*Note: The following is from our archived collection of older documents, and may not reflect the most current information.
Welcome to SLA Connections, your source for news and information from the information profession and industry.
Strengthening SLA’s Global Visibility
It has been a whirlwind few weeks. I have been privileged to represent SLA and to meet and talk with lots of wonderful information professionals from around the world.
First, I was honored to be selected to serve on the U.S. Delegation to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held 16–18 November, in Tunis, Tunisia. Digital communication has made the world a smaller place, but we don’t yet understand how best to utilize our great new technologies to effectively improve economic, social, and cultural transformation on a global scale.
You can learn more about the Summit online at http://www.itu.int/wsis/
I was pleased that the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) put my name forward to serve as its official representative. SLA is one of five library associations that, for 10 years, have worked together on copyright issues, including international intellectual property law.
The United Nations (UN) created WSIS to facilitate international discussion about the rapidly unfolding Information Society. The first phase was held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2003. The second was just completed in Tunis.
A major goal of the Summit was to reach consensus on the future of Internet Governance. I believe the U.S. Delegation negotiated an excellent agreement. We agreed to establish an Internet Governance Forum that would discuss overarching issues surrounding the Internet but would not be involved in naming or day-to-day technological and administrative issues. This would give all nations, as well as stakeholders, the opportunity to voice issues of concern without interfering in a system that, for the most part, works well.
The new Internet Governance Forum will not have the power to control, but will have the ability to influence many things. This collaborative, inclusive approach is crucial for the future of global information sharing and advancement. The U.S. Delegation's spokesperson was sharp, thoughtful, and respectful of other nations' views and perspectives. I was proud to be a part of the deliberations, to represent LCA, and to have the negotiators listen to my views and incorporate my thinking into their language and positions. The U.S. Delegation also succeeded in negotiating language on freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and the free flow of information, which I also had a voice in shaping.
Government bodies and related international organizations play a critical role in establishing the legal and social framework within which SLA members conduct information services. With 2006 just around the corner, I am looking forward to new challenges to advance SLA members and the information society as a whole.
Online in London
I was also pleased to attend Online Information 2005 on 29 November – 1 December in London. During the conference, SLA President Pam Rollo and I met with SLA members and spoke at the SLA Europe Breakfast on 30 November.
Associate Executive Director Linda Broussard also attended. Linda and our volunteer SLA Europe staffers recruited a host of new members in the SLA exhibition stand, and had fun giving a complimentary bottle of “fizzy” to the first two people to join SLA on each day of the conference. (“Fizzy” is not to be confused with “champagne,” which, of course, would be fizzy from the Champagne region of France.)
I would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to all the members of SLA Europe who worked to arrange such a successful breakfast, and also for organizing and staffing the exhibition booth.
Now for the Strip
No sooner did the plane touch down from London than I was off for Las Vegas. I was delighted to be invited once again to speak at the Military Librarians Workshop, which is being held 5–9 December in Las Vegas, Nevada USA. The Military Librarians Division is one of our most active SLA units. This is their 49th annual workshop. My joining the annual workshop is becoming a tradition. This is my third year—I have been privileged to participate each year since I joined SLA as executive director. I will speak to the assembly on Thursday, 8 December.
Janice’s List
The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21 Century
The award-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman demystifies the brave new world, allowing readers to make sense of the often bewildering global scene. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, Friedman explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the 21 Century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; how governments and societies can, and must, adapt.
Burning Question
What do you believe is the biggest obstacle to closing the digital divide between nations? Email me at janice@sla.org.
Consider This
“It seemed rather incongruous that in a society of supersophisticated communication, we often suffer from a shortage of listeners.”
Author and humorist Erma Bombeck (1927–1996)
If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, 1971
Factiva’s Hart Honored with “New York Ten” Award
A longtime supporter of information professionals and SLA is one of 10 business leaders recognized for their commitment to innovation through technology. Read more…
Silicon Valley’s Ability to Innovate Linked to Job Hopping
The area’s focus on open systems and free movement of employees helps to stimulate growth among technology companies. Read more from CNet…
Top Tech Trends Revealed
Wired Magazine asked top futurists what we can expect in 2006. The answer? Simplicity, mobile socialization, alternative/renewable energy sources, and improvements to existing technologies. Read more…
Performance Reviews: Forced Ranking
Year-end often brings reviews of annual employee performance. Author Dick Grote reasons that we should compare—and be compared—with other employees, rather than pre-determined standards. Read more from Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge…
“Thinkers 50” for 2005 Unveiled
With the venerable Peter Drucker’s passing, there’s a new king in the world of management thinking. His name is Michael Porter. This listing of the most influential management thought leaders in the world was developed by Suntop Media and the European Foundation for Management Development. Read more…
Cool Site: FiftyCrows – Social Change Photography
Believing that “images inspire people to act,” this organization supports and promotes social change through photography. Once you see the photo and video essays on this site your view of world events may never be the same. You may be inspired to help make the world a more just place. You need QuickTime to view the movies.
Award Nomination Deadline Approaches
The deadline for 2006 SLA Awards & Honors nominations is four weeks away—Wednesday, 4 January. This year, you can submit nominations online, rather than mailing them.
For the 58th consecutive year, SLA is seeking its “information stars”—information professionals who have exhibited stellar performance—for the 2006 Class of SLA Awards & Honors Recipients. Here’s how it works:
• 9 November 2005 — Call for Nominations is disseminated.
• 4 January 2006 — Nominations in 13 of 14 categories are due.
• 17 January — Awards Committee meets in Houston prior to Leadership Summit; makes selections in 12 of 14 categories.
• Diversity Leadership Development Program (DLDP) Committee meets and makes selections.
• Late January–Early February — President Pam Rollo notifies individual winners.
• Early–Mid February — SLA Press Release announces 2006 Awards & Honors Recipients
• 6 May — Nominations for Student & Academic Relations Committee (SARC) Merit Awards (Chapter/Division and Student Group) are due; committee subsequently meets and makes selections.
• 11 June — Awards & Honors Recipients are honored at Opening General Session of SLA 2006 in Baltimore, Maryland.
• 13 June — Recipients are celebrated at Awards & Honors Reception aboard U.S.S. Constellation anchored in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. (Ticketed event – $50)
Detailed info regarding categories, criteria, and eligibility is available at www.sla.org/awards.
For the first time, nominations can be submitted via the Internet. Simply complete the electronic nomination form available at www.sla.org/awards; attach supporting documentation; and click “Submit.”
Separate nomination forms are required for DLDP and SARC.
Alternatively, the nomination form can be completed electronically, printed, and mailed, along with supporting documentation, to 2006 SLA Awards & Honors Program, SLA, 331 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, VA USA, 22314-3501. Nominations must be postmarked by 4 January 2006.
Units are strongly encouraged to submit individual nominations or a slate. The majority of previous years’ winners were nominated by their units.
SLA Salary Calculator
SLA’s latest salary calculator is now available.
The salary calculator is available online for those of you who purchased the 2005 SLA Annual Salary Survey & Workplace Study. Usernames and passwords were emailed to survey purchasers on Monday, 5 December. (If you bought the survey but haven’t received your username or password, please check your email spam filter.)
SLA has developed the interactive Salary Calculator to analyze salaries based on characteristics such as responsibility, title, budget size, experience, employees supervised, and location. The online tool provides more ways of slicing the information than a two-dimensional analysis in printed form. First set up in 2004, the calculator has been found to be a valuable addition to the annual salary survey. If you have questions, please contact Carolyn Sosnowski.
Final Month of Recruit-A-Member Campaign
SLA ran multiple membership marketing campaigns during November, yielding more than 200 new members. December is the final month of this year’s Recruit-A-Member Campaign.
For every new member you recruit, you have a chance to win a prize, including a Full Conference Package, which includes SLA 2006 full conference registration, two nights hotel stay, a Baltimore amenity gift basket, and two VIP passes. The chapter and division that recruit the largest number of new members and the largest percentage of new members will each receive one free registration to SLA 2006 in Baltimore. All members who recruit at least one new member will receive an SLA President’s Club lapel pin.
To be eligible for prizes, new members’ applications must be received by 31 December. Email a prospective member or send them your own personal email with this link to the membership application.
Complete details on Recruit-A-Member are on our Web site.
Do You Know an Interesting Member?
Information Outlook is planning a series of articles profiling information professionals. The goal is to spotlight, over the course of several issues, the varied composition of the profession.
We’re looking for SLA members who are doing interesting work or, perhaps, have something interesting in their background. We hope profiles will include senior professionals, newcomers, managers, “rank-and-file” staff, solo librarians, librarians in large departments, practitioners, academics, students, consultants.
Do you know a member who fits the bill? Please email a sentence or two about the person to Information Outlook editor John Adams. Please include the person’s contact information.
Deadline for Abstracts—8 December
Tomorrow, 8 December, is the deadline to submit abstracts for papers to be presented at SLA 2006 in Baltimore.
Papers are due 1 May, and conference presentations will be 11–14 June. Topics should be related to library science, information management, research, or other issues related to the world of special librarians. Abstracts will be judged on substance, potential member interest, and relevance to the Annual Conference theme “Where Tradition and Transformation Converge” or SLA slogan “Connecting People and Information.”
Abstracts will be reviewed by SLA members, although the process is not a formal peer review. The authors of accepted abstracts will be asked to write papers. The author or at least one co-author must be an SLA member.
For detailed information, visit the Call for Papers page on our Web site.
Registration Opens 9 January
Have you made your plans for SLA 2006 in Baltimore, Maryland USA? The annual conference is to be held 11–14 June 2006. Registration opens 9 January. To register, visit the conference Web site.
Upcoming SLA Meetings
Leadership Summit, 18–21 January, Houston, Texas USA
Travel Grant for IFLA 2006
The International Federation of Library Associations & Institutions (IFLA) Action through Libraries Programme (ALP) has announced the availability of a travel grant.
The Harry Campbell Travel Grant is designed to support a delegate from a developing country that has not been represented at IFLA in the last few years. The grant will cover travel to attend the World Library & Information Congress: 72nd IFLA Conference, 20–24 August 2006, in Seoul, South Korea. Cost of registration, accommodations, and meals must be met by the delegate. Priority will be given to younger professionals with a minimum of five years of experience in the field.
“Copyright” Year’s Most Popular Seminar
“Copyright for the Corporate Librarian: The Importance & Consequences of Copyright Issues in the Digital Environment” was the most subscribed-to Virtual Learning Series seminar of 2005. The virtual seminar was held earlier today, 7 December, 2:00–3:30 p.m. EST/19:00–20:30 GMT, it attracted 75 registered sites and 22 replays. The seminar speaker was Laura N. “Lolly” Gasaway, law library director and law professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
“Communicating Your Value”
How do your key stakeholders and clients define value? How do you align with that definition? How do you convey your value within your organization? The Virtual Learning Series seminar “Communicating the Value of Your Service” will be held 14 December, 2:00–3:30 p.m. EST/19:00–20:30 GMT. The seminar speaker is Jane Dysart of Dysart & Jones Associates.
Dialog Announces 2005 International InfoStar Winners
Elsevier, Science Press Launch Joint Translation Center in China
EBSCO Fulfills Patient, Consumer Needs with Health Library™
Factiva Expands Presence in Reputation Intelligence Market
LexisNexis to be Exclusive Provider of Wall Street Journal Online Subscriptions
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