SLA Name Change Voting Now Open

If you are a paid member of the SLA, then you should have gotten an email sometime late last night telling you that voting for the name change was open. After an initial glitch, there was a second email sent out with dircections on how to vote in the official ballot. The purpose of the vote is to decide on whether or not to change the association's name to the Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals.

Below are the instructions for voting as given in the email.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOTING

Go to the SLA e-vote system at http://www.sla.org/evote
Log in to the system using your SLA UserID and Password shown below
Click on the ballot name -- "2009 SLA Name Change Vote"
Review the proposed change to SLA’s name
At the bottom center of the ballot, click on the "Click to Continue" button
Review the question, then select "Yes" or "No"
Click the "Click to Continue" button
Review your selections, then click the "Vote" button
You have now completed the voting process. Congratulations!
You can view and print your receipt or exit the e-vote system
You will be able to cast your online ballot through 5:00 p.m. ET on 9 December 2009.

If you have any questions regarding the vote, or would like to request a print ballot,
contact the e-vote information center at evote@sla.org or +1.703.647.4950.

Meeting Minutes: November 4, 2009

2009'11 SLA-SC Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, November 4 Meeting Agenda

The November 4th meeting will be a joint meeting with the ALA SC and will be held in the SLIS Commons from 12:30p to 1p. SLA topics will include:

• SLA CEO visit--Janice Lachance, CEO of the SLA, former director of federal government agencies, with a JD certified to practice law in two states and before the Supreme Court will be coming to SLIS on November 9 to speak and have a Q and A section. Pizza and dessert will be provided.
• Fall Tour--The fall tour will be held On Thursday, November 19 from 1-2 pm at the Schwerdtfeger Library. The library is housed in the Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences Building. The tour was previously going to be at the Textiles Library, but there were complications involved with their recent move to a new location.
  
• Leadership opportunities. There are now leadership opportunities available for interested first years.
• Spring events. The floor will be open to any ideas for spring programming.

Hope to see you there.

Minor Change to Meeting Details

The meeting on Wednesday will now be a joint ALA SC and SLA SC meeting. It will still be held in the SLIS Commons, but will now be from 12:30p to 1p, not 12p to 1p. The more the merrier. :)

What's in a Name?: SLA Considering Name Change

There has been an effort in recent years to change the name of the Special Libraries Association. The concept of special libraries is considered to be confusing by some, and others feel that the term librarian is limiting in the technical and business sphere. A few years ago there was a vote to change the name, but it was voted down. Another drive is being made to change the name to the Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals or ASKPro. Anyone interested in reading the alert that was sent out can find it here.

Meeting Minutes: Oct 6, 2009

2009'10 SLA-SC Meeting Minutes

National Library of Medicine Fellowship Application

As seen in the SLIS Listserv there is a fellowship opportunity in the area available. Applications are due Feb 5:

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is accepting applications for its Associate Fellowship program, a one-year training program for recent MLS graduates and librarians early in their career.
In the first half of the year, a formal curriculum offers exposure to library operations, research and development, intramural and extramural research, development and lifecycle of NLM's web-based products and services and the extensive outreach and education program reaching consumers, special populations, health professionals and librarians. In the second half of the year, Associate Fellows have the opportunity to choose projects based on real-world problems proposed by library divisions and work with librarians and library staff over a six-seven month period. Successful projects have led to peer-review publications and to services that have become a regular part of library operations.
The September through August program also offers professional development and an introduction to the wider world of health sciences librarianship that may include:

* Supported attendance at national professional conferences, often
including the Medical Library Association's annual meeting, the
American Medical Informatics Association annual meeting and others
* Spring Practicum at a health sciences library in the contiguous
United States
* Additional brown bags, seminars, field trips and learning
opportunities available on the National Institutes of Health campus
* Opportunities to meet and interact with senior management at the
National Library of Medicine
* Experienced preceptors from National Library of Medicine staff
* Potential to compete for a second year fellowship at a health
sciences library in the United States

The Fellowship offers:

* A stipend equivalent to a U.S. Civil Service salary at the GS-9
level ($50,408 in 2009)
* Additional financial support for the purchase of health insurance
* Some relocation funding
* Assistance in finding housing

Who is eligible?
All U.S. and Canadian citizens who will have earned a MLS or equivalent degree in library/information science from an ALA-accredited school by August 2010. Both recent graduates and librarians early in their career are welcome to apply. Priority is given to U.S. citizens.
Applications and additional information are available on the Web at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/about/training/associate/

Application deadline is February 5, 2010. Between 4 and 7 fellows will be selected for the program.
Feel free to contact Kathel Dunn, Program Coordinator, for further information. She can be reached at 301-435-4083 or dunnk@mail.nih.gov

Meeting Agenda: October 6, 2009

The October 6 meeting will be held in the SLIS Commons from 4:40p to 5:40p. Topics discussed will include:

• Fall tour site and good times
• Upcoming visit from SLA CEO Janice Lachance
• Possible visit from National Library of Medicine Fellow Amy Donahue to discuss the program
• WLA Annual Conference
  

Literacy Network Walk/Run

We decided this year not to put a team together after all. However, everyone is invited to join as an individual or to volunteer at the event. I will be doing the 5K walk and hope to see some other SLIS'ers there on October 4.

Book Cart Drill Team Meeting

From the announcement:

There is a meeting this Wednesday September 30th at 12pm in the SLIS Commons to organize a team for the Book Cart drill competition for the WLA Conference.

This event is on Friday October 23, 10:30-12pm and is the 2nd Annual event. The conference is held in Appleton this year, and team members would only have to attend for the performance which is that Friday. If you are not sure what this exactly entails, search "book cart drill team" on youtube for some fun videos.

The video of our performance from last year can be found on flickr. We are hoping to make this year's performance more energized. Perhaps by incorporating back flips. Hmm...

Membership Application Dues

There is a pdf of a membership application form linked to an earlier entry on this blog. Please disregard it. The annual membership dues for student members of the SLA have increased from $35 to $40. The reasoning behind the increase is explained here. Any students interested in applying for membership to the SLA can access the most recent form here. Membership in the SLA is not required to be a member of the SLA-SC, but there are many benefits that come with membership of the national association. These can be explored on their website.

Fall Tour Sites Survey

After discussion with our faculty supervisor we were able to narrow down the list of campus libraries for our fall tour to: Business Library, Ebling Library, Forest Products Lab Library, Herbarium Library, Law Library, Mills Music Library, Ruth Ketterer Harris Library (Textiles and Design), Schwerdtfeger Library (Space Science and Engineering Center), and Wisconsin Water Library. Please visit the survey to select your top three choices. Once we know which libraries are popular choices, we will move on to negotiating with the libraries for a tour.

SLA-WI Public Speaking Event in Madison

The SLA Wisconsin Chapter is hosting an event in Madison on September 24 about public speaking. Those interested can click on the link to register. The cost is $20 for students. Students need not be members of SLA to attend. Should be a good dinner, networking, and learning opportunity!

PLEASE REGISTER BY SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 online @
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=lbE2YLz1_2fBvh7e3rB8ltqg_3d_3d

PROGRAM:
Speak on Your Feet with Confidence
http://units.sla.org/chapter/cwi/sep09reg.pdf

Public speaking can be a daunting task. One can spend hours preparing their outlines, practicing their presentations, coming up with tricks to engage (or block out) the audience and countless other mind games in order to psych themselves up for the big day. That's all well and good, but what do you do when you're put on the spot? The ball is in your court and you want to make sure not to lose the game for yourself.

Join us as Jim and Pat Hughes, certified Toastmasters, speak to our group about what to do when you've found yourself in the position of having to think fast. They'll share tips and techniques about collecting your thoughts and presenting yourself in a professional and coherent manner in those seemingly impossible situations. Even better, you'll get to practice what you learn right then and there, as there will be audience participation REQUIRED (come early if you need some liquid courage beforehand).

WHEN:
Thursday, September 24, 2009
5:30 pm - Networking
6:00 pm - Meeting
6:45 pm - Dinner

WHERE:
Brocach Irish Pub, Madison, WI
7 W Main St
Madison, WI 53703-3305
(608) 255-2015

Menu options and driving directions are on the program flyer on the website:
http://units.sla.org/chapter/cwi/sep09reg.pdf

Or view the map:
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS281&q=Brocach+Irish+Pub%2C+Madison%2C+WI+&btnG=Google+Search#

QUESTIONS: Please contact your event chair, Kyle Naff at kyle.sla@gmail.com.

WLA Volunteering

I received this attached to an email from the volunteer coordinator for WLA:

The 2009 Wisconsin Library Association Annual Conference is quickly approaching. Join your colleagues to “Reclaim the Magic” at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, in Appleton, October 20-23 and help out by volunteering your time. Volunteers play a vital role at every WLA Conference and contribute to its success, so please consider donating a few hours of your time in Appleton.

The Conference Committee is seeking volunteers for the registration desk. Shifts will be kept short, no more than two hours, so that you won’t miss out on many of the exciting programs. If you enjoy catching up with friends and meeting new people, registration is the place for you!

Registration is open on Tuesday, October 20 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; on Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and on Friday, October 23 from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The Conference Committee is also looking for volunteers to assist presenters with laptops, projectors and other technology needs. If you are looking for an opportunity to be “out and about” during the conference and enjoy troubleshooting technology, this is for you!

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Desiree Bongers at dbongers@riponlibrary.org and include the date(s) and time(s) you are available (morning, afternoon or evening).

Volunteers do not need to be members of WLA. Volunteers who are not attending any programs on the day they volunteer do not need to pay registration fees for that day. Otherwise, all registration fees apply.

Thank you for your consideration. I hope to see many of you at the conference!

Sincerely,

Desiree Bongers

Registration Co-Chair

2009 WLA Conference

9/8/2009 Meeting Minutes

Minutes for the SLA-Student Chapter Meeting

Tuesday, September 8, 2009, 4:40 - 5:40 pm

Present:

Kirstin Duffin (minutes secretary)

LuMarie Guth (chair)

Topics discussed:

1. Potential special library tour sites
1. Tour library on campus during fall semester; go off campus in spring
2. Will create survey for student interest in where to tour (see SLA-SC blog)
2. Upcoming events
1. Advice from Early-Career LIS Professionals Panel
• Tuesday, September 15, 4:45 – 6:15 pm, SLIS Commons, pizza served

Register at http://tinyurl.com/n2kof7

2. Writing Resumes and Cover Letters for LIS Professions
• Thursday, September 24, 11:45 – 1 pm, SLIS Commons, pizza served

Register at http://tinyurl.com/nvv5v2

3. SLIS Colloquium - Personal Health Records, Public Libraries: Early Returns from a Research Study, presented by Catherine Arnott Smith, PhD
• Wednesday, September 30, 12 – 1 pm, SLIS Commons
4. Literacy Network of Dane County Run/Walk
• SLA-SC will cosponsor a team with ALA-SC
• Sunday, October 4, Starts at 10:30 am at State and Gorham
• Join and/or pledge money to the team
• Contact LuMarie Guth or Sloan McBride for details
  

WLA Conference (“Reclaim the Magic” - http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2009/)

• Tuesday, October 20 – Friday, October 23, Radisson Paper Vally Hotel, Appleton, WI
• Student cost is $50 for full attendance, $40 for day pass
• Register at http://web.memberclicks.com/mc/community/eventdetails.do?eventId=227730&orgId=wla
• Sign up to volunteer at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2009/general/Volunteers.htm

• Transportation may be coordinated, if interest exists
• Book cart drill team competition
• Friday, October 23, 10:30 am – 12 pm (check in at 9 am)
• Anyone can be on team, must attend ~4-5 practice sessions (time to be determined)
• Judged on artistic expression and technical ability
• Collaborate with ALA-SC; attend ALA-SC meeting (Wednesday, September 9, 12 – 1 pm) for more information
• Contact LuMarie Guth or Sloan McBride for details
  

Further action items:

1. Suggest guest for special librarian brown bag lunch event later this semester.
2. Sign up to receive email notice of events 24 hours before they occur. The form is available in SLIS mailbox #43.

Visit SLA-SC blog at http://madisonslasc.blogspot.com/ for current event information.

3. Next SLA-SC meeting will be Tuesday, October 6, 4:40 – 5:40 pm in the SLIS Commons.

Meeting Tue Sep 8 and Email Sign-up

The meeting time will be from 4:40 P to 5:40 P on Tuesday in the SLIS Commons. At the Tuesday, September 8th meeting we will be discussing, among other things:

• Upcoming career workshops.
• Upcoming run/walk for literacy on Oct 4.
• Upcoming WLA Convention.
• Possible book cart drill team at the convention.
• Possible fall tour sites.

We switched to a blog format this year to make the group more accessible. We also have a Google Calendar widget that displays upcoming events. If you like, I can add names and emails to a list so that people get email reminders 24-hours before the events. If you are interested please put your name and email on the sign-up sheet in mail box 43. I will also be bringing the sheet to the meeting.

Hope to see you there and have a great Labor Day weekend!

LuMarie

Fall Meeting Times

The SLA-SC usually meets once a month, the second week of each month. I have created a survey of possible meeting times. If you are interested in attending the meetings this fall, please fill out the survey so that I know when the best times are for people.

SLA-SC Co-Sponsoring September Career Events

The SLA-SC will be co-sponsoring two career events put on by SLIS this fall:

• Advice from Early-Career LIS Professionals (Panel and Discussion) on Tuesday, September 15 from 4:45 to 6:15 in the SLIS Commons. A panel of recent graduates will talk about their experiences working in academic libraries, archives, digital collections, public libraries, school libraries, special libraries and youth services. Discussion groups follow the panel. Pizza will be served.

• Writing Resumes and Cover Letters for LIS Professions on Thursday, September 24 from 11:45 to 1:00 in the SLIS Commons. Speakers include John Pollitz, Director of Libraries at UW-Eau Claire; Brad Hughes, Director of UW-Madison's Writing Center; and a recent graduate TBA. Sample resumes and cover letters from recent SLIS graduates (who found jobs!) will be provided.

I went to both of these events last year. The Advice from Early Career-Professionals gives great advice on how to prepare for and conduct your job search. The Writing Resumes and Cover Letters gives out very good writing tips from people involved in hiring and those who were successful in their job searches. I recommend bringing along a resume and cover letter of your own so that you can take notes. After the resume workshop I completely rewrote mine!

The SLA-SC plans on sponsoring other SLIS events this year and will advertise them here as they arise. The SLIS events calendar can be found here.

-LuMarie Guth, Chair

Orientation Update

It looks like Doug Mullin may also be coming to the orienation. Doug is a SLIS Alumnis who has participated in SLA-SC events in the past. He work for Fiskars now. His Linkedin can be seen here.

I will also be participating at the orientation earlier in the day helping students to check in and talking about the special libraries track.

About Kyle Naff

Just thought you might want a bit of his background when thinking about possible topics. For his undergrad he majored in Spanish and minored in business. He went to University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign for his MLIS. You can see his alumni page here. He is currently a business librarian at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. His Linkedin page is here and his website is here.

Orientation News and Student Outreach Night

I contacted Doug Mullin who came to some of the SLA-SC events last year and asked him if there were any handouts I could use at the orientation. He got me in contact with the woman who handles membership at headquarters (HQ!) and she sent me the two .pdf's that are in the previous post. The first is a membership brochure and the second is the SLA application form. There is no charge to be in the student chapter, but there is a formal application if you want to be a member of the SLA.

Doug also got me connected with Kyle Naff, who is the co-chair elect for the Wisconsin Chapter. He believes he will be able to come to the orientation, and is also interested in doing a student outreach night in October or November. Andrea Poehling is getting in touch with him to work out those details, and if the event happens then the SLA-SC will probably sponsor it. Please send in any suggestions for topics you would like to discuse with Mr. Naff. Ideas so far have included public speaking and how to best utilize that first job once you've gotten your MLIS.

Membership Application and Handout

SLA Member Handout
SLA Member App.

Should We Twitter?

After making the last blog post I was thinking about the different ways that you can choose to follow the blog. Many of you may have Bloglines, Google Reader, or something along those lines. Should the Madison SLA-SC have a profile on Twitter and tweet whenever we update the blog?

Also, I made the blog searchable in order to make it more accessible. Because of this I changed the settings for the comments so that they are moderated (in order to limit spam). Let me know if anyone thinks the settings should be changed back.

SLIS Orientation Ideas

Just found out that the SLIS orientation is on September 1st. The SLA-SC will have a booth at the org and is soliciting ideas. Some of the ones we have now are:

• Candy (but what kind? Chocolate? Twizzlers? So many choices! haha)
• Promo material from the GLS marketers (ideally the color changing pencils)
• Laptop to show off blog IF YOU ARE READING THIS AT THE ORIENTATION HI!!! Also to show off the SLA website.
• Recent issues of Information Outlook
• Promo material from SLA about membership
• Information explaining what we do (tours, speakers, etc.)
• Sign-up sheet (but should we have a sign-up sheet if we are trying to avoid emails this year and run off the blog? Or maybe just send out an email with an introduction and link to the blog?)
  
• and...

Any ideas?

Also, we are thinking about doing something after the event in cooperation with the ALA-SC like maybe a pub crawl. It's difficult because the first day of classes is the day after, but it could be doable if it starts at 5ish or something. This is only in the hypothesizing phase right now, so input would be greatly appreciated. Would it be something you would want to go to? Maybe a last summer hurrah?

Testing

Hello all. This is the first post written to test out how the blog will work. We'll see if it's a go.