Special Libraries Association

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a professional association for librarian and information professionals working in business, government, law firms, banks, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions, among others. Special libraries include law libraries, news libraries, corporate libraries, museum libraries, and medical libraries. Special libraries are also sometimes known as "information centers."

SLA was founded in 1909 in the United States. It is now an international organization with over 11,000 members in over 80 countries. SLA is organized by Chapters (geographic) and Divisions (topical) and special interest groups. The association has a CEO (employee of the association) and an elected President (mandate of one year).

Members of SLA typically possess a master's degree in library or information science. Given the rapid adoption of information technologies for selecting, analyzing, managing, storing, and delivering information and knowledge, the average SLA member might be performing a range of services and employing a diverse mix of skills related to, but not exclusive of, library science.

Association activities include conferences, professional education, networking and advocacy.