Special Libraries Association,
Communications Division

Notes from Division Archives

Note: Updates to the archival listings are pending. Information from 1995-present will be posted at a later date.

Suzanne Lennon, Archivist

1977-1980

Officially, we began in the fall of 1977. The first discussions were held at the 1976 Denver Conference when Kathleen Criner, Barbara Fallon, and Susan Hill got together to compare notes. Washington, DC area librarians began meeting to discuss the ways and means of managing a telecommunications/communications library. Word quickly spread to New York. Fifteen persons came together to petition the SLA Board for Division status. The SLA Board approved the formation of the "Telecommunications/Communications Provisional Division" at its October, 1977 meeting. Full Division status was granted in January 1980. By then the Division had grown to 180 members. The name was changed to "Telecommunications Division in 1981.

{From "How it all began: the evolution of the Telecommunications Division" by Susan Hill)

1980-1986

By 1983 the Division had grown to 260 members. The 1982-83 annual report noted that the definition and scope of telecommunications had changed from just "nonprint/electronic media (e.g. television/broadcasting) to include computer communication, computerized library systems and a catch all for various data/information systems."

In 1986, membership had grown to 353, with a 50/50 split between primary and secondary membership. The increase was partially ascribed to the growing role of telecommunications in the business community. During this time, the Division embarked on a long-range planning program. One of the first efforts was to investigate teleconferencing technology as a means of disseminating SLA programs.

1986-1995

The first of the Division's popular informal roundtables was held at the 1987 Anaheim Conference. The topic was the development and organization of Telecommunications collections.

Membership in 1990 had stabilized at 284 members. Pittsburgh Conference programming included: "Sources of Information in Telecommunications," "High Definition Television," "Computer Viruses," and "Future Information Technologies."

The 1993 Cincinnati Conference programming continued to reflect the rapid changes in the telecommunications field: "Here Before You Know It," "LAN & WAN Workshop," "Teleprimer," and "RHCs and Information Services."

By 1995, membership had climbed to 391 members. Division archives were on microfiche. Division cosponsored a field trip to the Montreal Expos baseball game (with the Baseball Caucus). The strategic plan called for a 5%/year membership increase and the establishment of a Telecommunications Division listserv .

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