The Corporate Librarian

Last night I attended my second-ever SLA chapter meeting, and my first one as an officer. I’m the editor for the Bulletin Committee of the San Andreas Chapter, which means I drum up content for the blog which has replaced the Chapter’s website from members and worse comes to worst create my own.

After showing up slightly late to the meeting (my phone decided to direct me to 459 Middlefield Road, the opposite direction from where I needed to go in Menlo Park) we went through introductions, approving the previous meeting notes, discussing finances and other business, and finally splitting up so old and new officers could compare notes and talk about transitions. I got to meet one of the proofreaders, Sandy Tao, and talk with her some about the blog and procedure going forward. I also got to meet Lee Pharis, the past President of the Chapter and someone who recently submitted a story about Bill Fisher winning an award.

Lots of things to think about and people to talk to going forward. I recommend looking into volunteering as a Chapter officer  - not just for the networking, but to work towards giving yourself a voice in the profession. From what Leslie Fisher reported back, it looks like SLA is in for a lot of changes, and I’m looking forward to being a part of them.

In my continuing quest to drive away the remaining readers and cause poor Carolyn Sosnowski to tear her hair out, some observations on two SLA processes: changing/adding units and membership renewal.

Since I moved to the Peninsula, it made sense to change my chapter to the San Andreas Region (aka, Silicon Valley). The way one changes or adds memberships is:

1. Go to the Change/Add units page on SLA’s website.
2. Click on the appropriate link or links (there are separate forms for Add Unit and for Change Unit).
3. Enter information in the editable PDF(s). Some fields you can tab to, others you can’t.
4. Save the PDF(s).
5. Print out the PDF(s).
6. Mail or fax the PDF(s), possibly including a check for the appropriate amount if you don’t provide credit card information.

Why are there two separate downloadable forms? Why are the forms even downloadable? What’s wrong with entering my information directly on the website and e-mailing the input (encrypted). There are certainly any number of payment gateway service providers.

To renew my membership, I go to http://www.sla.org/renew, which redirects me to a page where I can change my member ID and password, edit my membership data (which apparently means my employer and contact information, not the units I belong to) or renew my membership. If I choose the last option, I am taken to a page which gives the invoice number, invoice issue date, invoice due date, total invoice amount, amount paid, balance due and current status.

I am given the choice of paying a single invoice (or multiple invoices, apparently, given the “Click here to pay all outstanding invoices at once” link). I can pay online or print out an invoice to send in with a check (why no reminder of the address on the invoice?). If I click on a payment link, I am presented with my membership number, itemized dues, a full listing of previous units and expiration dates, and pick lists to choose units from. I can pay online using my credit card.

So yes, to just add or change units is a cumbersome process, but to do so as part of membership renewal is simplicity itself. Curious.

For those who are curious:

• San Andreas for my free Chapter, figure I’ll see what they’re like before deciding whether or not to join San Francisco as well.
• Information Technology for my free Division, with the IT Division Blogging Section.
• Knowledge Management as an extra division for $18 (I was torn between Business & Finance, Competitive Intelligence and this one, but figured Knowledge Management would be useful if I went the freelance consulting route).

The Corporate Librarian has been a member of SLA in the past, but honestly has used it mainly to get access to the annual conference when it was convenient to work or to accesss job listings. For 2006 and 2007, his goal is to really work at getting more out of SLA membership - attending a few chapter meetings, checking out a few Click University sessions and if possible going to the annual conference in Denver.

Hmm. Clicking on About Click yields:

Click University is hosted by Learn.com and the Learn.com software and Learning Management System, the LearnCenter, is designed for Windows. It will not operate on Mac OS.

Ms. Suggs and Vicks, tear down your wall!

If the Corporate Librarian were Special Library Association Dictator for Life (he thinks he’d look rather dashing in a uniform), a few changes he’d make:

• Let people apply for SLA membership entirely online, rather than having to fax in a form
• Make e-learning materials as platform-agnostic as possible. Offer podcasts as MP3 files, with other learning materials as .mov and .wma files. SLA already has a Podcast Center, so this isn’t a stretch. WebEx does have players for Linux, Mac OS X and Solaris for a collaborative meeting solution, even if the Mac OS X version has gotten some bad notices.
• Publish subscribable calendars for SLA as a whole and for chapter/division/section websites using the iCalendar standard or the hCalendar microformat (based on iCalendar)

Things SLA gets right:

• Sends an e-mail with membership number and PIN so members can use the benefits of the site quickly
• A partnership with Newsgator to offer an RSS reader
• Subject portals on topics

The Corporate Librarian wound up joining the New York chapter and the IT Division (Blogging Section), and looks forward to meeting colleagues. More as the Corporate Librarian experiments - any comments or tips from past or present SLA members?

The Corporate Librarian signed up with SLA a week or so ago, having been a member in the past and let his membership lapse. Mostly he’s used SLA for the annual conference and job searching, to be honest. He’s currently debating whether to join the IT Division (blogging! RSS!) or the Corporate Information Centers section of the Business and Finance Division.

What advice would you give on how to get (and give) the most from professional associations?