DC/SLA Chapter Notes - January/February 2009

President's Corner: 2009 - A Capital Celebration!

By Greta D. Ober, gretaob@gmail.com Happy New Year! And what a year 2009 will be.

SLA is turning 100, and the Annual Conference will be held right here in Washington, DC. As DC Chapter members, we should all be very proud to be the host city during SLA's 100th Anniversary. I am especially honored to serve as the DC Chapter President during this exciting year.

For those who don't know me, allow me to introduce myself. I received my MLIS from McGill University in Montreal (yes I am Canadian!). I joined SLA as a student member back in 1989 and have been hooked ever since. I am one of the Research Librarians in the Joint World Bank / IMF Library. I have been with the International Monetary Fund for the past 10 years; previously working at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and other special libraries within the DC area. Before being elected President, I served on a few of the DC Chapter Committees: Chapter Notes editor (when everything was in print and mailed out), back in 1997 I was in fact the very first Discussion List owner, having started the DC Chapter List. At the same time, I also served on the Web Committee, at which time the first DC Chapter website was created. I then took a break from DC Chapter Committees for a few years during which time I took on webmaster duties for the Social Science Division, then in 2007 served as the Chair of the Social Science Division. Throughout this entire time, I also had two children: my daughter is now 16 and my son is 8.

At the Annual Board Meeting/ Banquet in December when the gavel was passed to me by Diane Schnurrpusch (now Past-President), I recall mentioning how much satisfaction can be gained by volunteer efforts within SLA. So I wanted to tell you a bit about myself and the positions I've volunteered with SLA (both Chapter and Division). Don't ever think that you are too busy or perhaps not qualified, take advantage of DC Chapter volunteer opportunities as a way for yourself to learn and advance. There are networking, learning, and leadership opportunities, new skills which can be applied to your current job or used to leverage yourself into other positions, and of course wonderful friendships are formed. We are an active and enthusiastic Chapter with various types of committees, so don't be shy - let me know if you are interested in

January/ February 2009 Volume 70, No. 1

Inside this issue: President’s Corner …..……..1 State of the Chapter.....…......2 SLA Leadership Summit…...5 From the Archives....……….6 Guy St. Clair Lecture………7 Way Beyond "23 Things"...10 SLA in the Community…...11 Google 101…......................12 Swing Dance! ...............…..13 Classes and Lectures ……..14 Awards and Events……16

Read about products and services from:     

Library Associates Research Solutions TRAK Companies Leadership Directories EOS International

Check us out on the Web! www.units.sla.org/Chapter/cdc

Chapter Notes is the newsletter of the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Special Libraries Association (SLA). It is distributed six times per year (bimonthly) as follows: January/ February, March/ April, May/ June, July/ August, September/ October, November/ December.

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 are available to non-members at a rate of $10 per year.

The newsletter is also available electronically at the chapter's website, www.units.sla.org/Chapter/cdc.

Advertising: Advertising rates are: $95—1/4 page; $175—1/2 page; $290— full page.

For information regarding advertisements, contact the DC/SLA Chapter Notes Business Manager, Charlotte White.

The deadline for the March/ April 2009 issue is April 1st. The issue will be 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 or requests for mailing address changes should be sent to the Editor.

Chapter Notes Editor: Jenny O'Shea Library, U.S. News & World Report Phone: 202-955-2087 oshea.jenny@gmail.com Chapter Notes Business Manager: Charlotte White cwhite@fmc.gov DC/SLA Webmaster: Krista Mantsch National Geographic Society Libraries and Information Services 1145 17th St., NW Washington, DC 20036 Phone: 202-457-8450 kmantsch@ngs.org DC/SLA Discussion List Manager: Lea Wade lea.wade[at]gmail.com Information: http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/list.html

Note to DC/SLA Members: Effective with this issue, the Chapter Notes newsletter will change to a bimonthly publication schedule. As ever, members are encouraged to submit articles and announcements to the editor for inclusion.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 2

volunteering; and if you don't see a committee that fits your interest, perhaps you can start a new one!

Just keep telling yourself: "You Can Do It!!"

I would like to thank Diane Schnurrpusch for the excellent leadership she provided to the DC Chapter in 2008. I have a wonderful Executive Board to work with in 2009. Being the local host Chapter, we know we have to outshine this year. Last year a Local Arrangements Committee was formed, then later a Centennial Program Committee to work with James King, VP/President-elect who had gotten busy even before the year started. I hope to see many familiar and new faces at all our 2009 programs!

State of the Chapter: 2008 in Review

By Diane Schnurrpusch, Immediate DC/SLA Past President At the Annual Business Meeting and Holiday Party in December, I recapped the Chapter’s year and noted how the three goals of my presidency (continuity, change, and collaboration) had been advanced with the help of many dedicated people. I kept my remarks brief with the caveat that a slightly more complete accounting of the year would follow in this issue of Chapter Notes.

What follows is a breakdown of some of the most significant accomplishments: 

Programming – Chapter members had 70 events to choose from. Speaker topics included Internet use; cost justification for information services; strategies voters and information professionals should adopt to determine the facts in a political campaign; setting up a trends analysis program; and how librarians and journalists are crucial to democracy. A number of distinguished outside speakers included Lee Rainie of the Pew Internet and Life Project, Brooks Jackson of Annenberg’s Factcheck.org, and Robert Dubill, retired editor of USA Today.

Chapter members hosted all of SLA’s 20 Click-U Live virtual seminars, as well as two evening Click-U replays. The book club

continued to review non-fiction offerings over four dinner discussions. The Military Librarian and Cataloging Groups both provided a variety of topics and venues. The Young Professionals held six Happy Hours and hosted a group of Canadian library school students. Members hosted nine “Dine Arounds” at a variety of restaurants in DC, Maryland, and Virginia in the spring and the fall. Attendance for all chapter events totaled approximately 1050. Over one-third of DC/SLA members attended at least one event during 2008. 

Membership – At year-end, we recorded 1005 members, thus maintaining our title as largest SLA chapter. Our membership co-chairs designed a new brochure and other promotional strategies, including newsletter articles about members, a listing of new members, and an email campaign to potential members. The New Member reception continued to be cost-free to first-time members.

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Communications - Additions to the Chapter’s arsenal of communications tools included a variety of Web 2.0 technologies.

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The 2009 Annual Conference Wiki highlights things to do in DC in June 2009 and represents the research and Web skills of many chapter members.

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The DC/SLA Chapter Wiki has a public face and includes the newly updated Chapter Manual. By incorporating the manual on the wiki, the editor can make changes more easily. This wiki also includes a private work area for chapter leaders to plan activities and share information. Both wikis are linked to the DC/SLA Web site that continues to be well organized and attractive.

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The DC/SLA Facebook Group is another avenue for sharing photographs and chapter news.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 3

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The LinkedIn Mentor Group provides a way for new professionals to form relationships with more experienced chapter members.

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Nine issues of Chapter Notes were produced in 2008 with advertising sales continuing to bring in much welcomed revenue. The newsletter is primarily electronic with fewer than 40 members now receiving a print version by mail. Chapter members can now opt out of the monthly print calendar and receive monthly email reminders about the online calendar.

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Outreach to Students: Students continue to pay a reduced price to attend chapter events.

The Scholarship Committee selected two recipients: one for the Infocurrent Scholarship and one for the Catherine A. Jones Memorial Scholarship. In addition to developing the LinkedIn Mentor Group, the Mentoring Committee organized a very successful “Spend a Day with a Special Librarian” event. Fifty-one students visited 45 librarians during April and May.

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International Relations – The International Relations committee held its annual “International Special Librarians’ Day” event in April with two speakers: Erica Lee Nelson of Inside US Trade and John Sebastian of National Geographic. The committee also hosted the President-Elect of the International Federation of Library Associations at a dinner meeting. The DC Chapter once again cohosted the International Reception at the annual conference with at least 23 chapter members in attendance.

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Community Outreach – For their major project, this committee chose to reach out to the international community by organizing a book drive for the Lubuto Library project in Zambia. They also continue to provide support to local DC school libraries.

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Special Committees - In addition to populating the 2009 Conference Wiki, the chapter’s Local Arrangements Committee successfully manned booths at the Leadership Summit in Louisville, KY and at the annual conference in Seattle. Booth activities included lapel pins, games, contests, photo opportunities with a life-size George Washington cut-out, and a “happening” featuring chapter members “frozen in place” with “CUNDC” signs to draw attention to the 2009 venue. For SLA’s Centennial, the DC Chapter recruited a Centennial Committee to develop a program of local commemorative events. The theme “A Capitol Celebration: SLA @ 100” was selected to promote the year’s festivities.

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Joint Spring Workshop – DC/SLA was the lead organization for this year’s workshop on the topic of “Knowledge Management.”

Thirty-four percent of attendees listed DC/SLA as their membership organization.

Chapter representatives participated in an exhibit area during lunch, talking to potential members and giving out brochures.

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Awards – Seven chapter members were honored with Association-level awards at annual conference. Two chapter awards were presented at our Annual Business Meeting and Holiday Party at the Woman’s National Democratic Club in December. The Board of Directors’ Award went to Lee Rainie. The Member of the Year award was given to Lorraine Bell.

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Elections – Voting participation at the chapter level increased slightly in 2008. Several chapter members were elected to the SLA Board of Directors: Anne Caputo for President-Elect and Ann Sweeney for Division Cabinet Chair-Elect.

Volunteers – Over 150 chapter members served the chapter during 2008. They were honored with a Volunteer Appreciation Reception in November at Venable LLP.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 4

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Report from the SLA Leadership Summit

By Greta Ober The 2009 SLA Leadership Summit was held in Savannah, GA. All SLA members are welcome to attend the Leadership Summit, however it is intended (actually required) for Chapter and Division Leaders.

It's two full days of meetings and presentations, with networking opportunities in between. In addition to both myself and James King (1st VP/President-elect), I was pleased to see so many other DC Chapter members also attending. On behalf of our Local Arrangements Committee, Sharon Lenius and Nancy Minter attended (bringing along the life-size cutout of George Washington - - seems Sharon doesn't go anywhere without him anymore!). Sharon set up a table with information available on DC, including postcards with our centennial conference wiki address listed, and had available for sale the DC Chapter's Centennial polo shirts (be sure to contact Sharon to purchase this limited edition shirt: sharon.lenius@us.army.mil). Susan Fournier, also attending the Summit, assisted Sharon at the DC Chapter table. For fear of neglecting to mention someone, I just want to acknowledge that there were many, many other DC Chapter members in attendance, representing their Divisions.

Highlights SLA 2009 Alignment Update --> new Click U Live Seminar pricing scheme introduced (now free for SLA members) --> Information Outlook to be reduced to 8 issues --> no Salary Survey to be published this year --> Membership changes: virtual membership category eliminated; $35.00 membership dues for those earning < $18,000 --> positioning SLA into the Future: details available SLA's website - Alignment Project (http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/alignment) Keynote speaker: Stephan McGarvey, a leading authority on unconscious communication, persuasion, and influence.

Centennial Toolkit (http://wiki.sla.org/display/SLACTK/Home), featuring: --> SLA Then and Now --> Centennial Celebration Branding DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 5

--> Digital Photo Archive --> Traveling Exhibit Leadership Survival Guide and Best Leadership Tips (presented by Tom Rink): powerpoint featuring Tom's useful tips and be found on the SLA wiki in either the Chapter or Division Idea Bank.

Chapter Planning Highlights: I represented the DC Chapter, presenting technology initiatives now being utilized by the Book Club (http://www.librarything.com/), and the Mentoring Committee (SurveyMonkey for the 'Spend a Day with a Special Librarian' program; and LinkedIn where the DC/SLA Mentor Group has been established). Being at the podium, I took the opportunity to promote and welcome everyone to DC for the conference in June. This turned out to be a collaborative effort amongst those DC Chapter members in attendance at the Leadership Summit!

With perfect timing, James brought Sharon and Susan into the room away from their DC Chapter table. Myself as well as all DC Chapter members held up the C U N DC signs, Sharon and Susan passed around the postcards with our Centennial conference wiki address, during which Sharon was modeling the ever so attractive red polo shirt while I held up the sign and shirt to promote DC as the host Chapter for the SLA Centennial conference and encouraged everyone to purchase their shirt now in order to be able to wear it in June (27 were sold at the Leadership Summit!).

Centennial conference polo shirts, as seen at a recent DC/SLA event.

Celebrate the SLA Centennial: From the Chapter Archives

By Karen Danoff, Chapter Archivist This is the beginning, I hope, of a set of short articles for Chapter Notes with interesting tidbits, “Here and Now” comparisons, and other historical information from our Chapter Archives to help celebrate the SLA Centennial and to look into the past of the Washington, DC Chapter.

The petition was signed to form the SLA Chapter in Washington, DC on September 30, 1940, and the SLA Executive Board approved it on October 26 that same year. The first meeting of the Washington, DC Chapter of SLA took place on November 18, 1940, where the proceedings of September 30 were ratified and the constitution accepted. The Washington, DC Chapter broke away from the Baltimore chapter.

Volume 1 of Chapter Notes (1942) so far could not be located, so our historical Chapter Notes collection begins with February 1943. The issue mentions the Chapter President, Phillips Temple (Georgetown University) participating in a panel discussion at the Baltimore Chapter Meeting on January 28, the subject was: “The Impact of the War on My Library.” This first issue also included a Directory Supplement listing the names and organizations or addresses of all 194 members.

Continued in the next issue…

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 6

National Geographic Society (an event sponsored by Dow Jones), he described how the special libraries movement began. In 1909, at a conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, John Cotton Dana of the Newark Public Library and F. B. Deberard of the Merchants’ Association of New York brought together other leaders in specialist librarianship to discuss their work in specialized libraries. The result was the organization of SLA, with its chief goal to put specialist librarians in touch with each other.

Even at that time, these librarians knew the success of their branch of the library profession was a “cold proposition of dollars and cents,” as Dana put it, with their survival depending on their usefulness in solving everyday practical problems.

Guy St. Clair has written a history of SLA's first century. He spoke to DC/SLA recently. (Photo by William Tuceling)

Guy St. Clair Kicks off the Centennial Celebration With a Look Back at SLA's History

By Barbara Ferry In his address for the DC/SLA Centennial Kickoff Event on February 9, Guy St. Clair described the growth and development of the specialized libraries movement At the turn of the 20th century, library practice was designed to educate and uplift library users, to make people better people by encouraging them to become readers. But a growing number of librarians found themselves employed in specialized organizations that required a more practical approach to library service in support of the organizations where they were employed. By 1909, as these specialist librarians grew in number, a new library “movement” (as it was called) was born. Today’s librarians know this group as the Special Libraries Association.

Guy is the author of SLA at 100: From ‘Putting Knowledge to Work’ to Building the Knowledge Culture, A Centennial History of SLA, 1909-2009 (SLA, 2009). Guy is also President and Consulting Specialist for Knowledge Services at SMR International, a New York-based strategy consulting company. In his address to the DC Chapter at the DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 7

The movement became very popular with librarians working in this area, and SLA grew quickly, with a membership of more than 1,000 members by the 1920s. Early international groups were formed in Denmark and the U.K. and by 1935 SLA had more than 15 chapters, 10 groups and eight national committees. As a result, members of the Special Libraries Association became an activist voice in support of their profession. As early as the 1920s, specialist librarians were decrying the lack of specialist librarian training in library schools, and they came together to support their colleagues during the Great Depressing. During World War II, SLA undertook a number of activities for its members, including providing advice about the lack of scientific research papers coming out of Europe and Asia and forming a National Defense Committee to help with wartime activities. By the end of World War II, SLA membership had grown to 4,300.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized the role that specialist librarians were playing in the war effort. He wrote, “In this day of war, your task as special librarians is one relating immediately and exactly to fighting that war to its inevitable successful conclusion. You are the guardians of our technological knowledge. Through you must work the chemists and the engineers, upon whom depends in large measure the ultimate success of our fighting forces... A moment’s delay on your part in supplying that vital material means a delay in winning the war.”

In the 1950s and 1960s, the growth of documentalists as information science professionals caused specialist librarians to rethink their role, with the debate being about whether they considered themselves as librarians or as documentalists. Rather than embracing new information science requirements, special librarians chose to align themselves with general librarianship. Along with others interested in the subject, Guy asks in his presentation whether SLA’s members made the right choice in continuing to align with librarianship and not responding to their parent organizations’ needs for individuals with a different information science perspective. In his history of SLA, Guy writes: “By 1960, what is now thought of as traditional librarianship . . . found itself in a not-very-subtle competition with the more specialized, mission-specific and product-focused information delivery required by science, industry, and business. As the century had moved into its second half, there was still great tension between what people wanted a ‘library’ to be and what levels and types of service delivery were required by different groups of information customers.” The debate continued through the 1970s as special librarians were confronted with the move towards automated, paperless information delivery systems and away from traditional books.

By the 1980s, business needs were characterized by one former SLA president as “part of the competitive capitalistic system,” not formed necessarily to enhance the public good. The pursuit of excellence as personified by author Tom Peters became the rallying cry of the business community and special libraries, and Thomas Stewart built on this idea as he identified the management of intellectual capital (what we today call “knowledge management”) as critical for organizational success.

In the new century, Guy argues that specialist librarians sit at a critical juncture. “We must choose one of two directions for ourselves and their professional roles in their organizations,” he writes.

“We must decide whether we will be knowledge services professionals of the future or librarians of the past. We cannot be both.” Guy asserts that SLA’s mantra of assisting others through “putting knowledge to work” can be strengthened with the leadership role of “working with knowledge” in their organizations.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 8

----------------------------------------------------------Guy St. Clair's book SLA at 100: From ‘Putting Knowledge to Work’ to Building the Knowledge Culture, A Centennial History of SLA, 1909-2009 (SLA, 2009) is available for purchase from SLA's online store.

Chapter members awaiting St. Clair's presentation.

(Photo by William Tuceling)

Thanks to Dow Jones for their sponsorship of this DC.SLA event!

From index cards to virtual communities: this display traces some of the changes SLA has experienced since its beginnings 100 years ago. (Photo by William Tuceling)

Celebrating the Centennial: Happy birthday, SLA! (Photo by William Tuceling)

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 9

WebEx link: https://slaorg.webex.com/slaorg/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP =MC&rID=11441967&rKey=A279D0F2D3EDC97 B

Barbara Ferry presents useful online resources.

(Photo by William Tuceling)

"Beyond 23 Things…" Series Starts With a Sold Out Crowd

By William Tuceling “Beyond 23 Things: 100 Websites in 100 Minutes (The First 25)” played to a packed National Geographic Society (NGS) lecture hall on Thursday, February 19th, from 12:00 until 1:00. According to DC/SLA Vice President James King, almost 70 people signed up to participate via WebEx, including folks from California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Canada, and England!

Five NGS librarians participated in the program, and each of them reviewed 5 websites related to 5 topics.

Barbara Ferry began with “Calendars and Events,” Krista Mantsch looked at “Lifelong Learning,” Alison Ince spoke about new “Search Engines,” Maggie Turqman examined “Info on the Go,” and Michael Jourdan wrapped up with “Politics and Government.” Access to all 25 sites is available at http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/presentations/SLA25si tes.html .

At the request of many potential participants who could not attend the program either physically or virtually at the time it was presented, James King arranged to have the program’s slides and audio digitally recorded through WebEx. The link to the program is below. Click the link, or cut-and-paste it into your browser to see the program in its entirety.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 10

DC/SLA members go "Beyond 23 Things…" Not seen here: dozens more who participated remotely. (Photo

by William Tuceling)

… and Still Beyond! The Series Continues in April with an Unconference The "Beyond 23 Things" series will continue with an "Unconference," to be held April 3rd at Catholic University. Stephen Abram, Karen Huffman, and Marie Kaddell will be the faciliatators, but the participants will set the tone.

Location: Catholic University, Marist Hall ~ Information Commons, Room 132 (Campus map) Closest Metro: Brookland-CUA metro (red line).

(Allow about a 5-10 minute walk to Marist Hall.)

Date & Time: Friday, April 3, 2009 from 10:00 AM 12:00 Noon Cost: Free!

Find more information and register here: http://wiki.sla.org/display/unconf/2009+04+03+SLA +DC+Chapter+Unconference+~+Beyond+23+Things

Jane Wallace helped with cataloging books at DC's Oyster-Adams School.

Community Outreach Project: Volunteers Put Books Online at Oyster-Adams Middle School

By Kenlee Ray Thanks to a few dedicated DC/SLA volunteers who gave up their Saturday mornings on December 6 and February 7 to assist with a data entry/cataloging project at the Oyster-Adams Bilingual Middle School, the students and staff can now use the Destiny Library System to check books out. Kudos to the following DC/SLA members for helping out: Jean Baer, Kara Baer, Manuela Fortenberry, Laura Hjerpe, Richard Huffine, Beth Kirton-Crane, Betty Landesman, Stacie Marinelli, John Neral, Kenlee Ray, Rachael Roan, and Jane Wallace.

Oyster-Adams Bilingual School, located in NW Washington, DC, offers a nationally and internationally recognized bilingual program for grades pre-k to eighth. All instruction and school activities are conducted in a dual-language immersion environment, with equal weight given to learning in English and in Spanish. Oyster-Adams faculty and its student body are balanced 50%-50% between native English and native Spanish speakers.

In addition, by enrolling children from many neighborhoods, nationalities, cultures, and economic circumstances, Oyster-Adams provides a heterogeneous social environment that is essential to its multicultural mission.

the campus on Calvert Street. Last year the program expanded to include grades 6, 7, and 8 and converted the former Adams Elementary School, on 19th St NW, into an intermediate/middle school campus.

The Oyster Bilingual School has had a robust library/ literacy program since its inception. So, when intermediate grade students moved to the new campus, several thousand library books were sent with them. Lynn Kauffman, who was the librarian at Coolidge High School, one of the Chapter's former projects, was hired to establish the Middle School library program. All of the resources for the new library need to be entered into the DCPS online cataloging program. The 1000 titles entered and processed by our Chapter volunteers gave a great boost to the project.

Lynn Kauffman, the librarian, and Monica LiangAguirre, the school's Principal, are both thrilled with the progress made in the library and grateful that the work of our volunteers has enabled Lynn to spend more time working with the students and faculty.

Richard Huffine and other DC/SLA members volunteered their time to help the school's library.

Until recently, the DCPS Oyster-Bilingual program was limited to elementary grades and was confined to Laura Hjerpe at the Oyster-Adams School.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 11

Adam Kovacevich from Google describes features of that site which special librarians may find useful.

(Photo by William Tuceling)

"Google 101 for Librarians" Is a Go In Spite of Sleet and Snow

Kovacevich summarized seven other Google services as well. The “News” section saves stories for 30-60 days, and search results from it can be delivered to Gmail account holders via alerts and RSS feeds.

“Reader” can store RSS feeds in folders from many sites, and “Notebook” store sites as found and make them available to others. “Trends.Google.com” caries 100 hot sites per day, and archives them for 3 to 4 years. Google’s “Spreadsheet” service allows users to organize and analyze data, to share access to it with others, and to export it as an Excel, Word, or PDF document. The “Map” section supports the gathering of information from any source and the plotting of it in layers on maps of your own or Google’s creation. Lastly, the “Mobile” feature supplies GPS-like and “411” service via cell phones.

Adam ended the event with a quick comment about what might be available in the future from Google.

Its engineers take 20% of their time dreaming about new services, and it’s possible to view some of these projects at http://labs.google.com. Check it out to see what Google has in mind for furthering its mission of gathering, organizing, storing and accessing information.

By William Tuceling DC/SLA’s first local program of 2009 – “Google 101 for Librarians” -- took place as planned on Tuesday, January 27, in spite of what was billed as the first significant snow storm of the Washington winter season. Fifty of the sellout crowd of 65 registered attendees showed up at Google’s colorful and casual New York Avenue office to hear an hour-plus program presented by media spokesperson Adam Kovacevich.

Mr. Kovacevich began his presentation with a review of Google’s many advanced features such as being used as a calculator, dictionary, cookbook, and statistical tool. Andrew went on to tell his audience how the search engine can also retrieve weather reports, movie reviews, shopping suggestions, and flight status. He wrapped this part of the program by describing the government, blog, journal, and book sections of the service.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 12

DC/SLA Vice President James King welcomes those who came out to hear Kovacevich's presentation in spite of bad weather. (Photo by William Tuceling)

DC/SLA presents

World War II-era Canteen Dance Proceeds from this event will be used to purchase library materials for Wounded Warriors who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Image courtesy of Westport Historical Society, Westport, CT When: Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 6-9 pm Where: Hilton Alexandria Old Towne Cost: $15 individual/$25 couples - DC/SLA members and DTIC conference registrants $25 individual/$40 couples - non-members Dress: World War II-era clothing is encouraged

Sponsored by

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 13

Continuing Education Opportunities through DC/SLA and Click U

CUA Welcomes Incoming ALA President for 2009 Stone Lecture

Mark your calendar for upcoming Click U seminars:  Wednesday, March 25: Advanced Web Searching Strategies, Part 2: Beyond the Web Databases  Wednesday, April 8: Organization 2.0, Part 1: Are Your Technologies More Collaborative Than Your Org Charts?  Wednesday, April 22: Organization 2.0, Part 2: Working Virtually: Telecommuting or Doing the Digital Dance  Thursday, May 7: How Social Is Your Web Site?  Wednesday, May 20: The World Is at My Doorstep …and the House Is a Mess: Putting Our Information in its Place in a Digital Age

Save the date for this year's Elizabeth W. Stone Lecture, presented by the Catholic University of America School of Library and Information Science.

Remember: these Click U Live courses are now FREE for SLA members and $25 for non-SLA members. However, all attendees must RSVP.

The CUA SLIS Alumni Association is proud to announce that this year's speaker will be Camila Alire, American Library Association President for 2009-2010. Her topic will be "Issues and Trends in American Libraries."

Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 Time: 7 p.m. Lecture, reception to follow Place: Catholic University, 620 Michigan Ave., N.E. Washington, DC 20064 Aquinas Hall, Room 102 (Auditorium) Directions: http://www.cua.edu/directions/ Campus map: http://welcome.cua.edu/cuamap.pdf

Please note: seminars begin promptly. It is best to arrive at least 10 minutes early to sign in and get seated. Please bring your own handouts. A link to the course materials will be provided a few days before the seminar.

The lecture is free and open to all. Donations will be accepted at the lecture for the Elizabeth W. Stone Scholarship Fund.

More information about registering for these Click U sessions is available here: http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/events_files/clicku09. html.

If you'd like to RSVP, contact Anita Coleman at colemana@cua.edu.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 14

RSVPs are appreciated, but not required.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 15

Nominate Someone for an SLA Award!

Innovation in Technologyâ&#x20AC;Ś The SLA Innovation in Technology Award Committee, sponsored by J.J. Keller, is looking for nominations for the 2009 award. This award is "granted to an SLA member in good standing for innovative use and application of technology in a special library/information center setting." This award includes a $1,000 cash prize!!

We are looking for people that meet the following criteria: - Must be an innovative project (Innovation definition: "a creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation").

- Must be led by or heavily involving a SLA member.

- Should be an exemplar of how librarians/information professionals effectively and efficiently serve as the human connection between technology, the information, and the user experience.

- Should be a model of applying Section D "Applying Information Tools & Technologies" to Sections B "Managing Information Resources" and/or Section C "Managing Information Services" of the SLA Professional Competencies [http://www.sla.org/content/learn/members/competen cies/index.cfm].

To self-nominate or submit your nomination for an outstanding candidate, please submit your nominations online at: http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/awardsrecognition/a wardnomfrm2007.cfm or e-mail the form with supporting materials directly to cara@sla.org.

All nominations must be received by midnight (Eastern Time) on March 31, 2009.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 16

Tour Lincoln's Cottage With the Military Librarians' Group Join the Military Libraries Group of DC/SLA for a Tour of President Lincoln's Cottage! Tours are scheduled for Sunday, May 17, 2009 with start times at 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. (20 people per tour.)

Since it will surely be a great day weather-wise, folks should plan to come early and bring a picnic lunch.

There are tables conveniently located on the park-like grounds near the Visitor Education Center. Soft drinks and water will be provided by MLG. Entrance to President Lincoln's Cottage is by guided tour only. DC/SLA members, friends and families are encouraged to experience this little known time in President Lincoln's life. Tours of the Cottage begin in the Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center.

Please check-in 15 minutes prior to your tour time in the Visitor Center Museum Store. Cost for this event is $12.00 per person (there is no child's reduced rate available).

Both the Visitor's Center and the Cottage are accessible. For more, visit http://www.lincolncottage.org/about/index.htm

DC/SLA Board Members for 2009. From left to right: Bill Tuceling (Communications Secretary), Martha Reifschneider (Treasurer), James King (Vice President/ President-Elect), Greta Ober (President), Diane Schnurrpusch (Immediate Past President), Jessica Beauchamp (Second Vice President), Eileen Deegan (Recording Secretary), Gulnar Nagashybayeva (Assistant Treasurer/ Treasurer Elect), and Julia Leggett.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | January/ February 2009 | pg 17