One topic at last month’s SLA Conference that got some mention from the podium was Align in 09.

I will admit that I didn’t pay too much attention to it until there was a comment made about changing the name of our organization. Initially the name of the organization was Special Libraries Association. A few years ago they opted to make our name SLA - an intialism that stands for nothing. That was an odd move to say the least.

Now the organization has tapped folks from all levels whom they term true believers in the Alignment Project to reach out and promote the project. Go therefore unto all nations, making disciples… So the proselytizing begins.

Do I sound cynical? I actually raised the question to one of the SLA Caucus Listservs that I belong to and there’s been quite a bit of traffic and comment on the topic.

So - I should clarify, now that I understand. The alignment is about a name for the organization that better reflects the diversity of librarians, researchers, and information professionals of all types (database management, software and hardware types too). It is about dictating that individuals cannot continue to call themselves a librarian if that is how they identify.

One of the goals is to help us better articulate our value to our organizations and our patrons and align our work with the needs of our patrons. In some cases that means using different terms to describe what we do. And maybe getting better salaries and funding along the way.

I have started reading a book by Ruth Kneale titled You Don’t Look Like a Librarian. She opens by discussing the myriad job titles of the librarians that she knows. She also compares salaries of librarians and other jobs that perform similar types of duties that librarians perform - database management, webmaster and others.

Then there’s this to consider.

From Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, 1594:

JULIET:

‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.