SLA Illinois Chapter Connecting People and Information

Katrina Perez and I absorbed lots of news and got a preview of Centennial events for the annual conference and the year at the SLA Leadership Summit in Savannah, Georgia January 14-16. Of course, the economy was at the top of everyone's mind. The folks at SLA are shouldering their share of the burden in not taking cost-of-living increases in their salaries and by paying a higher share of their medical premiums. At the same time, initiatives have been taken by the association to help members in various ways, a few of which I'll outline here:

1. Anyone with an income below $18,000 can join SLA for a fee of $35.00. This is not only a nod to our own economy, but part of an effort to make the association more accessible to our colleagues in developing countries for a more globally connected organization.
2. ClickU Live sessions will now be FREE, as will the replays of these sessions.
3. SLA will offer discounts on CI certificates and others, as well as on courses at iSchools.
4. Annual Conference fee will have an additional discount of $45. applied through the month of January.
5. There will be fewer Information Outlooks published
6. A new council is being created for new information professionals who are in the first five years of their career.

SLA recently wrapped up an extensive research initiative in collaboration with the Fleishman Hillard marketing and communications firm, during which top executives were interviewed regarding the value that they were seeking from information professionals. As a result of these interviews, some of the key findings that were shared were:

1. We must promote versus defend our values-driven benefits.
2. Knowledge is the bridge between information and action.
3. It's about evolution, not revolution.
4. We must appeal to the "suite" spot.

For more information about the SLA Alignment Project and the full presentation, visit the alignment project page on the SLA website.

We also heard from Stephen McGarvey, speaking about "Leadership and Communication in a Time of Change." McGarvey approached the subject of leadership from an influence and flexibility perspective, sharing the Hierarchy of Change with attendees and directing them to appeal to their stakeholders' emotional fulfillment and imaginations. (See these items cited by McGarvey:  Harvard Business Review. "Manage Your Human Sigma." July-August 2005. Simmons, Annette. The Story Factor. Basic Books. 2006.)

In addressing the ability to strategically influence others, McGarvey stressed the need for utilizing the power of language by sharing strategies to state things in a positive context, use alternatives to the words "try," "but," and "understand" and put requests in the "as if " frame to create a desired outcome by appealing to the imagination and a compelling future to the intended audience.

The SLA Georgia Chapter exhibited their southern hospitality by hosting a lovely evening reception for everyone in a historic, old car dealership in downtown Savannah. We share a photo of the cake with you here!

Dianna K. Wiggins

2009 Illinois Chapter President-elect