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David Cappoli and Deb Hunt share the stage at the August SLA New York Happy Hour. |
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The candidates get cozy with members of the SLA New York Advisory Council. |
Enjoy and don’t forget to vote!
First up, Deb Hunt.
Why am I running for SLA President-Elect?
I bring proven leadership skills to this position. I have prior experience as a Director on the SLA Board of Directors, as Chapter President and in many other leadership positions in the San Francisco Bay Region Chapter and in SLA divisions. I’m an innovator as the creator and team leader of SLA’s 23 Things. The 23 Things contributed to a mindset change for SLA members and enables us to embrace new technologies, new tools, get ahead of our users and to lead rather than follow. For this effort, I was awarded an SLA Presidential Citation by Stephen Abram.
I know how to get things done, grow new leaders, and create and strengthen programs for our members.
I see my colleagues struggling with layoffs and job insecurity. Yet there are vast opportunities for information professionals and I want to see us benefit from those opportunities.
I’ve demonstrated my adaptability and flexibility as my career has taken many turns. A few years ago, I was laid off from my job at the Exploratorium after 14 years of working there. I was able to ramp up my consulting firm, but it was still a big adjustment. Over the years, my consulting work has evolved in a way that I think mirrors what I see happening in the job market for us as information professionals. When I started consulting many years ago, I mostly did value-added research and library design and automation. Soon my library automation clients asked me how they could organize their internally created content so it would be as easily accessible as the library collection. That is how I added document and enterprise content management to the services I offer. Most of my clients are not libraries.
My candidacy theme is career sustainability, which is about growing in our jobs now and in future jobs as we continue to deepen and broaden our expertise and experience. We need to be resilient taking our skills with us no matter where we go.
How can SLA support this?
- by identifying career and professional growth areas
- by providing opportunities to grow our skillsets, whether we are new to the profession or in our mid or post-mid-career years
- by continuing to lead the way with member benefits such as the 23 Things, the Futureready blog and ClickU
- by reaching out more to our international members
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Deb Hunt addresses member questions. |
I’m passionate about what I do and what we can do as a profession. Together we can create a more healthy and sustainable future as we grow our skill-set and shout from the rooftops the value that we bring to our employers, potential employers and clients. I would appreciate your vote for me as SLA President-Elect. Will you join me in this endeavor of association and career sustainability?
Thank you very much!
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Members of SLA New York listen intently as the candidates present their platforms and vision for the future of SLA. |
And now, a few words from David Cappoli.
When Deb and I were corresponding with Pam Rollo about the format for our visit, Pam wrote that “we will introduce you around informally among the members for a while (one on one) and then we will give you both center stage to sing for your supper” – now the image that appeared in my head was right out of Gunsmoke with Pam as Miss Kitty sitting off to the side making sure that the bar folk were being entertained. Pam went on, “This usually results in plenty of time for questions from the floor. (They often ask alot, but one usually walks away unscathed).”
So while you think you may see fear in our eyes, it’s really exhaustion from our whistle stop tour. And if you saw us in Philadelphia at conference, it’s a similar look.
Philly was exhausting because Deb and I seem to have been in multiple places from the early morning until late at night, introducing ourselves and chatting about the association. But also energizing because of everyone’s enthusiasm and willingness to share their stories and experiences. And I realized that just like my first SLA conference in Denver during the 1980s, it was about the people. The people who continue to offer guidance and support.
And this is why, since being asked to run for President-Elect, I have focused on the terms renewal and engagement. From students, to those new to the profession, to established professionals, to those near or in retirement, we need to connect with these people and engage their participation in SLA. We can learn and benefit from all of their knowledge.
SLA has been at the center of my professional growth providing me with the network that has supported me throughout all of my positions, and giving me more opportunities to lead than any of the jobs I have held professionally. And SLA members are the ones I turn to when I am confronted with difficult tasks. Fellow members have offered input during tough budget times – times which happen all too frequently when working at a public institution in the state of California. In fact, after being asked to document the potential impact of the loss of my position a few of years ago, SLA colleagues provided direction to me as I began to look elsewhere for job opportunities. This network convinced me of the value of my experiences that I could bring to another organization.
I hope to bring to SLA my experience with students whom I have advised for some time, as well as my work with continuing education for information professionals. With students, I have the opportunity to counsel them in their pursuits as well as to be infected by their excitement as they look towards the future, even if they are troubled by the job market. In delivering continuing education to professionals, I hear about their needs for opportunities that will help them succeed in their organizations, whether they are in public libraries, academic settings, or specialized environments.
Now I am very honored to have been asked to run for President-Elect, but I am also keenly aware of the challenges facing SLA now and in the near future.
In taking on SLA’s challenges, I will look at ways in which the association can engender a sense of belonging and inclusion through more transparent and clear communication; how it can be a bridge for students and new information professionals connecting their education to their professional lives; and, I will look at how to determine if the conference revenue model is sustainable and what the alternatives might be, such as regional meetings. Additionally, I want to focus on developing a more coordinated and robust virtual presence for SLA.
Thank you.
All members* eligible to vote and in good standing as of 24 August 2011 may participate in the election.
Members with a current e-mail address in the SLA database will receive an e-notification when the polls open. Members without an e-mail address on file may still log in to vote using their SLA Web UserId and Password. If you would prefer to cast your vote by paper ballot, contact evote@sla.org. Requests for a paper ballot must be received by 6 September 2011.
*Excludes organizational and honorary members of SLA.
1 comment:
Hello, Thanks for sharing this video with everybody.
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