outgoing 2005 SDLA board members

SDLA Executive Board Session: “Incoming and Outgoing Members.” (The 2006 Board is pictured above.)

Notes from this session:

I attended this session as an incoming member of the Intellectual Freedom Committee. The session began with introductions of the incoming and outgoing board and committee members.

Mary Bushing, the keen “question-asker” that is infamous at our library and many other libraries around the world, initiated dialogue about our membership. Why do people join SDLA? Why do people choose not to join SDLA?

Several thoughts came up. Some librarians may not understand the difference between SDLA, SDLA, MPLA…etc. Other librarians feel like SDLA is not “for them” or does not have anything to offer their type of library (academic, school, etc). There have been strong marketing campaigns, but perhaps SDLA needs to take a more active approach toward recruiting new libraries. At the RCPL, new employees get a year of free membership. Mentoring is also a good draw for SDLA. We should facilitate mentorship and support new members of the library community, when known. We could contact them initially, maybe by mail, electronically, or with an in-person visit. They need to know what we have to offer and what SDLA is, specifically.

 Why do people join SDLA? It’s not just a “pass the crown” organization. Some shared that they had joined for networking, others were new to the library community and it brought them “into the loop.” Mary Bushing pointed out that Conference attendance may not be a direct benefit since you can attend if you are not part of SDLA. Others noted that they enjoyed the committee work. Some join professional associations in general, and pay dues because they want to “give something back” to organizations that have advanced their careers.
 
MB also brought up the issue of our 101-page bylaws, and if we may want to consider if we could “simplify.” In general.

Then, the outgoing Board took care of their business, as to be announced, we took a photo, and the new year was ushered in!