DC/SLA Chapter Notes Feb/March 2011

DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

President's Corner: Mary Talley mary.talleygarciaatgmail.com

Future Ready: Building Community Future Ready is the theme of this year’s SLA Annual Conference and the title of a new blog launched by SLA President Cindy Romaine. Building Community was the theme for this year’s Leadership Summit. These two phrases neatly describe my goals as DC/SLA president in 2011: to build and invigorate our DC/SLA community and support our members in their exploration of librarianship’s future.

Building community is a serious issue for DC/SLA. Throughout 2010, we remained the largest chapter in SLA (no small feat in a global organization) while losing 10 percent of our membership. This is partially because of the devastated economy and a large proportion of members hitting retirement age. But if we are serious about building community and being future ready, we can’t ignore other contributing factors. The rapidly changing nature of our work takes many of us further from traditional roles and aligns us closer to allied professions, such as IT, web development, and knowledge management, and sometimes to our constituents’ subject domains.

In this environment, we need to redouble our efforts to make DC/SLA more relevant, credible, and visible to our members, as well as to professionals working just beyond

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February-March 2011 - Volume 72, No. 2 | page 1

February/March Volume 72, No. 2 President’s Corner

1-3

About Chapter Notes

2

Upcoming Library Related Events

4-6

SLA Candidates for BOD

7

Social Media Tools

8

Law of Attraction

9

Getting Your Chapter Members to SLA 2011

10

Retired Members Caucus Changes Name

10

SLA Loyalty Program A Pilot Project for Chapters

11

Elizabeth Stone Lecture

12

Diverse Universe

1319

Career Column-Information 20 & Knowledge Professional's 21 Career Handbook SLA Conference Stipend Award to Janel White

22

Volunteer!

23

Pecha Kucha (PK) tournament

24 25

Zambian Literacy

26

Reminder: Check out the DC/SLA Web site

27

DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

About Chapter Notes Chapter Notes is the newsletter for 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.

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 April/May 2011 issue is 1 May. The issue will be published approximately three 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 -Submissions Additionally, event announcements should be sent to the DC/SLA Calendar at .dcslacalendaratgmail.com Chapter Notes Editors-in-Chief: Aileen Marshall - Submissions - cynderaatgmail.com James Madigan - Production - cn12atme.com Chapter Notes Business Manager: Charlotte White cwhiteatfmc.gov DC/SLA Technology Chair - James King - james.kingatnih.gov Communications Director: Chris Vestal - cmvlibrariaatgmail.com Webmaster: Karen Spern - okeyrenatgmail.com Discussion List Manager: Lea Wade - Ilea.wadeatgmail.com Visit: http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/list.html Volunteer Coordinator DeenaAdelman - deena.adelmanatmacrosysrt.com Visit: http://signupgenius.com/go/chapter Send your event to the DC/SLA Calendar dcslacalendaratgmail.com

the borders of traditional librarianship. Here are some of the ways we can do this.

Increase Relevancy We will make DC/SLA a participatory organization in which members have a sense of ownership. The more involved members are in the chapter, the more relevant it becomes and the greater the sense of value and the sense of community become. We will: Strengthen connections with you, our members, by creating more paths for interaction, such as opportunities to volunteer, contribute blog posts, offer input and feedback, and network with other members; and Target programs to membership segments, such as programs on taxonomy and knowledge management

Promote Credibility We will promote our expertise beyond our membership by:

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February-March 2011 - Volume 72, No. 2 | page 2

DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

Using the DC/SLA blog to showcase our expertise through compelling member posts on such topics as management, information technology, and useful but little-known resources Creating podcasts of our programs, interviews with our profession’s leaders and more.

Great News!

Announcing DC/SLA Chapter Notes assistant editors: Lisa Pogue lisa.pogueathsi.dhs.gov Aimee Babcock-Ellis aimeebeatgmail.com

Raise Visibility Finally, we will engage in activities that continually raise our visibility among members and the information community by:

Jacquelyn Erdman jerdmanatusgbc.org Britney Crawford britneyncrawfordatgmail.com

Giving our chapter a personality through Our roving reporters and assistant editors our new website and social media; will be scouring the DC/SLA real and virtual world presence to bring you upto-date on what’s happening Helping new members and students connect with the DC/SLA community; and More Great news!

Using social media to promote our activities and our members’ accomplishments.

Diane Wunsch is interested in gathering news and views for Chapter Notes, focusing on issues related to library students and newer professionals. Career As Seth Godin said, “Boring Column will give her an introduction organizations don’t grow.” With your and who knows, perhaps we will “spin help, the DC/SLA board and committees off” a new column from there. (Editors’ and I will work throughout 2011 to keep note: column title must be alliterative.)

DC/SLA the must-join organization in Her name is again is Diane Wunsch and the DC area for information she can be reached at: professionals. dwunschatcomcast.net DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February-March 2011 - Volume 72, No. 2 | page 3

DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

Upcoming Library Related Events Association Roundtable Brownbag Lunch Wed Mar 30 12pm – 1:30pm Information discussion group of the Association Information Services Caucus. March topic: Librarians with sales power" selling your association reports.

Consumer Electronics Association, 1919 S. Eads Street, Arlington, VA (map) This hands-on workshop is free to members of DCLA, DC/SLA, and DC area school librarians.

Non-member registration fee is $5.00 Presenters include international librarians from U. S. Dept. of State, IREX, DC Public Library, DCLA, and DC/ SLA IRC. The Southeast Neighborhood Library, 403 7th St. SE, is located near the Eastern Market station on the Orange Line.

workshop agenda, please contact Barbara Conaty at bcon9876ataol.com or 703-863-2273.

This hands-on workshop is free to members of DCLA, DC/ SLA, and DC area school librarians. Non-member registration fee is $5.00 Presenters include international librarians from U. S. Dept. of State, IREX, DC Public Library, DCLA, and DC/ SLA IRC. The workshop will take place at the Southeast Neighborhood Library, 403 7th St. SE, located near the Eastern Market station on the Blue and Orange Line in Washington DC. Please join DCLA, DC/SLA IRC, and DCPL for this hands-on workshop on building international ties among libraries and their patrons.

Alexandria Dine-Around Mon, April 4, 6pm – 8pm Joe Theismann’s Restaurant, 1800 Diagonal Ave, Alexandria, VA (map) DESCRIPTION

Building Mindful Bridges for Kids and Armchair Travelers through Sister Libraries Sat Apr 2 10 am –1 pm Southeast Neighborhood Library, 403 7th St. SE, Washington, DC (map) DESCRIPTION

The DCLA, The DC Public Library and the DC/ SLA International Relations Committee say, “Register today for ‘Building Mindful Bridges for Kids and Armchair Travelers through Sister Libraries’ to be held on April 2, 2011, 10 am -1 pm.”

The workshop will cover the basics for setting up a Sister Library partnership with an overseas library.

To register, please visit the DCLA website at http://www.dcla.org Deadline for registration is March 31, 2011. For questions about the

Join DC/SLA Chapter Members and Friends for an evening of networking and dining on Monday, April 4, 2011 at: Joe Theismann’s Restaurant 1800 Diagonal Ave Alexandria, VA 22314 (703) 739-0777 (We will be in the dining area at the rear of the Restaurant) METRO: King Street Station on the Blue and Yellow Lines (You can see the restaurant from the METRO platform, almost straight ahead and a little bit left, through the trees.)

Validated Parking…. Call the restaurant to determine WHICH underground lot! Some Parking in front.

Gather: 6 p.m. Order from the Menu at 6:30 p.m.

Checkout the menu and additional info at: http:// www.joetheismanns.com/ We hope to have a few “out-of-towners” join us from the annual Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) Conference

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February-March 2011 - Volume 72, No. 2 | page 4

DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

Upcoming Library Related Events Good chance to really network!

RSVP to Host Sharon Lenius - leniussaatgmail.com

Treasures of the USGS Library Wed Apr 6 7pm – 8pm Join DC/SLA’s own Richard Huffine for a free lecture on the treasures of the USGS Library, held at the USGS facility in Reston, VA. Since its creation in 1882, the USGS Library has grown to become the world's largest library dedicated to earth and natural sciences, holding more than 1.5 million volumes and 800,000 maps.

_Restaurant Information_ Hard Times Cafe 3028 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA 22201-3810 (703) 528-2233 http://www.hardtimes.com/location/detail.aspx?

LocationId=3

_Transportation Information_ · METRO: Clarendon - Orange Line (The restaurant is across the street from the metro.)

Richard Huffine, Director of the USGS Libraries Program, will highlight some of the rarest, most valuable, and significant materials held by the USGS.

· DRIVING: Metered and garage parking available

These include early maps of America, documents that establish the provenance of the Hope Diamond, and documentation of our exploration of the American West

by Hayden, King, Powell and Wheeler.

RSVP to Jennifer Boettcher, boettcheratgeorgetown.edu

by April 6.

The Library’s initiative to digitize their collection for online access will make these cultural and historic records available worldwide to anyone at anytime. For directions and more information, go to: http://www.usgs.gov/public_lecture_series/”

To learn more about BIF and how to join the listserv go to http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/bif.html

USGS, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA (map)

Celebrate International Special Librarians Day

Business Librarianship sponsored by the Business Information Finders (BIF) committee of DC/SLA

Thu, April 14, 6pm – 8pm Georgetown University Law Library, 111 G Street, NW, Washington, DC (map) DESCRIPTION

Wed, April 13th at 6:30 – Break bread with us on Wednesday April 13th at 6:30 or join us for dessert and trivia at 8:00 Theme (if conversation lulls) will be Business Librarianship, since this is sponsored by the Business Information Finders (BIF) committee of DC/SLA.

Celebrate International Special Librarian's Day with the DC/SLA International Relations Committee. Our panel of distinguished speakers will discuss various aspects of international librarianship.

The evening begins at 6 pm with networking and refreshments.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February-March 2011 - Volume 72, No. 2 | page 5

DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

Upcoming Library Related Events Speakers: Alan Overland, Edna Reid, Dr. Sohair Wastawy, Dean of Libraries at Illinois State and former Chief Librarian of the Library of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt.

How do you know if your library is supporting your organization's strategic goals? In this time of fiscal uncertainty, how can you develop a strategic plan that will ensure your library is valued and essential to your organization's future?

Date & time: Thursday, April 14, 6 pm - 8:00 pm Location: Georgetown University Law Library, 111 G Street, NW (nearest Metro is Judiciary Square or Union Station)

This one day workshop should help you answer these questions, and, if you don't have a strategic plan for your library already, enable you to have the basic tools to develop one that makes sense in the context of your organizational goals.

Register and pay. $10 Students/Retired/Unemployed Members $15 Members $20 Non-members

DCSLA Fiction Book Club Wed, April 20, 6pm – 7pm Please RSVP: Barbara Folensbee-Moore at bfolensbeemooreatmorganlewis.com; Plus - Additional Questions: Contact Barbara Folensbee-Moore (bfolensbeemooreatmorganlewis.com)

Registration information and further details are in the following link: http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/events_files/ jsw2011.html For Details, contact: Terrie Wheeler, AMLS Joint Spring Workshop Committee representing SLA Library of Congress, Mumford Rm., 6th Fl., Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave., SE, Washington, DC (map)

Joint Spring Workshop Fri Apr 29, 2011 DESCRIPTION

One sure sign of spring is the metro DC area are the cherry blossoms, and another is the Joint Spring Workshop! So mark your calendars now for Friday, April 29, 2011, and join us at the Library of Congress.

Now think... Do you have a strategic plan for your library?

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February-March 2011 - Volume 72, No. 2 | page 6

DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

SLA Announces Candidates for 2012 Board of Directors Alexandria, Virginia, March 1, 2011 - The SLA Nominating Committee has identified 10 candidates to stand for election to five positions on the 2012 SLA Board of Directors.

The committee is responsible for soliciting names of potential candidates from the membership and compiling a group that has exceptional talent, is professionally diverse, and provides regionally balanced representation to the international association. The 10 candidates, who hail from three countries, will serve three-year terms on the board if elected.

SLA members will have several opportunities to get to know the candidates at SLA 2011 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO in Philadelphia. The candidates will be making speeches and taking part in networking sessions to meet members personally. The election will be held electronically in mid-September 2011.

The 10 candidates running for election to the 2012 SLA Board of Directors are: For President-Elect: • David Cappoli, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Ca. • Deb Hunt, Information Edge, San Leandro, Ca. For Chapter Cabinet Chair-Elect • Constance Ard, Answer Maven, Louisville, Ky. • Debbie Schachter, Vancouver Public Library, Vancouver, Canada For Division Cabinet Chair-Elect • Ann Koopman, Thomas Jefferson University, Broomall, Pa. • Catherine Lavallée Welch, University of South Florida Polytechnic, Lakeland, Fl. For Director (two positions) • Marilyn Bromley, Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., Alexandria, Va. • Hal Kirkwood, Purdue University, West Lafayette, In. • Jane Macoustra, Tai-Pan Research, Surrey, United Kingdom • Chris Zammarelli, ATSG, Arlington, Va. For more information about SLA's governance practices and leadership, please visit the Board of Directors section of our Web site at: http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/governance/bodsection/index.cfm

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DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

Social Business: Social Media Tools for Business and Competitive Research

By Aileen Marshall

Many of you might raise one or both eyebrows: Social media for business and competitive research? How could Facebook help me develop a company profile, and could there actually be information on there that I won’t be able to get through my usual sources? The answer is: YES! I was fortunate to find the time to attend this awesome webinar at the Dow Jones in DC. Scott Brown, owner of the Social Information Group, shed light on the usefulness of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Linkedin, and others) for business research.

He emphasized that traditional resources can be complemented by the effective use of social media. The following key questions were discussed: • • • •

How does doing business research in social tools differ from doing research in "traditional" tools?

What kind of information can I expect to find in social tools?

What tools make sense for my search, and what techniques should I use?

How do I connect with experts and expertise in social tools?

I found this webinar extremely interesting as business research and competitive intelligence is my focus in library school. For those who were unable to attend, a recording of this webinar is available at the SLA webinar web site http://www.sla.org/content/learn/members/webinars/index.cfm

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DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

Law of Attraction

By Aileen Marshall Now how cool is that? A legal thriller written by a federal sex-crimes prosecutor and graduate of Harvard Law School: Allison Leotta. And I can tell you, the book is a real page turner. A few nights it actually kept me up until 3am in the morning because I could not put it down. Do you know the urge to skip to the bottom of the page just because you can’t wait to find out what will happen? This book does it to you.

The novel tells the story of a strong, smart female prosecutor who fights to protect women from domestic violence. But it’s more than a courtroom drama—it’s part love story, part murder mystery. And when the prosecutor’s love life collides with her professional life, she learns she may be just as vulnerable as the victims she works to protect. (from Ms. Leotta’s web site http://www.allisonleotta.com/aleotta-law-overview.htm) I was able to attend a DC/SLA Happy Hour and Book Talk with Allison at Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius. After a few snacks and an introduction to the book by the author, attends virtually bombarded her with questions about her work place, the connection between her heroine and herself, how true the events in the book are, how many cases she works on at any given time, and much, much more.

A podcast should be available shortly on her web site, http://www.allisonleotta.com/ index.htm. I the meantime I highly recommend reading her blog “The Prime-Time Crime Review” (http://allisonleotta.com/blog/), where she takes on episodes from the popular TV series “Law & Order : SVU” and reveals what they got right and what they got completely wrong. Enjoy!

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DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

Getting Your Chapter Members to SLA 2011 What are you doing to encourage others from your chapter to attend SLA 2011? Let's see your comments below.

The Central Ohio Chapter is organizing a rented van or "other people mover type of vehicle" to assist members in getting to Philadelphia for annual conference. Their president and vice president are planning the eight-hour drive and inviting their colleagues to come along in an effort to increase the number of members from their chapter attending conference this year. I can see their networking and learning will begin when they pull out of the driveway/parking lot in Columbus.

Concerned with gas prices? Check out this article on e-How: How to Find a Cheap Bus Fare on the East Coast. Boltbus and Megabus both have free wi-fi and Boltbus even has outlets. Can the fare really be $1? One of my staff colleagues goes from Baltimore to Philly for $5.

Bottom line...the early-bird registration deadline is fast approaching. This is the time to get the word out and make your plans so you have more money to spend for those extra ticketed events, sightseeing, dining or other socializing options.

Retired Members Caucus Changes Name to Encore. Retired Members Join Encore Now! The Retired Members Caucus voted to change its name to Encore - Retired Members Caucus to reflect its goal to embrace not only those SLA members who have retired but also those who contemplate retiring or want to be part of a growing cohort. Led by a seasoned team of former SLA Board members and unit leaders, the caucus will concentrate more on the "encore" stage of contributions to SLA and to others.

Susan Fifer Canby is the convener of the Encore caucus. Contact her if you have questions.

Retired members, please join the Encore Caucus Now! Are there former SLA members or others who would like to have a community to apply their experience and build on their interests in giving back to the profession and the community at large?

Send them a special invitation to join SLA and the Encore - Retired Members Caucus now! The timing could not be better as our retired members have the advantage of a ridiculously low registration rate for SLA 2011. Invite them to plan a vacation to Philadelphia, attend the conference and reconnect.

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DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

SLA Loyalty Program A Pilot Project for Chapters SLA has retained the services of James Kane to help us gain a better understanding of our relationships with current members and the value we offer to them. James has developed a 12-month pilot program for one, soon-to-be-selected Chapter where he will audit and assess that Chapter’s current relationships, consult with and train Chapter leadership, and develop and implement loyalty strategies for that selected Chapter.

The pilot will be a testing ground for new, SLA relationship-building programs and initiatives, with the goal of providing Chapter leaders the tools they need to create more loyal relationships with all of their members.

More importantly, the results of this pilot program will be rolled out to the entire SLA, and serve as a model for all Chapters as they help change the culture of SLA as an organization and work to become an indispensable resource to every one of our members.

If your chapter may be interested in participating, ask someone from your board to participate in a webinar where Jim will outline the project, criteria he will use to select the chapter, and the next steps on this important project. The webinar will be Wednesday, 30 March, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

The URL is: https://sla1.dimdim.com/slahq1 and the telephone number is 702-473-3463, passcode 752471.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February-March 2011 - Volume 72, No. 2 | page 11

DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

Announcing the Twenty-First Annual Elizabeth Stone Lecture Join the Catholic University of America School of Library and Information Science (CUA SLIS) chapter of the Alumni Association as we continue our celebration of CUA SLIS's Century of Knowledge, Service, and Discovery with the annual Stone Lecture.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Aversa, Director of the School of Library and Information Science at the University Of Alabama and Dean of the CUA School of Library and Information Science, 1994-1998

A Passion for Libraries - Or - Why Do We Do What We Do Date: Thursday, March 31, 2011 Time: 7:00 p.m. (light reception to follow) Location: Caldwell Auditorium, Caldwell Hall of CUA (Campus map: http://www.cua.edu/res/docs/cuamap.pdf)

Bring your checkbook for an opportunity to donate to the Stone Scholarship Fund!!

RSVP today to cua-slisatcua.edu For more information on CUA SLIS "Century" Events: http://slis.cua.edu/centennial A Century of Knowledge, Service, and Discovery 1911 - Library Education in DC - 2011

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February-March 2011 - Volume 72, No. 2 | page 12

DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

LATEST NEWS FROM DC/SLA CHAPTER BLOG FIND OUT THE LATEST NEWS IN THE DC/ SLA CHAPTER S U N D AY, M A R C H 2 7 , 2 0 1 1

A Diverse Universe: Working in the White Spaces

By Eileen Boswell Local library hero Karen Huffman said something that changed my life. During a Fall 2007 presentation to my information systems class at the Catholic University of America, Karen commented that, “Special librarians work in the white spaces of the organizational chart.” The next day, during an interview with a small non-profit organization, I was asked, “And what do you think the role of a special librarian is in an organization such as ours?” Without missing a beat I replied, “Special librarians work in the white spaces of the organizational chart.”

Judging by the reaction I got, I may have been the first applicant to deliver a concise answer to that question. I was offered the job, accepted, and immediately contacted Karen to ask, “Who said that?”

She told me that Susan Fifer Canby, retired Director of Libraries & Information Services at National Geographic, would often urge library staff to “get into the white spaces.” I later found the reference in a commencement speech Susan gave at the University of Maryland, and in a 2004 Information Outlook article. It is the single bit of wisdom I needed to focus my work in an unstructured, chooseyour-own-adventure library position.

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DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

While I do a bit of cataloging, some web development, and the occasional research project, my real work has been to get comfortable with a very broad concept of “user needs” and “librarian response.” Sometimes I walk around the office asking people what they are working on so I can plan my next foray into the white spaces. Recently a colleague was lamenting the fact that we never catch things like Distracted Driving Awareness Month (April) or Disability Awareness Month (October) before it’s too late, so I created an “Opportunities Calendar” for staff to share.

Our white spaces have also allowed me to draw up a marketing timeline for a website re-launch, draft a Twitter style guide, notarize documents, and plan a national conference session on what census data means for rural transportation. In another organization, the white spaces would look very different, but this is where I am right now.

I loved the day when one of my coworkers needed my library skills to determine how many paratransit trips in Florida last year were rural. But just as satisfying was the day I taught someone how to find the R/G/B values on a project logo so we could reproduce it in web-safe colors. What do your users need?

Eileen Boswell works as Information Specialist at the Community Transportation Association of America. This summer she will be part of the Success Stories of Solos panel at SLA 2011.

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2011

A Diverse Universe: Creating a Patent Reference Librarian Position with Intellogist

By Kristin Whitman

DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February-March 2011 - Volume 72, No. 2 | page 14

DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

I came to a librarianship in a very backwards way. I worked in patent searching, which is a small, niche industry where almost no one has an MLIS. Patent searchers need advanced technical degrees and an understanding of patent law; most have master’s degrees in technical fields such as mechanical engineering and biochemistry, and some even have JDs or have passed the patent bar exam. With all that necessary education, patent searching librarians are a rarity.

I was hired from within my patent searching company to write cParitical reviews about patent search systems, and to create comparison tables and reports to publish on our website. I spent the next several years working steadily to produce Intellogist (http://www.intellogist.com/), an online review site for that patent searching industry. As you’ve probably already guessed, evaluating patent search tools requires the skills, background and knowledge of a librarian – and I had no idea! I was deep in the weeds grappling with concepts like collection domain and scope, interface design, and controlled indexing before I finally realized that this was a degree I needed to have.

From that point forward I felt that it would be almost irresponsible of me to continue doing my job without the proper training. Location was a problem – there was no accredited library school in Virginia, and Catholic and Maryland would have presented too much of a commuting burden.

When I finally stumbled across my first fully online degree program, I was thrilled. The flexibility of asynchronous, fully online scheduling meant I could do my coursework whenever and wherever I needed. I enrolled at Rutgers, and the faculty there has been a blessing in so many ways – the program is thriving, and everyone there is really dedicated to preparing the students to jump right into the real world of librarianship and get our hands dirty.

Thanks to my education, I was able to provide the highest possible quality work on Intellogist.

In addition, people within the company started to see me as an unofficial reference resource, and come to me to discuss their search problems. I already knew that I would love reference work from my past days in a customer service position: helping people gives me a natural high.

Because I was seeing a need within the company, I worked with my boss to design a new job for myself as a librarian. We envisioned the rollout of a Landon IP Reference Desk, and worked for

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months to bring our idea to fruition. I knew the company needed this kind of support, but my challenge was bringing the message to everyone else!

When we finally rolled out our Reference Desk service, I immediately received over 170 reference requests in the first month. We’re still going strong, and I am so proud and so happy to have created my dream job within the company by showing them what I can really do for them.

It seems to me to be an instance of librarians proving their value by addressing underlying information needs that no one else at an organization can see. In my opinion, I would not have had the courage to do this had I not been involved in SLA since 2009, and heard the underlying message: show your employers what you can do. Show them what librarianship can mean to them. My very great thanks to all the SLA members who are making the organization a source of support and professional development.

Kristin Whitman is a new reference librarian and a co-creator of Intellogist.com. She is currently in her last semester at the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University.

SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2011

A Diverse Universe: Knowledge Management at the US Institute of Peace

By Gretchen Sauvey DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February-March 2011 - Volume 72, No. 2 | page 16

DC/SLA WEB ADDRESS:

HTTP://UNITS.SLA.ORG/CHAPTER/CDC/

When I started library school, I don’t think that I could have defined the phrase “knowledge management” without guessing wildly. Even now, having worked in knowledge management for several years, I still find it difficult to succinctly explain my job to people. At work I’m part database administrator, part tech support, part taxonomist, part researcher, and part teacher. It’s not quite what I envisioned when I started on this path, and certainly not the academic library reference desk job I fantasized about when applying to grad school.

Luckily for me, despite its non-traditional nature, my job still lets me do all of the things that made me excited to become a librarian in the first place: •

Education – I teach technology training classes to Institute staff and create learning materials such as video tutorials and instructional guides.

•

Web design – I’ve spent many hours recently on creating mock-ups for a redesign of our intranet wiki’s main page and experimenting with new widgets and extensions to make our content more dynamic.

•

Information organization – A large part of my time is spent managing custom databases, a document management system, and internal taxonomies, all with the goal of helping staff find what they need when they need it.

I even get to do research, combing our own extensive projects database and commercial citation databases to track the Institute’s activities and impact. Best of all, I get to do all these things at the same time, which perfectly suits my jack-of-all-trades nature.

I can’t say that my job is perfect, because there are some demanding challenges. Unlike a more traditional library, where the world of information to be organized has some recognizable boundaries, in knowledge management the scope and focus of our work is constantly shifting. In addition, my department is often the public face of major technological changes for staff at the Institute, which can make us the least-liked people in the office some days. And we operate on a shoestring budget, with our own time frequently the only resource at our disposal.

Details aside, ultimately my role is to help my colleagues capture and share what they know so that the work of the Institute can be done more effectively. It’s the rare job that lets you literally advance world peace, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to do exactly that.

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Gretchen Sauvey is a Knowledge Management Specialist at the United States Institute of Peace, an independent national institution established and funded by Congress. She also blogs at http://gretchens-world.blogspot.com.

M O N D AY, F E B R U A R Y 2 8 , 2 0 1 1

A Diverse Universe: Information Architecture at BNA

By Larry Lempert It feels appropriate that images of the Egyptian revolution are swirling in the media as I sit down to write about working in publishing with a focus on information architecture. To be an IA in recent years has been to witness and participate in history in the making, with all the excitement, confusion, leaps forward, and pratfalls that can be expected in the midst of ferment.

I have a job description that talks about creating content and user experience design for prototypes and emerging products. What I really have, though, is a mission to wave the flag of order and findability in the battle to create information services that professionals will pay good money for. The free Web with its massive amounts of “good enough� information has given my DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February-March 2011 - Volume 72, No. 2 | page 18

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company’s niche—legal, tax, and regulatory publishing—a swift kick in the shins. We wrestle to figure out what makes for added value when so much is available for free. It’s a complicated question, but I’m convinced that order and findability are somewhere in the answer.

An MLS from the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies (2006) didn’t get me the job I have now. I grew into the job after years on the strictly editorial side of the company, years that gave me experience in molding new products. But the MLS program, which offered a concentration in information architecture, was valuable in the way it firmed up the conceptual ground I was standing on. In a variety of special projects on cross-functional teams, I find myself calling all the time on the principles I learned about. Projects such as: •

Designing an efficient system to bring highly related content to the user’s attention when he or she is viewing a particular document. Some publishers’ sites rely on purely programmatic solutions, but we’re trying to add value with expert judgment.

•

Developing a methodology for flexible querying of specialized data sets to support charts built dynamically based on a user’s selection of criteria.

•

Adding taxonomy-based browsing and searching features on comprehensive legal practice area resource centers.

•

Exploring the potential for text analytics to provide advanced legal research tools.

The job offers variety, interaction with emerging technology, and problem-solving challenges to the nth degree. The biggest challenge for me, not an IT person by any stretch, is understanding the technology well enough to serve as an effective bridge between the real IT people and the business and editorial sides of the company.

On tough days I feel the curse of living in such interesting times. But there are good days when I feel the thrill of being present at the very dawn of a new age, doing my own bit, however small, to help manage the digital revolution.

Larry Lempert is Director of Product Research and Planning at BNA, a publishing company in Crystal City, VA, specializing in legal, tax, and regulatory information services for professionals.

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Career Column: Announcing The Information and Knowledge Professional's Career Handbook: Define and Create Your Success

By DC/SLA member and Career Column guest editor, Jill Hurst-Wahl

Monday, January 31, 2011

In 2009, Ulla de Stricker and I had an idea for a book of career advice. We both had fielded enough questions from students and practitioners to know that a book would be well-received...and we felt that we were the correct people to write it. What began as an idea is now a reality! (Let the happy dance begin!)

Description: Information Professionals and Knowledge Managers deal with significant challenges in building successful careers for a number of reasons associated with common misperceptions of their expertise and roles. In environments where they must often justify their work and value over and over again, those already in the profession need a boost and those just entering need to be prepared for a reality that may differ quite a bit from their expectations. The book is intended to give readers a set of tools and techniques with which to secure a strong career, build an effective brand, and succeed as professionals.

The book includes advice and words of wisdom from 15 amazing colleagues in North America and Europe, who work in a variety of information environments.

More Information & Where You Can Buy It: A complete table of contents is available on the Woodhead Publishing web site (our wonderful publisher). The book can be ordered through Woodhead, which may be convenient for those in Europe.

In the U.S., the book is available through Neal Schuman.

It is also available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble (online), and may show up through other booksellers. (Both are currently offering pre-publication deals.)

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A Note to MSLIS Programs & iSchools: While this book contains valuable information for those in the middle of their career, it is highly valuable to those that are just starting out. Please consider ordering a copy to review, then consider asking your bookstore to carry the book (or telling your students where to purchase it).

Promoting the Book: A number of things are in the works: If you're on Facebook, there is a Fan Page for the book. Feel free to "like" it and leave comments as well as ask questions. Ulla and I want to know what you think of the book, and are definitely interested in opening up an ongoing conversation on creating career success.

We hope to do book signings with Woodhead Publishing and Neal Schuman.

We would like to talk about creating career success with groups - especially students either face-to-face or via phone/video conference. Our thinking is that if you commit to a bulk order of the book and help us with the arrangements (travel costs or telecom connections), one of us (or both of us) will speak to your group.

A Word of Thanks: Thanks to all of those who walked with us through our writing process, etc. Thanks especially to our colleagues who contributed to the book. Your contributions were extremely important. And thanks to the Internet for providing a way of Ulla and I to work collaboratively while living in two different countries!

About Jill Hurst-Wahl: Jill Hurst-Wahl, MLS, is a digitization consultant and owner of Hurst Associates, Ltd. as well as an Assistant Professor of Practice in Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies. She is a 2011-2013 successful candidate for the SLA Board of Directors. Jill's interests include digitization, digital libraries, copyright, web 2.0 and social media.

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DS/SLA Member Janel White Winner of the SLA Conference Stipend Award As chair of the 2011 Awards Committee, it is my honor to announce that the winner of the $1,500 SLA Conference Stipend Award is Janel White, a broadcast librarian at National Public Radio (NPR). Active in the Association and on the DC SLA Program Planning Committee, she has repeatedly demonstrated hard work, creativity, intelligence, and a sense of humor while coordinating a broad range of events.

Janel was instrumental in hosting three sessions of the 2010 Leadership Lecture Series. She organized a tour of the NPR Library; hosted a program on digitization projects; and helped produce the Cinco de Mayo program, including locating, renting, and setting up a margarita machine.

She helped then President-Elect, Mary Talley, plan the Chapter’s 70th Anniversary/Volunteer Appreciation event at SLA Headquarters last fall.

She arranged for the speaker, Kee Malesky, and tracked sales of Kee’s book, helped with decorations, and conducted the raffle. A master of behind-the-scenes details, Janel obtained the refreshments for several of these events. She wrote Chapter blog and newsletter recaps to fill in members who could not attend the programs.

Memorial. She updated the wiki with information about the reception, local attractions, transportation, and wifi hot spots. She prepared the DC Chapter members’ reception invitation, got it posted to the Web site, and ensured that a payment method was in place. At the Leadership Summit, Janel ran a very successful raffle to offset Chapter costs for the reception. Lynne McCay, chair of the Leadership Summit Hospitality Committee, praised Janel’s work, saying, “She saw things that needed to be done and she did them – extremely well. In short, DC/ SLA’s strong hospitality showing would not have been possible without Janel.”

Janel isn’t taking a break anytime soon. In 2011, Janel continues serving on the DC SLA Program Planning Committee and will coordinate the annual “Spend A Day With a Special Librarian.”

She is in her third year on SLA’s Technical Standards Committee. She is also active in the American Library Association where she was chosen by the New Members Round Table (NMRT) as an ALA Emerging Leader based not only on her involvement with the Round Table, but on her growing involvement locally in SLA. Janel has served NMRT as a program planner and Secretary and is currently running for VicePresident/President-Elect.

Janel’s leadership and can-do attitude made her a logical choice for the 2011 SLA Conference Stipend award. The Awards Committee wants to help her realize her goal of attending the conference to continue to network with other SLA members, and build upon the leadership and planning skills that her DC SLA committee work has advanced.

Janel served on the 2011 SLA Leadership Summit Hospitality Committee. She solicited volunteers for the registration/hospitality desk at the hotel and the reception at the Navy DC/SLA Chapter Notes | February-March 2011 - Volume 72, No. 2 | page 22

Diane R. Schnurrpusch

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... as a Vibrant Valued Volunteer!

Having a vibrant and diverse group of volunteers in DC/SLA is critical to our success as we move into the second century of SLA. In 2011, we will continue to strive to be the "recognized model of excellence as it prepares knowledge leaders for the future."

Implementing this vision will be carried out through five goals, as detailed in the Chapter Strategic Plan.

If you'd like to help our chapter and learn new skills at the same time, please check out our list of available opportunities at the chapter's sign-up sheet at

http://signupgenius.com/go/chapter If you would like to volunteer but do not wish to use this interface, please contact Mary Talley, DC/SLA Chapter President.

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The Competitive Intelligence Division will be presenting a

Pecha Kucha Competition ... during its Open House during SLA 11.

Assuming no conflict with your own conference activities, could you please share the following details with your members? We’d love to include as many individuals as possible:

The Competitive Intelligence Division (CID) of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) is looking for your unique insights on how information professionals apply competitive intelligence to making themselves, their clients and organizations future-ready.

The CID is now accepting proposals for your thoughts on this topic in a fast-paced, PRO-AM Pecha Kucha (PK) tournament format during the CID Open House at the SLA 2011 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO. CID members and non-members are welcome and encouraged to participate.

What’s a Pecha Kucha?

PK’s are succinct presentations where the presenter delivers his talk with 20 slides spending only 20 seconds on each. To see a PK in action, watch a presentation by one of its founders, Mark Dytham, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1uDV98SLbg Submit Your PK for Prizes!

Are you up the challenge of speaking your mind in only six minutes and forty seconds?

The CID is looking for novice and experienced PK-ers who will compete in a lively PRO-AM tournament for an iPad 2. To be considered, you should address this question: How do info pros apply competitive intelligence to equip themselves, their organizations, and their clients to confront the challenges of an uncertain future?

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Six presenters will be chosen based on the votes of their peers and a panel of selectors.

Voting will take place via Google Moderator. Individuals selected will show off their PK skills in a friendly PRO-AM competition at the CID Open House.

All presenters will receive a signed copy of an author-selected book by renowned CI authority, Dr. Craig S. Fleisher.

A respected panel of judges will award one winner who best addresses the theme an iPad 2 courtesy of CID Open House sponsor Aurora WDC. Submit your proposals by April 15, 2011 for consideration.

By Email: Send your proposal to Chad Groenhout (chad.groenhoutatwayne.edu) with the following information: Your name, title and organization, Presentation title, Selected topic and rationale for your choice, Whether you are a PK amateur or experienced.

By Twitter: atslacid Selected presenters will be notified by April 29th.

Presentations will take place during the CID Open House on Monday, June 13, 2011 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm.

You can also find information about the CID Open House, Pecha Kucha presentations, and CID conference programming on The Intel Blog.

Please contact Chad Groenhout with your questions. See you at the CID Open House!

As many of you are aware, Competitive Intelligence is growing as a competency for info pros across numerous industries. The Open House PK presentations and CID conference program has been designed to meet the needs of SLA’s members as a whole – we believe the Open House is going to be an exciting and productive learning and networking opportunity.

Contact: Toni Wilson - Chair, SLA CI Division http://units.sla.org/division/dci/cihome.htm Email: twilsonatmarketsmartresearch.com Office: 937.395.0371 Mobile: 937.239.0168 Website: www.marketsmartresearch.com Twitter: attoniwilson10

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Lubuto Library Project’s Zambian Language Literacy Project Wednesday, April 20, noon – 1:30 pm, Bread for the World Institute, 425 3rd St. SW, Suite 1200, Washington DC 20024. (map) Brown bag lunch.

The Lubuto Library Project was one of 12 groups chosen from several hundred applicants worldwide to be awarded a grant from EIFL’s Public Library Innovation Project, for which EIFL received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to encourage innovation with information technology in public libraries.

Lubuto's project addresses the critical need that the educational system cannot meet for a means to teach all Zambian children to read in their original language.

This same problem is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in countries with dozens, even hundreds, of different languages. Lubuto libraries reach out-of-school children and can help them toward reading by read-aloud and storytelling programs, but tools for reading teaching in Zambian languages are not available.

Youth who had been using the One Laptop Per Child XO laptops in Lubuto libraries and experienced Zambian reading teachers have been trained in the OLPC application Etoys and now work each week to create early reading programs in seven Zambian languages.

The project creators use six XO 1.5 laptops, which were granted to Lubuto Libraries by the OLPC Foundation.

The open source reading programs can run on other platforms and in addition to being made available to Lubuto Library users on XO laptops will be posted on the LubutoCollections.org website to inspire the creation of similar programs in other African countries and languages.

Mike Lee of Sugar Labs, Washington DC, USA and One Laptop Per Child organization, Boston, MA, USA and Jane Kinney Meyers, President of the Lubuto Project will present the project, demonstrate some of its output and discuss its impact.

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Reminder: Check out the DC/SLA Web site The Washington, DC Chapter of the Special Libraries Association Web site provides a forum for information professionals in the Washington area to meet others, to learn, and to help each other develop skills for putting knowledge to work.

We run an active email discussion list, publish a bi-monthly newsletter, and hold meetings, programs and networking events throughout the year. We reach out to students through scholarships and programs, and to the community through consultation and service activities.

We reach out to our DC neighbors by working through our Community Outreach Project.

To find out more about our varied Chapter events and activities, follow the links on this page.

And if you'd like to get involved, contact me or any of our officers or committee chairs.

I look forward to seeing you this year, Mary Talley (mary.talleygarciaatgmail.com) President DC/SLA, 2011

How Our Chapter Communicates with our Members • • • • • •

Chapter Discussion List Chapter Notes, our e-newsletter Calendar of Events mailing Up-to-date Chapter web site Chapter Blog Chapter Wiki

To see our Chapter's vision, visit Mission and Strategies.

To see our Chapter’s past, visit Chapter Archives.

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