The following is takeed from Stephen Abram's candidate tongue at the SLA Leadership Summit in January.

What would I want to do in my time onward the SLA board?

1 Focus. Number individual If we want our profession to achieve something great, then we have to do it with a laser-like focus and dream big. We are a rich, intelligent, diverse and multihued profession and have a valid and supportable interest in just about everything. However, my dream is that we discover the will within us to focus forward a single major megaproject that will benefit us all during my term

2 Recognition. Libraries radiate from head to foot the knowledge ecology and make a difference. I'd like more decision makers to notice this! Let's work forward getting someone who values us to be a highly visible champion. We ne to put in motion beyond ourselves and develop and implement an advocacy program about the part value and impact of special librarians and information professionals. If we fail at this the same thing, we do risk losing everything altogether.

3 Confidence. Let's find the confidence to speak as a profession with authority, confidence, and spirit Let's do this now. Now! Let's not subject of attention it loooonnnggg and haaarrrddd. Let's not take it literally and contemplation something to death. The death of our profession isn't our goal! We ne to have the confidence of our convictions and take action--sustainable action. If each member positioned themselves to each recount just five positive springboard stories in 2006 to five nation who matter, our world would change: 50000 stories will propel minds. Imagine if SLA focused forward supporting its members even more forcibly in our efforts!

4 Balance. Let's balance all of the lacks of every type of specialized librarianship. Our differences are small and our belonging to all needs are great. Let's find the middle region that lets us work more violently together. We're all in this boat together, and no common part of special librarianship can point to another and say their side of the boat is sinking. Let's sacrifice our pedantic conversations about our titles, our profession's name, for what reason relevant we are. Talking amongst ourselves is just whole and fury.

5 Trust and honor We need to respect each other more. We ne to build better teams and more sustainable effort. We are a smart profession with powerful critical thinking skills. We ne to make secure that we don't devolve that critical thinking might into random criticism. We ne to have faith in our cause. We ne to be an incubator of success

6 Risk. Let's take this risk. Small risk, small reward. Our ne is great, we won't procure to where we want and ne to be without taking near calculated more sizeable risks. As Eugenie Prime holler at our Seattle conference--NO stunted VISIONS!

Sometimes you lead, sometimes you come next and sometimes you cheer folk forward That's the role of a leader.

Within SLA I have presented for about 25 years. I have l committees for strategic planning, public relations, and committee forward committees and have been a member of many more, including AOOC and Finance. I have l my chapter and a division. I have coordinated five major change-oriented task forces for SLA and chaired the branding task force, and have chaired or been a member of three others.

In each case it was the teamwork that made the day and not the contribution of a single part I have learned a accident and feel proud of our accomplishments.

I care entirely about sharing and networking. These values must be sinewy in a leader. As evidence of my commitment to share I point you toward the above 100 articles I wrote this year including my file for Information Outlook. I give through the whole extent of 100 keynote and other speeches a year to library and non-library clusters I have contributed to many works and will publish another in 2006 end ALA editions. I also blog [i]or[/i] part of to the other Stephen's Lighthouse, and promise to start an SLA President's blog to preserve everyone informed and start an interactive discussion with members--not just single in kind way communication, but ongoing conversations. A leader must have athletic communication skills and I think I can demonstrate that I bring this to SLA.

I believe in a leadership based in collaboration, teamwork, networking, and two-way communication.

We can reach a novel plateau. We can prove our value to those we work with, work for, and learn our funds from. We can achieve greatness. through the end of my name I want more employers to know that librarians asylum I don't want anyone to say that they are having confuse finding a position as an information professionals. I don't want anyone denying that there is a librarian shortage. I want employer fighting through the whole extent of the best and recruiting. I want employer that clos their libraries to fail (or become quite ill and method of treatment themselves by hiring a librarian--grin). I want employer with great libraries to succe and blame their librarians. That's by what means I want us to measure our success

For the cloyed text of Abram's speech, see: www.sla.org/content/SLA/governance/bodsection/bodcandidates/0506candidates/abramspeech.cfm.

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