SLA Proposes Changing Name to ASKPro

Six-year effort to retreat from "special libraries;" membership to vote online

Lynn Blumenstein -- Library Journal, 10/16/2009

• Alignment Project reveals need for new name
• Executives who make budget decisions don't understand SLA
• Members have many concerns

SLA, some six years into an effort to move away from the term "special libraries," is moving to implement results from its multiyear Alignment Project research by proposing a name change to the Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals, or ASKPro.

The SLA Board of Directors notified members October 14 about the proposal, asking them to vote in a special online referendum lasting from November 16-December 9. The result will be announced December 10.

Research revealed need for name change
SLA announced the need for a name change this past summer."When SLA undertook the Alignment Project more than two years ago," SLA CEO Janice Lachance wrote in June’s Executive Connection column, "a name change was not in our plans. However, the research has made it abundantly clear that we must consider one."

The research showed that "executives who make hiring decisions and allocate budget dollars do not understand what it means... This disconnect endangers the jobs of our members, and we are determined to act," wrote SLA president Gloria Zamora in the member notice.

An effort was made in 2003 to change the name of the Special Libraries Association, but a two-thirds majority could not be mustered. The choices at the annual meeting were SLA (a simple acronym) and Information Professionals International. Six months later, the SLA board voted to "brand" the association as SLA, keeping the full legal name but adopting the acronym under the "doing business as" (d.b.a.) device.

Process for choosing ASKPro
Zamora explained the process by which ASKPro was chosen. "We began by compiling words, terms and critical concepts that both information professionals and executives agree best articulate the value and potential... We also received and considered input from members around the globe via Twitter, blogs, email, FaceBook, and listservs after the annual conference."

Zamora continued, "The result was a long list of potential names. We then began eliminating names if they caused confusion, were too close to names already in use, posed legal difficulties, or could have different meanings in various countries. We also eliminated names that did not have good acronyms or shortened versions associated with them."

Zamora concluded, "Before settling on our proposed name, we subjected it to a survey of U.S. and U.K. information professionals and executives in human resources, marketing, information technology, and strategic planning in the corporate, academic, healthcare and government sectors."

SLA addresses member concerns
Because SLA conducted so much outreach before announcing the name change proposal, it has prepared a number of responses to some oft-repeated concerns. Among them:

• We should still be calling ourselves librarians. "There is nothing wrong with being a librarian or working in a library but there are instances when it limits how we are perceived and what we have to offer."
• Why doesn't the Alignment Project stress the value of an MLIS/MLS? "The MLIS/MLS degree is a means to an end and the credential to get one in the door. SLA realized this many years ago when we removed a professional library degree as a requirement for membership. And it has not hurt the association."
• The research was weighted (75 percent) to the corporate, specialized sector; does this accurately reflect the make-up of the membership? "It does actually accurately reflect the makeup of SLA."
• The less than favorable reaction to the word librarians, was it a corporate reaction? It "was a result across the board from information professionals as well as people outside of our profession… reflect[ing]… a much broader skill set that is now required of information professionals."
• Is the Alignment Project being funded by member dues? It is "funded from long-term investments… not member dues."

Some answers are less than forthcoming. In response to the question, "what will we use for a URL?" (Askpro.com, askpro.org, ask-pro.com, and ask-pro.org URLs are all taken.) The answer: "We now have several different URLs that would work with the new name."