Leadership & Management Division

Scope, Tagline and Plan Survey Results
October 2015

Open-ended Responses
  • More concrete definition, more explanation, more focus (5)

  • Like it (3)

  • Prefer original

  • I support the change with reservations. It rightly removes the focus on the management of "special libraries" and redirects it towards the development of management and leadership competencies for application in a variety of job roles. However, I like the language of the current version about "exchange of information and knowledge" and feel the proposed change relegates members to the position of consumers of whatever "services, programming, and projects" the division leadership chooses to promote. In this I hear a faint echo of the deeply misguided approach of SLA's strategic consultants. What we need, instead, is an organization driven by the membership -- prosumers who have much to contribute even as they share a thirst to learn and develop.

  • I don't like the 3rd bullet in the proposed note. Encourages what exactly? I think I know what you're trying to say, but it's not being said. Perhaps you meant "supports"?

  • Not what you say but what you do The wording suggest top down rather than sharing

  • My one quibble is with the word "managers". Has the word director come to imply a higher level of responsibility and functioning?

  • Why not add * item 3 "Encourages LMD membership at all career stages" to the first * item "Conceives the professional advancement of its members AT ALL CAREER STAGES?

  • include from the current one the phrase "serve as a forum for the exchange of information and knowledge...for librarians and information professionals" [not "to special libraries".

  • Emphasize technical issues

Open-ended Responses

  • Nothing added

  • Leadership at every stage -- or something similar. Because being a leader isn't necessarily about management. It comes from within.

  • Inspiring Leaders to Innovate

  • "Learning, leadership, excellence"

  • These are all so 'trite'. Why bother? Is this going to help anyone in our profession to get a job or keep a job?

  • I think that I would be okay with any of the taglines - but I am not taken with any of these. The current one - we want to be good leaders (not necessarily innovated) I am not keen on the word Empowering but I like the rest of it I am not taken with "for the leader you want to be" - it reminds me of an old commercial

  • This isn't a suggestion, but an observation - "For the Leader You Want to Be" seems stronger as a recruitment tagline, whereas "Empowering..." speaks more about the goals of the Division - which role do we want to have the tagline fulfill?

  • I do not like the "empowering tomorrow's leaders today" at all. Let's be direct, not playful and potentially confusing.

  • For the Leader You Are

  • Current fine

Open-ended Responses
  • Ambitious, especially for the next year. Looking forward to see it in action

  • With your explanation above, being flexible dependent upon SLA's modified structure and procedures, I think it's good.

  • To create this service plan, a great deal of feedback was collected and thoughtful conversations were had. I support adopting the plan.

  • Looks good as it is.

  • Not at this time - need to review and revert.

  • The Draft service plan is clear and consice and provides ample opprotunity for the membership to grow and develop.

  • Reference under "public relations" about increasing the business community's awareness of the value of library and information specialists -- focus on business community is a bit narrow given that all special librarians are not in corporate/business environments.

  • All good, but long and ambitious. The focus on 2016-2017 targets at the end is good.

  • Looks really good to me with just a quick look.

  • The vision statement seems like LMD is separate from SLA. The SLA Leadership and Management Division serves information professionals in providing content leadership and strategic thinking with regards to information use and policy within their organizations. (maybe too narrow but includes all leaders and those who want to be leaders) Strategies - 1. use just best practices 2. collaborate - flip the wording around "Expand outreach by collaborating with the larger SLA organization and other related organizations." Not sure if this was what you were looking for or not. The other sections look good to me.

  • Really like reaching out to different levels in LMD member (or potential member) career paths via these two goals: ü Explore programming/outreach specific to middle managers/senior executives ü Explore programming/outreach specific to new leaders I've heard a lot of complaints from senior level managers/execs that they feel there is not much in the way of PD for them.

  • It looks good. You may also want to include mention under "Operation": Operate the Division in an open manner, making meetings, meeting minutes and outcomes of decision making as available to members as possible.

  • Very nicely done. Thorough and impressive. Kudos to all those who are working on it!

  • Again, I don't see how the strategies do anything to promote the profession or leadership skills of the individuals in this profession. How will encouraging member participation help someone keep a corporate/special library job? If an organization provides useful/helpful information and programming, you would not need to encourage anyone. They would all want to be part of the group. How can LMD provide growth and leadership opportunities for LMD members? Are there 'internships' or mentors that can help an LMD member become a manager at another corporation? It appears that these strategies are all focused on SLA and promoting SLA activities and not promoting the profession. I hate to say this but if some of the SLA members spent as much time on their corporate work as they do on SLA, maybe the profession would not be losing jobs. We are all too insular. We should be focusing on interacting with other professional groups to promote ourselves. We do not need to promote ourselves to ourselves. Who cares about the LMD awards - how nice that we recognize each other. But that is all that it is. What is all that doing outside of our organization? Do any of our corporations care that we are involved in this organization? Is it protecting jobs? I don't think so.

  • Overall looks good 1. I like the vision statement. "Developing and sharing" -- exactly the tone to set throughout. 2. Strategies: I guess mentoring is ok but it has a kind of hierarchical connotation, and I think the reality is that both parties benefit, it's not one bestowing wisdom on the other. 3. 2016-17: I'm a little puzzled by the "Offer 6 webinars a year (1 advanced, 1 business partner, 1 international, etc.)". Why the quota system? What are the "etc."s?

  • Looks good.

  • I was fine until the very last line. Considering we are most likely to loose the ability to use sponsors' funding for programming, etc., how else are we to "raise necessary funds....?"

  • LMD has a great deal to offer to information professionals. I would encourage LMD leaders to stay in close touch with leaders across the organization (Professional Development Advisory Council chair, for instance) to coordinate with and build on the programs and activities going on throughout the association. LMD is not a separate association. It is a special interest group within a larger association. Leverage that.

  • impressive goals

  • I like it! It strikes a balance between aspirational and achievable, and describes an organization to which I wish to belong.

Overall
Positive (13)
Unclear (1)
Issues (6)

Other (please specify)
  • Employed in a casual capacity

  • working selectively on things that interest me

  • Employed fulltime and consulting and teaching too

  • semi-retired; still professionally active

Other (please specify)
  • 33 years. Next answers apply to when I was working.

  • retired

Other (please specify)
  • I work within a university, but deliver training & consultancy to many sectors, not just the academic sector

  • Consultant

  • Association library

  • both not for profit employee and for-profit consultant

  • Private, for-profit; Government and Other Public Sector

  • All of the above except for Government

  • self employed

Other (please specify)
  • Accounting and Consulting

  • Advertising, Marketing, Media

  • Aerospace

  • Any industry with information resources/library

  • Biotechnology

  • Business services (2)

  • consulting

  • Government finance - more than public administration

  • Have worked in several manufacturing sectors

  • Human Capital Management

  • independent membership library and consultant

  • Law/Legal; Public Administration; and Finance and Insurance

  • Libraries & archives

  • List is inadequate - professional services which is not listed, yet many in SLA work in the professional services group. why is that not listed?

  • Multiple, including Education, Healthcare, Publishing, and Telecom

  • Nonprofit fundraising and management.

  • Pharmaceutical (4)

  • public library

  • systems engineering services

Note: consider adding Business services, consulting, and pharmaceutical to next list.
Other (please specify)
  • Senior management in library, just below senior in organization

  • consultant

  • Consultant

  • Library Director and entrepreneur

  • Consultant / Senior Management

  • Information Strategy Consultant

  • solo

  • small office, all library related stuff

Note: Consider adding consultant to list
Other (please specify) / Responses
  • Access and Public Services
/ 1
  • Administration, director, management
/ 8
  • all of the above
/ 6
  • As Director, content management, procurement, reference/research
/ 1
  • author, teacher
/ 1
  • Consulting and training
/ 1
  • Full service research and KM
/ 1
  • Human Resources & Organizational Development
/ 1
  • instruction and research
/ 1
  • KM/Admin/Management/DAM/DM
/ 1
  • Research instruction
/ 1
  • Retired
/ 3
  • Strategy
/ 1
  • Technical Services
/ 1
Note: consider adding administrator/management and check all that apply

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