The SLA Leadership Summit took place last month in Atlanta, GA. Our division was well represented and a majority of time was devoted to planning for the next two SLA Annual Conferences in Chicago and San Diego respectively. Our conference plans for Chicago are firmly in place with outstanding programs due to the hard work and creativity of all our excellent planners. We have a plethora of fascinating sessions planned and are ending the July 2012 conference in style with an architectural boat tour of the city in the evening. The tickets will sell out fast, so if you are planning to attend that particular event be certain to buy those tickets early! Hoping to see you there.
In looking ahead to 2013 and San Diego, the conference theme for next year is Connect, Collaborate, Strategize. If you have specific program ideas in mind please contact James Manasco who is our planner for next year. We have some programs in mind and always welcome your ideas. Who knows, maybe we will have a program at the San Diego Zoo!
There are changes in store for the length of the 2013 conference which will have a decided impact on our program planning. At the Leadership Summit, we heard that the schedule has been refocused after extensive discussions with conference attendees, leadership and suggestions from the SLA CE task force. Our conference begins on June 9 and is completed by June 11, 2013. The Opening General Session will begin on Sunday, June 9 at 9:00am and the exhibits will open later that morning. There are four 120 minute time slots available for division planners to provide more advanced programming. In this current economic climate, the benefits of a shorter conference will be tangible with more collaboration among division planners and cost savings for SLA. Programs will be planned for Sunday, June 9 through Tuesday, June 11 and Wednesday, June 12 is reserved for tours.
In terms of highlights, attendees at the Leadership Summit heard about the Loyalty Project from James Kane again. He is an expert on the science of what builds loyalty. Mr. Kane has a global reputation and he talked about the composition of organizations like SLA. One of the most interesting statistics he cited was that in any given chapter of SLA there are about 20% of people who are actively engaged. What about the rest? Sucessful organizations create trust, belonging and purpose. He also asked the following question:
” If SLA developed an app would it be on your front page or on page five?”
In summary, the other interesting highlight was hearing about a new book titled, Quiet : The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. This title was voted the among the Amazon Best Books of the Month for January 2012. She looks at introverts from a psychological research point of view as well as brain chemistry. The author began her career as a corporate attorney on Wall Street and is also an introvert. Her new book specifically addresses the challenges of introverts in the workplace and in families. I am either checking it out from our collection or downloading this title next on my Kindle!