Presidential Chat

My Fellow DALL Members:

I am deeply humbled and honored to be this year’s DALL President for the 2013-2014 year. We have a great Board and Chair Committee staff that has new ideas that will make our association a success and I am excited to work with them. 

I am very thankful to my Immediate Past President, Donna Bostic for providing me the opportunity to be Vice President/Program Chair for the 2012-2013 year. In addition, I want to thank Dave Matthewson for encouraging me to pursue being President and giving me the confidence to lead this association to newer heights. I realized it is a great deal of responsibility; the crown will be heavy on my head. Nevertheless, we will do everything we can to make this year eventful. With my inexperience, I will make my mistakes and take full responsibility for my actions. In addition, I will not make promises I can’t keep and everything will not turn around in one year, because lasting change takes time.

We will kick off our programs by having a Happy Hour sponsored by EBSCO on Thursday, August 15^th at the Quarter Bar of Bread Winner’s. We can celebrate the new term and members will have the opportunity to pay their membership dues. August 22^nd we will hold a brown bag meeting with DALL Members to discuss the upcoming changes to the bylaws and proposed amendments. Finally, on Saturday August 24^th, we will have a joint field trip with the Texas Chapter of SLA to the George W. Bush Library and Museum on the campus of SMU. 

Coming in September, we are planning to have a DALL Luncheon sponsored by Fastcase. The program is expected to cover the new healthcare laws that will go into effect October 1^st.  Please check your email for future activities in the coming weeks. 

Due to changes in our economy and technology advances that have affected our profession, after much thought, our theme for this year is “Create and Innovate.” I understand some of our members have lost jobs or faced retirement recently.  The old saying goes, when life gives you lemons; make lemonade, hits very close to some of our peers in the legal information industry. When facing adversity they managed to reinvent themselves by becoming entrepreneurs and establishing their own consulting company, while others took positions in which they were able to utilize their librarian and attorney skills in settings they never thought could be done. These members were resourceful and resilient. 

I believe, as an association, we can be a major force in the DFW area by providing professional development opportunities to our members that will be both informative and practical. In addition, recruiting new members will be a tremendous opportunity for growth and encourage more involvement in our organization.

Candace M. Cathey, M.L.S.

DALL President 2013-2014