Happy Spring, Toronto!
Although the recent rainy weather may put a damper on your spirits, there’s still lots to look forward to within SLA. It’s particularly busy this year with awards announcements, board nominations, the sale of the SLA HQ building, and the Annual Conference right around the corner.
Read on for more details!
Awards Announcement
The following SLA members will be recognized at SLA 2014 Annual Conference in Vancouver for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the association:
-SLA Fellows: Mary Ellen Bates, Daniel Lee (Toronto Chapter Past President!!), Tony Landolt, Catherine Lavellée-Welch, & Leslie Reynolds
-SLA Rising Stars: Angela Kent, Tanya Whippie, & Sam Wiggins
Stay tuned for announcements about the rest of the SLA Honors & Awards that will be presented in Vancouver. All awards recipients will be recognized at the Sunday General Session & Awards Presentation, which kicks off Conference on Sunday, June 8th.
2015 SLA Board of Directors Nominations
The SLA Nominating Committee recently announced the ten candidates that will stand for election for five positions on the 2015 SLA Board of Directors. Of special mention is our very own Kim Silk, Past President of the SLA Toronto Chapter, who is in the running for Chapter Cabinet Chair-Elect.
You will be voting for your preferred candidate in September this year, so I encourage you to keep an eye on the SLA Blog for candidate bios and posts where candidates will be answering questions. For those of you attending Conference 2014 in Vancouver, you will be able to speak with the candidates at the INFO-EXPO Hall (date and time still to be announced). You can also easily follow and interact with each of these candidates via Twitter to learn more about them.
The candidates running for election are:
-President-Elect: Jim DelRosso (@niwandajones) & Tom Rink (@coplibrarian)
-Chapter Cabinet Chair-Elect: Kim Silk (@kimberlysilk) & David Cappoli (@dcappoli)
-Division Cabinet Chair-Elect: Ruth Kneale (@desertlibrarian) & Valerie Perry (@vperryky)
-Director (2 positions): Kevin Adams, Dr. Saif Al-Jabri (@saif900), Elaine Lasda Bergman (@ElaineLibrarian), & Catherine Lavellée-Welch (@englib)
SLA Building Sale
The SLA Board of Directors recently announced the sale of the headquarters building in Alexandria, VA. For those of you who have not had a chance to review the decision, SLA has put up on its blog a Memo on the sale, answers to some questions posed by members, and a recording of the Q&A webinar given on April 30th. Please check them out if you have not already done so.
Many of you have raised questions and concerns, which has resulted in some meaningful, healthy, and significant debate and discussion on the sale, the plan for the liquidated funds, and the future viability of the association. I think that discussion has been extremely important, and will continue to be as SLA moves forward with the sale.
With that in mind, I want to encourage each and every one of you to continue voicing your thoughts, raising questions, and bringing forth ideas for how to revitalize SLA and reinvest the funds from the building sale into the membership and service offerings. Although we may not all see eye-to-eye on the sale of the building, I think we are all on the same page about the future of this association: we want it to thrive, succeed, and be a vibrant and vital home for our professional community.
The Toronto Chapter is lucky to be full of such engaged members who have a wealth of experience and brilliant ideas. Let’s take this opportunity to put forward ideas, suggestions, and input into the future plan for the funds from the building sale, and to contribute directly to the improvement, revitalization, and progress of SLA. Please don’t hesitate to email Erin McDonald or me directly with questions, concerns, or ideas.
SLA Annual Conference 2014 – In Vancouver!
The SLA Annual Conference 2014 is being held on home turf this year, in beautiful Vancouver, BC! This means that in addition to all of the amazing networking and professional development opportunities conference offers, you’ll also be able to take in Vancouver’s natural beauty, go on some great hikes in and around the area, and taste some of Canada’s best cuisine. The SLA Western Canada Chapter has put together several articles with Vancouver tips and suggestions for sightseeing, and you can follow @SLA2014Tips on Twitter for up-to-the-minute ideas. You can also start planning your conference experience by using the fantasticSLA 2014 Conference Planner, which can be synced with your phone or Google/Outlook/Apple calendars.
For those of you who have already registered during the Early Bird period, you’re automatically a VIP! Check out this blog post to find more details on your special VIP perks. And if you’re a first-timer, be sure to attend the “Fellows and First Timers Meet” on Sunday, June 7th at 5pm, and review these tips on the SLA website.
I hope to see many of you in Vancouver this year. Let’s get out there and demonstrate the strength and vitality of the Canadian chapters!
All the best,
—Bernadette Roca
SLA Toronto’s President-elect