Incoming 2010 SLA Division Cabinet Chair-elect
Mary Ellen Bates
Biography
Mary Ellen Bates is the owner of Bates Information Services, providing business research for business professionals and special librarians, and consulting and training services for the information industry. She is a frequently-requested keynote speaker, and has given workshops on four of the seven continents. She is the author of six books on the information industry, including Building and Running a Successful Research Business, Mining for Gold on the Internet and Researching Online for Dummies. She is a columnist for Online and EContent magazines, the contributing editor of The Information Advisor, and the author of innumerable articles. She also blogs at www.LibrarianOfFortune.com.
Prior to starting her business in 1991, she worked for over a decade as a special librarian. She began her career as an information specialist for a law firm in San Francisco, which piqued her interest in the profession and drew her to an MLS degree. She also worked for the research arm of the federal court system, for a research company and for a large communications company.
She has served SLA as chair of the Telecommunications Division (which merged with the Information Technology Division), as government relations chair and international relations chair for the Telecommunications Division, as convener of the GLBT Caucus, as hospitality chair of the Washington DC Chapter, and as list manager for the IT Division and GLBT Caucus. She has received the Telecommunications Division's Member of the Year and the Washington DC Chapter's Member of the Year awards. She has also received the SLA Professional Award for her contributions to the information profession.
In addition to her SLA activities, Mary Ellen has served twice as president of the Association of Independent Information Professionals, and managed its private email discussion list for a number of years. She now plans, organizes and runs monthly professional development webinars for AIIP. She was given AIIP's first Sue Rugge Award, recognizing her helping of others through formal and informal mentoring.
Mary Ellen received her MLS from the University of California, Berkeley, and her BA in mathematical philosophy from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She, her partner and her dogs live at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, where she enjoys high-altitude gardening and running.
RSS
Feedback form
