The post #SLAtalk Roundup! Teaching Users to Fish appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

On its face, neither development is of much import. The report notes that in the short term, robots will have the greatest impact in national defense, space exploration, and manufacturing, three sectors in which they are already widely used. The gun test, meanwhile, left its brainchild, a 25-year-old law student and self-described anarchist, disappointed with the results (not so Rep. Steve Israel, who reacted to the test by calling for revisions to the Undetectable Firearms Act, which bans any firearm that doesn’t trigger a metal detector).

What is important about the report and the gun test is what they represent: new wrinkles in the changing relationship between people and technology. And while both developments may seem ominous for information professionals–the former because it heralds the rise of yet another technology that could perform some tasks traditionally performed by librarians, the latter because it marks another example of people doing for themselves what they used to rely on others to do for them–both also hold promise as well.

That’s the view of Erik Brynjolfsson, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-author of Race Against the Machine (Digital Frontier Press 2011). Brynjolfsson’s research passion is the relationship between humans and machines, and he refuses to see technology vs. humanity as a zero-sum game.

“Machines aren’t perfect or even very good substitutes for humans in some areas,” he said recently in an interview with McKinsey. “But by working together, by racing with machines, we can do more than the machines by themselves or humans by themselves could do.”

To learn more about what Brynjolfsson has to say about people and technological developments (including big data, which he puts “at the top or near the top of the list” of innovations that will have dramatic impacts over the next 5-10 years), listen to the interview or read the edited transcript.

The post Robots at the Help Desk? appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

When:

2 choices on Tuesday, April 9th:
Session #1 at 18:30
GMT (1:30 pm Eastern / 10:30 am Pacific)
Session #2 at 00:00 GMT (7:00 pm Eastern / 4:00 pm
Pacific)

Questions
to Answer:

1. What
   subjects or skills do you wish you were taught or exposed to in library school?
   -Session
   #1: 18:30 – 18:45 GMT
   -Session
   #2: 00:00 – 00:15 GMT
2. What
   was your favorite class or project in LIS school? How have you applied what you
   learned to your career?
   -Session
   #1: 18:45 – 19:00 GMT
   -Session
   #2: 00:15 – 00:30 GMT
3. What
   formal supplemental education, if any, did you pursue after library school?
   -Session #1: 19:00 – 19:15 GMT
   -Session #2: 00:30 – 00:45 GMT
4. What
   recommendations would you give a library school student?
   -Session #1: 19:15 – 19:30 GMT
   -Session #2: 00:45 – 01:00 GMT

In the Spirit of Organization:

By splitting the questions into 15-minute intervals we
can keep the discussion organized and make it easier for participants to
interact. We’ll help by tweeting the appropriate question from @SLAhq at the
start of each interval, so take that as your queue to move on.

New
to this?

Check out “How
to #SLAtalk” for helpful tips, as well as the recap
of the first installment to see example-tweets from several participants.

Prepare
with some light reading:

“Preparing
Future Professionals through Broad Competency Planning,” from the Jan/Feb ’12 issue of Information
Outlook.

Not an SLA member? To access these articles, join SLA, or contact us to receive temporary access.

Following the session:

Check back into this SLA Blog
post after the #SLAtalk, where we’ll post some of the best ideas that you all
have tweeted. Notice your tweet being favorited from @SLAhq? Your handle
and tweet will be posted here!

The post #SLAtalk: What would you tell your past MLIS-student self? appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

Two sessions will be held so information professionals across the globe can participate at a convenient time.

When:

2 choices on Tuesday, March 5^th
Session #1 at 18:30 GMT (1:30 pm Eastern / 10:30 am Pacific)
Session #2 at 00:00 GMT (7:00 pm Eastern / 4:00 pm Pacific)

Questions to answer:

1. What’s a successful job hunting method that helped you land you your current job?
2. What’s a profession-specific way you’ve prepared for an interview that worked for you?
3. What are key organizational traits you look for during an interview or online job search?
4. How did you empower yourself to move ahead at your job? or what skills did you learn which led to your career growth?

…or ask your own question/share your own idea related to this topic!

Hashtag:

Tag your answers with #SLAtalk and the number of the question you’re answering.  For those wondering, #SLAchat is now used by the fine folks at Sporting Life Arkansas.

Start thinking with some light reading ahead of time:

“Networking for Introverts,”
from the March/April ’12 issue of Information Outlook
“Future Now: Operation Agility,” from the Jan/Feb ’12 issue of Information Outlook
“Dressing Like We Mean It,”
from the March ’11 issue of Information Outlook

Not an SLA member? To access these articles, join SLA, or contact us to receive temporary access.

Following the session:

Check back into this SLA Blog post after the #SLAtalk, where we’ll post some of the best ideas that you all have tweeted. Notice your tweet being favorited from @SLAhq? Your handle and tweet will be posted here!

The post Job Hunting and Career Growth: an #SLAtalk! appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

If you've seen recent Samsung Galaxy 3 ads (40 seconds in), they portray NFC: move one smartphone within a few centimeters of another (or tap them if you want to really feel the exchange) to transfer data. The data could be a video, an e-mail, files, anything really (that fits within copyright law). The technology also works by pairing a 'tag' with a smartphone. This concept is more similar to accessing data via QR codes, but still easier because if your phone is compatible, it works with the tag, (almost) no questions asked.

The #SLAchat question: how might you use this technology to provide access to information? Here are 3 of Sophia's bright ideas to start:

"Idea 1: Use NFC sticker tags to make "smart" books. If you work in an organization where your colleagues yearn for easy access to book reviews while browsing the library collection, NFC can be your solution. With NFC tags, you can place a sticker tag on the book's cover and program it so that it links to a page of reviews to help your patrons decide if the book is right for them."

"Idea 2: Make "smart" posters. Create a smart poster that can pass along information to employees with a quick tap. All you need to do is affix a preprogrammed tag to an already existing poster and note that the poster is NFC-enabled. Cut down on your organization's silos by creating a poster that provides messages and updates from your organization's leaders and their departments. On their walk into work, employees can tap the tags that are of interest to them and get updates on important things going on within the organization."

"Idea 3: Use NFC in your information literacy training program. For example, if you provide information center orientations to new employees, create a tag with links to the resources you describe. Instead of giving these employees a list of resources and links on paper, give them an NFC tag that contains the resource information within the tag. This is not only an efficient means of sharing information, it also decreases the problem of having training sheets lost or thrown away."

The post #SLAchat: Why adopt Near Field Communication (NFC) at Work? appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

They've got some very interesting reflections about attending a conference of this scope, variety, and pace for the first time. This commentary was first featured in the Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) Update, Nov. 2012, pp. 30-31. 

Access the full report to read about their unique takeaways: "Five go to Chicago." [PDF download]

The post 5 Early Career Professionals Remark on SLA 2012 appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

A common thread in the letter is clear: focus your efforts on your users.

A few highlights:

"…you need to be leading from the front, with a clearly articulated vision of where you’re taking Facebook.  When the floodwaters are rising, you need to be seen out there waste-deep in leaky waders helping people, pushing boats, rescuing cats and dogs and directing the rescue effort."

"You’re working hard behind the scenes, you say?  Nice, but honestly, it doesn’t matter.  Your company’s stock price is only an indicator—an indicator of confidence by the general public and by investors.   Right now, confidence in Facebook is rapidly diminishing.  And if you’re the 'face' of Facebook, your own confidence index is waning too."

"It all matters.  And when there’s no customer support to address those concerns, most of us will just quit Facebook for good. Leaders in your organization will make a big deal about those concerns, and drive you toward real solutions.  Managers will wring their hands, and often move your entire organization into a kind of 'paralysis by analysis.'"

Read the full letter: http://www.shellypalmer.com/2012/08/an-open-letter-to-mark-zuckerberg/

The post John Fenzel’s Open Letter to Mark Zuckerberg appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

What's one new idea, tool, or thought you took home?

Many of you have already shared your takeaways via blog posts. We hope you enjoy this attempt to list some of them*:
——————-

Slides from the Legal Division's 60 Sites in 60 Minutes: The Last Dash!
     session by John DiGilio & Gayle Lynn-Nelson

Zena Applebaum's "Whoa is Not You"
    post for 3 Geeks and a Law Blog

Daniela Barbosa's "Only the Strongest Professions have the Strongest Associations"
 

Simon Barron's "The Chicago blog post," parts 1, 2, 3, and 4

Sara Batts' "Brief Thoughts on SLA 2012"
 

Solo Division Chair Patrick Clapp's "How Did Success Stories and Suddenly Solo Inspire You?"

Jill Hurst-Wahl's SLA 2012 Posts, including "What's Changed Since Library School?"
 

Ruth Jenkins' "SLA Chicago: A surreal and wonderful experience"
    also by Ruth: "Marketing for the Rest of Us – SLA 2012 session write-up" 
    and: "#SLAChicago: Ruth Jenkins' reflections" (posted to SLA-Europe) 
 

Rebecca Jones' "Eat like a bird, poop like an elephant"
 

Marie Kaddell's "Conference Tweets from Library Focus"

Ruth Kneale's "And then I went to Chicago" parts 1, 2, 3 & 4.

Catherine Lavallee-Welch's "2012 SLA Annual Conference – Chicago"
 

SLA Rio Grande Chapter's "Judy Neff on her #SLAchicago Experience"
    also from the Chapter: "Lori Zipperer on her #SLAchicago Experience" 
 

Valerie Ryder's "Challenges of Buying and Selling Content in 2012"
    also by Valerie: "Contract Negotiation is Not for the Faint of Heart" 
                              "Meaningful Measures: How do Buyers and Sellers Show ROI?" 
                              "Interview with Gayle Gossen, 2012 SLA B&F Impact Award Winner"
                              "Ten Ways to Enchant Your Customers: Guy Kawasaki's Keynote" 
 

Bruce Rosenstein's "My Chicago SLA Days," parts one, two, and three

Bethan Ruddock's "Chicago!"
    also by Bethan: "Chicago redux: unexpected learning" 

Sarah Wolfendon's "SLA Chicago 2012," parts one and two.

And in case you missed it, check out @Eventifier's archive of SLA 2012 images grabbed from the Twittersphere.

*These are the posts I found using #SLAchicago on Twitter. Did I miss yours?  If I did, contact me or comment below, and I'll add yours to this list.

The post Blogroll, Please: SLA 2012 Takeaways appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

A Partnership for Success features Pat Skarulis, VP and CIO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Pat discusses the importance of the information center at one of the premier cancer treatment and research institutions in the world.

Full version: http://my.sla.org/?p=763

Highlights: http://my.sla.org/?p=774

In this episode, Pat Skarulis and Donna Gibson (Director of Library Services for Sloan-Kettering) address questions such as:

-How do the jobs of everyone at Sloan-Kettering depend on the information center team?

-How has a partnership for success (both between Pat and Donna, and between the information center and the rest of Sloan-Kettering) been fostered?

-How is an information center made public-facing, both physically and digitally?

My SLA is seeking your participation. If you and your employer would like to briefly share the dynamic of your teamwork and the role of information services within your organization, shoot me an e-mail.

The post My SLA: The Podcast Speaks with VP of Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

Julia Mair
VP of Marketing, Dow Jones Enterprise

With more than 25 years in the online information industry, Julia Mair currently leads the B2B marketing team for Dow Jones, including Factiva, Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.  Prior to joining Dow Jones, Julia led marketing activities for the academic publishing unit of LexisNexis, a member of Reed Elsevier Group plc.

How would you define professional agility? What does being professional agile mean to you?
The marketing profession and my industry (publishing) are undergoing rapid changes, driven by social and economic forces as well as technology. To me, being professional agile is trying to keep my eyes open to emerging ideas and marketing concepts – like new apps and social media markets. It is also important that my team remains professionally agile, so we must constantly question the way we think about our business, interact with our customers and conduct our day-to-day tasks.

Deb Hunt
Principal, Information Edge

Deb Hunt is currently the SLA President Elect and Principal of Information Edge which empowers clients to find the information they need to do their work. Information Edge specializes in document and digital asset management, knowledge services, professional research and analysis, and library design and automation.

Deb has written for Information Outlook, Freepint, Information World Review (IWR) and other publications and has presented at SLA, Internet Librarian and Createasphere.

How would you define professional agility? What does being professional agile mean to you?
My SLA Presidential theme is "Transform knowledge and expertise into strategic value." As information professionals we must add flexibility, insight, and recognition of opportunity to our essential core skills! We need to move outside our comfort zone into new career areas such as document management, digital and media asset management and knowledge services where there are ample career and earning opportunities. I continue to demonstrate agility as I leap off the edge into new career areas utilizing current skills while investing in continuing education to enhance and grow those skills. 

Anne Caputo
Executive Director, Dow Jones & Company

Anne Caputo is the 2010 President of SLA and works as an advisor and consultant to the Dow Jones Information Professional Market.  She is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland, College of Information Studies where she teaches a course in electronic information retrieval.

How would you define professional agility? What does being professional agile mean to you?
To me professional agility represents the ability to reinvent and refocus critical information skills to the demands of new jobs and new roles.  In the course of my career I have been a trainer, educator, marketing executive, project manager, professional association volunteer and leader and speaker at conferences and events around the world.  Each step required agility and openness to change and new opportunities. 

Mary Ellen Bates
President, Bates Information Services

Mary Ellen Bates is the SLA Division Cabinet Past-Chair and the owner of Bates Information Services, providing business research and analysis for over 20 years. She is a frequent speaker and the author of six books and innumerable articles on the information industry.

How would you define professional agility? What does being professional agile mean to you?
Being professionally agile means fully believing that I both need and want to continue to grow and challenge myself professionally. I assume that I always need to be learning new skills, whether that is creating and editing webinars, becoming proficient in a new application or just making sure I meet with other info pros at least once a month. That is why I so value all the virtual places where I can hook up with other SLA members.

The post Meet the Judges: The Agile Professional ‘Snap & Win’ Contest appeared first on Special Libraries Association.