Annual Swap & Shop
The Marketing Section of the Library Management Division will host the Annual Marketing "Swap & Shop" Competition on Monday and Tuesday June 12, 2001 in the Exhibit Hall at the Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX. The Swap & Shop provides the opportunity for SLA members to exchange marketing tips, tricks, and ideas. Promotional materials are on exhibit for attendees to peruse for their own marketing ideas. During the afternoon, conference attendees judge the entries and winners are awarded CASH and other prizes following the conference.
We encourage you to submit your library's marketing tools to Swap & Shop. Send us whatever you use to sell and promote your library everything from fact sheets and brochures to pens and notepads to videos and web sites!
All participants must use the entry form on the SLA-LMD website. Follow-up will be significantly easier if all information is provided in electronic format! http://www.sla.org/division/dlmd/mkt_sect/s&s1.htm All entries are due by April 27, 2001. Prizes will be awarded by August 31, 2001. The entry form, submission address, and contact information are located on the LMD site.
Sponsored by Factiva, the First, Second and Third place awards will be given the categories below. First Place winners will receive $100 cash and a plaque, Second Place winners will receive $75 cash and a plaque, and Third Place winners will receive a plaque.
Should You Be an Award Winner?
The Engineering Division Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2001/2002 Ei/SLA Engineering Librarian Award. This award is offered annually to honor a member of the Engineering Division. The award, sponsored by Engineering Information Inc, highlights the accomplishments and contributions of members of the Engineering Librarian profession. Recognition comes in the form of a $1,000 stipend, a plaque and a presentation at the annual Engineering Division's business meeting luncheon held during the annual SLA conference. Based on criteria developed jointly with Ei, the year 2001 winner will be selected by members of the Engineering Division's Awards Committee. Prospective candidates are encouraged to nominate themselves, or an associate may nominate them. The Awards Committee must receive completed applications by April 30. Criteria for entry are: Membership in good standing for one year in the SLA Engineering Division as of January 1 of the year in which the award is given. Distinguished achievement in the engineering library profession, through an exceptional contribution on the job, within the SLA Engineering Division, or within the industry at large. This accomplishment should have taken place within the calendar year immediately preceding the nomination; however, in selected cases, based solely on the Awards Committee's judgment, recognition may be given for an ongoing, long term contribution.
The Ei/SLA Engineering Librarian Award Winner for 2000/2001 is Patricia Parker. Currently a librarian at Grand Valley State University, the majority of her work during the award year and before was performed at Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc., an engineering firm in Ada, Michigan. Her unique contributions are in the areas of outreach and cooperation while providing excellent services as an information specialist to her firm. She believes that while corporate libraries may have small collections of resources, they have large amounts of expertise to offer academic, public and other libraries in such areas as professional development and in-service training. She initiated several projects and grants that enhanced the cooperation in resource sharing among multi-type libraries in her area.
Hudson Valley Chapter to Conduct Study on Chapter Viability
The Hudson Valley Chapter has been awarded a $7,000 Endowment fund grant by SLA's Board of Directors for a study on "Determining the Best Strategies for the Future." The grant will support programs that further the scientific, literary, and educational purpose of the Association.
The fact-finding, solution-oriented project will create a template for evaluating and invigorating the viability of small and medium sized chapters and the virtual role within SLA with readily transferable applications to be shared with other Association units. The project will also attempt to identify those benefits most highly valued among members that influence them to retain their membership and the direction the chapter should take to best meet these needs. The project is scheduled to be completed by June, 2002.
The Hudson Valley Chapter proposal was evaluated by SLA's Endowment Fund Grants Committee based on merit and feasibility and recommended to the SLA Board of Directors for approval during their business meeting at the Global 2000 Conference.
SLA Geography and Map Division Geographic Information Systems Awareness Project
SLA's Board of Directors has awarded a $5,700 Endowment fund grant to the Geography and Map Division for a "Geographic Information Systems Awareness Project." The grant will support programs that further the scientific, literary, and educational purpose of the Association.
The project will attempt to establish an Association-wide resource for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) awareness. The SLA membership will benefit by increasing the understanding of the various applications of this new information technology as more libraries and information centers incorporate GIS into their patron service operations. The 2001, 2002, and 2003 SLA Annual Conferences will serve as the venue for the project. Other SLA units will be encouraged to use the available resources. The three-year project will end July, 2003.
The Geography and Map Division proposal was evaluated by SLA's Endowment Fund Grants Committee based on merit and feasibility and recommended to the SLA Board of Directors for approval during their business meeting at the Global 2000 Conference.
Social Science Division Announces New Award
The Social Science Division of SLA will name the first recipient of "The Gale Group Murray Wortzel Award" at the 92nd Annual Conference of the Special Libraries Association in San Antonio, TX, June 9-14, 2001.
The award, sponsored by The Gale Group, honors Social Science Division leader Murray Wortzel, Librarian at the City University of New York, who died on January 30, 1997. The award recognizes a member of the Social Science Division for special and notable services to the Division. Wortzel's service to the Special Libraries Association included a term as Secretary-Treasurer of the Association and a term as Chair of the Social Science Division. Wortzel was inducted into SLA's Hall of Fame in 1989. Murray Wortzel was a librarian widely known for his excellent professional work and his extensive range of personal interests including social work, foreign languages, music, theater, art, literature and travel.
SLA Urges Authors, Publishers to Settle Differences in Copyright Dispute
SLA's Board of Directors called for publishers and authors to seek consensus through negotiations, rather than wait for the Supreme Court to reach a decision in the matter of Tasini et al v. New York Times.
Tasini vs. The New York Times is the landmark lawsuit brought by members of the National Writers Union against The New York Times Company, Newsday Inc., Time Inc., Lexis-Nexis, and University Microfilms Inc., charging copyright violation regarding the electronic reuse of work produced and sold on a freelance basis. The U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, overturned a lower court ruling in favor of the publishers. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the case.
The SLA Board of Directors cited several issues as factors in its decision:
· That copyright law was truly intended to be balanced "to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries" (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8).
· That SLA's membership is diverse in its practices and interests, including many information professionals who are authors or work for publishing interests.
· That a finding in support of the authors could set in motion several responses by the publishing community, including price increases to offset increased fees for use of freelance articles, or the removal of a substantial portion of archived articles.
· That a decision by the Supreme Court regardless of the outcome would be damaging to the global community of information users. A victory by the publishers would produce a chilling effect on the creation of articles by freelance writers, while a finding in favor of the authors would likely mean higher costs and/or reduced access for the most important players in the information game the users.
In echoing the sentiments of the SLA Board, David R. Bender, Ph.D., the Association's executive director, emphasized that the parties need to put aside their commercial interests and reach a compromise that will benefit everyone. "We believe the publishers and writers are in an excellent position to resolve this matter without the Supreme Court's intervention, and the world community of information professionals and their users deserve that kind of outcome." When asked about his thoughts on the possibility of a compromise, Bender observed that "we certainly appreciate that the writers deserve to be compensated for their work, and that the publishers want to limit their exposure in this situation; but they must strive to find a consensus, for a decision by the court could possibly be a devastating blow to the flow of information globally."
EU Copyright Directive
The European Parliament vote on the EU Copyright Directive concluded to maintain the spirit of the Common Position text and rejected a number of highly damaging amendments. The provisions for libraries, archives, student and researchers were safeguarded and represent an improvement over the first reading in Parliament. However, there has been a further narrowing of the private copying provision (Art. 5.2.b) and an improvement to Art. 6.4.4 was not adopted. For those interested, the amendments adopted are 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15. The amendments can be found at the Parliament http://www.europar.eu.int_ under plenary and the document number is A5/43/01 Boselli report.
Syracuse Announces New Award Competition for Librarians
The School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, has announced a new award competition for librarians in all areas of the profession. The 21st-Century Librarian Award will recognize a librarian who has been a leader in the evolution of librarianship in our increasingly global and digital information environment. The award is a project of students in Syracuse's MLS program, who have developed the criteria for the award and will judge the applications and make the final decisions. This is the first annual competition for what is hoped will become a major award in this field. This year's award carries a cash prize of $5,000.
Candidates for the award may be nominated by others or may submit applications on their own behalf. The deadline for applications is March 30, 2001. Details about the 21st-Century Librarian Award are available at http://istweb.syr.edu/librarianaward/.
SLA Partners with Expo Exchange to Ensure Faster Registration Process for San Antonio
In order to serve our attendees better, SLA has partnered with ExpoExchange to handle all registrations for the 92nd Annual Conference in San Antonio. This partnership will allow for faster registration processing and delivery of confirmations. Confirmations will be sent via e-mail to all registrants who provide a valid e-mail address. If no e-mail address is given, but a fax number is provided, confirmations will be faxed. Confirmations will only be mailed to those individuals who do not provide a valid e-mail or fax number. Don't forget to keep a copy of your confirmation and bring it with you to San Antonio.
Please remember that payment must accompany all registrations (checks are still to be made payable to Special Libraries Association) and can be forwarded to ExpoExchange at:
SLA
c/o ExpoExchange
PO Box 3379
Frederick, MD 21705-3379 USA
If you wish to register by fax with a valid credit card you can fax ExpoExchange at: 1-301-694-5124
Additionally, ExpoExchange will have fifteen (15) customer service representatives available to handle your inquiries concerning your registration, between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm eastern standard time. Please call ExpoExchange at, 301-694-5243 for questions concerning your registration.
SLA Honors Retiring Executive Director, Establishing the Bender Fund for International Development
SLA announces the creation of the David R. Bender Fund for International Development, a new endowment named in honor of its executive director, David R. Bender, Ph.D., who will retire on July 31, 2001. The SLA Board of Directors approved the creation of the Bender Fund during a recent meeting in Savannah, GA, USA. The fund will support SLA's international membership development activities and fellowships that expand the influence of the Association.
The Bender Fund was created in recognition of the longtime SLA leader's exceptional leadership abilities and longstanding commitment to expanding the influence of the Association on a global scale by promoting SLA to the international community of librarians on a personal level during his twenty-two year tenure.
"I don't know of a more fitting way to honor David's legacy to SLA than to establish a fund named in his honor that will carry on his work," said SLA President Donna W. Scheeder. "Thanks to his guidance, SLA is a leader in the global information society and the Bender Fund will guarantee our future place of influence."
Efforts of SLA Student Members Gross More than $5,000
Library services available to teens at the Clarion Free Library soon will be enriched by the addition of more than $5,000 worth of new materials, thanks to the efforts of student members of the Special Libraries Association at Clarion University in Pennsylvania.
According to William Buchanan, associate professor of library science at Clarion University and a co-advisor to the SLA student group, the funds to purchase the materials are the result of two grants developed and written by students in the organization. A grant of $5,000 is from The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and second grant for $400 is from Allegheny Energy, Inc. "SLA exists to help students learn more about professional librarianship as well as to provide a vehicle for developing and implementing service projects related to libraries," said Buchanan. "One of the SLA students, Lisa McCartney, learned of the need for more teen resources while volunteering at the Clarion Free Library, and it was really at her instigation that SLA decided to try to locate grant money to begin building a collection of teen materials."
SLA is an official student organization in Clarion University's Department of Library Science, one of only 50 library science programs in the nation to be accredited by the American Library Association.
For more information on the department or on the SLA student organization, visit the department's web site at www.clarion.edu/libsci, or call 814-393-2271.
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