Post-Conference Debrief

I’ve just returned from SLA 2012, which was held in beautiful Chicago from July 15 to 18. I was joined by a very strong Canadian contingent this year, with over forty SLA Toronto members attending, plus many of our colleagues from the SLA Eastern Canada and Western Canada chapters. In fact, despite concerns that conference attendance would be lower this year due to being held in July as opposed to June, early counts indicate that attendance exceeded SLA 2011 in Philadelphia. I will share the final attendance numbers with the chapter when SLA HQ releases them.

To get a sense of the various conversations that occurred via Twitter, search for the #slachicago hashtag.

SLA President, Laura Warner, and I attended various leadership meetings during the conference and learned how SLA continues to tweak the conference experience to meet member expectations. One change that has been made for SLA 2013 in San Diego next summer (June 9—11 for those who like to plan ahead) is that the conference will run for two days instead of three. This change is in response to members who have been unable to attend conference due to financial constraints; shortening the conference by one day will mean significant savings in meal and hotel costs. The goal is to enable as many members to attend the conference as possible. As those of you who were in Chicago last week or have attended the annual conference in the past know, it’s a wonderful event that everyone should have the opportunity to experience.

Looking Forward

Finally, it’s that time of year when your President-Elect begins to plan in earnest for her presidential year. SLA Toronto chapter members with ideas and suggestions for 2013 should get in touch with me to share your thoughts. I’m easy to reach by email. I have found being part of the SLA leadership team this past year to be stimulating, fascinating, and a great deal of fun! I encourage all members to consider taking on a leadership position, whether within this chapter or a division. If you’d like to learn about how SLA governance works, I’m more than happy to share what I know.

Enjoy the remainder of the summer!

— Kimberly Silk
SLA Toronto’s President-Elect