SLA Board of Directors Appoints Oxbrow
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) announced that Nigel Oxbrow has been appointed to the SLA Board of Directors. Oxbrow will fill the vacancy of director Karen Kreizman-Reczek who will now serve as division chair-elect following the resignation of Karen Bleakley.
The SLA Board of Directors appointed Oxbrow during the SLA Winter Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. He will make his first official appearance at the SLA Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California, June 8-13, 2002. His term as director will run through 2003.
Oxbrow is founder and chief executive of TFPL, the international information and knowledge management research, consultancy, and recruitment company. He has been an active member of SLA since 1983, serving in a multitude of functions at the chapter and division-levels. He served as president of the European Chapter (1992-1994); director of the Business and Finance Division (1997-1998); membership chair of the European Chapter (1992-1999) and (1999-2000); and as a member of the Professional Development Committee (1998-2001). During the 2001 SLA Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas, Oxbrow was named an SLA Fellow.
SLA President Hope N. Tillman remarked, "On behalf of the SLA Board of Directors, I would like to welcome Nigel Oxbrow to the board. Nigel was one of those made Fellow this past June with the expectation of future service to the association. We are pleased to be able to turn to him now to make use of his global experience and expertise in knowledge management and the information profession."
For more information on Nigel Oxbrow or SLA's Board members, visit Virtual SLA at www.sla.org or call the SLA Public Relations' office at 202-939-3633; e-mail Anthony@sla.org.
Expanding Global Knowledge Frontiers on April 18th
On Thursday April 18, the global information community will acknowledge the pivotal impact of information professionals and special librarians around the world by celebrating International Special Librarians Day (ISLD).
The theme for this year's ISLD, "Leadership, Partnership, Membership: Expanding Global Knowledge Frontiers," is a joint moniker submitted to the ISLD selection committee by the Rio Grande Chapter of SLA and SLA member Marcella Barnhart. The winning theme captures the unique spirit and drive of information professionals as they unite on a global quest to expand new frontiers of knowledge.
Established in 1991 by SLA in conjunction with National Library Week, International Special Librarians Day provides an opportunity for information professionals to promote the services they provide to their users, customers, and management within their organizations and to external communities with promotional tools provided by SLA.
ISLD is sponsored by SLA and Factiva, a Dow Jones & Reuters Company. For more information, please visit the ISLD section of Virtual SLA at www.sla.org or call the SLA Public Relations' office at 202-939-3633; email Anthony@sla.org.
Ei/SLA Engineering Librarian Award
SLA's Engineering Division Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2001-02 Ei/SLA Engineering Library Award. This annual award, sponsored by Engineering Information Inc., highlights the accomplishments and contributions of engineering librarian professionals. The award recipient receives a $1,000 stipend, a plaque and a presentation at the business meeting luncheon during SLA's Annual Conference.
Based on criteria developed jointly with Ei, this year's 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.
Magaret Ross, librarian and information officer of EMS Technologies Canada, Ltd., received the 2000-01 award for her work in developing the Librarian's Resource Centre (http://www.lrcsearch.com).
Criteria for entry can be found at http://www.sla.org/division/deng/EI_award.html.
The Awards Committee must receive completed applications by May 3, 2002.
For more information, contact: SLA Engineering Awards Chair David Hook, MD Robotics, Ltd. 9445 Airport Rd., Brampton, Ontario, Canada, L6S 4J3, dhook@mdrobotics.ca.
Library Management Division Creates New Section
The Special Libraries Association (SLA), Library Management Division (LMD) announces a new section within the division called Competitive Intelligence (CI).
The new section will provide a forum for CI practitioners and leaders to get more involved in the exchanging of ideas, sharing of information informally and formally, and learning new tools to get to the next level in the profession.
The LMD Board of Directors decision was based on the premise that the CI section will attract leaders, managers, and practitioners in the competitive intelligence arena, resulting in an open forum for knowledge transfer and information exchange among CI practitioners and LMD members.
For more information about the CI section or the Library Management Division, please contact Mala Sistla, CI Section chair at msistla@skcpg.com or Renee Massoud, Library Management Division chair at rmassoud@kpmg.com.
SLA Minnesota Chapter Presents Quality in Action Award
During the Minnesota Chapter's September 2001 meeting Kristine Spanier (Past Career Guidance, Affirmative Action chair, MN Chapter) and Elizabeth Meylor (Solo Chair, MN Chapter) were presented with the 2001 Quality in Action Award for their role in developing the chapter's mentoring program. Kristine and Elizabeth investigated other chapter programs and organization mentoring initiatives and then developed a program tailored to meet chapter needs. The program was developed with the purpose of fostering a relationship with the recently organized MN Student Chapter. The program was also developed to include solo librarians, information professionals new to the business, and information professional who had recently changed roles. Regularly monitored for effectiveness and its flexible structure, the program is made to fit the lifestyles and schedules of the participants.
Transportation Division Professional Achievement Award
The Transportation Division Executive Board is pleased to announce Jeanne Thomas, recently retired Head of the Michigan Department of Transportation Information Services Center, as the 2002 recipient of the Professional Achievement award. During the course of her 15-plus years with the division, she has distinguished herself as one of the division's strongest, most hardworking leaders.
Thomas has chaired or been an active member of virtually every division committee, project or task force since the mid-1980s. She served as one of the division's most active chairs in 1992/1993, just after spending three years as division secretary/treasurer. Thomas has made several presentations at the SLA Annual Conference and has published numerous articles for the Transportation Division Bulletin.
Thomas' professional activities outside of the division are also noteworthy. She has served on a variety of Transportation Research Board committees and National Cooperative Highway research projects. She is just now completing a three-year appointment as the first Chair of TRB's recently organized Library & Information Science in Transportation Committee and has agreed to remain an active member of the committee for an additional three years.
The award was presented to Thomas at the Transportation Research Board Annual Conference in January 2002 at the LIST Committee Meeting held at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.
The Transportation Division Professional Achievement Award is given to a past or present member of the division on the basis of outstanding contribution and/or service to the Transportation Division. This contribution and/or service may take the form of contributions to library and transportation literature or bibliography, to the work and effectiveness of SLA and the division, or to the transportation field through organizational work or publication. The purpose of the award is to honor those who have rendered distinguished service or have made a significant contribution to transportation libraries and librarianship.
Librarians In the News
First Lady Announces Initiative for New Librarians
While visiting the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library in Kansas in early January, Laura Bush announced a proposed $10 million initiative to recruit a new generation of librarians for 2003.
Funds would be used in various recruitment efforts such as scholarships and fellowships for Master's programs; support for doctoral students; leadership development; distance learning for rural areas; and efforts to recruit librarians to serve diverse communities with various language skills.
The initiative would be managed by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS).
Longtime SLA Member Passes Away
Kathryn D. Blackwell, born in 1910 in St. Joseph, Mo., and a member of SLA since 1945, died Dec. 27, 2001.
Educated at the University of Minnesota, Blackwell received her B.S. in library sciences in 1945; a B.A. in English literature and history in 1956; and a M.A. in American studies and library science in 1957.
From 1945 to 1960 Blackwell worked as a librarian at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. In 1960 she began working for the Minnesota College of Art and Design as an assistant professor and head librarian. After 1963 she became an associate professor while continuing her work with the library. By 1975 she had become director of the Minnesota College of Art and Design library.
Blackwell was an active member of the American Library Association, Special Libraries Association, and the Minnesota Library Association. She was involved with the Evening Friends of Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Twin Cities Chapter of Arts Libraries Society of North America, and ZONTA. Blackwell also facilitated the establishment of two new libraries at St. Therese Residence in New Hope, Minn.
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