SLA Name Change

Thank you, Daniel, for Tweeting me. Jill also asked a question and I think perhaps a forums are might work well for suggesting a name & then allowing individuals to comment on the suggestions.

It was suggested that I share a letter that I wrote to my chapter here, so here it is:

Dear SLA Illinois Colleagues,

I was going to convey the Alignment presentation to you as a group via webinar some weeks ago, but I was waiting to hear what I was meant to ask you to do as a result of hearing the information. Now that the Alignment research has been archived so well and so often, I don't feel that a presentation is necessary. I do, however, want to convey my  personal thoughts on this issue and ask you to visit the Alignment wiki so that you can solidify yours.

While working at McDonald's in their global marketing research department, I was fortunate enough to experience firsthand how one of the biggest brands in the world follows trends and uses foundational research to frame decisions around how to stay relevant in the minds of their stakeholders. Of course, they've had to evolve their message over the years, along with the look and feel of their properties, their menu offerings, the equipment that they use to make those menu items, and the way in which they train their various management and crew levels. They've also had to learn about operating in a global, flatter world. Had they not been willing to reframe their approach, changes in the competitive environment on a global scale would have made them irrelevant. Many of you are working or have worked in similar organizations and have witnessed the same process..

As a latecomer to this profession, I can say that I've spent very little time as a "traditional" librarian. As a matter of fact, very few of my clients have ever known what my actual degree credentials are. Instead, they have known me by what I could do for them - whether it be research, World Cafes, helping them build community, helping them with a digital project of some kind, or teaching them how to do their work more effectively using the proper resources. I was flattered when they included me as part of their team, regardless of what all of our titles and degrees were. My current job is much the same, working cross-functionally with a variety of people who hold advanced degrees in all kinds of different fields. It isn't what our degrees are that brings us to the table, but the commonality of the work at hand.

Today, we see print news sources suffering, merging and going away as a result of changes in the way people relate to media. It's an "opt in/opt out" world on the move. Those that are finding new ways of relating to stakeholders in profitable ways will survive, not necessarily in the same form or heading, but in ways that are relevant to new generations of "digital natives" in a mobile world.

We are faced with the same sorts of choices. Do we stand stubbornly and cling to a name on our principles, or do we consider a reasonable alternative that resonates with those who hold the keys to our future employment opportunities? I don't know what this new name is going to be or whether I'll like it. I find out at the same time that you do. I do know that when I say Special Libraries Association to my stakeholders currently, I can see the disconnect in their faces for a few seconds as they try to absorb how this relates to what they know about me. Why? Because, like it or not, in most peoples' minds, "library" conjures imiages of stacks and books, and while we all love books and learning, we can't force this paradigm out of peoples' minds to include the broader world of digital information, knowledge management, and the various other high value services that we bring to the table. So yes, we will still be librarians no matter what our association is called, the same way that folks who hold MBAs still have their MBAs and use them but relate to resources and professional alliances based upon any number of different roles that they may play in their organizatoins.

There are many other roles and fields that we find ourselves interacting with these days to  do our jobs well, and I would love to see some of these folks be able to relate to the wonderful learning and connection opportunities of our association. This is how we build true, cross-functional community and knowledge. We have a history as connectors - championing openness of access and learning across our organizations. Let's not be closed-minded to these principles now, when our own futures are at stake.

I urge you to familiarize yourselves with the research that has been done. It only takes a few minutes of your time. Frame it with what you've experienced at the brand and organizational level, and in the context of what's going on in the marketplace today, then ask yourself what's important to you and your future and whether there is a fit. Let's move forward together.

Kind Regards,
Dianna K. Wiggins
President-Elect, SLA Illinois Chapter