Thank you for an awesome year!

Information Outlook, May, 2005 by Ethel M. Salonen

Greetings:

It is hard to believe that this is my last presidential column for Information Outlook. My year as president has been awesome--a word many of our young colleagues use. I prefer to use "groovy!" I thought I would recap some of the adventures the SLA Board of Directors, staff, and membership faced during this association year and update you on our accomplishments.

Simplification and Transparency

An SLA task force report in 2001 recommended a number of approaches we could take that would result in more simplified management of association activities as well as making the board of directors' deliberations more transparent and simpler. We began that process this year by establishing consent agendas that allowed the board to approve tactical initiatives and thus allow more time for strategic discussions that would impact our board decisions. We initiated a Member Forum Session. We began these forums during the October 2004 board meeting and the January 2005 Leadership Summit. The board heard comments from the members-at-large, and we were able to make important decisions based upon member input from a good cross section of the membership. We will continue this activity at the June 2005 annual meeting. I thank the board of directors and the SLA staff for their work and trust during this transition period.

Task Forces

The wonderful thing about task forces is that they are quickly formed and they work on a very specific charge. We had four task forces this year. One dealt with recommending a new model for our Leadership Summits, both held in January and June. The January 2005 Leadership Summit was the first attempt at this new format, and we are looking forward to the June 2005 Leadership Summit. We heard a report from the Committee Reorganization Task Force. There were a number of recommendations from this group, and many have already been implemented. A third task force was formed to arrive at language and methodologies information professionals can use to show our value as professionals. This task force will be working with the Public Relations Committee and our colleagues at SLA headquarters to arrive at new value statements and future directions. The fourth task force is working on ways to communicate information and share knowledge during natural disasters. This task force was established in part in response to the December 2004 tsunami in South Asia that affected so many people in that part of our planet. My thanks go out to each of the chairs and task force members for their hard work.

New Communities and New Regions

Two new communities, or divisions, were formed this year: the Government Information Division and the Competitive Intelligence Division. Both were formed to fill very specific needs for government information that affects all market segments and for new competitive intelligence strategies and programs. Our newest chapter is the Australia/New Zealand Chapter. It has doubled in size since it was formed in 2004, and we are looking forward to hearing more about the chapter's activities in the near future. I thank the community and regional leaders for their hard work in forming these new units.

Presidential Visits

I was fortunate to visit the New Jersey Chapter on the occasion of its 70th anniversary. If you ever have any questions about New Jersey, just ask me--the chapter presented me with a copy of The Encyclopedia of New Jersey for my home library. The Kentucky Chapter celebrated its 30th anniversary--we had a wonderful time there, meeting many of the members and touring some of the innovative information centers in Louisville. Then it was on to western Canada, where I visited members in Vancouver, Calgary, and Winnipeg.

Not only am I an honorary citizen of the country of Texas (an honor bestowed upon me when I visited Texas in March 2004), I am also an honorary citizen of Calgary, Alberta. I was awarded a hat as part of the "White Hat Welcome" ceremony, and if you ever want to see photos of Winnipeg in all seasons, just ask me. I have a copy of such a book, autographed by the mayor of Winnipeg. (By the way, it is very cold in Winnipeg, which is why many Canadians refer to the city as "Winterpeg.")

I ended my presidential year by visiting the Southern Appalachian Chapter and the Heart of America Chapter. My thanks go out to all the chapter leaders who graciously shepherded me from one venue to the other.

The End ...

I have thoroughly enjoyed this year as your president, and I am honored to have met so many forward-thinking information professionals. During my travels I met with students who are working on their master's degrees in information science, library science, and archives. I also met with a number of students who are enrolled in library technician programs. Each one of these individuals who are entering our profession is passionate about the products and services we offer and is ready to begin showing our value to their organizations. I wish them much luck and success.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible this June in Toronto for SLA's annual meeting. As always, Make it so!