DC/SLA Chapter Notes - February 2005

President’s Corner: The Ballots are Coming! The Ballots are Coming!

By Sheryl Rosenthal, rosenthals@sec.gov By the time you read this column, you may have already received your ballot to elect the 2005/2006 SLA Board of Directors. If not, stand ready because the election is about to begin!

February 2005 Volume 64 No. 5 http://www.sla.org/chapter/cdc

Inside this issue: President’s Corner

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Tour of Smithsonian Book Conservation Lab Report

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Upcoming Career Day

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Legal Research Institutes

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SID Workshops

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Our members are civic-minded, action-oriented people who greatly appreciate not only the privilege of voting, but also the efforts of people like Anne Caputo, candidate for Chapter Cabinet Chair-Elect. Anne is well known throughout SLA and was honored with the 2004 Rose L. Vormelker award but we here in DC are particularly grateful for the many ways she has lead and continues to serve our chapter. We thank all of the candidates who generously donate their time and talents to our profession.

Outreach Project

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Dine-Around Schedule

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Senate Library Tour Report

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Need more reasons to cast your ballot? Okay, here goes. How often do you get to:

Read about the new products and services from:

It’s not too late to make (or break) a resolution. Make and keep this one – when your SLA ballot arrives, fill it out and send it back immediately.

If we learned anything from the U.S. Presidential election in 2000, it was the value and power of each and every vote. On January 15, 2005, the Washington Post ran a story with the headline, “Election Turnout in 2004 was Highest Since 1968”. It may not surprise you to learn that the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate reported a 60.7 percent voter turnout but I bet it would surprise many of you to learn that the average voter turnout for national SLA elections is only 20 percent. For the DC Chapter, that translates to almost 800 missed opportunities.

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Express your opinion and know that your voice is being heard Influence the direction of your professional association Make sure DCSLA is well-represented at the national level Support the hard-working (and brave!) candidates who put themselves out there for the chance to represent you Encourage future leaders to come forward Make a big impact with a small effort Get that good “I Voted” feeling Make sure the next Chapter Notes headline reads, “Record SLA Election Turnout in 2005. DC Chapter Steps Up to the Plate”.

For more information on all the candidates, go to: http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/governance/bodsection/0405bodcand/index.cfm On a personal note, you may have noticed the new email address at the top of the column, reflective of my new position as Chief, Branch of Electronic Resources and Content Management at the Securities & Exchange Commission. I am thrilled with this new challenge. Call me at 202-942-7094 or email rosenthals@sec.gov.

Next month – report from the SLA Leadership Institute in Tampa, FL.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February 2005

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Capcon Dialog InfoCurrent Library Associates Trak Legal EOS International Factiva

Check us out on the Web http://www.sla.org/chapter/cdc/

Making Connections Page 9 Next Newsletter Deadline is February 22.

Email bferry@ngs.org

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Special Libraries Association assumes no responsibility for the statements and opinions advanced by the contributors to SLA’s publications. Editorial views do not necessarily represent the official views of SLA. Acceptance of advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product by SLA. Subscriptions: Chapter Notes is free to DC/SLA members.

Subscriptions to non-members are available at $10 per year.

Advertising: Advertising rates effective September 1997 are: $95—1/4 page; $175—1/2 page; $290— full page. For information regarding advertisements, contact the DC/SLA Chapter Notes Business Manager: Kelley Weber, Surface Transportation Board Phone: 202-565-1668 Email: weberk@stb.dot.gov EDITOR’S NOTE: Deadlines for Chapter Notes are the third Monday of the month for the following month’s issue.

Deadline for the March issue is February 21. The issue is distributed approximately two weeks after the deadline. The preferred submission format is a Word document sent via email. You should receive an email acknowledgement of your submission.

Materials for Chapter Notes should be sent to the Editor: Barbara Ferry Libraries & Information Services National Geographic Society 1145 17th St. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 Phone: 202-857-7051 Email: bferry@ngs.org Event announcements should also be submitted electronically to the: Listserv Moderator: Kelley Weber, Surface Transportation Board Phone: 202-565-1668 Email: weberk@stb.dot.gov

DC/SLA Web Master-- Cassandra Shieh, Catholic News Service 202-541-3254; Fax: 202-541-3255 cshieh@catholicnews.com cassandrashieh@hotmail.com Send address changes for Chapter Notes to: SLA Headquarters ATTN: Address/Name Changes 1700 18th Street NW Washington, DC 20009-2508

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Tour of Smithsonian Libraries Book Conservation Lab Submitted by Brenda G. Corbin, U. S. Naval Observatory Library Corbin.brenda@usno.navy.mil On Nov. 17, a group of 19 fortunate DC-SLA members and friends gathered in a warehouse on North Capitol Street for a tour of the Smithsonian Libraries Book Conservation Lab, Preservation Services Department. This lab provides support to the 20 Smithsonian libraries located in Washington, New York City and Panama. We were met by Eliza Gilligan, a conservator and Head of the Preservation Department. Eliza showed us several works in progress including a rare work in the Philippine language Tagalong, printed in Brazil in 1799.

Another fascinating item was the Le Garde-meuble ancien et moderne by Désiré Guilmard. This 19th century group of hand colored plates of decorative furniture had been collected together into a three volume set, one of the few copies in the world. The book had been dis-bound (from an already failing case binding) and scanned to create a web exhibit http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/ArtDesign/garde-meuble/. With scanning complete, Eliza was binding the book into a new, durable binding. A 19th century atlas was being repaired and a great deal of scotch tape had been removed, showing us why books should never, ever be mended with scotch tape. Eliza described “foxing”, the small rust colored spots we have all seen on older paper and prints. We learned that these spots are caused by iron particles in the water that was used to make the paper. A computer program was demonstrated that allows this lab in Washington to monitor climate conditions within many of the Smithsonian special collections including the Tropical Research Institute in Panama. She also showed how books are hand sewed into parts (signatures), and then sewed together to become the complete book. Although one can read a description of how this is done, it is fascinating to see this process in person.

There were many questions from the group indicating the high level of interest.

When asked about cutting edge technology, she described the use of desiccant wheels, made up of large quantities of desiccants that we normally see in small packages in vitamin bottles and other similar places. These large turning wheels remove the moisture from the air very effectively and will be especially useful for collections in tropical climates.

Perhaps the highlight of the morning was the last item brought out. It was a letter written by James Smithson, the Englishman who donated his fortune to found the Smithsonian. The letter had recently been purchased at auction. The previous owner had glued the letter to a folder, and Eliza had completed the painstaking task of removing the letter and the glue without damaging the letter or the ink.

Our thanks to Eliza and her staff for this very interesting tour, and to Shirley Loo for planning the tour and making all the arrangements.

Welcome, New Members!

Anne Marie Del Vecchio Valerie Green Timmi Krump Kimberly Moriarty David Smith

Abigail Falls Mary-Agnes Huffer Steven Levine Kristine Sasala Joyce Zarrinahad

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February 2005

DC/SLA Elections Coming in electronic and print formats

February 25March 25, 2005 Vote for 1st Vice President/President-Elect 2nd Vice President Corresponding Secretary Director Treasurer Watch your DC/SLA discussion list for more information. If you would prefer voting via paper ballot please contact: Anne Caputo 202-289-2103 anne.caputo@factiva.com

Remember to VOTE when your DC/SLA Ballot arrives!

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February 2005

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DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February 2005

Upcoming Career Day on April 14 Professional Enhancement Day will be held on Thursday, April 14 from 8:00a.m. to noon at the Charles Sumner School, 1201 17th St. NW, Washington D.C. This year's theme will be "Cutting Your Own Edge." We'll be presenting some hot new developing areas for librarians and information researchers to consider for careerexpanding possibilities for the 21st century, and ways to market yourself in those areas. More details to follow!

Contact Kris Sasala, Career Day Chair, with questions or suggestions (phaedra_0@yahoo.com; 860-716-4456).

Anyone wishing to volunteer can contact Susan Fournier (susan.fournier@icba.org; 202-659-8111)

Iota Chapter, Beta Phi Mu The Officers of Iota Chapter, Beta Phi Mu invite all members of the Society to attend the Chapter's annual Initiation and Membership Meeting to be held Thursday, February 10, 2005, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at National Public Radio, 635 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. Our guest speaker is DC-SLA's own Susan Fifer Canby.

Reception to follow meeting. For information and reservations for this meeting contact Susan R. Fournier, Iota Chapter President at 202-315-2439 or susan.fournier@icba.org.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February 2005

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THE LAW LIBRARIANS' SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON, D.C. 2005 LEGAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES I AND II MARCH 8TH AND 9TH 2005

The Legal Research Institutes are hands-on all day programs aimed at those working in law libraries who want to sharpen their research skills and non-law library personnel and paralegals with limited experience using basic legal sources.

PROGRAM Tuesday, March 8th 2005

Wednesday, March 9th 2005

Case Law Statutes Secondary Sources

Legislative History Administrative Law International & Foreign Research

LOCATION:

Georgetown University Law Center Edward Bennett Williams Library 111 G St. NW Washington, DC 20001 Metro stop: Red Line Union Station or Judiciary Square For further directions see www.law.georgetown.edu/directions/

TIME: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm COST: LLSDC members:$40 each day/Non-members:$100 each day/enrollment limited to 60 people. Continental breakfast and lunch sponsored by Lexis-Nexis and Thomson West.

Jane Walsh

Mail registration to: E.B. Williams Law Library 111 G Street NW

Washington, DC 20001 (202) 662-9199 REGISTRATION BY MAIL ONLY: REGISTRATION DEADLINE: February, 28th 2005 2005 LEGAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES I AND II Make check payable to: Law Librarians' Society of Washington, DC Name _____________________________________________________________________________ Firm/Institution _____________________________________________________________________ Email ____________________________________________________________________________ Please check:

Legal Research Institute I, Tuesday March 8th, 2005 Legal Research Institute II, Wednesday March 9th, 2005

Please check: LLSDC MEMBER: ____

NON-MEMBER: ____

REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION WILL BE SENT TO YOU VIA EMAIL NOTE: Contributions, gifts, dues or registration fees paid to the Society are not deductible as charitable contributions for Federal tax purposes.

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DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February 2005

SID Development Information Workgroup Upcoming Programs Submitted by: Gail Wadsworth, wadmark@starpower.net February Meeting: When: Wednesday, February 23, 2005, Noon to 2:00ish Where: DIC, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 300 South What: “Cuba-- Information Programs in a Closed Society.”

Jean Cavanaugh, Information Resource Officer, International Information Programs, U.S. Dept. of State, having just returned from a five-day consultation with the U.S. Interest Section Information Resource Center (IRC) in Havana, will talk about the challenges and successes of running an IRC program in a closed society.

No reservations required. Seating is limited; first come, first seated. Please bring a photo ID. The meeting will be a brown bag lunch held at Development Information Center (DIC), 1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 300 South. [See directions below the March Program.]

March Meeting: When: Wednesday, March 16, 2005, Noon to 2:00ish Where: DIC, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 300 South What: “Strengthening Core Collections at University Libraries in Iraq.”

The Sabre Foundation is extending its book donation program to include university libraries in Iraq. Tania Vitvitsky, Executive Director of the Sabre Foundation, will discuss Sabre's program in Iraq. There will be a question and answer period directly following the presentation.

No reservations required. Seating is limited; first come, first seated. Please bring a photo ID. The meeting will be a brown bag lunch heldat Development Information Center (DIC), 1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 300 South.

Directions: From Metro Center (Red, Orange & Blue line) Take the 11th and G Streets exit. As you exit Metro turn left (south).Walk south on 11th Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, about 2 or 3 blocks. Turn left on Pennsylvania Ave., and 1001 is in the middle of the block. The entrance to the building is recessed. If you get to 10th Street (J. Edgar Hoover FBI building), you've gone too far east. Elevators will be on the left shortly after you enter. Go to the third floor & look for the suite.

From "Federal Triangle" (Orange & Blue line) Exit the Metro station at the first escalator. As you exit, 12th street is behind you. Walk out to 12th street. Go north (left) to Pennsylvania Avenue. Cross Pennsylvania Avenue to the north side.

Turn right (east) and walk towards 10th Street. 1001 Pennsylvania is in the middle of the block before you get to 10th Street. The entrance to the building is recessed. If you get to 10th Street (J. Edgar Hoover FBI building), you've gone too far east. Elevators will be on the left shortly after you enter. Go to the third floor & look for the suite.

From "Archives-Navy Memorial" (Yellow line) Exit the Metro station and take the escalator to the street level. As you exit, 7th Street is behind you. Walk along Pennsylvania Avenue(heading west). Cross both 9th Street and 10th Street. On the corner of 10th and Pennsylvania is Ten Penh restaurant. 1001 Pennsylvania is in the middle of the block. The entrance to the building is recessed. If you get to 11th Street, you've gone to far west. Elevators will be on the left shortly after you enter. Go to the thrid floor & look for the suite.

Remember to VOTE when your DC/SLA Ballot arrives!

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February 2005

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Coolidge High School Library Selected as DC/SLA’s Community Outreach Project Sibmitted by: KenleeR@aol.com

Coolidge Public High School is located at 6415 5th St NW in Washington, DC. The school has 697 students in grades 9 through 12.

The enrollment is 100 % minority -- African-American and a multicultural population including Hispanics, Africans (Ethiopians, Nigerians, Kenyans) and Asians. There is a significant number of English as Second Language (ESL) students. Both reading and math test scores are low and Coolidge has been designated as a school "in need of improvement".

The Library/Media Center is a double-roomed facility located on the 2nd floor. There are approximately 7628 books in the library collection. Four working computers are available to the students -- two are set up for solely word-processing. The collection is not yet online.

Lynn Kauffman, the librarian, has worked in both public and school libraries. The library had been neglected for a couple of years before she arrived, so she spent a lot of time getting the library back in order, making it a good place for students who want to learn.

95% of the students read below grade level so the primary focus of the library's program is on literacy -- mainly encouraging the students to read for recreation so that they hone their reading and comprehension skills. Lynn has developed a voluntary Reading Program. Each fall participating students receive a “Student Reading Log” in which they record any books they have read over the summer and which they update throughout the school year. The goal is to read 12 books a year -- any topic from Black "chic" lit to sports bios. Students, who meet that goal by May 27th, will receive awards and will be honored at a special reception on June 2nd.

To verify that the students have read the books, each student discusses what he has read with an adult during a Book Interview. She also has a Book Club that has 36 members.

The secondary focus is on information literacy. She has collaborated with certain faculty members to develop pathfinders for their subjects and holds library sessions reviewing use of the important sources.

What is the DC Chapter doing to support the Coolidge Library?

One of our members, Anita Johnson, has been involved with the library at Coolidge for about a year. She has helped to weed monographs, conduct reading interviews with students in the library's literacy program, and helped to build up the serials collection using connections with Blackwell's BackServ Listserv for cast-off journals. There is more weeding to do and a microfiche collection to organize.

Some of our members -- Barbara Folensbee-Moore, Laura Reilly, Kenlee Ray and AAMC staff recruited by Cynthia Kahn -- served as Adult Reviewers for the Book Interviews held on Dec. 14. More interviews will be scheduled for late February and we will be looking for more volunteers.

The Chapter is going use the money it received from the World Bank Community Outreach Program “Dollar for Doers” fund to help the Coolidge Library purchase young adult fiction and biographies so that participants in the Reading Program will have new titles to read.

If you would like to help organize Coolidge's collection or participate in the book interviews with the students, please contact Kenlee Ray, 202-483-2423, kenleer@aol.com or David Snyder, DSnyder@ascd.org

In Honor of International Special Librarians Day… Submitted by Eileen Rourke, infoeer@yahoo.com

What: Bridging the Global Digital Divide: Capacity Building through Partnership and PC Donations When: April 14, 2005, 6pm Where: Kiplinger Washington Editors Building; 1729 H Street NW, 1st Floor; Washington DC --Presented by Timothy Anderson, President, World Computer Exchange (Boston) Watch for more details next month!

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DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February 2005

Making Connections Submitted by Mary Talley, mtalley@axelroth.com What plausible connection can be made between a television shopping network’s sales approach and an information center’s functions? After all, we don’t use the media to push products. But we do increasingly use technology as the primary interface with our customers - which is what QVC has perfected brilliantly. A recent article in HBS Working Knowledge (“QVC: Driving Sales in Real Time.” HBS Working Knowledge. Jan. 24, 2005. http://hbswk.hbs.edu/index.jhtml) presents an excerpt of a case study on QVC that asserts that “as front-office automation develops, a firm’s success will increasingly depend on its ability to combine the right balance of customer interaction: human, automated, and hybrid interfaces....QVC has mastered that art.” Isn’t this what we’re after, too? Read the article for yourself and see.

The Harvard Business School’s, e-newsletter, HBS Working Knowledge http://hbswk.hbs.edu/index.jhtml), is a staple management resource for Jill Konieczko, Library Director at U.S. News & World Report. Jill reads it for ideas on “everything from increasing competitiveness in an industry to encouraging staff productivity. I learn something from it with every reading.

That the HBS [Harvard Business School] Library helps to develop the e-newsletter makes it that much more essential in my book!”

Knowledge@Wharton, http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu, is a must-read, bi-weekly online management resource for Dave Shumaker, Manager, Information Services at the Mitre Corporation. Dave scans it for its interesting summaries and analyses of business issues and trends. Subscribers can choose to receive information in any or all of fourteen categories, such as strategic management, HR, and entrepreneurship.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February 2005

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DCSLA Dine-Around Dinners for Spring 2005 * Note for all Dine-Arounds: Please contact the host no later than two workdays before the event, providing full contact information. This helps for reservations and contingencies.

1 March (Tuesday) Adams Morgan 6:30 PM Meskerem 2434 18th St. NW http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=entertainment/profile&id=792225 Brenda Hill Brenda.Hill@dcma.mil 8 March (Tuesday) Tyson’s Corner (McLean) Busara (Thai) 8142 Watson St www.busara.com Eileen Deegan deeganeg@yahoo.com by February 28.

6:30 PM

9 March (Wednesday) Bethesda 6:30 PM McCormick’s & Schmick 2 Metro Center (7401 Woodmont Ave) http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/main.cfm?action=location&element=initial&locID=47 Stephanie Altbier sraltbier@starpower.net by Monday, March 7th.

10 March (Thursday) Rockville Benjarong 855 Rockville Pike www.washingtonian.com/dining/Profiles/benjarong.html Brien Kinkel Brian.Kinkel@infocurrent.com

6:30 PM

16 March (Wednesday) Silver Spring Bombay Gaylord 8401 Georgia Ave www.washingtonian.com/dining/Profiles/bombaygaylor.html Barbara Folensbee-Moore bfolensbee-moore@morganlewis.com

6:00 PM

17 March (Thursday) MCI Center Area 6:00 PM La Tasca (Spanish) 722 7 St NW http://www.aolcityguide.com/washington/dining/venue.adp?sbid=131524 METRO – Gallery/Chinatown station – 2 blocks Alphonse Vinh Avinh@npr.org

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DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February 2005

Report from the Senate Library Tour Submitted Shelia Jackson, shelia.jackson@baltsun.com Senate Librarian Greg Harness began our tour of the Senate Library on Jan. 13 by referring to it as a “typical special library.” He and his staff generously shared with us their knowledge, expertise and resources.

The Senate Library was designed to meet the needs of the members of the Senate, their staff and committees. The library was created in 1871 and its collection dates back to the late 1700’s. Legislative documents from the House and Senate make up the core of the library’s collection. As Greg so succinctly put it, “Congress printed it, we have it.”

The Senate Library is comprised of 20 staff members who do everything from research 35,000 requests a year to original cataloging to collection development to maintaining web pages.

The library collects and organizes Senate documents and sends them to the Government Printing Office for binding.

The library is also collecting non-published Senate documents from the web and having them bound, just is case someone needs them in the future.

Acquisitions are performed in true democratic fashion. A committee of four meets once a month to decide which titles to purchase. One of the print collection’s focal points is books by and about senators. Subjects as diverse as travel, fairy tales and American history are represented in the collection.

The library’s online catalog is a true multipurpose research tool. Original cataloging is performed so that Senate hearings are available to users two weeks before GPO records are published. In addition, information such as bill numbers, links to full text and names of nominees are added to catalog records to help answer research requests.

The Senate Intranet is well organized, easy to navigate and loaded with the best websites and online commercial resources. But we on the outside do not have access to this fount of information. What we do have access to is http://www.senate.gov – specifically the Reference section.

For the past three years, the Senate Library has contributed to the Reference section of senate.gov. This section of the website contains historical information, definitions, Congressional Research Service reports, lists of all kinds and the current Senate floor schedule. Lists of foreign-born senators, presidential vetoes and information to dispel myths about congressional legislation are examples of some of the information available.

As the tour came to an end, we enthusiastically thanked the Senate Library staff for their time and willingness to share their library with us. I glanced around at the exposed brick and mahogany bookshelves one more time and thought this was not a “typical” library.

Tour Participants: Left to right, front row: Lorna Dodt, Bonnie Mueller, Denise Chen, Victoria Agee, Katherine Nuss, Victoria Harriston, Shirley Loo, Senate Librarian Greg Harness; second row: John Posniak Monica Ekman, Maureen Adams, Kathy Lang, Shelia Jackson, Charlotte White, Frederik Heller (not in the picture Ariella Barrett) Picture taken by Senate Library staff member Robert Nix.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February 2005

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DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February 2005