Welcome to SLA Connections, your source for news and information from the information profession and industry.
Creating Community Within SLA
A lot is happening within SLA to build stronger ties between the global community of information professionals and the information industry. I see this as a very positive sign that we are moving towards inclusiveness in our community and convergence between buyers and sellers of content. I'd like to share with you some of the activities taking place.
First, the SLA Board of Directors has asked me to act on several recommendations (https://www.sla.org/PDFs/boarddocs/2006/A06-42.pdf) from a task force of SLA members designed to explore our intentions and strategy with regard to alliances and partnerships. We have been moving towards stronger relationships between SLA and our industry partners for several years now. Moving forward, I suspect that we will be opening the door for a broader strategy to involve more companies and their representatives in our activities, so that we can gain from their knowledge and expertise and they can learn from the people who know the real world of information management - you and your colleagues.
Second, we are actively recruiting employees in the information industry for the first time. Bringing them into our community as individuals can only mean great things for you and for SLA. More members broadens the network of contacts you have at your fingertips. And this audience of prospective members has a stake in your success.
Third, the SLA Board seeks to build a working relationship with the information industry's leading trade group, the Software and Information Industry Association. SLA Headquarters joined SIIA as an associate member several months ago, and I recently attended their Content Forum in San Francisco. We have also agreed to serve as a sponsor of their inaugural Global Information Industry Summit, to be held 14-15 September in Amsterdam (www.siia.net/giis). This event will be an excellent opportunity for SLA to build stronger ties to the industry that serves our community and to expand our relationship beyond existing boundaries. I'll be there, and I think that anyone from our community who can be there should join me there!
Finally, in the afterglow of a successful SLA 2006 in Baltimore, our research of the event indicates that the Info-Expo is clearly one of the top reasons information professionals attend our Annual Conference. Exposure to the exhibiting companies and awareness of their products and services is one of many great ways for you to expand your value proposition to your organization through SLA.
That's the mantra for SLA moving forward: promoting and enhancing your value.
Burning Question
What are your perceptions of the information industry - in particular, the companies that serve you and your organization? Positive? Negative? Do you see opportunities for greater collaboration with them? I want to know! Drop me an email at Janice@sla.org. Or post a few comments on my Blog Info X at www.sla.org/infox.
Janice's List
Candyfreak, by Steve Almond. Algonquin Books, 2004. I was looking for something you might enjoy, as many of the books I recommend are serious and focused on your professional growth. This book is perfectly suited for blending the two. Almond tells the story of the American candy industry, and how mergers in the business have reduced choice and quality for the consumer. Read a review from The Boston Globe.
Consider This
"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment."
-- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Roman Emperor (121 A.D. ? 180 A.D.)
| OUTSIDE THE BOX |
French Law on iPod, iTunes Takes Effect
A closely watched French law that lets regulators force Apple Computer Inc. to make its iPod player and iTunes online store compatible with rival offerings went into effect Thursday 3 August, 2006.
The Internet copyright law passed France's parliament 30 June after fierce debate and a gradual weakening of its initial punch. Apple had called an early draft "state-sponsored piracy," and some analysts have said the law could force Apple to close iTunes France and pull its ...
Washington Post Europe News, Thu, 3 Aug 2006.
China: Professor Wins Suit Against Blog Site
A Chinese journalism professor has won a lawsuit against a blog hosting site that refused to remove remarks criticizing him by one of its users, state media said Friday. Read AP Story.
The Web 2.0 Challenge From Line 56
"Web 2.0 is like the fancy new house that just got built in the neighborhood; there's a lot to look at and take in, but someone had better check the foundation to make sure it's built on solid ground." Read the whole article.
Future-proof Your Records
"Today there are tremendous legal pressures to ensure that we abide by various mandated schedules to keep documents as long as the law requires (but no longer). On the flip side, practices are emerging to selectively destroy many of our documents that we need not keep at all." Read the whole article in E content Magazine.
Leadership Fellows Program
The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL), leadership program, jointly sponsored by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and AAHSL is currently accepting applications and nominations. The deadline is 18 August 2006.
The program brochure, including information on program design, schedule, and application process, is available online at http://www.aahsl.org/new/display_page.cfm?file_id=65.
For more information about the program, please contact Carolyn Lipscomb, Project Manager, AAHSL Future Leadership Task Force, carolynlipscomb@cs.com.
Library Journal Accepting Nominations for Librarian of the Year Award
The LJ editors are seeking nominations for the 18th annual Library Journal Librarian of the Year Award to honor a professional librarian for outstanding achievement and accomplishments reflecting the loftiest service goals of the library profession. Requirements and deadlines available on the LJ website.
Wikipedia founder seeks more quality
At the start of "Wikimania," a three-day gathering of people devoted to Wikipedia and other community Web projects, the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, urged contributors to the free Internet encyclopedia to put more emphasis on quality instead of quantity. But even while Wikipedia's vast scope exceeds that of traditional encyclopedias, Wales said Wikipedia would become even more valuable if entries were written less choppily, for example, or better identified their sources. Read the whole AP story.
| INSIDE THE BOX |
Conference Blog a Valuable Resource
The SLA 2006 Conference Blog is still open. If you haven't visited it yet, you should. The blog is a great way to find out what happened at the conference -- including summaries of many of the sessions -- from the viewpoints of several information professionals. The blog is at http://slablogger.typepad.com/sla_2006_conference_blog/.
Voice your Opinion: SLA Annual Conference
At the June 2006 SLA Board of Directors meeting a workgroup was formed to look at all aspects of the SLA annual conference including what was good, what was great, and what could be improved. The group is hard at work consulting the membership through both surveys and interviews. This is an opportunity to provide your opinion and your fantastic "out-of-the-box" ideas. If you wish to participate and be interviewed, please e-mail Gloria Zamora, gjzamor@sandia.gov. The workgroup will report back to the Board in October 2006 with implementation planned for the Seattle conference in 2008.
Membership
SLA gained 49 new members from the first-ever "Join and Attend" membership campaign which ran from January through June 2006. Kudos to those who participated and were able to take advantage of the member discounts for conference registration and Click U continuing education courses in Baltimore. Coming up in a few months is the "Member, get a Member" campaign, so be sure to tell all your colleagues about your experiences and all the great things SLA does for the information profession. Welcome to SLA!
Labor Issues Caucus Dissolved; Section in Social Science Division Created
The SLA Labor Issues Caucus has been dissolved and concurrently a Labor Issues Section has been created in the Social Sciences Division.
According to a caucus recommendation to the SLA Board of Directors, the caucus found that its structure no longer supported its needs for programming and sought to become attached to a larger entity. In addition, the Social Sciences Division saw including the new section as a way to increase membership and funding and provide a wider array of subject interests for its members.
The new section includes information professionals from labor unions, academic institutions, and research organizations concerned with industrial relations, social issues affecting workers, and broader issues of employment and the workplace around the world. Members have an interest in employment relationship issues, compensation and benefits, family labor issues, work arrangements, and workforce quality.
The section provides an opportunity for sharing among those interested in related public policy, research, and legal issues. Members share a deep concern for archiving and preserving the records of the social history of the working person.
If you are currently a member of the Social Sciences Division and would like to join the Labor Issues Section, send an email to membership@sla.org making that request. If you are a member of SLA and not currently a member of the Social Sciences Division, you may join for an additional US$18 for the remainder of your association dues year. Contact the SLA Membership Department: Phone +1.703.647.4936 or mail your request and check for US$18 to SLA Membership, SLA, P.O. Box 75338, Baltimore, MD 21275 USA.
Member Service Focus: The SLA Career Center
When SLA redesigned its website in June, the SLA career center got a whole new look and some improved features. If you haven't been looking for a job, chances are you haven't been to that part of the website, but there are so many tools and information resources available in the SLA career center that can be beneficial to you regardless of your current job status.
You can access such resources as:
Take a look around today and improve your work situation! The SLA Career Center offers a complete range of services for info pros seeking new jobs or further career development.
Net-neutrality: SLA endorses S. 2360, the Internet Non-Discrimination Act of 2006.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed its telecommunications bill, H.R. 5252, in May 2006 without adequate net neutrality protections. Now the fight has moved to U.S. Senate.
On 28 June, the Senate Commerce Committee passed its own telecom bill, S. 2686. While an amendment to the bill that would have added meaningful net neutrality safeguards failed 11-11, this tie vote marks a significant political victory and gives the effort new momentum. The debate now shifts to the full Senate, where SLA and its allies will be working to get strong net neutrality language in any bill that the Senate considers.
SLA, in conjunction with the AALL, ALA and ARL delivered a letter endorsing S. 2360, the Internet Non-Discrimination Act of 2006, which deals with the controversial issue of Net-neutrality. Together, these associations represent over 139,000 libraries as well as millions of library patrons. The letter was delivered on 26 March 2006, and explained that, "Assuring network neutrality is important as the digital world spawns an international knowledge-based economy. Important steps must be taken to prevent interfering with blocking, degrading, altering, modifying or changing traffic on the Internet and prohibiting priority lanes where some content providers can purchase faster access to end users while those who don't or cannot pay the fee are left in the slow lane."
For a clever look at this issue from the technology side read this opinion article written by Andrew Orlowski posted on The Register.
| CLICK UNIVERSITY |
What's happening at Click University? This online learning system is an exclusive member benefit of SLA. Please log in when prompted. Click University is the foundation for all of SLA's educational and professional development programs. To hear a podcast from Shelva Suggs, the SLA Learning Coordinator, visit the new SLA podcast Center.
Professional Improvement Libraries
Click U. also offers a range of recorded courses through our Professional Improvement Library. Information professionals can learn more in core skills such as software and technology use; management, communications, and leadership strategies; and effective practices and methods for the collection, sharing, and use of information and knowledge in the modern working world. These courses are offered in packages that range from $29 to $249 (USD). To see the full Click U program listing, please go to www.clickuniversity.com.
Lesley Ellen Harris' Schedule of Courses for remainder of 2006
Canadian and international copyright lawyer Lesley Ellen Harris is teaching courses online to SLA members through Click University.
Lesley is the author of several books, including Canadian Copyright Law (McGraw-Hill Ryerson.) The courses begin on 18 September and 30 October (2006) and you can register anytime before the start of the courses. Her topics include:
Canadian Copyright Law Online 2006
US Copyright Law Online 2006
Managing Copyright Online 2006
Digital Content Management 2006
Call for Courses
The 2007 Call for Courses is your invitation to contribute to the information profession. By presenting a Continuing Education Session at SLA 2007 in Denver, Colorado, USA, you have the opportunity to share your knowledge and experiences with those new and experienced in the profession! The deadline for proposals is 25 August 2006. Additional Information.
| SLA GRAPEVINE: Your Source for SLA Member News, Achievements, and Opinions |
SLA Member Tapped to Do Live Chat
Rick Cash has been the senior researcher in the editorial library at The Globe and Mail for more than a decade. He is a member of the SLA News Division, and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors, a grassroots organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting. Cash, who analyzed Census data on selected suburbs and Census Metropolitan Areas conducted a live chat discussing communities and the changing face -- and place -- of where Canadians live. A transcript of the discussion is available online.
In memory of Elizabeth ?Betty? Eddison, dedicated SLA leader and community activist
Elizabeth (Betty) Eddison passed away on 31 July 2006 following a lengthy illness. She was a great supporter of SLA and worked tirelessly in her community of Lexington, Mass. She served on the SLA Board of Directors 1991-1994 and served on numerous committees. She was Chair of SLA's Leadership and Management Division in 1988, was honored as a Fellow of the Association in 1995 and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002 before her retirement.
Included after the jump are many stories and memories from SLA fellows and members that had the pleasure of working with or being mentored by her.
A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Church of Our Redeemer, 6 Meriam St., Lexington, Mass. at 10 a.m. Relatives & friends are kindly invited to attend. Reception to follow across the street at the Old Depot. In lieu of flowers donations in her memory may be made to The Town of Lexington's Jack Eddison Blossom Fund, C/O Town of Lexington, 1625 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, Massachusetts, USA, 02420. Interment private. Douglass Funeral Home Lexington, 781-862-1800 www.douglassfh.com
A Role-model and an Inspiration...
"Betty was forward-looking and cared deeply about the future of the profession and the education of librarians. She was an early entrepreneur in the information industry, and a role model for many SLA members. When I moved to Boston I began to know Betty as a friend and local colleague/mentor. I was very pleased when Betty as an entrepreneurial and successful business woman agreed to join Babson?s Library/IT Advisory Board. Her opinions and thoughts were insightful and valuable." -- Hope Tillman, SLA Fellow"Betty was a role model for many SLA members, especially those in the information industry. She was the reason for my early success in business and I'll never forget her wisdom and kindness." -- Gloria Dinerman, SLA Member, Library Management Division
"Betty gave me the confidence to launch my own company and took am active interest in how it was going and provided VERY helpful advice. She really leaves an impressive legacy to the information industry!" -- Margie Hlava, SLA Fellow
A Respected Mentor to Many...
"Betty was one of my mentors during my early years as an SLA member, throughout my tenure as President, and after. I spent many hours with her at conference, in her home, and at her place of business listening to her informed and wise council. She and her beloved (husband) Jack were quite the movers and shakers in their communities.Her gift of the housing register at conference was greatly missed when she could no longer manage it. Her contributions of lectures, workshops, finance, and time on the Board of Directors, as well as her full participation in all aspects of SLA welfare should be recognized by our Association." -- Sylvia Piggott, SLA Fellow
"Betty was an important mentor for me. It was Betty who encouraged me to be active at the Association level. This included being editor of the Library Management Division newsletter and appointment to the Public Relations Committee. She was a pleasure to work with. She was very helpful with sharing information and making suggestions regarding my career." -- Sarah Warner, SLA Member, Boston
"In addition to being an extraordinary pioneer in library automation, she was a tremendous role model for those who have followed her. She not only ran a successful software company but for many years was town Alderman for Lexington, Mass. She was an uncommonly kind and generous mentor to many of us. I suspect that may be why so many of us are SLA Fellows today. I have missed not seeing and talking to her in recent years at SLA." -- Doris Helfer, SLA Fellow
"I still have the binder that Warner-Eddison Associates, Inc. put together in response to a plea from Price Waterhouse (Now PwC) to set up an Information Center in the Boston office. The cover letter is dated August 4, 1975. I owe my position and much of what I know about running a special library to Betty. She was a true mentor. Always available but never pushy with her advice. Once she became less active in her company, Sarah Warner and I used to have dinner with her in downtown Lexington. She was always up to date on what was going on in the profession especially SLA. And she still had good advice for Sarah and me. I have missed her over the last few years. She would have loved to hear about the evolution of the job she created at PwC." --Jean Scanlan, SLA Fellow
Pioneer in the Field...
"I recall many times observing various events and meetings at SLA conferences, and Betty often had excellent comments and observations about topics in the industry in addition to issues of concern for SLA members. I also recall seeing Betty at other technology-related conferences in the 1980's in particular, and was always impressed in her knowledge and grasp of how technology could be utilized to get results and not just be enamored by the technology itself. Betty was a great contributor to the profession and the Association in many ways and will be missed." -- Richard Hulser, SLA Fellow"I will miss the many conversations I have had with Betty over the years. One of my favorite stories about Betty is a conversation we had many years ago when she was telling me about exhibiting at one of the first National Online conferences in New York City. She took one of the first "portable" computers to the event. "Portable" was nothing like the small computers of today, but a far cry from the regular room size ones that most people knew about at that time. Betty said so many people came by and were looking under the table to see where the rest of the machine was. She was definitely ahead of her time and a force in the information industry for many years. We will miss her." -- Jane Dysart, SLA Fellow
"Betty died just weeks after Alice Sizer Warner, her business partner of many years. When the two of them finished their degrees at Simmons, I was the editor of the Simmons Librarian, the alumni newsletter. Jim Matarazzo contacted me to tell me about these two sharp women, both coming to librarianship after several years in other pursuits, who were having trouble finding jobs. He suggested that I ask them to write an article for the newsletter on what to do when there are no jobs. I did, and they wrote an excellent article that was full of innovative approaches to the problem. They followed that by starting their own company. Alice told me, with her usual dry humor, that they decided who would be the President based on which of them was willing to cart the trash home each night, since they were so low budget they couldn't afford a cleaning service. That small beginning resulted in a highly successful software business that evolved into today's company." -- Susan Di Mattia, SLA Fellow
An SLA Icon...
"I saw Betty in action first at the association level with her Board service, presentations, and appreciated the Housing register which she provided for SLA and managed during conferences. During my presidency in 2002 I was particularly pleased to acknowledge Betty with the SLA Hall of Fame award. For several of her later years Betty was at the same nursing home as my mother-in-law, and she would brighten up when I mentioned SLA. I miss her personally and professionally." -- Hope Tillman, SLA Fellow"I recall being somewhat in awe of Betty when I first became active at the SLA level. She was often the person who, with supreme self-confidence, contributed some well articulated, cutting edge, often challenging ideas to the discussion at hand. Later, I had the good fortune to follow behind her as Chair of LMD and to get to know her better on a personal level. I remember some great group dinners with her at various conferences and the very lively conversations. I was sad that she had retired by the time I came to the Boston area. If I were asked to rattle off a brief list of the people I consider SLA "icons" from my era, Betty Edison would definitely be among them. I'm very glad I knew her." -- Liz Bibby, SLA Fellow
"I knew Betty for many, many years. Got to know her at the same time I met Alice Sizer Warner. Her passion for SLA can never be doubted, she put her monies (the monies of her firm) into improving the mechanics of the SLA annual conference. She also willingly served on various committees both on the association level, chapter and division level. You could rely on her to deliver what she promised. Yes, she was outspoken and did not take to fools...when she proposed change and it was approved...she wanted it done immediately. Betty was my opponent for the presidency in 1996....we discussed this election and we actually became closer during the process. The last Association committee she was on was a look at redesigning the conference which I chaired. When I asked her if she was comfortable with that or whether she would like to be co-chair, she said she was more than happy to work with me. Her illness must have been most frustrating for such a strong, decisive woman." -- Judith J. Field, SLA Fellow
"In 1982, as Publications Chair of the Business and Finance Division, I had been asked by the division chair to produce a special publication in honor of the division's upcoming 25th anniversary. I asked Ruth Pagell and Ellen Bates to work on the Spring 1983 issue of Special Libraries. The theme was "The Information Industry of the Future." At the last minute, really the last minute, a woman I didn't know named Betty Eddison called me to ask if she could submit a short piece about the new buzzword Chief Information Officer - CIO. She quickly crafted her two page article "Who Should Be in Charge?" Needless to say, it needed no editing what-so-ever, and it was so forward-thinking we put it at the front of the issue. It was way ahead of its time, just as Betty was. She made us look even better for having included her ideas in the publication. The article still resonates. By the way, as a result of that phone call, she became something of a mentor to me as I grew professionally, always supportive and always kind. Her voice will be missed in this industry." -- Anne Mintz, SLA Fellow
The Lexington Minuteman article on Betty and her contributions to her community: http://www2.townonline.com/lexington/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=548403
The Boston Globe Obituary and Tribute page to Betty:
http://www.legacy.com/BostonGlobe/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=18724243
Frederick G. Kilgour, Honorary SLA Member, 1914-2006
Kilgour, a librarian and educator who created an international computer library network and database that changed the way people use libraries, died on July 31, 2006. He was 92 years old and had lived since 1990 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Kilgour is widely recognized as one of the leading figures in 20th century librarianship for using computer networks to increase access to information in libraries around the world. He was among the earliest proponents of adapting computer technology to library processes. At the dawn of library automation in the early 1970's, he founded OCLC Online Computer Library Center and led the creation of a library network that today links 55,000 institutions in 110 countries.
In memory of Fred Kilgour from Rebecca B. Vargha, SLA President.
Before personal computers and the Internet, there was Fred Kilgour. He was a true pioneer and innovator. Kilgour saw the possibilities of libraries sharing information and working in partnership before anyone else. Fred guided the library world through uncharted waters to create OCLC and to shape our future. He was a friend to SLA and will be remembered by me as someone who cared deeply about the information and library profession.
Fred and Eleanor Kilgour moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1990. He was actively writing and using our library collection especially over the last five years. In fact, you knew it was Monday afternoon because Fred Kilgour was in the Information and Library Science Library Reading Room.
New Additions to the SLA HQ Family
If you visited the SLA marketplace in the INFO-EXPO hall during SLA 2006, you likely ran into, or got assistance from, the SLA Marketing Director Jeff Leach, who has been with the Association for five years. SLA HQ staff threw a "Manly" Baby Shower for Jeff in early July, and on 25 July 2006, Jeff and his wife welcomed a healthy baby boy into the world! Mom, baby and Dad are all doing fine. Congratulations to the whole Leach family from the SLA family!
SLA HQ hired Michael Brokenburr, a recent graduate of Virginia State University, as the Policy Associate. Michael has a business degree with a concentration in Human Resources. He is assisting SLA's chief policy officer in public policy and HR matters. Michael can be reached at +1.703.647.4906 or at mbrokenburr@sla.org.
Do you have an item to include in SLA Grapevine? Email the editor.
| THE BIG FINISH |
LexisNexis U.S., and EDGAR Online, Inc. announced an expanded alliance
LexisNexis Announces Alliance with BNA
Ability to Search and Consult Broad Range of BNA Sources Increases LexisNexis Tax Center Users' Access to Authoritative Tax Information
LexisNexis Risk Management Introduces New Investigative Solutions Line
Delivering Innovative Technologies to Enhance Law Enforcement's Ability to Solve Crime and Locate Missing Children
LexisNexis Opens New CRM Training Centre in London
First United Kingdom Training Centre Accommodates Increasing Adoption of InterAction
Factiva SalesWorks Innovations Empower Sales Professionals to Capitalize on Change
Humboldt Research Award goes to two Springer authors
Alfred Kobsa and P.K. Nair awarded German research prize for lifetime achievements
Springer joins with the two largest materials societies in the world
Seven new journals to enhance publishing program as of 2007
Derwent World Patents Index Extends Content Set and Improves Functionality
Enhanced Version Now Available on Dialog
Thomson Financial Establishes Presence In The Middle East
Thomson Financial Selects Dubai International Financial Centre as Base in the Region
Thomson Custom Solutions Receives 2006 Innovation Award from Harvard Business School Publishing
Award recognizes innovative collaborations in higher education
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