DC/SLA Chapter Notes June/July 2011

June/July 2011

Conferences, campaigns and conversations

Inside this issue

President’s Corner



By Mary Talley, DC/SLA President

President’s Corner – page 1

Welcome to the hazy, lazy days of summer. Hazy? Defi-

SLA and DC/SLA voting season

nitely – and hot. Lazy, not so much. Here at DC/SLA

has arrived! – page 2

summer has been busy and productive, with more to come before La-

Awards, accolades and adventures

bor Day rolls around.

- page 3 

 

DC/SLA award winners announced at national conference – page 3 More awards and accolades – page 7 And some adventures – page 8

Knowledge Management: discussions at the SLA Annual Conference and the KM Education Summit - page 9

Thanks to the hard work of DC/SLA Vice-President Lois Ireland and her committee, learning and networking opportunities haven’t slowed down during the summer months. We said good-bye to Philadelphia and hello to India at DC/SLA’s first summer program on June 16:‚It’s 6pm in Mumbai, What Time Is It in New York?,‛ featuring BP Prakash, Global Head of the Information Resource Centre at Tata Consultancy Services.

In July, we gathered at Catholic University’s Information Commons to hear members give front-line accounts of what they saw, heard and experienced at the Annual Conference. To cap off the summer, the Mil-

2011 Joint Spring Workshop offers

itary Librarians Group held an intriguing program on August 11th:

insights into strategic planning

The Civil War for Librarians Who Slept Through Jr. High History, fea-

fundamentals, experiences, and

turing a noted Civil War historian. Take a look at events calendar for

metrics – part 2 - page 10

more information and to sign up for the future events.

DC/SLA and CUA SLA jointly wrap-up the annual conference page 14

In August, we also gear up for both SLA and DC/SLA elections. Greta Ober, 2009 DC/SLA President, and her committee have given us an impressive slate of candidates for the 2012 DC/SLA Board. You can

Make-a-Connection Program

read all about each of them in the next issue and be sure to vote in Sep-

matched working professionals

tember.

with students and recent graduates - page 14 Upcoming events – page 16

SLA candidates for President-Elect, Deb Hunt and David Cappoli, were in town on the 9th for a happy hour meet and greet. Come, hear their visions for SLA’s future on DC/SLA Radio and don’t forget to vote in this important election, too.

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 1

Chapter Notes Chapter Notes is the newsletter for the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Special Libraries Association (SLA).

We set out this year to connect, collaborate and engage more of you in DC/SLA. At the half-way mark, all evidence suggests we are. DC/SLA Radio (podcasts of DC/SLA programs produced by Chris Vestal, Communications Secretary) has proved so popular that we exceeded our website’s monthly bandwidth allocation before July was out.

Thanks to James King, DC/SLA Immediate Past President and web-

Special Libraries Association as-

guru, our new website is off and running and already getting ping-

sumes no responsibility for the

backs.

statements and opinions ad-

vanced by the contributors to SLA’s publications. Editorial views and content do not necessarily represent the official views of SLA. Acceptance of advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product by SLA. It is un-

July is the month in which we review and adjust DC/SLA’s budget.

This July’s review shows the Chapter in excellent financial shape. We are meeting our budget numbers, securing solid sponsorship from our vendor partners (thank you, Dave Hemingway-Turner, Vendor Relations Director) and maintaining a healthy surplus in our checking account. This has put us in an excellent position to give back to SLA during this difficult financial downturn and insure a financially strong Association.

derstood that Chapter Notes contributors are acting ‚in good

Finally, the DC/SLA Board is working through the summer on new

faith‛ and shall be held harmless

initiatives to benefit the membership and improve the way we func-

with regards to any content either

tion. We’re restructuring Board positions to ensure they are relevant

published or omitted.

to today’s needs, including the addition of a Technology Director in place of the under-used 2nd VP position and lengthening the Commu-

Advertising: For information and submission of advertisements,

nication Secretary’s term of office. And, our proposal to be part of

please contact the DC/SLA Chap-

SLA’s Loyalty Pilot Project was accepted, giving us an extraordinary opportunity to learn new strategies to meet our membership challenges

ter Notes Business Manager, Da-

from a top expert in relationship-building, James Kane. I think you’ll

vid Hemingway-Turner - dnhem-

agree – it’s definitely not a ‚lazy‛ summer for DC/SLA.

ingwayatgmail.com. Tel: 202-5364539 Fax: 202-747-2978

SLA and DC/SLA voting season has arrived!

Chapter Notes is available elec-

Traditionally, we announce the candidates for the DC/SLA election in

tronically at the chapter’s website

our July/August issue of Chapter Notes, along with their bios, photos

at http://dc.sla.org/.

and position statements. This year, we’re doing things a bit differently.

In this issue, we are announcing the names only of the four candidates

Editor – Lisa Haakon Pogue

for the two 2012 DC/SLA Board of Directors’ positions, PresidentElect and Director, Membership. Then, we’re creating a special Chapter Notes election issue to spotlight the candidates and both upcoming elections. This special issue will carry all the detailed information you need to make an informed decision on each candidate. We will announce the issue on the discussion list – watch for it before the end

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 2

of August – in plenty of time for the election,

special networking and Q&A event. The podcast

held the last three weeks in September. In the

will be available on Radio DC/SLA in the next

meantime, I am delighted to announce this year’s

few weeks – watch for the announcement.

slate of candidates:

Once again, DC/SLA has a member in the SLA

Vice-President/President-Elect  

slate of candidates. Our own, Marilyn Bromley, past DC/SLA President is running for Director on

Marie Kaddel Julia Legget

the SLA Board. You can find information about all of the candidates on the SLA site, here:

Director, Membership  

http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/governance/201 1election/2012BODCand.cfm.

Jenny Wood Janel White

Listen to the President-Elects’ YouTube messages

The credit for this great slate of candidates goes to the DC/SLA Nominating Committee, led by Greta Ober-Beauchesne and includes James

here: 

King, Diane Schnurrpusch and Eileen Deegan.

Beth Kirton-Crane is our Elections Chair and is



in the process of preparing the online ballot.

The SLA Candidates for President-Elect, Chapter



and Division Cabinet and Directors have been introducing themselves, answering questions, and stating their positions since the opening of



the Annual Conference in Philadelphia. On Au-

David Cappoli http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/governanc e/2011election/cappoli.cfm Deb Hunt http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/governanc e/2011election/hunt.cfm And, read responses from all of the candidates to questions posted on the SLA blog, here: http://slablogger.typepad.com/sla_blog/201 1-candidates/

gust 9, DC/SLA hosted the candidates for Presi-

Watch for the Chapter Notes special elections

dent-Elect, David Cappoli and Deb Hunt, at a

issue in the next few weeks! And, remember to vote!

Awards, accolades and adventures DC/SLA award winners announced at national conference

By Abi Morgan The DC/SLA chapter is privileged to have five

Lynne McCay is the recipient of the John Cotton

award winners at SLA 2011 among its members.

Dana Award, which is given to an information

They also shared their reflections on what being

professional to recognize a lifetime of achieve-

a member in SLA has meant to them with Chap-

ment and exceptional service to SLA and the li-

ter Notes.

brary and information profession. It was fitting that she won the award in Philadelphia, which is her hometown. McCay is now retired, after

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 3

and for all the fun I had with what became my SLA family.‛ Peggy Garvin is the winner of the Dow Jones Leadership Award, which is presented annually to an SLA member in good standing who exemplifies leadership as a special librarian through examples of personal and professional competencies. Garvin is the principal in her own company, Garvin Information Consulting. ‚I am a librarian, but I never thought I’d work in a ‘real’-public or academic—library. I am doing now what I set out to do when I enrolled in Syracuse working for the Congressional Research Service for 40 years. She is now pursuing her other interests: enjoying her grandchildren, playing golf with her husband, and traveling to all the state capitol buildings. She is also staying connected with SLA, working on the Finance Committee,

University’s information studies program 25 years ago: running my own information business.

I have been doing it for 10 years now, and I love it. But I wouldn’t be here without an MLS, lots of library and information service experience, and continuing education.‛

the Diversity Leadership Development Program

Garvin has been an active member of SLA since

Committee, and as convener-elect of the Encore

1985, especially in the Government Information

Caucus.

Division. ‚As librarians, we know that people

Throughout McCay’s career, she held leadership positions in SLA at the chapter, division and association level, but believes that ‚Perhaps more than the leadership positions I held, it was the more mundane service that tipped the scales. I enjoyed pitching in whenever and wherever needed. I see others doing that as well and sus-

don’t know what they don’t know. The networking, continuing education, and volunteer opportunities I get through SLA help to introduce me to what I don’t know that I should know. Thankfully, they also help to fill those many gaps for me.‛ Garvin looks forward to continue investing in her business and the SLA community.

pect there are some SLA awards in their futures!‛

Mary Talley won the Rose L. Vormelker Award,

McCay believes that her involvement with SLA

which is presented to an SLA member in good

was integral to her professional advancement.

standing who is mid-career for beyond excep-

‚Not only did I make contacts through SLA that

tional services in area of mentoring students

helped me do my job better, but I also benefited

and/or working professionals. Talley describes

from the educational and leadership opportuni-

herself as an ‚un-librarian.‛ She started down a

ties that I received through SLA to sharpen my

conventional career path at academic and law

skills and prepare me for more responsible posi-

firm libraries, and then discovered a penchant for

tions on the job. I’m grateful for that support—

challenging projects and problem solving, and became a business owner and consultant in 1983.

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 4

She turned her solo-consulting into a successful

DC/SLA has two new SLA Fellows, Karen

library and information management business,

Huffman and James King. This award is pre-

Library Management Systems. She sold that

sented to an SLA member to recognize leader-

business in 1996 after moving to D.C. but contin-

ship in their career as an information profession-

ued her consulting work with Joan Axelroth at

al. Fellowship is bestowed on mid-career SLA

Axelroth & Associates. She is now the principal

members in recognition of past, present and fu-

in her own company, TalleyPartners. In 2008, she

ture service to the Association and the profession.

received an SLA Research Grant, along with Dave Shumaker, to study successful models of embedded librarianship, a subject on which she continues to research, write, and lecture. ‚SLA has been the warp and woof of my career for 20 years. I work for information centers but I don’t work ‘in an information center.’ So my dayto-day exposure to a range of technologies, resources, services is limited. But still I need to know a lot about everything – understand new developments, new technology applications, etc.

SLA is absolutely essential to staying on top of all of that,‛ Talley says. She has been actively involved in SLA, serving as the current President of the DC/SLA Chapter. She has also developed several mentoring programs for DC/SLA. As the DC/SLA Professional Development Chair, she planned and implemented the Chapter’s first Speed Mentoring program at a joint DC/SLA/CUA career event. It has since become one of the Chapter’s most popular events.

Karen Huffman works for National Geographic Society as manager of the Messaging & Collaboration Team within the Information Systems & Technology division.

She has been a member of SLA since 1999, serving in various roles including chair of the KM division (2009-2010) and developing resources for SLA-sponsored initiatives like 23 Things (2008) several years ago and Future Ready Toolkit (2011) this year. Huffman credits her award to being a proactive participant, who follows-through on her commitments within the SLA community. ‚SLA has offered me many leadership as well as outreach and training roles.

It’s connected me across organizations and countries to people working in many diverse fields related to information and knowledge management. Three years ago I moved into the information technology (IT) division at National Geographic.

Last year she helped develop several other men-

My continued in-

toring programs: Reverse Mentoring (Millennials

volvement in SLA

talk to seasoned professionals at happy hour); Si

continues to benefit

Se Puede: 5 Jobs You Can Do But Didn’t Know It

my role in the IT,

(Cinco De Mayo alternative career program), and

helping to keep me

a series of four Library Leaders programs that

focused on a broader

put local leaders in our profession in front of

perspective, generate

DC/SLA members for an interview and audience

new ideas, set goals,

Q&A session.

and make an impact.‛

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 5

As a new fellow of SLA, she is developing an ini-

contributed to his selection as SLA Fellow. He

tiative for SLA related to ideas shared by Shel-

served as DC Chapter President in 2010 and has

don Laube, Chief Innovation Officer of Pricewa-

been leading the SLA Information Futurists Cau-

terhouseCoopers, during an SLA KM sponsored

cus since 2007 (http://units.sla.org/caucus/kinf/).

session entitled ‚Building an Innovative Envi-

He helped develop the SLA Centennial Online

ronment.‛ Laube described the process and in-

Timeline

frastructure necessary for enterprise innovation

(http://www.sla.org/content/Events/centennial/ti

as well as the type of environment that stimu-

meline/sla-timeline.htm), and is currently migrat-

lates innovation, new products and services as

ing the DC/SLA Web site (dc.sla.org) to the new

well as new ways of doing things. ‚I’ve started

WordPress platform. He also assisted on the na-

talking to a handful of people who are interested

tional planning committees for SLA annual con-

in being involved in this initiative and will share

ferences in 2008 (Seattle) and 2011 (Philadelphia).

with the SLA Board initially for approval and, if

King describes SLA as ‚a safe place to experi-

accepted, will share with the wider SLA commu-

ment with new technology, develop new skills,

nity‛ said Huffman.

and network with others in the profession.‛ Be-

James King’s current work is creating virtual collaboration environments in Drupal for research groups at the National Institutes of Health as part of the NIH Library's informationist program.

ing named a SLA Fellow has further encouraged King to network with the current and rising stars of SLA. He is also striving to give back to SLA and the profession by mentoring others and has become a mentor/preceptor for the NLM Associate Fellowship program and is involved in the

King is very active in SLA and believes that his

Catholic University MLS program as a guest lec-

level of activity and innovation in the profession

turer.

Inspirations The award winners also had great recollections and stories to share about the people who inspired them and helped get them where they are today.

Lynne McCay: I had an excellent supervisor ear-

Peggy Garvin: I have to thank my colleagues in

ly in my career, Reno Conti, who taught me (by

the Food Marketing Institute Information Service

example) how to be a good leader and work with

who hired me and were patient with me as a

people to accomplish difficult goals in record

newly minted B.A.in American History. Working

time. Another supervisor, Cathy Jones, and my

there opened my eyes to the breadth of what li-

friend and co-worker Donna Scheeder, encour-

brarians can do and to the wonders of the infor-

aged me to get involved in SLA. On a profes-

mation network. Librarians tend to be helpful

sional level, Cathy challenged me to stretch and

people, so I have many to thank for helping me

grow, and on a personal level, Cathy inspired me

along the way. I try to honor that now by helping

to persevere no matter the odds.

others.

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 6

Mary Talley: As a newly minted librarian at

skills led me to discover things I was good at and

UCLA, I got to plan and teach the first library

to build on my skills. The following quote by

and research instruction classes offered to un-

Winston Churchill sums up the way I see the

dergraduates through the Graduate Research Li-

world and motivates me to keep giving: ‚We

brary. Teaching one of those classes was some-

make a living by what we get. We make a life by what

thing I badly wanted to do; but I didn’t think I

we give.”

had enough experience to put my name forward.

UCLA, after all, had so many excellent and very experienced reference librarians. The course’s organizer and a member of the UCLA GLIS faculty, Liz Eisenbach, believed in me and encouraged me to apply. That year, I was the most highly evaluated instructor for the courses. Liz Eisenbach’s encouragement and support gave me the courage to take a big risk, widened my frame of possibilities, and helped me step off the sidewalk.

Her mentoring, I believe, gave me the foundation for taking bigger risks – as a consultant and starting my own business – later on.

James King: I've been blessed to have some incredible people in my life that have inspired and supported me along the way. First, Laurie Stackpole at the Naval Research Library Library was instrumental in mentoring me from being a junior help desk tech to becoming the library director after her retirement many years later. She is the one that encouraged me to get involved with SLA and to pursue my MLS. Her vision and innovative approaches to library services in a research setting still influence my thinking today. Second, while in library school at Catholic University, I had the honor of spending every

Karen Huffman: Many people, ideas, and expe-

Saturday over a hot summer in Karen Marsh

riences have influenced the paths I’ve taken in

King's management class where I learned valua-

my life. I have been fortunate to have many peo-

ble lessons on how to not just be a manager, but

ple believe in me even when I stumbled and fell

to be a leader. Finally, I know beyond a shadow

flat on my face. Their belief in my worth and my

of a doubt that I would not be where I am today

eventual confidence in my own aptitude and

without the love and support of my wife Carla.

More awards and accolades Aimee Babcock-Ellis was awarded the first Ris-

Michelle Polchow has a new job as Content Ser-

ing Star award from the Federal Armed Forces

vices Librarian at U.S. News & World Report.

Librarians Roundtable (FAFLRT) at the ALA an-

She works with digital assets for the web site,

nual conference.

special publications and the digital weekly, in-

Aileen M. J. Marshall’s main project while a summer intern at the Library of Congress, Business Reference Section was revising a guide for entrepreneurs and small business owners. It has been published at

cluding a version for the iPad. A second accolade was being named 2011 Graduate Student of the Year at Catholic University of America’s School of Library & Information Science at the May commencement.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/business/guide/guide2/gui

Lyle Minter received the 2011 Gale Cengage

de2_main.html.

Murray Wortzel Award, which is presented bi-

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 7

ennially by the SLA Social Science Division and

membership chair, webmaster, and program

sponsored by Gale Cengage. The award honors

planner. He has lent his talents and dedication to

Murray Wortzel, a long-time member of the So-

SLA’s Finance, Nominating, Diversity Leader-

cial Science Division and member of the SLA

ship Development Program, Tellers, Program

Hall of Fame. Lyle has served the Social Science

Planners, and Bylaws Committees.

Division in many capacities, including as chair,

And some adventures Fireworks in the Sky by Lois Ireland My vantage point for the 2011 July 4th fireworks show was cool, uncrowded, bug-free – and 2,000 feet up. My husband, Pierre, is a general aviation pilot and we took our twoseater Cessna out for an afternoon flight on July 4, ending up in Pittstown, NJ. At about 300 miles from our home base of Manassas, that’s about the distance we can go before stopping for fuel. After a lovely dinner at the historic Clinton House (established in 1743, www.clintonhouse.com), we hopped back in our tiny blue-and-white plane for the return trip to Washington. The sun setting over the Susquehanna River lit up the surrounding patchwork of farms and towns in southern Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. At about 9 pm, we were approaching the outer Maryland suburbs of DC and it grew darker, lights twinkling up from the ground.

Town Center and other communities as we flew on to Manassas. My head was on a swivel, trying to keep track of them all; we estimate we may have seen glimpses of over 100 shows as we flew along at 80 knots. We were so close to some I could see the camera flashes accompanying each burst, as watchers tried to capture the moment.

We had just watched a National Geographic program on fireworks the night before, so knew that the maximum height was typically between 800 and 1,000 feet. We were 1,000 to 1,500 feet above that but they still seemed close enough to touch. I looked out the rear window of the plane at one point, and, in addition to the dazzling fireworks, spotted the landing lights of a commercial jet on a parallel approach to land at Dulles. (This is a moment when you’re glad air traffic controllers do what they do, in terms of keeping planes separated aloft.) We could hear other pilots on commercial flights approaching Dulles express their appreciation of the shows over the radio.

Soon enough, we started to see fireworks appear.

As we made the final turn for landing at Manas-

First, there were random splashes, as individuals

sas, the local fireworks shows were still blazing.

started shooting them off in their neighborhoods.

I was excitedly twisting in my seat to get the last

Then the municipal shows kicked in, with cas-

good look, while Pierre focused on getting us

cades of lights popping off all around the hori-

safely on the ground. He was rewarded by a fi-

zon. Pierre had requested, and received, clear-

nal burst of light just above the trees as we came

ance to fly through the airspace on the east side

off the runway and headed to our tie-down space.

of Dulles Airport, so we had an excellent view of

A beautiful night to fly!

the shows in Bethesda, downtown DC, Dulles

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 8

Knowledge Management: discussions at the SLA Annual Conference and the KM Education Summit

By Jacquelyn Marie Erdman Knowledge management (KM) is starting to get

tionships and storytelling. This brings greater

more attention, even though no one definition

meaning to the user’s learning experience. KM

has been attributed to it yet. Perhaps that is the

does not ‚belong‛ to any one existing discipline.

appeal, as the discipline is still moldable. I re-

It covers the knowledge and skill sets associated

cently attended Knowledge Management Divi-

with library science, computer engineering, busi-

sion sessions at the SLA Annual Conference and

ness, project management, and education.

the KM Education Summit (hosted by Kent and George Washington universities) specifically to learn about knowledge management thoughts and initiatives. What I found was that both parties are trying to define the core skill set that a KM professional needs to know so that we can best support others interested in pursuing the career. Both groups talked about forming an official knowledge management association, and the Education Summit went further to discuss develop the curriculum for an official School of Knowledge Management. These are exciting times in the vastly needed discipline, and yet, those who are already taking on the responsibilities associated with the discipline need help now.

The following are the top tips from these confer-

Why should you care about KM? KM concerns are wide spanning in other organizations. Imagine if you worked for a company that develops technology. Now imagine that decades after an important technology was developed, you wanted to improve the design. You look for the original schematics, and you can’t find them. You look for the previous engineers, and they all have left the company, some have passed away, and others no longer have the documentation. In short, you have to start from scratch. The amount of money to reengineer what should have been the organization’s knowledge will cost millions. Don’t believe this can happen? It did to NASA.

ences and from my own personal research.

KM helps meet organizational missions and

What is my definition of KM? KM is comprised of a range of strategies and practices used in an organization to identify, create, represent, distribute, and enable the users to find information. It is the mechanism that drives how resources work together. KM is a form of data curation, through the combination of collection development criteria, metadata standards, and controlled vocabularies, ensuring the longterm access to information. It is a collaborative process where people continually contribute to depth of knowledge by tying information, data, and people together through transparent rela-

goals effectively, saving money and employees’ time. It reduces the chances of re-inventing the wheel or repeating of the same mistakes. It organizes ‚like‛ resources in one place, not only describing the content but also the context. It can be used as evidence to choose strategic next moves that have high impact

Suggested resources on KM? World Bank’s KM program. http://tinyurl.com/WBKMplan Knowledge Management Toolkit. http://www.w3j.com/2/

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 9

2011 Joint Spring Workshop offers insights into strategic planning fundamentals, experiences, and metrics – part 2

By Eileen Deegan Just as DeEtta Jones in her keynote called strate-

To determine the Library’s preferable future,

gic planning the ‚doggonedest thing,‛ Barbara

they asked: ‚What makes us unique in the Socie-

Ferry’s and Pherabe Kolb’s presentations con-

ty, and what do we do better than anyone else

veyed the dogged effort the planning process en-

that will be valuable in the future?‛ Answering

tails. Upon becoming the National Geographic’s

this required several steps, including:

Director, Library & Information Services, eighteen months ago, Barbara focused her significantly downsized staff of 17 on the future, rather

 

than the past. The National Geographic’s ‚mission forward,‛ she noted, is to inspire people to care about the planet by spotlighting the earth’s energy and climate; water, air, and soil lifelines;

  

human story; and living habitats. Finding the Library’s unique role in this mission is an inter

esting journey, she remarked.

To begin their journey, Dr. Peter Bishop from the University of Houston’s Future Studies department led the Library team in a daylong workshop. In explaining how they applied his ideas, Barbara displayed several of Dr. Bishop’s slides, starting with one titled ‚Getting to the Strategic Plan: The Shape of Change.‛ That shape, is an ‚S- Curve,‛ with three sections. Number 1, in the slide’s southwest area, is the ‚No problem‛ section. Number 2, in the curve’s middle, is the ‚What is going on here?‛ section. Number 3, in the northeast area, is the ‚Whew!‛ section. Most of us, she said, putter around in Number 1. The goal should be to move up to Number 3, which is ‚the new normal.‛ Transitioning from the old era to the new era inevitably creates a gap that can be problematic; but it can also be a juncture where the most creative ideas about the future

Reviewing the Society’s goals and listening for shifts in its culture and priorities; Taking into account which Library staff skills could be applied to these goals; Researching library literature and attending conferences; Examining trends in Library usage; Brainstorming with Library staff about what they should be doing in five or ten years; and Listening to what staff wanted to do to develop their careers.

Using their analysis, they formulated several goals which enhance their more traditional library work of serving ,1500 staff, plus contractors and interns Their first goal is to develop editorial content and products that support the Society’s mission and divisional goals, and that leverage the librarians’ and archivists’ unique expertise. They are meeting this goal by writing stories for the NewsWatch blog that tie breaking news in science, education, and exploration to history and content. (http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com). In addition, the Library has been instrumental in conducting market research to determine what kind of e-content other libraries would like to purchase from National Geographic, such as the prototype NG Traveler e-book series.

arise.

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 10

Their second goal is to respond to changes in Society culture and structure by developing new service models, such as a library commons. They have formed a Library Commons Advisory Group to recommend plans for creating common spaces conducive for collaboration, training, and The Washington, DC Chapter of SLA is proud to

research in both digital and physical environ-

announce the launch of our new Web site at

ments.

http://dc.sla.org. This new Web site is part of the

SLA-wide initiative known as Operation Vitality:

Pushing competitive intelligence to decision makers, in anticipation of rapidly changing markets, is their third goal. Barbara chairs the Socie-

http://futureready365.sla.org/01/20/get-ready-

ty’s Trends Analysis Group, and the Library has

for-the-future-with-operation-vitality/

hosted several trends events on topics such as reaching the millennial generation, the world in

Our chapter volunteered to be one of the early

2020, and what’s new with Google. Other Li-

adopters of this new service and we have been

brary goals encompass managing and analyzing

working on building the site and migrating the

the Society’s print and digital business records,

content over the past several months. Built on

and leading efforts that enable all divisions to

WordPress and using a common theme across

use the Society’s assets and knowledge collec-

all SLA units, this new site makes it far easier to

tions.

keep the site content current. The new site already has a number of new features including a

By engaging in such strategic reassessment and

streamlined online event payment option, sever-

change, the Library, Barbara concluded, ‚is al-

al years of DC/SLA Radio broadcasts (recordings

ways learning.‛

of past programs), and links to our Twitter and Flickr feeds.

Pherabe Kolb, a Senior Executive Officer at the Smithsonian Institution (SI), recounted the mas-

Though most of the content from the old site has

sive year-long strategic-planning process she

been migrated, much more still needs to be

managed from fall 2008 to fall 2009. She noted

done. The remaining content will either be mi-

that this master SI Plan -- directed by a 22-

grated to the new site or archived offline, de-

member steering committee – is only the fourth

pending upon the need. In addition, a snapshot

in the Smithsonian’s entire history. Moreover,

of the entire Web site has been captured and will

the process generated the first-ever Institution-

be added to the chapter’s archive. The old Web

wide conversation about the future.

site will remain online until the end of 2011 but

The SI Plan -- inspiring generations through knowledge and discovery

will no longer be updated. Please check out the

new Web site and let me know what you think at webmaster@dc.sla.org.

James King

(www.si.edu/content/pdf/about/SI_Strategic_Pla n_2010-2015.pdf) – is distinct from the strategic plan created jointly by the Smithsonian’s 20

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 11

libraries

One of the plan’s strengths is that it enabled the

(http://www.sil.si.edu/Galaxy.cfm?id=2.156). She

Institution to establish its priorities, including

encouraged us to check out both plans, and to

research and organizational excellence, greater

keep in mind that a particular plan may or may

access, stronger collections, and revitalized edu-

not fit your organization’s culture and life cycle.

cation. Another accomplishment was that the

The SI planning process took place in three phases – information gathering (which utilized consultants), scenario planning, and plan development and drafting.

Plan enabled the Institution to distill its ‚Grand Challenges,‛ which are to unlock the mystery of the universe; understand the American experience; sustain a biodiverse planet; and value world cultures.

During the first phase, huge amounts of data were gathered via surveys and interviews of 300 staff and stakeholders, and via reviews of museum and research-center strategic plans. In the second phase, planners developed future scenarios, taking into account opportunities and risks.

Phase three was the ‚moment of reckoning‛ during which the final product was constructed, approved by the SI Secretary, and submitted to the Board of Regents.

The final document, Pherabe remarked, is ‚way too long,‛ but served the purpose at the time.

Next, the participants determined how to make the plan’s aspirations come to life, addressing such issues as – How we are structured; What we do; and How we do it. They focused on the plan’s actions, asking such questions as – How will we know when we are done? How can we identify success? They refined the tracking process, setting up timelines and accountability metrics emphasizing outcome, not output.

In wrapping up her presentation, Pherabe observed that the strategic planning process provides an opportunity to talk to each other in a common language, and to dream. It also presents the challenges of proving that change is occurring, and of assessing and reassessing.

During a brief Q&A, an audience member asked Pherabe, if she had to do the strategic plan again, would she do anything differently. She replied

2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries Now Available The 2011 Best Practices for Government Li-

that she would take over from the consultants sooner, as her experience taught her how to use consultants more wisely. She added: ‚I wish we had written a shorter plan.‛

braries: e-Initiatives and e-Efforts: Expand-

Following a pleasant lunch that was conducive to

ing Our Horizons is now available at

networking with fellow attendees, Raynna Bowl-

http://www.lexisnexis.com/tsg/gov/Best_Pr

by, an Associate of Library Management Con-

actices/Best_Practices_2011.pdf.

sulting, discussed the link between strategic planning and assessment. ‚We need to get

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 12

smarter about metrics,‛ she advised, ‚‛eEspecial-

time to work in pairs and develop assessment

ly if our plan is not yet written, we need to think

statements of their own. During the ensuing dis-

up-front about the measures we will use. We

cussion, some participants shared their examples

should measure the value of the library by the

with the full audience.

standards and outcomes that are important to our customers and stakeholders.‛ Outcomes, she underscored, are changes in attitude, skills, knowledge, behavior, or conditions.

Raynna also addressed measurement in the context of the Balanced Scorecard developed by Robert Kaplan and David Norton. In essence, this planning system enables managers to trans-

Raynna has studied the various assessments

late their visions and strategies by formulating

used by more than a hundred research libraries,

objectives, metrics, targets and initiatives.

and she showed us some best-practice examples.

She recommended that we look at other strategic plans for measurement examples, and for different approaches to integrating assessment.

The ‚real secret,‛ Raynna said, is to look at the difference between one’s measures and targets, to figure out what initiatives need to be undertaken to bridge that gap. A Balanced Scorecard

In developing our measures, we should recog-

plan, she noted, can be a relatively concise doc-

nize that it’s unlikely we will achieve 100%.

ument. For instance, during her research she

Thus, she said, we should make our metrics a

found a two-page Balanced Scorecard with a list

realistic stretch.

of annual initiatives.

She distributed a handout illustrating a continu-

During the final Q&A, a workshop participant

um of assessment approaches. At the basic level,

thanked Raynna for giving her the ability to

an assessment statement would describe an in-

speak the same language as her management.

tention by stating what to measure, and how to

Similarly, in the Workshop wrap-up, JSW Com-

measure it. For example: ‚Measure employee

mittee member Abigail Ellsworth Ross of LLSDC

satisfaction and morale via climate surveys.‛

highlighted distinctive phrases and ideas the

At the highest level, an assessment statement

speakers taught us.

would specify what to measure, in what units of

DCLA President and SLA Division Cabinet

measure, the desired result, and the targets. For

Chair-Elect, Richard Huffine, closed the pro-

example: ‚A 10 percent increase in the number

gram with thanks to the JSW Committee, speak-

of items in e-book collections over three years.‛

ers, and sponsors. Clearly, in keeping with its

In addition to analyzing these assessment techniques, Raynna gave the workshop participants

theme, JSW 2011 was a well-planned event, with a successful outcome.

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 13

DC/SLA and CUA SLA jointly wrap-up the annual conference July 13 DC and CUS SLA members gathered for pizza and networking to share highlights of the recent SLA annual conference. Speakers included:      

Aimee Babcock-Ellis Marianne E. Giltrud Chris Vestal Bruce Rosenstein David Shumaker Mary Talley

Organized by Marianne E. Giltrud, with assistance from CUA SLIS students Lisa Campbell, Angela Flotttemesch and Helen Horn-Mitchem.

Make-a-Connection Program matched working professionals with students and recent graduates

By Mary Talley, DC/SLA President DC/SLA has completed the first session of its

This built-in flexibility ensured opportunities for

Make-A-Connection program and the results are

every student who wanted to connect with a pro-

in. It was a great success – thanks to the leader-

fessional – even students in far-flung locations.

ship of Chair Janel White and her committee,

Some meetings took place at the hosts’ worksites,

Aimee Babcock-Ellis and Anna Forsher.

some were held via phone conference and even

Make-A-Connection is the revamped former Spend-A-Day program that matches library students and recent graduates with working professionals. The program enables students to experience first-hand what it is like to work in a specialized library environment.

Thirty-two library students and recent graduates and thirty-one DC/SLA members participated in the program. Library environments represented by the member/hosts included government, corporate, law, academic, health, science and news

one student met their DC/SLA connection in Philadelphia at the SLA Conference. All student participants gained insights about the many possibilities in special libraries as they learned about their hosts’ jobs, work environments, and career histories.

The Make-A-Connection Committee will review and incorporate feedback from the participants for future enhancements to the program. Look for sign-ups in September for the fall session of the program.

organizations. DC/SLA facilitated the connec-

Thanks to all who signed up to participate! Spe-

tions between the students and the DC/SLA

cial thanks to our DC/SLA member hosts for so

member/hosts; they decided when, where and

generously sharing their knowledge and to their

how to meet.

institutions for sharing their workplace.

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 14

Name: Hannah Sommers Jeanne Fielding Jan Herd Stacy Bruss Sage Hulsebus Douglas Joubert Emily P Huston Robin Pachtman Megan Galaida Laura Bartlett

Mary Ann Leonard Leia Dickerson Anita Feidler Amber Paranick Gretchen Sauvey

Employer NPR Howard Hughes Medical Institute The Library of Congress NIST Pew Charitable Trusts

Loretta Melhado Bill Tuceling

National Institutes of Health ASRC Management Services NOVA - Annandale Council for Advancement and Support of Education Outreach and Special Populations Branch, National Library of Medicine, NIH National Agricultural Library GAO Corporate Executive Board Library of Congress US Institute of Peace

Barbara Folensbee-Moore Tanya Whippie Michelle Polchow Rene Stein

Toni Yancey Jane Potee Emily Harrell

Eileen Deegan Betsy Jayasuriya Alexandra Gomes Ellen A. Sweet Beth Shankle Sally Bosken Gini Blodgett Birchett

UCAR US Government Accountability Office Technical Library Howard University Mango Languages NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Morgan Lewis HUD US News & World Report National Cryptologic Museum U.S. Department of State Pentagon Library George Washington University Medical Center US DOJ, Tax Division National Press Club US Naval Observatory American Physical Therapy Association

Correction The following is a correction of the story on the NLM Disaster Information Outreach Symposium in the last issue of Chapter Notes thanks to Alicia Livinski, Biomedical Librarian/Informationist, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Library. The story should have read, ‚Dr. Nicole Lurie, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the US Department of Health and Human Services, hired a historian dur-

ing the start of the H1N1 pandemic to capture what happens during the decision making process of working through a disaster so that important lessons can be learned and important information is not lost. The reason a historian was hired is that Dr. Lurie found most historical records were created many years after a disaster, based on interviews and memory. But in recording the details as they happen, it is easier to assess what worked, what didn’t work, etc. The Disaster Information Management Research Center also has librarians to help with research in order to make as well informed decisions as they can.

Dr. Lurie could not stop praising one NIH Librarian in particular, Alicia Livinski.‛

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 15

Upcoming events September 2011   

September 8, 2011, 6-7:30pm: DC/SLA Board Meeting Dow Jones, 1025 Connecticut Ave, NW, 11th Floor, Suite 1100, Washington, D.C. 20036.

September 14, 2011, 6-8pm: Overview of FDSys with Kristina Bobe, GPO Education and Outreach, LexisNexis, 1150 18th Street NW Suite 600. Washington, D.C, METRO: Farragut West (Blue/Orange) or Farragut North (Red), Contact dcslaprograms@gmail.com for more information.

September 21, 2011, 6-7pm: DCSLA Fiction Book Club, Please RSVP: Barbara FolensbeeMoore at bfolensbee-mooreatmorganlewis.com

October 2011   

October 6, 2011, 6-7:30pm: DC/SLA Board Meeting Dow Jones, 1025 Connecticut Ave, NW, 11th Floor, Suite 1100, Washington, D.C. 20036.

October 18, 2011, 6-8:30 pm: DC/SLA Chapter Open House & Volunteer Appreciation, BNA, 1801 S. Bell Street, Arlington, VA, METRO: Crystal City (Blue/Yellow), Contact dcslaprograms@gmail.com for more information.

October 19, 2011, 6-7pm: DCSLA Fiction Book Club, Please RSVP: Barbara Folensbee-Moore at bfolensbee-mooreatmorganlewis.com

November 2011 

November 1, 2011, 6-8pm: Taxonomy Update, Presented in partnership with the Taxonomy Division. Speaker Gail Rayburn, Enterprise Taxonomist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, Location TBD, Contact dcslaprograms@gmail.com for more information.



November 3, 2011, 6-7:30pm: DC/SLA Board Meeting, Dow Jones, 1025 Connecticut Ave, NW, 11th Floor, Suite 1100, Washington, D.C. 20036.

November 16, 2011, 6-7pm: DCSLA Fiction Book Club, Please RSVP: Barbara FolensbeeMoore at bfolensbee-mooreatmorganlewis.com



December 2011 

December 8, 2011, 6-8:30 pm: Annual Meeting and Holiday Reception, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington, DC, METRO: Dupont Circle (Red), Contact dcslaprograms@gmail.com for more information.

Chapter Notes | June/July, 2011 | Volume 72, No. 4 | Page 16