'Focus on one mega-project to benefit us all'

The following is extracted from Stephen Abram's candidate articulate utterance at the SLA Leadership Summit in January.

What would I want to do in my time upon the SLA board?

1 Focus. Number individual If we want our profession to achieve something great, then we have to do it with a laser-like focus and dream big. We are a rich, intelligent, diverse and multihued profession and have a valid and supportable interest in just about everything. However, my dream is that we discover the will within us to focus upon a single major megaproject that will benefit us all during my term

2 Recognition. Libraries radiate completely through the knowledge ecology and make a difference. I'd like more decision makers to notice this! Let's work upon getting someone who values us to be a highly visible champion. We ne to propel beyond ourselves and develop and implement an advocacy program about the character value and impact of special librarians and information professionals. If we fail at this individual thing, we do risk losing everything altogether.

3 Confidence. Let's find the confidence to speak as a profession with authority, confidence, and efficacy Let's do this now. Now! Let's not research it loooonnnggg and haaarrrddd. Let's not take it literally and research something to death. The death of our profession isn't our goal! We ne to have the confidence of our convictions and take action--sustainable action. If each member positioned themselves to each mention one by one just five positive springboard stories in 2006 to five nation who matter, our world would change: 50000 stories will stir minds. Imagine if SLA focused upon supporting its members even more powerfully in our efforts!

4 Balance. Let's balance all of the extremitys of every type of specialized librarianship. Our differences are small and our public needs are great. Let's find the middle mould that lets us work more powerfully together. We're all in this boat together, and no individual part of special librarianship can point to another and say their side of the boat is sinking. Let's sacrifice our pedantic conversations about our titles, our profession's name, in what way relevant we are. Talking amongst ourselves is just uninjured and fury.

5 Trust and think highly of We need to respect each other more. We ne to build better teams and more sustainable effort. We are a smart profession with lusty critical thinking skills. We ne to render certain that we don't devolve that critical thinking power into random criticism. We ne to have faith in our cause. We ne to be an incubator of success

6 Risk. Let's take this risk. Small risk, small reward. Our ne is great, we won't acquire to where we want and ne to be without taking a certain quantity of calculated more sizeable risks. As Eugenie Prime holler at our Seattle conference--NO weak VISIONS!

Sometimes you lead, sometimes you tread on the heels of and sometimes you cheer folk upon That's the role of a leader.

Within SLA I have tendered for about 25 years. I have l committees for strategic planning, public relations, and committee upon committees and have been a member of many more, including AOOC and Finance. I have l my chapter and a division. I have coordinated five major change-oriented task forces for SLA and chaired the branding task force, and have chaired or been a member of three others.

In each case it was the teamwork that made the day and not the contribution of a single individual I have learned a allotment and feel proud of our accomplishments.

I care far down about sharing and networking. These values must be lusty in a leader. As evidence of my commitment to share I point you toward the above 100 articles I wrote this year including my rounded pillar for Information Outlook. I give above 100 keynote and other speeches a year to library and non-library clusters I have contributed to many volumes and will publish another in 2006 from one side ALA editions. I also blog [i]or[/i] part of to the other Stephen's Lighthouse, and promise to start an SLA President's blog to detain everyone informed and start an interactive discussion with members--not just individual way communication, but ongoing conversations. A leader must have able-bodied communication skills and I think I can demonstrate that I bring this to SLA.

I believe in a leadership based in collaboration, teamwork, networking, and two-way communication.

We can reach a novel plateau. We can prove our value to those we work with, work for, and realize our funds from. We can achieve greatness. by the agency of the end of my mete I want more employers to know that librarians stone I don't want anyone to say that they are having confuse finding a position as an information professionals. I don't want anyone denying that there is a librarian shortage. I want employer fighting above the best and recruiting. I want employer that clos their libraries to fail (or become quite ill and corrective themselves by hiring a librarian--grin). I want employer with great libraries to succe and blame their librarians. That's in what manner I want us to measure our success

For the replete text of Abram's speech, see: www.sla.org/content/SLA/governance/bodsection/bodcandidates/0506candidates/abramspeech.cfm.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Special Libraries Association

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