The remainder of this morning was the Member Forum, where members can share what’s on their mind in relation to the association and its governance structure. Ethel brought a good deal of Hein’s philosophy to bear as she both framed the discussion and responded to member concerns.

I think the two main concerns revolved around membership and communication. How does

SLA help those who’ve lost jobs and how will the association recruit new members? What’s going on with a proposed new dues structure based on income? How well does headquarters communicate with members? (Not particularly well seemed to be the general belief.) How are changes in the committee structure communicated? (Again, not well.)

As I keep hearing, and have heard over the past few years, about new task forces being formed, I wonder if task forces are taking on the role that committees are supposed to have. Is the committee structure being weakened? Should SLA still have committees?

I also wonder if reports from older task forces are ever read, let alone acted upon, or if they simply molder in the archives waiting to be joined by a newer task force report.

Speaking of committees, I hear that the Professional Development Committee has declared itself defunct.