Good morning everyone.
	I thank you for electing me your President.  It is a great honor and a privilege, although a bit daunting, to try and represent all that is best about you and about our association in the coming year.
	The MLA Presidency is a continuum.  Each president, in developing a theme and priorities, builds on a strong foundation, on the leadership and legacy of the many who preceded him or her. The phrase “standing on the shoulders of giants” comes readily to mind.  Each president welcomes the wisdom of members of the Board of Directors in charting MLA’s path for the coming year.  Each president depends on the professional dedication and skills of a multi-talented Headquarters staff to provide the infrastructure and services to move us along that path.  Each president is alert to opportunities and challenges in our environment that reinforce or threaten our direction.  And each president invites the opinions and insights of MLA members to create and participate in a shared destiny.  So, I am not up here alone (although it feels like it at the moment!), nor will I lead this association alone.  I am in very good company.
	You have given me an exciting opportunity this morning to tell you some stories, to share with you a vision of our profession and of our association, and to suggest how we can work together as a team to achieve it.  Last year, in her inaugural speech, your president Carol Jenkins called on us to take bold action and create “practical magic”. I’d like to take that another step beyond. You will need to indulge my passion for sports, which has helped me be both a leader and a follower, and instilled in me the value and the joy of “team”.  And you will need to use your imagination and envision taking some risks as we define that “step beyond” and talk about MLA priorities and the theme for 2002-2003.
	I’ve titled my talk “Extreme Librarians – Champions for Quality Health Information”.  I’m sure you can all resonate with “Champions for Quality Health Information” – it builds on our vision statement “Quality Information for Improved Health”, and asserts our active role as advocates, sponsors, and fierce proponents for quality health information – we are champions for a worthy cause.
	But why “Extreme Librarians”?