“Why would a business or chemistry librarian choose ASKPro over ALA/ACRL?”

I think SLA offers more subject-specific content, as well as a different perspective from ALA. It’s good to get ideas from outside the public/academic context. But AskPro just sounds SO corporate to me.

I’m cynical by nature – so no offense is taken.

In my current position, I selected my own title and choose Electronic Resources Librarian. I put some thought into using the “L” word. While there is much to be said about the word conveying a quaintness or being old-fashioned, in the end, I thought librarian conveyed the image of professional and personal service the job demanded.
As to our association’s name, I’m not passionate about changing the name at all. It’s just a name, it’s not me. If anything, it should stress the individual over the institution because it’s supposed to work for me, the member. I really wish they would focus on more important things.. like making professional development more available or at least clarifying what they offer me.
In the end, a name is only a starting point; reputations are built on actions.

Prunes or Dried Plums — they are the same and are just as attractive if served plain on a paper plate.

Tara, I wonder what the Academic Division thinks about this. I know we were trying to find ways to lure more subject specialty librarians into the fold. Why would a business or chemistry librarian choose ASKPro over ALA/ACRL?

Nancy, thank you for that insight. I was hoping I wasn’t being overly cynical since I’m not a corporate librarian. What would you want in a name?

I think the main problem lies with how the SLA Association Professionals (AssnPros) view us. They think spending energy on changing our name will make us earn more money — if only it were that easy.

This concerns me the most. SLA (or at least parts of it) have been making an effort to retain and attract academic members. However, I can’t see this name being attractive to anyone in an academic setting. Can you imagine telling a professor that you are a “knowledge professional”?

How interesting that we’re both at academic libraries, in collections actually designated as special collections, and I agree–a name change is fine, if the proposed name has any merit.

ASKPro does not.

Immediate problem: the consonants do indeed soften in speech to sound like a** + pro. Didn’t anyone at SLA say this out loud, like, even once?

And yes, using a word like “professional” implies some Napoleon complex about not being a professional. “Strategic” in the name implies there’s a sense that we’re not all that strategic.

Where to from here?

Thanks for that tidbit Kendra. I wonder how the vote will be structured this time. Will it allow for a similar outcome?