2014 Leadership Summit
Erin McDonald and I recently returned from SLA Leadership Summit 2014, held this year in Memphis, Tennessee in the middle of January. Although temperatures hovered around zero degrees Celsius, it felt downright balmy compared to the Arctic weather we’ve been receiving in Toronto lately!
The weather, however, was only a small part of what made Leadership Summit so enjoyable. Catching up with familiar faces, meeting fellow passionate volunteers, sharing ideas with the SLA Board and other chapter leaders, and connecting with colleagues in different fields was such a pleasure. If you have never been and are considering it, I would encourage each and every one of you to attend Leadership Summit, as the connections made and lessons learned are so valuable. However, if you missed it this year, you can still catch up on the many tweets and conversations on Twitter using the hashtag #slaleads.
One of the most interesting topics of conversation this year was Treasurer John DiGilio’s summary of the state of the association’s finances which, I’m happy to report, are healthy and seeing even more improvements with stable membership retention. More information on association finances, strategic plan, vision, and mission can be found on the SLA website. In addition, Toronto’s own Zena Applebaum gave an inspiring session on competitive intelligence, human intelligence, and the proactive leadership and analyst roles that information professionals can take every day in their jobs and throughout their careers.
It was announced at Leadership that SLA will be releasing its first all-member survey in seven years at the end of January. I strongly encourage all members to participate, as it is your opportunity to make your voice and opinions heard, and to improve the state of the association. Another exciting announcement was the recognition of this year’s Rising Stars and Fellows. A special congratulations goes out to our very own Daniel Lee, who was named a Fellow this year for his many contributions to the Toronto Chapter and the association. The 2014 Rising Stars and Fellows will be honoured at the Annual Conference in June.
2014 SLA Conference and INFO-EXPO
Speaking of Conference, I am excited to announce that the SLA 2014 Conference and INFO-EXPO is taking place in Vancouver, BC, this year! Hosted by the Western Canada Chapter, this year’s conference is sure to be packed with informative sessions and unmissable opportunities for networking and connecting with colleagues from around the world. SLA Conference is a fantastic platform for investing in yourself and your career, so I sincerely hope each of you will join Erin and me in Vancouver this year. To find out more and plan your visit, go to the Conference website.
— Bernadette Roca
SLA Toronto’s President-elect