Headquartered in Alexander, VA, Special Libraries Association (SLA) is an international association, serving more than 12,000 members in 83. Special librarians are information resource experts who collect, analyze, evaluate, package, and disseminate information to facilitate accurate decision-making in corporate, academic, and government settings.

The 2005 SLA Annual Conference was the organizations ninety-sixth. Held June 5-8 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) in Toronto , Ontario Canada , its purpose was to create an environment for networking, communication, learning and other developmental opportunities for information professionals. Located in dynamic downtown Toronto, MTCC is Canada’s largest convention center, offering 460,000 square foot of exhibit space.

For many years, Thomson Scientific and other Thomson businesses, especially Dialog, have been major supporters of the SLA meeting with elaborate booth displays, sponsorships, and contributions to a multitude of SLA divisions. As in previous years, Thomson Scientific planned several events designed to increase visibility, including ads in the SLA conference program and Information Outlook, direct mail, participation on panels, a breakfast workshop, sponsorships, and a gala reception.