Even though the official Opening General Session of the 2008 SLA Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO begins later today here in Seattle, the conference is already moving at warp speed. On Friday, the SLA Board of Directors met in an open session followed by a lively and creative discussion about the ongoing SLA Alignment Project. The discussion, which involved board members, SLA candidates, staff and others attending the public meeting, was facilitated by a senior vice president of Fleishman-Hillard. The international consulting firm is leading a team made up of Outsell and Social Technologies helping SLA anticipate the future of the information profession and the association.
Yesterday (Saturday), attendees took part in numerous SLA workshops, Learning Forums or division-sponsored courses. Subjects covered the gamut from "Basic Strategic Planning for the Information Center" to "Cataloging for Non-Catalogers" to "How to Answer Any Kind of Question with An Effective Message." There seemed to be just about anything for anyone, including courses for those working toward new SLA certificates in Competitive Intelligence, Knowledge Management or Copyright Management. Also held yesterday was a Global Information Ethics Summit, leading to the possible creation and adoption of formal ethical guidelines for information professionals.
Following an interesting and thought-provoking session of the SLA Leadership Development Institute, which focused on SLA technology initiatives, such as the association's new Innovation Laboratory, and on improving strategic planning for SLA chapters and divisions, and the event's impressive INFO-EXPO, the Opening General Session will get underway later today. The session features an interview on stage of Dr. Vint Cerf, a Google vice president and a "Father of the Internet," by award-winning TV journalist Charlie Rose,
All in all, a very fast start to a conference that will surely pick up even more speed as it continues.
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