We think a change to the name of the Special Libraries Association is overdue.
As a vendor that serves special libraries, we changed our approach to marketing to special libraries many years ago to reflect how senior management comes to know the library.
Whether it is stopping an attorney on the tradeshow floor at LegalTech, or a CIO at the ILTA conference, the term "library" may make the person reach for the dictionary.
The Special Libraries Association is correct in its letter to members explaining the need for the change:
"...executives who make hiring decisions and allocate budget dollars do not understand what it means."
Of course, senior management knows what the term means, but that can be the problem when we are trying to describe how library professionals support intranets, cost recovery, databases design, competitive intelligence, etc. SLA has shown restraint in coming up with ASKPro.
What's in a name? We have found so many derivations that it must be a difficult task for SLA to have arrived at a proposal.
Whether it is a knowledge management division, information resource centres, research support centres, etc., we have found that "library" is not enough to convey where our services and products fit in with the strategic goals of the parent organization being served by the library.
Even if the final name does not incorporate "strategic knowledge," it is a step in the right direction. While our staff will continue to use "librarian" on their business cards, it makes sense for the professional body advocating their expertise - SLA - to speak to a broader audience.
Whether it is SydneyPLUS International, or any other major vendor supporting library systems, it is interesting to note that vendors do not have "libraries" in their names.
In part, these vendors have known for a long time that there is a wider audience to be marketing their services and products too. And the library director or manager knows that too.
On the lighter side, here are some random thoughts on the matter:
- The domain for askpro.org and askpro.com is already taken. Whether or not it has been registered by SLA, we do not know. At least one of these domains appears to be owned by an individual. We wonder whether or not SLA will also register for .com
- Wonder if the proposed name change will cascade to other professional organizations, such as AALL and MLA? It is probably a matter of time.
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