SLA Maryland Chapter

President's Message

(Volume 55, Issue 1/2, May 2007)

Edna Paulson, SLA Maryland Chapter President, epaulson@sti.nasa.gov

TThe new leaves and flowers tell us that spring is here, even though the thermometer seems to want to slip back to an earlier date. I hope you are enjoying this time of new life and opportunities.

In January I had the opportunity to attend the SLA Leadership Summit meeting in Reno. Among other things, this meeting is a chance for chapter and division officers to hear news from the national leadership of SLA and to find out what other units are doing. One theme that we heard about frequently was membership.

According to Ethel Salonen, a recent membership survey reported in the January issue of Information Outlook  found that the number one satisfaction factor for SLA members is their membership in chapters. (Number two was membership in divisions.) This shows that we value that connection with other nearby information professionals very highly, and SLA is looking at ways to make that important relationship more valuable still. Here are just a few of them.

• Virtual meetings are more popular than ever. Many units are hosting local presentations of education programs provided electronically from SLA. Participating together saves members money and facilitates discussion and networking. SLA also has a WebEx conferencing capability that units can use at a reduced price.
• International membership is booming, and those geographically dispersed groups are pioneering new uses of technology. Speaking of virtual meetings, the Asia chapter recently held a week-long virtual meeting on the SLA Communities of Practice website. Members logged in at different times to view presentations and leave comments.
• A new association management system is in the works help us keep in better touch. The system, called Euclid, will make it simpler to track participation in events, identify members whose membership is about to expire, and track unit demographics. Individual units will be able to use it to track registrations for events like chapter programs and even print badges. More information on Euclid will be coming soon.
  

On the local level, our Chapter’s first program of 2007 will already have taken place by the time you read this. The Evening of Star Gazing at the Maryland Science Center Observatory on May 3 hasn’t happened as of my writing, but planner Chris Olson is hoping for a clear evening and a good turnout.

 We are also planning a social event during the summer.

On October 4th we will have our first Technology Day in several years. Also in the fall, we will welcome SLA President Rebecca Vargha on a visit to our Chapter.  If you have an idea for another program, please let President-Elect Tracy Landfried know.

I hope to see you soon at a Chapter event as we continue to build relationships with each other!