SLA NEWS

Icon of the Global Library Community To Retire in 2001
David R. Bender, Ph.D., the Executive Director of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) for twenty-one years, announced his forthcoming retirement at the close of the Association's 91st Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Citing that "these may be the best of times" for SLA, Dr. Bender determined that "the time for significant changes in leadership ... is during good times." His retirement will officially begin July 31, 2001. Association sources say that the search for Dr. Bender's successor will begin immediately.

In his remarks to SLA's Board of Directors on June 15, Dr. Bender proclaimed that "being Executive Director of the Special Libraries Association is the best job in the world! For twenty-one exciting and productive years, I have worked with members and staff to make SLA a vibrant, ever-changing, and ever-growing professional association. I am sincerely thankful for the opportunity to have enjoyed this extraordinary and enriching period in my professional and personal life. It's been a thrill and a joy."

Reacting to the news, SLA President Donna Scheeder remarked that "SLA has been very fortunate to benefit from David's leadership, vision, and knowledge over such a long period of time. During a remarkable twenty years, he has achieved an enviable list of accomplishments, including the growth of SLA into a global organization, the move of its headquarters, and the development of the Virtual Association that has benefitted us all. Most associations lack the kind of quality and length of service in their chief staff officers that our profession has experienced in David. We are going to miss him terribly."

Dr. Bender established his career as a librarian from 1964 to 1971, working in public, secondary educational, and university environments. He continued that work while studying to receive a doctoral degree in curriculum and foundations at The Ohio State University. During and after his doctoral studies, Dr. Bender worked at the Maryland State Department of Education as Branch Chief of the School Library Media Services Branch. He served in that capacity until July of 1979, when he became Executive Director of SLA. While working for the State of Maryland, Dr. Bender also lectured on library and information science at Towson State University in Baltimore, Maryland, and at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He has been published extensively and served as a consultant on library services and association management throughout the world.

Dr. Bender also possesses a Master's degree in Library Science from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, which he earned in 1969. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a Minor in Library Science in 1964 from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

During Dr. Bender's stewardship, SLA has grown substantially, from a largely North American organization with an operating budget of less than US$1 million to a global and virtual association with a US$9 million operating budget. In 1979, he began his service as Executive Director of an association of approximately 11,000 information professionals in 49 chapters and 29 subject-specific divisions, most of whom worked in the United States. He oversaw the relocation of the Association's headquarters from New York City to Washington, D.C. in 1985. Through his leadership, SLA took bold steps to lead the profession through many changes that resulted in a membership prepared to meet challenges and adapt to change quickly in the workplace. He leaves SLA with nearly 14,000 members in 60 countries around the world, working together in 57 chapters, 25 divisions, and 12 interest-related caucuses. Through Dr. Bender's vision, SLA evolved into a globally oriented professional association, expanding its services and providing access to its worldwide membership through a variety of methods, regardless of time or location.

Scott Wins Outstanding Service to Librarianship Award
Dr. Marianne Scott, who recently retired as Canada's National Librarian, is this year's winner of the Canadian Library Association's (CLA) Outstanding Service to Librarianship Award. This award is the highest honor granted by CLA and is given annually for distinguished service in the field of Canadian Librarianship.

Scott has had a distinguished record of library service for almost five decades. She started working at the Bank of Montreal, then she went to McGill where she worked as a law librarian from 1955–1984. By the time she left McGill, she held the position of Director of Libraries. Her last fifteen years before retirement were as the National Librarian of Canada.

Scott is a honorary member of the Special Libraries Association and an active member of over twenty-three other local, national, and international associations. She served as President of the CLA from 1981–82.

The award was presented to Scott at the annual conference of the Canadian Library Association, held June 21–25 at the Shaw Convention Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

CIA Librarian Recognized for Promoting Librarianship
The Special Libraries Association recognized Kimberley W. Condas of the Central Intelligence Agency Library and Information Center as the winner of the 2000 International Special Librarians Day (ISLD) Award. The award recognizes the special public relations efforts made by an SLA member or group of members who most effectively takes advantage of International Special Librarians Day to promote their own libraries and the profession. Condas received the award during SLA's 91st Annual Conference, held recently in Philadelphia, PA.

Condas chaired a committee that developed promotional materials to promote ISLD 2000 to CIA staff. Building on the theme for this years ISLD, "Navigating the World's Knowledge," the library held a variety of events to showcase and bring recognition to its special library. A graphic artist designed posters, bookmarks, table tents, signs, and invitations for CIA employees. The event was advertised in "What's News at CIA," an employee newsletter. The committee hosted self-guided tours, games and demonstrations to feature selected library services and collections. John McLaughlin, deputy director of Intelligence, spoke briefly about the importance of information at the CIA and the impact of its library. More than 500 employees attended the event, and many departed with a better awareness of the value of the library and its resources.

International Special Librarians Day is an annual event celebrated during National Library Week in the United States. Members of SLA and non-members are encouraged to promote the services they provide to their users, customers, and management within their organizations. The award is selected by SLA's Public Relations Committee which reviews nominations and reports its selection to the SLA Board of Directors.

Call for Papers—
San Antonio 2001 Contributed Papers Session
The SLA Science–Technology Division is planning a Contributed Papers Session for the San Antonio Conference June 9–14, 2001.

Eligibility: Any SLA member is welcome to submit an abstract for consideration.

Theme: Managing the Delivery of Electronic Journals: Issues for a Science–Technical Library.

How are you organizing electronic journals for your clientele? Do you provide links from the library catalog or facilitate access via another access point (web-page, database, commercial service, multiple access points, etc.)? What policies do you have in place regarding access, proxy, or otherwise to electronic journals? How do you measure the use of these journals? Do you duplicate print editions or are you canceling the print in favor of the electronic? In all cases? How have electronic journals affected your use of interlibrary loan or document delivery? How do you promote the existence of these resources to your clientele? How do you train your patrons in the effective utilization of these resources? What challenges have you faced in delivering this format to your patrons and what issues do you see in the future?

Abstract: Submit your proposal in the form of a 300–500 word abstract. Be sure to include the paper's topic, scope, methodology, and conclusions or results.

Criteria: Criteria for review will include relevance to the session theme and evidence of scholarship. Preference will be given to members of the Science–Technology Division.

Deadline for Submission: October 16, 2000. (If you have difficulty meeting this deadline, please contact James Manasco for a short extension.)

PAPERS: If your paper is one of those selected for presentation, you will be expected to 1) submit the complete text of your paper to the program convener by March 16, 2001; 2) present your paper at the San Antonio SLA annual conference (20 minutes allowed); and 3) allow your paper to be printed in session preprints and/or mounted on the Science–Technology Division's Website.

Submit Abstract (e-mail preferred) to:
James E. Manasco
Head Librarian
Shaver Engineering Library
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506-0046
Phone: 1-859-257-8358
Fax: 1-859-323-1911
E-mail: manasco@pop.uky.edu

ERM Presents Award
The Environment and Resource Management Division (ERM) recognized Mary Ann Mahoney as the division's 2000 outstanding member award. Mahoney has served as the newsletter editor from 1994-1996 and still contributes pieces to the ERMD News. She was the 1997-1998 division chair and she managed the 1998-1999 conference when the division chair was not able to attend the meeting. Mahoney has also produced two membership directories with the help of Tim De Wolf. Mahoney is the Chemistry Librarian at the University of California Berkeley.

Engineering Division Announces INSPEC Travel Stipend Award Winner
Donna Braquet a student at the School of Library and Information Science at Louisiana State University is the winner of the 1999/2000 INSPEC Travel Stipend Award administered by the SLA Engineering Division. The topic of the 1999/2000 winning essay is how library education must change to meet the challenge of new or emerging technologies. Donna was honored at the Engineering Division annual business meeting held during the June, 2000 SLA Annual Conference in Philadelphia.

The $500.00 INSPEC Travel Award assists library school students toward payment of expenses incurred while attending the annual Special Libraries Association conference.

Physics Astronomy Mathematics Division Presents Two Awards
The PAM Achievement Award honors members whose professional work is marked by distinction and dedication to librarianship, and who contribute to the division. Liz Bryson, a past chair, and Karen Croneis, chair of PAM's Strategic Planning Committee were honored for providing the energy and leadership to conduct a survey and prepare a strategic plan to guide the division into the new millennium. The survey findings and subsequent Strategic Plan serve as invaluable guiding principles for the current leadership and will continue to do so in the future.

The PAM Division Award recognizes work that improves the exchange of information in the fields of physics math or astronomy, that benefits libraries, and that enhances the ability to provide service. Professor Maurice Bruynooghe of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, ex editor-in-chief of the Journal of Logic Programming (JLP), was honored for recognizing the difficulty of increasing journal costs for both libraries and scholars, and for taking steps towards change within the scholarly community. In November 1999 the entire editorial board of JLP resigned after months of unsuccessful negotiations on the price of subscriptions and founded a new journal, Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP), at a university press. The Association for Logic Programming adopted TPLP as the sole official journal of the Association.

Rollo, Bibby, Chindlund, and Pearlstein Receive Primark Award.
Two Primark Awards for Outstanding Achievement In Business Librarianship were given at the Annual Meeting of the Business & Finance Division, on June 13, 2000. The team of Liz Bibby, Jan Chindlund and Toby Pearlstein were recognized for their outstanding work on both the Mentoring Video and the Mentoring Initiative. The Mentoring Video was distributed to all SLA Chapters. The Mentoring Initiative can be found on the B&F Website at http://www.slabf.org/. Pamela Rollo was recognized for her outstanding contributions to the Business & Finance Division.