Reflections on the Gala Centennial Dinner

This year marks SLA’s 100th anniversary, and the Toronto Chapter hosted a gala dinner on May 14 to celebrate this special milestone. The event, held in the Music Room at the University of Toronto's Hart House, was a chance for members to reflect on the past and to look ahead to the future. It also provided an excellent opportunity for members to reconnect with old friends and to make some new ones. Many of the chapter's Past Presidents were in attendance, and there was definitely a festive feeling in the air as the evening got underway.

To showcase how much has changed in the world of special libraries over the past few decades, attendees were treated to a display of photographs and newsletters from the chapter's archives. These included photos of libraries from the 1950s, as well as more recent snapshots of members from various Chapter events. It was also fun to flip through old issues of The Courier, some of which sported hand-drawn covers.

Our special guest and keynote speaker for the evening was current SLA President Gloria Zamora. It was nice to have an opportunity to chat with her and to hear her thoughts on the profession and the SLA of the future. Much of her talk focused on the SLA Alignment Project, an initiative designed to help clarify the core identity of the Association and to give members the tools they need to be successful information professionals in tomorrow's organizations. To find out more about the Alignment Project, visit http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/alignment/index.cfm.

The celebration wrapped up after dinner, amid much smiling and laughter. It was a great evening.

Photos from the gala are now available on the SLA Toronto Facebook page at