On November 18, the New York chapter of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) presented a very educational and inspiring "Information and Intelligence" forum at Baruch College, CUNY. Speakers ranged from Columbia University Business Professor Rita Gunther McGrath speaking on the nature and potential of "Discovery-driven Growth" to the sports psychologist Tara Jones whose presentation on how to "Thrive on Pressure in the New Normal" drew upon (among others) the example of British champion runner Roger Bannister as a model of how to not only fulfill but exceed one's own expectations for personal growth and success by developing an "unshakeable self-belief" and eliminating "stinking thinking" that destroy's one's own ability to achieve their self-proclaimed goals.
There were also interesting presentations from representatives of Dow Jones, Price Waterhouse Cooper, Leadership Directories, Boardroom Insiders and Lexis-Nexis on a wide variety of themes but all quite relevant to the larger theme of how information professionals can keep themselves relevant - both to their indivdual employers/companies and the needs of information seekers more generally. The need to not only constantly update one's own skills (in areas like social media) was consistently emphasized, along with the larger need to better "market" our profession as a whole.
As the incoming chair of Professional Development for SLA's New York chapter, I especially welcome and encourage all NY Librarians Meetup members - especially currently enrolled LIS students - to attend our upcoming forums and events -our next is on January 6 with Author and Bank of America/ Merrill Lynch senior executive Joe Quinlan. We would also welcome you all to our regularly scheduled "happy hours" which provide an excellent opportunity for ongoing networking. Finally, we would also love for you to JOIN SLA!. As one of the most active organizations in the New York area, and in SLA as a whole, the New York Chapter is a particularly useful venue to develop your professional interests and skills (including both the local forums and the online courses offered through "Click University)as well as the contacts, associations and friendships that will allow you to grow and expand as an information professional prepared for the unique challenges of this current time. Please check out our websites: http://www.sla.org/... (national) and http://www.sla.org/ch... (local) and sign-up for our chapter listserv. We look forward to seeing you!
Steve Essig
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