SLA Candidate Speeches

Candidates panel June 12 at LDI

SLA Annual Conference, Philadelphia, 2011

Marilyn Bromley, Candidate for Director

Question #1 - Tell us about yourself and your primary candidate message

My mother set a good example when I was growing up with her involvement in many organizations in our community. In 1978 I got my first library job running a one-person library for a consulting firm. Their research demands were intense, so I joined SLA and got involved in the DC Chapter because I knew I needed to network to succeed in my new job.

But I didn’t just join to network, I got involved.

I have been president of the DC Chapter and served two three-year terms as chapter treasurer.  I was Legal Division program planner for the Denver conference and have been their Awards & Grants chair for three years. I am currently Past Chair of the Social Science Division.  I have also been on several association-level committees including Finance, Bylaws, and Association Governance.

I began working at the BNA Library in 1983 and have attended every annual conference since 1984, demonstrating my commitment to SLA and the profession, my focus on continual learning, and my recognition of the value of member-to-member networking.

So, who will I be if I’m elected to the SLA board?

I’ll be someone who is approachable and a good listener… who is responsive and follows-thru…. Someone who is engaged and enthusiastic, who facilitates collaboration and good decision-making…. Someone who is a strategic thinker and helps to create the future by working with others. 

I want to serve on the Board as a way to give back to SLA and its members as thanks for all that I have gained through the years…  I want to “live the value” of membership to new members and non-members, and be a mentor and role model. 

SLA provides members with opportunities for continual learning and networking, opportunities to experiment with new technologies and new roles, to learn new skills, to learn how to network if you’re a new professional, to prepare for your Encore years if you’re not, to stay flexible and light on one’s feet, to make life-long friends … to have fun.  I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

 

Question #2 - The information industry is constantly changing (the players, the technologies, the information availability & needs, etc.).  Living within this environment, SLA must be an agile organization able to adapt as the industry matures.  What services/functions/features should SLA change and what absolutely must be preserved as we become Future Ready?

 My company has recently adopted the agile approach to new product development.  Agile development ensures products are user-centered and solve a clearly defined user need.  Agile products require a flexible design because they are never “done” - they are continually measured and updated based on user feedback.  Agile team members are forward-thinking, adaptable, innovative, open-minded and committed.

 With the success of the Future Ready blog and the quality of the posts, it’s clear that many SLA members are “agile” thinkers and doers.  SLA, for many valid reasons, however, is not quite the model of an agile organization. 

In order to know what SLA should keep doing and what needs to be revised or eliminated…. according to agile principles…. members need to be asked.

Since that would take longer than 3 minutes, here is what I think…

The annual conference is a must keep - it is our premier learning and networking event.  The Info-Expo is a huge timesaver for members and provides our vendor partners with a large number of “qualified leads.”

Expand the virtual and unconference formats.  Having only one keynote speaker would allow additional time for sessions and unit meetings.

Hold CE courses only on Sunday morning, all should be half day only.  Other CE courses should be offered through ClickU OR offered to groups of chapters/divisions to sponsor as an in-person & virtual event.

Keep the chapter and division structure – so many members don’t attend the conference & the units are where most members connect with their colleagues.

Expand the student membership program – they are the future.  Get them before they graduate so that they stay members no matter where they end up working, either in a traditional or non-traditional job.  We need to provide more association support to chap/divs in this effort.  Keep the First 5 Council and get them more involved with student groups.

Information Today – publish it in PDF only, push the email link to all members.  Reduce the number of association-level blogs (by my count there are 8) to no more than 2 or 3.

Continue the Salary Survey and expand the usefulness of the Calculator.

the Resources  collection (on sla.org) – Survey what is important to members, keep only those which can be kept up-to-date, and eliminate the rest.

Career center – a valuable member benefit, publicize to all members thru email and encourage them to forward to their HR department for listing info pro jobs thru-out the company.

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Candidates panel June 12 at LDI SLA Annual Conference, Philadelphia, 2011 Marilyn Bromley, Candidate for Director Question #1 - Tell us about yourself and your primary candidate message My mother set a good example when I was growing up with...