With the year coming to a close, now is a good time to look back at what the Consulting Section did in 2008.  What is the Consulting Section of LMD?

We include 155 members from:

• Canada
• Kuwait
• Netherlands Antilles
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States

In February, we had 152 members, so the number of members has stayed relatively stable, although we've had some turnover.  (And if you would like to see a list of current members, you can do a search in the SLA Member Directory for the Consulting Section.)

We are indeed independent information consultants as well as people who work for academic libraries, management consulting firms, law firms, and other types of corporations. 

Because we work for so many different types of organizations, it is safe to say that our needs are not all the same.  Someone who is working independently is going to have different needs and requirements than someone who is working for a large corporation.  Yet we have one thing in common – this Section of LMD.

The Consulting Section hosts one event at the Annual Conference.  This year our event was "Building Bridges, Building Partnerships" (notes) with Rebecca Jones and Craig Wingrove.  Both Rebecca and Craig work in different sized companies and brought different perspectives to the program.

In 2009, we will move away from an early morning time slot and have our session on June 16, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.  The session is entitled "The Consultant's Toolkit:
Discovery in the Round" and will feature 4 – 6 consultants.  The session description is:

We hope that this change in time of day will allow more people to attend the session.  (Why not put it on your calendar now?)

During the year, Rebecca Jones and I (co-chairs of the Section) have discussed the Section and its perceived needs.  Jan Sykes, who will be co-chair in 2009 with me, and I will continue that discussion.  We know that a few Section members would like a directory of SLA members who are independent consultants.  We've heard that the CONSULT Online directory does not give people what they want.  Creating a directory is a possibility, but it might also be possible to work with headquarters to make CONSULT Online more effective.  But that is likely one of many things that the Section could focus on, so look for Jan and me to be talking with you in 2009 about your wants, needs and requirements for the Consulting Section. 

Jan and I also hope that you will reach out to us with information, questions, and ideas.  Any and all information that you can give us will be helpful.  We're especially interested in knowing what about the Consulting Section is (or could be) important to you.  You can reach us via email:

Finally, we all know that the economy is in tough shape all over the world.  Rebecca, Jan and I hope that the partnerships and friendships that you have made in SLA (and especially in LMD and the Consulting Section) are helping you through this tough time.

May 2009 bring stability and growth!

Many people have traveled to Louisville, KY for the SLA Leadership Summit.  You can read notes from the conference here, here and here.  This evening, approximately 20 – 25 people gathered for a Leadership & Management Division Brainstorming Session led by Ulla de Stricker (Immediate Past Chair).  Approximately six people were not members of LMD.  Why brainstorm?  It was felt that broader input was needed in order to think about how to position the Division, what benefits it should provide, and how it should communicate with its members.  Here are some thoughts that stood out to me from the session:

• We need to communicate better that you do not need to be in a leadership or management position in order to join this Division.  Several people noted that they joined the Division in order to learn about management issues before becoming a manager.
• LMD is not a subject-focus division, but a division that should be able to meet many member needs, since a high percentage of our members are in leadership or management positions, OR aspire to be in those type of positions. 
• Communicating with Division members — as well as other members of SLA — needs to take many forms, including using social networking tools.
• LMD’s three sections need better visibility.  What are the sections?
  • Consulting — Members of the Consulting Section represent
    services such as information brokering, strategy consulting and technical
    consulting. This includes consultants within an organization, and those serving
    external clients.
  • Marketing –The Marketing Section of the Leadership & Management Division was established to provide a forum for the exchange
    of ideas and information regarding marketing theory and how to effectively
    market information services.
  • Content Buying — The Content Buying Section of  Leadership & Management Division includes buyers and sellers involved in the many aspects related to managing enterprise-wide content, such as supplier relationship management, contract negotiations, budgeting and funding of licenses, training and communications, risk management, and measuring and maximizing an enterprise’s return on the investment in content licenses.
• LMD is the fourth largest division (still) after giving birth to both the Competitive Intelligence and Knowledge Management Divisions.  The Division is financially sound.
• LMD’s programs at the Annual Conference are well received.

I look forward to the actions that are considered based on today’s discussion.  However, I honestly believe that just having the discussion helped to move the Division forward.

On January 24, I will be conducting an ideas session at the Summit in Louisville focusing on the activities and measures LMD should undertake in order to attract new members and deliver value to all.  My "LMD Strategists" – Christina Bennett McNew, Rikke Bisgaard, and Terri Brooks – have already provided ideas and comments that will be used to start the meeting off … now we need yours, too.  If you can’t be in Louisville in person, be there in spirit by letting us know your thoughts:  What can we do to make LMD a "destination division"?  What is LMD’s unique role not already fulfilled by other divisions?  How can we clarify SLA members’ understanding of LMD (and dispel the myth that "one has to be a library manager to belong")?  What specific material, solutions, communication tools, and learning opportunities should LMD offer – and how would they be possible?

Post your ideas here – and don’t be shy about thinking big!  Thanks in advance!