SLA Blog

Are YOU Ready to Vote on the Future Leaders of SLA?

E-voting for the 2010 Board of Directors election will begin on September 9 and run through 5:00 pm EDT on October 1. Are you ready to place an educated vote for the future leaders of SLA? With the election right around the corner, NOW is the perfect time to get to know all eight of the 2010 Candidates!

How to get started...

Each of the eight 2010 Candidates prepared speeches that outline their credentials and objectives for election to the SLA Board of Directors. These remarks have been posted to SLA-TV. In addition, each candidate has recorded their response to the following question: How can librarians and information professionals provide value-added intelligence to their organizations?

You can also visit the Board Candidates Corner, a section of the SLA Blog, to read responses to issues facing the association. Each candidate's bio is also postedand accessible through the 2010 Board of Directors Candidates page on SLA's Web site.

And, arriving in your mailbox soon, the July/August issue of Information Outlook which contains "Meet the 2010 Board Candidates" profiles and detailed information.  (The Web version of this issue to be posted in coming weeks)

SLA Nominating Committee Seeking Members with Board Potential

SLA’s Nominating Committee is seeking help from the membership as it looks for its next leaders, specifically members willing to serve in the following positions: president-elect, treasurer, chapter cabinet chair-elect, and division cabinet chair-elect.

The committee is looking for eight people, two candidates for each of the four positions, for the 2010 association year. The Nominating Committee will meet at the SLA Leadership Summit in Savannah, Georgia, 14-17 January 2009, to recommend a slate of nominees to the board.

“To ensure that SLA continues to be relevant and influential in the information- and knowledge-based 21st century, it is critical for the board to be comprised of a diverse, enthusiastic, and visionary group of individuals committed to the profession,” said Nominating Committee Chair Lynne McCay. “There are many SLA members in the organization that can fill this need, although members of the current Nominating Committee may not know some of you. For this reason, you are invited to submit names potential candidates, including your own name if you are interested in being considered.”

When submitting names, the following information should be included:

• The nominee's name, address, phone number.

• The position recommended for each individual you name.

• Length of his/her SLA membership.

• Offices held in chapters, divisions, or at the association level.

• Membership in association-level committees.

• Other activities with SLA (on chapter and division committees, teaching CE courses, awards received, articles published, etc.).

McCay recommends including other information of interest to the committee. For example, what is about this person that makes him/her a great nominee for the election slate. “Serving on the SLA Board is guaranteed to be a challenging and rewarding experience,” McCay added. “It will provide an opportunity to expand management and leadership abilities through service in an international professional association. Please give some serious thought to who might bring fresh ideas and energy to the board and send us your recommendations. All information submitted will be handled confidentially.”

Recommendations can be sent to Lynne McCay at lmccay@crs.loc.gov

 The deadline for nominations is 9 January 2009.

Bylaws Call-in Forum on Monday, 3 November

As reported last week, SLA's Board of Directors has approved a recommendation from the Bylaws Committee, and is referring to the membership for e-vote, changes to the SLA Bylaws affecting the composition of the board and the terms of its members.

SLA will host a 30 minute virtual Q&A session moderated by 2008 President-elect Gloria Zamora. This forum will be your opportunity to ask questions about the proposed bylaws amendments. Use the information found here to dial in.

For details and more information on the proposed changes visit the SLA Bylaws Information Center

Notice to SLA Members: Bylaws Vote Begins 5 November

SLA's Board of Directors has approved a recommendation from the Bylaws Committee, and is referring to the membership for e-vote, changes to the SLA Bylaws affecting the composition of the board and the terms of its members.

The bylaws vote will begin 5 November and run through 24 November 2008. SLA will conduct a Q & A call-in forum on 3 November 2008 from 1:30 - 2:00 p.m. ET about the proposed amendments.

You may want to learn more about the proposed amendments and prepare yourself for an informed vote.

• Review the information on the amendment proposals and learn the details on the proposed bylaws changes by downloading the appropriate documents in the SLA Bylaws Information Center.
  
  
• Join the audio/web forum we've arranged so that members can engage in dialogue on these proposals. The call-in forum will take place on 3 November 2008. Details for participating are available here.
  
  
• If you cannot participate in the forum on 3 November, please e-mail your questions to Nancy Sansalone or call +1.703.647.4935.

Pursuant to the relevant provisions of SLA's Bylaws, the proposed amendments to the Bylaws must be authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3rds) of the members of the Association present and voting at the annual business meeting, Article XIX: Amendments (or via Action by Written Ballot, Article IV. Section 9)

Please visit the SLA Bylaws Information Center for complete details about the amendments and to cast your e-vote.

2009 Board of Directors Election Results

Still havent heard who won the election? Find out now!

"I would like to express my gratitude to all of the 2009 candidates for taking the time and stepping up to the plate to run for election. Each candidate on the slate clearly deserved to be nominated, and I am sure that we will continue to hear from these SLA stars as they continue to serve the association with distinction in various other leadership roles," said SLA CEO Janice Lachance. "I'd like to congratulate the new board members and offer them my gratitude in advance of their service. SLA's success is based in the strength, dedication and intellect of our members around the world, and the sweat equity of our volunteers at all levels of the organization. Year after year, I continue to be amazed at the dedication and commitment I see from our leaders who work so hard to be a part of shaping the future of this organization and the information profession. Their leadership and service allow SLA to grow and flourish. We couldn't do it without them!"

Read more from CEO Janice Lachance's blog Executive Connections here.

Don't Forget to VOTE!

SLA eVoting for the 2009 Board of Directors Election is still open!
Polls will close on 1 October at 5:00 p.m. EDT

Visit the 2009 Board Candidates page to see candidates' bios and speeches delivered at the SLA 2008 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO in Seattle.

VOTE TODAY!

Meet the Candidates

Both of the SLA president-elect candidates, Janice C. Anderson and Anne Caputo, will be available for a 30 minute virtual Q&A session moderated by 2008 President-elect Gloria Zamora. This forum will be your opportunity to ask each of the candidates questions about the profession, the industry, or any topic you choose to discuss.

Date: Wednesday, 3 September 2008
Time: 1:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time

Dial-in information will be sent to all SLA members on Tuesday 2 September.

2009 Board of Directors Candidate Call-in Forums

Each candidate running for the 2009 SLA Board of Directors will be making themselves available for a virtual Q&A session during September.

Each office will hold a call for a total of four separate dial-in forums. (president-elect candidates, division cabinet chair elect candidates, chapter cabinet chair-elect candidates, and director candidates).

The "Meet the Candidates" call-in forums will be held for 30 minutes each and will be moderated by a sitting board member. The very first call-in Meet the Candidates forum will be with the candidates for 2009 president-elect, at1:00 PM (EDT) on 3 September, and will be moderated by 2008 President-elect Gloria Zamora.

As the time and date for each forum is confirmed, SLA Headquarters will post the information here on the blog and the SLA Web site home page.

On 2 September, all SLA members will receive an email containing the full schedule as well as the call-in and log-in information for WebEx. Please be sure to update your information with SLA HQ by 25 August in order to participate in electronic voting which opens on 10 September.      

If you could change one thing....?

During the SLA Annual Conference in Seattle, the candidates for the 2009 SLA Board of Directors were each asked the question:

"If you could change one misperception about librarians and information professionals, what would it be?" 

See a short YouTube video of each candidate's response.

Electronic Vote for Bylaws Change Coming

During the Open Session of the SLA Board of Directors Meeting in June 2009, the SLA Board of Directors referred the following charge to the SLA Bylaws Committee:

“Move to charge the Bylaws Committee to draft an amendment to the SLA bylaws to reflect a change in the length of terms for the SLA Cabinet officers from two years to three and add the positions of past chapter cabinet chair and past division cabinet chair. At the same time reduce the number of three-year directors on the Board from six to four. The Bylaws Committee should report the language to the Board in time for the Board’s August conference call.”

This change will not affect the number of directors on the board. It will allow consistency in roles as the cabinet chairs will now have an additional year to work with the chapters and divisions. Over the years, there has been an increased workload for the cabinet chair and chair elect for both the division and chapter roles. The increase in workload is due, in part, to the development of the SLA Leadership Summit in January and Leadership Development Institute at the SLA Annual Conference each June.

Additionally, the cabinet chair and chair elect positions are the only Board positions that are two year terms, in contrast to other board positions which are three year terms.

The Board of Directors, yesterday, approved the language and an electronic vote by the membership. Later this year, after the 2009 Board of Directors election, the association will present a matrix describing the existing language, proposed language, and rationale for each language change to the full membership for a vote.

Stay tuned.... more information will be made available in the coming months.