Meet David Cappoli: Candidate for SLA President-Elect 2012

The 2012 candidates for SLA President-elect, David Cappoli and Deb Hunt, were both interviewed by e-mail for NEWS LIBRARY NEWS so members can get to know them in advance of voting, which takes place September 7 - 28, 2011. David Cappoli's responses follow in their entirety.

David Cappoli

1. Why are you running for President of SLA?

I am running for President of SLA because I can lead this association into its somewhat uncertain near future with my consensus-building skills, experience with students, knowledge of the continuing education needs of information professionals, and a strong willingness to confront the changes that SLA must consider, such as the conference revenue model. I continue to be excited about information professionals and feel strongly that I can work to advance SLA's reach within the profession.

2. You are elected the leader and public face of SLA, and you've been invited to a regional roundtable forum of C-suite executives, non-profit heads, and other leaders. This is a chance to introduce their organization and members. What do you say?

Besides giving an overview of SLA and our members, I would showcase real-world examples of how our members have directly contributed to the success of their organizations. I would also tie their contributions to the leadership and professional development opportunities that SLA has provided to them. For example, if one of our members acquired knowledge via SLA, e.g., at conference, in a virtual seminar, etc., and integrated it into his/her work to the significant benefit of the organization, I would emphasize this connection and compare what the state of the organization would be without the member's contributions.

3. The News Division: what are your impressions? What would you like us to address?

During my time as a member of the News Division and working at the L.A. Times, and at the L.A. Herald-Examiner prior to the Times, division members discussed and implemented initiatives focused on better integrating their work into the success of their organizations well before other units did so. By participating in editorial board meetings, members have been able to feature the resources and expertise of their libraries and information centers. News librarians have been embedded within specific news departments well before the issue of embedded librarianship became an important topic; and, they have been at the forefront in the development of full-text and image archiving systems. I have also been impressed by how news librarians employ their network in times of disasters. I see news librarians continuing to be leaders in these areas, as well as in the burgeoning field of digital archiving, the reuse of organizational assets and how to succeed while enduring staff and budget cutbacks.

Photo courtesy SLA