what is SLA?

The Special Libraries Association at the University of Washington is a student group that seeks to expose Information School students to careers in special libraries and the information industry in general. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives. In conjunction with the Pacific Northwest Chapter of SLA, SLA-UW facilitates communication between students and professionals while having fun in the process!

SLA is the only global professional organization for Information Professionals. We represent the interests of over 12,000 members in over 80 countries worldwide. Our members are information resource experts who collect, analyze, evaluate, package, and disseminate information to facilitate accurate decision-making in corporate, academic, and government settings.

SLA is organized into divisions representing subject interests, fields, or types of information-handling roles. Our 25 divisions include: Information Technology, Competitive Intelligence, Knowledge Management, Business and Finance, Government Information, Legal, Solo Librarians, Museums Arts & Humanities, Science & Technology, Education, and more. There is sure to be a division to suit your professional interests.



Library Crawls
Each quarter, SLA-UW arranges library crawls throughout Seattle.  Join us as we walk a neighborhood and tour all types of libraries, from zine archives to corporate law libraries.  Stay tuned for details about our next library crawl event!



SLA Conference Reports
This past June, Sarah Caldwell was the recipient of the Frost-Gershenfeld Travel Award. This award is underwritten by Nancy Gershenfeld in memory of Roxanna Frost, the late Director of the Microsoft Corporate Library and an alumna of the University of Washington MLIS program, who passionately supported special libraries and the leadership potential in each member of the organization. Sarah attended the SLA 2011 Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA, and wrote this report about her experience.

You may also read reports from these past winners of the award.
2010: Cathy Zegelin and Diane Doctor
2009: Holly Gale and Andrew Poultridge