The Pacific Northwest Chapter (PNW) of the Special Libraries Association is an association of special librarians and information professionals in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Washington who are experts in their field in academic institutions, and in for profit and non-profit organizations that use or produce specialized information.

Mission Statement
The Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Special Libraries Association provides opportunities for professional growth and development to its members and promotes the profession of special librarianship within the community.

Environment
In the next five years the environment in which members of the Pacific Northwest Chapter work will be influenced by:

• Acceptance of and dependence on technology
• Rapid and increasing deployment of information technologies within parent organizations
• Increased interdependence among information providers
• Increased need for technical skills to manage information (indexing, cataloging, etc.)
• Increased use of contracted employment and outsourcing by organizations to maintain organizational flexibility
• Increased synthesis and re-packaging of information
• End-user expectations of instant information availability
• More knowledgeable and sophisticated users of information
• Globalization of information
• Commercialization and prevalence of the Internet and information
• Deployment of e-commerce

Strategic Objectives
1. Provide opportunities for members to network and share expertise

• Fund and support means for members to interact electronically
• Publish timely updates of chapter information for members
• Provide the means to identify chapter members, their organizations, their specialties
• Provide opportunities for social interaction and exchange

2. Provide high-quality professional development opportunities meeting needs of new and experienced special librarians

• Plan a variety of programs for the widest possible audiences throughout the year
• Request speakers to provide information that could be delivered electronically
• Provide continuing education opportunities for chapter members
• Initiate a formal mentoring process
• Develop leadership skills through participation on chapter committees
• Communicate broadly the availability of relevant educational events

3. Promote special librarianship to other audiences

• Consult with organizations expressing the need for information services
• Assist members in finding employment
• Communicate the contribution of special librarians

4. Support and promote special librarianship as a career choice

• Support the SLA student chapter at the SLIS through programming and student participation
• Encourage members to promote special librarianship as a career choice
• Provide a representative on the SLIS Visiting Committee
• Partner with the SLIS to promote internships and mentoring opportunities with students