January 2006 Volume 66 No. 5
President's Corner: Celebrating Our Accomplishments
http://www.sla.org/Chapter/cdc
Submitted by Shirley Loo, sloo@crs.loc.org
President’s Corner
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“Veteran” Librarians
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In last month's column, I highlighted a few of the SLA awards that our DC Chapter members have received. It wasn't a complete list but perhaps those of you who took the time to browse the URL that I provided to the SLA awards page might have noticed more names of chapter members. This month, I'd like to celebrate members who have been inducted into the SLA Hall of Fame.
NLM Program
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They are: Ruth Hooker (1965), Ruth S. Smith (1988), Charles Missar (1991) James L. Olsen, Jr. (1989), Kitty Scott (1996), Catherine Jones (1997) Winifred Sewell (1998), Roger Haley (2001), and Wilda Newman (2004). Their distinguished and sustained service merited this high honor. We celebrate these individuals and all of our members who have been recognized by SLA and by our chapter. The Awards Committee headed by Anne Caputo submitted nominations for 2006 association awards at the December Board meeting. The Board approved their nominations, and we'll hear in 2006 which nominations achieved SLA recognition.
Holiday Party and Pix
In the future, we may have a list of awards recipients for the association who were chapter members at the time they received the award. It may be a partial list but it will be the best that we can manage. We also intend to have a list of our chapter awards recipients available in 2006. Now on to our splendid holiday party at the Mansion at Strathmore. We had over 160 registrations with a strong showing from the District of Columbia Library Association of their Board members and other members. Hospitality Chair Lorraine Bell did a superb job in planning the event and we enjoyed musical entertainment provided by Sue O'Neill Johnson, Betty Landesman, and Anna McGowan. Congratulations to Jean Baer of the Department of State who won the IPod Nano donated by LexisNexis. For more on the party, see Suzanne Pilsk's article in this issue. Here's to further strides as an active, vibrant chapter. We had noteworthy accomplishments in 2005 such as electronic voting for chapter elections, which garnered a higher percentage of members voting. What would be possible in 2006 with your ideas, contribution, and service? Email me or talk to a member of the Board. I'll be in Houston January 18-21 for the SLA Leadership Summit. You'll hear more about this in a future newsletter. Happy New Year! Check out the awards: http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/awardsrecognition/awardsrecipients/awardpast/index.cfm
DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January 2005
Inside this issue:
Conference Stipend Application 4 Fundraiser for Kashmir Library 5 6-10
Read about the new products and services from: • • • • • • • •
Capcon Dialog InfoCurrent OCLC Capcon Library Associates Trak Legal EOS International Factiva
Check us out on the Web http://www.sla.org/Chapter/cdc/
Next Newsletter Deadline For February issue is January 23, 2006 Email bferry@ngs.org Save the date! Professional Enhancement Day will be Friday, March 24, 2006 at the Charles Sumner School in downtown DC, from 8:00am-noon. Details to follow!
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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: Ana Echerman; Email: aecherman@morganlewis.com EDITOR’S NOTE: Deadlines for Chapter Notes are the third Monday of the month for the following month’s issue. Deadline for the December issue is January 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 DC/SLA Co-Web Master-- Cassandra Shieh, Catholic News Service 202-541-3254; Fax: 202-541-3255 cshieh@catholicnews.com cassandrashieh@hotmail.com DC/SLA Co-Web Master: Allegra Moothart; 202-955-2141; amoothart@usnews.com. Send address changes for Chapter Notes to: Chapter Notes Editor ATTN: Address/Name Changes 5000 Euclid Drive Kensington, MD 20895
“Veteran” Librarians Showcases Two Army Vets… Submitted by: Sharon Lenius, sharon.lenius@us.army.mil Diane Kresh, Director of the Veterans History Project opened the interview program explaining the breadth and depth of the stories included in this Special Collection. Diane Schnurrpusch served as Master of Ceremonies. After the program Diane introduced those Federal and civilian librarians who had also served in hostile areas. Check this URL for the Webcast :http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=3821 The two “Veteran” librarians interviewed were Francis Buckley, Interim Director of the District of Columbia Public Library system and William Sittig, Chief, Science, Technology, and Business Division of the Library of Congress. Librarians are not the people one would immediately consider serving as Spec. 4’s in Vietnam, however this was a different time and “the Draft” was a reality. Both Fran Buckley and Bill Sittig took different routes to a U.S. Army Special Services Library in Saigon, Vietnam. During the interview process conducted by Tom Wiener, Historian of the Veterans History Project and Sharon Lenius, National Guard IRC Manager, the fascinated audience learned of library education, first job opportunity, Army Boot Camp, and other Army training. Fran Buckley made his way to Vietnam via Basic Training at Fort Bragg, NC; Bill Sittig took Basic and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Jackson, SC. Both men were assigned to Vietnam. Here the story begins to converge. Bill was in Saigon for assignment with a unit “upcountry” however, as luck would have it, when, during a records check, they noted that he had a Masters in Library Science from Columbia University. It just happened that the Personnel Clerk had a request from the civilian librarian in Saigon to send an MLS degreed soldier to the Saigon Library. Thus began Bill’s first professional library assignment. Fran recounted that he was in Saigon and noticed the library and stopped in. He saw Bill working there and Fran learned that Bill was a “real” librarian who happened to be assigned to the library in Saigon. After consultation, Fran returned to his unit where he served as the “Radar O’Reilly” and told his Captain about the library job. He asked if he could be reassigned to that duty. The Captain agreed, never believing that Fran could cut through all the red tape such a move would generate. But, Fran had a typewriter, the proper forms and he whipped out the new assignment orders. They were on the Captain’s desk the next day. The rather astounded Captain, true to his word, signed the orders and Fran went to Saigon where he was put in charge of Technical Services. There are many interesting incidents that Bill and Fran recounted. Fran had an amusing story about a swimming pool full of books and where they finally ended up. Both men spoke about the First Tet Offensive, though the library and their quarters were not much affected. The return to civilian life was not too difficult. Fran returned to the Detroit Public System and Bill became an Intern at the Library of Congress. Though not on the front lines, Fran and Bill did join the Veterans Against the Vietnam War because they had witnessed what the war was doing to the people of Vietnam. This program was video taped and is available on the Veterans History Project Website. The District of Columbia Library Association, the Military Librarians Group of DC/SLA and the Veterans History Project collaborated to make this program happen. FACTIVA, a Reuters Dow-Jones Company, served as the Premier Sponsor for the Event.
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DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January 2005
DCLA Genealogy, Local History and Preservation Interest Group: Submitted by: Jackque-Lynne Schulman , schulmaj@mail.nlm.nih.gov
“National Library of Medicine's History of Medicine Collections: Local Resource: National Treasure� The program will include a general introduction and overview on the historical collections of the NLM, the largest such collection in the United States. There will also be a discussion of the collections as a local history repository for the Washington research community. Items include resources such as block-by-block maps of Washington showing number of TB outbreaks for specific years in the early 1900s, documents on all aspects of local public health as well as monographs, manuscripts and more. Presenter: Dr. Steve Greenberg Date: Wednesday, February 15th, 2006 Time: 2:00 - 3:30 pm Place: Division of the History of Medicine National Library of Medicine, Building 38 8600 Rockville Pike National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD There is a public tour daily at 1:30 pm which attendees may join. This is a general tour of NLM and meets at the Visitor Center in Building 38A. The full tour runs until 2:30 but you will get an overall introduction to NLM in the first half. Metro Red Line, Medical Center station at NIH - All visitors to the NIH Campus are screened and asked to show some government-issued photo ID (drivers, license, etc.). Please allow 10 minutes for screening and badging, especially if you are not a Federal employee. There is no charge but a reservation is required. The program is limited to 15 participants. Call Jacque-Lynne Schulman 301594-2091 (day); 703-442-9370 (even) or email schulm@erols.com to RSVP or for questions.
DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January 2005
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Special Libraries Association, Washington DC Chapter Annual Conference Stipend Application 2006 Application Instructions: The Washington, D.C. Chapter has established the Annual Conference Stipend Award to enable a Chapter member to attend the SLA Annual Conference. All Chapter members as shown on official SLA records as of February 1, 2006 are eligible to apply. This includes student members, retired members, and those who are simultaneously members of other Chapters. Past recipients who have used their awards are not eligible. However, past recipients who have been prevented by circumstances from using their awards, and have returned the funds, are eligible. Board members are not eligible. The award criteria include future professional leadership potential in SLA and the profession, contributions to SLA and the Chapter, and financial need. Preference is given to newer members who have already begun to take a leadership role. The award recipient shall be chosen by the Board upon recommendation of the Chapter Awards Committee. The award for 2006 has been set at $1500. Application Process: The application process consists of submitting a form with two professional references. The application form is available as a Word file on the Chapter website. http://www.sla.org/chapter/cdc/awards/StipendApplication.doc
There is no prescribed format for letters of reference, but they should be limited to no more than 250 words. All materials, including the application and letters of reference, shall be submitted via email to Lyle Minter, DC/SLA Awards Committee, lyleminter@yahoo.com OR mailed to Lyle Minter, 3137 Eakin Park Court, Fairfax, VA 22031-2614 Deadline: All materials must be received by Friday, March 10, 2006. Checklist: • • • • •
Obtain application from Chapter website Line up professional references Complete application, gather letters of reference Send application and reference letters via email or mail/package service to one of the addresses given above Ensure receipt by Friday, March 10, 2006 Please Support Muhammad Chaudhary, SLA Member from Kashmir
Submitted by Sue Johnson, sueojohnson@hotmail.com The DC/SLA International Relations Committee is raising funds to show support for our colleague, Muhammad Yaquib Chaudhary. The Campus of the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where he is library director, was totally destroyed by the Kashmir Earthquake in October.(see http://www.ajku.edu.pk/).The amount we can raise in SLA will be primarily a symbol of our personal support to him, but it would let him know we care and realize what he is facing. Please help Muhammad by sending a tax deductible donation (check made out to DC/SLA) before January 15th to Sue O. JOHnson, 8505 Victory Lane, Potomac MD 20854. We will wire one check via the World Bank at the end of January.
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DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January 2005
DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January 2005
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The
Spectacular Holiday Party at the Mansion at Strathmore
Submitted by Suzanne Pilsk, PilskS@si.edu What fun! Strathmore Mansion was bedecked with beautiful decorations: some purchasable, letting us mark names off our holiday shopping list – some so delicious looking they were tempting to nibble - others testing our kleptomaniac tendencies. Guests included members of DCLA and the Maryland SLA Chapter which brought our registration number to more than 160. The place was buzzing with holiday cheer. Everyone mingled in the various rooms as they sipped wonderful drinks and munched pasta, roasted vegetables, fruit, cheeses, and various sweets. And, I can now say that “I sang at Strathmore!” But, I have to admit immediately that my talent is a bad, off key chorus voice was luckily overshadowed by the entertaining Sue O’Neill Johnson, Betty Landesman, and Anna McGowan who performed some classical and some classics, all done wonderfully. With dance moves by Barbara Ferry and Jenny Wood, we all sang along to festive holiday songs. The beautiful music room was also the location for our raffle. The DC Chapter supplied gift cards to Cosi, Starbucks and Amazon.com that led up to the grand drawing for an Ipod Nano, donated by our LexisNexis sponsor. [See the next page for for a complete list of winners.] Mingling in the crowd were some of our long-time members: Mary Feldman, Kitty Scott, Buzzy Basch and Charles Missar and many of our new members. It was a great evening for me to meet many of our members. Eating and chatting – two of my favorite things – what could be added? Shopping! The gift shop was open with some fun items for gift giving or for self indulgence. Our President Shirley Loo wore the dangling earrings with Australian crystal that she purchased in the gift shop. Lorraine Bell, Hospitality Chair and overall wonder woman, out did herself in planning the best holiday event to date. (This was my first one, but you can be sure that I’ll be back for more!) Thank you to volunteers Gretchen Gould and Brenda Darrah. And a big Thank You to LexisNexis our sponsor represented by Jennifer Baker, Shant Markarian, and Sally Vogel.
DC SLA Board Members Enjoy the Holiday Party at Strathmore. From left to right: Gail Kouril, Susan Fournier, Shirley Loo, Sheryl Rosenthal, Erin Clougherty, Jenny Wood, GeorgeAnne Higgins and Susanne Pilsk.
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DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January 2005
(above) Eileen Rourke, Rick Davis, Diane Falk, Brian Livelsberger, Gulnar Nagashybayeva, Ana Echerman
(above) Betty Landesman and Sue O’Neill Johnson provided music and a sing-along.
Rosa Liu, Roland Liu, Shelly Edwards, Paulette Hasier enjoy the festivities.
DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January 2005
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Winners of the Holiday Party Raffles: Grand Prize: Jean Baer (Ipod Nano) Sarah Stephens (Cosi gift card) Jose Manuel Palauos (Amazon certificate) Susan Eimas (Amazon certificate) Elizabeth Brown (Starbucks gift card) Katherine Lang (Starbucks gift card)
Sharon Lenius checks out the Gift Shop. Æ
Mary Jamieson, Sandy Levy, and Shelia Jackson line up for fun.
Grand prize winner Jean Baer (center) with DC/SLA President Shirley Loo and Jennifer Baker from Lexis Nexis (party sponsor.) Å
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DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January 2005
Å (from left) – Joan Weeks is checking in, Brenda Darrah, Gretchen Gould, and Hospitality Chair Lorraine Bell do the welcoming.
DC/SLA President Shirley Loo, raffle winner Elizabeth Brown, with past president Joan Gervino.
Beautiful Strathmore Hall!
DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January 2005
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DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January 2005