section. Leaders, managers and practitioners in CI exchange information, develop skills and transfer knowledge. Topics include secondary research through human intelligence gathering, analysis, simulations, reporting, and recommendations for action. Knowledge Management Section: These members focus on the transfer of information on KM issues.

Materials Research and Manufacturing (DMRM) -- The Materials Research and Manufacturing Division is under-going a revolution from a division with a heavy focus on metals to a division with a broader, more diverse view of all types of materials.

Military Librarians (DMIL) -- The Military Librarians Division brings together those interested in the betterment of military library service.

Museums, Arts & Humanities (DMAH) -- The Museums, Arts, and Humanities Division encompasses librarians and information specialists from all types of museums; institutions, and other organizations having special departments or special collections devoted to the arts, and from those organizations having libraries or subject collections devoted to the creative arts and/or other branches of the humanities.

News (DNWS) -- The News Division is the section of the Special Libraries Association that focuses on librarians and libraries dealing with news media in such settings as newspapers, magazines, broadcast organizations, and nontraditional news settings.

Petroleum and Energy Resources (DPER) -- The Petroleum and Energy Resources (PER) focuses on all energy resources and industries, including petroleum, natural gas, electric, coal and other forms of depletable and renewable energy.