Vol. 18, No. 1
Spring 2001
News and Notes from SARC Chair
San Antonio Here We Come!
It has been a busy year at UW-Madison SLIS. We went through our American Library Association Committee on Accreditation (ALA COA) program review. Our site visit was in October. At the ALA midwinter meeting, the COA voted to continue our accreditation for the maximum seven years allowed. This school has been continuously accredited since 1924-25 when accreditation of library schools began under the Board of Education for Librarianship.
We are very pleased.
Two new faculty will join SARC Chair us in the Fall.
Kyung-Sun "Sunny" Kim , a native of Korea, with degrees from universities in Korea and Montreal, Canada, completed her doctoral degree at the University of Texas at Austin. For the past two years, she has been teaching at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO. At UW-Madison SLIS she will teach: organization of information, cataloging, and information seeking behavior on the World Wide Web.
Greg Downey will split his teaching time between SLIS and the UWMadison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He has his doctoral degree from John's Hopkins University in the history of technology and human geography. He earned his master's degree in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He will teach in areas related to how technology affects our sense of space and place, and with issues relating to the digital divide.
Louise S. Robbins, UW-Madison SLIS director, served as chair of an interdisciplinary cluster search committee worldng to hire three faculty members to form a Communication Technologies and Information Policy cluster. The faculty from that group will offer courses of interest to students in SLIS as well.
The UW-Madison SLIS SLA Student Group has been very busy as well. Lori Delaney and Sarah Johnston serve as the group's management team. They have organized other student volunteers, scheduled tours both physical and virtual. They have matched students with WI Chapter members for mentoring. They are hosting a special colloquium in April that will bring SLA President Donna Scheeder to Wisconsin. Lori and Lisa Johnson contributed articles to the Fall/Winter 2000-2001 issue of Wisconsin Slant, the newsletter of the WI Chapter. The mid year progress report was sent to the SLA headquarters by the deadline last Fall, so the group's $ 100 allottment check arrived on time. Both Lori and Sarah are graduating in May. Their leadership and efforts on behalf of the student group are greatly appreciated. They will be missed.
Another SLA student member has been very busy on behalf of the SLA Student and Academic Relations Committee.(SARC) A sincere thank you goes out to Karen Huffman our SARC webmaster. Karen has done more than any other committee member to improve our communications with students and advisers this year. She has worked with the staff at headquarters to revise and enhance our pages and the links to other pages. She posted contact information for all the student groups and their faculty advisers at: http://www. sla. org/committee/sarc/studentgroups/schools.html. In January, Karen put the evaluation forms for the Certificate of Merit awards up so everyone could see them and the committee members could print them out for their use. In February, she started building a Frequently Asked Questions/Help (faqs) page at: http://www.sla.org/committee/sarc/faqs.html. She also added information and comments -about jobanter-vtewing, recruiting and lodging at the annual conference. She has really made the site a resource for student groups and their faculty advisers. Well done Karen!!
The following are some of the suggested programs to attend at the SLA Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX:
- Monday, June 11, 2001, 1:30-2:45 p.m., SLA Student and Academic Relations Committee share their accomplishments for the year. Student Group leadership and Faculty Advisers are invited to give feed back on what works and what SLA can do better to support students.
- Monday, June 11, 2001, 3:00 -4:30 pm, SLA's PresidentElect's Poster Session and Awards Presentation for Students. Hope Tillman hosts a poster session/reception for all student, chapter or division Certificate of Merit Award winners. The SLA scholarship and certificate winners will be presented. All students and faculty are encouraged to participate in this recognition and networking opportunity.
Other conference activities of particular interest to students and faculty advisers:
- Saturday, June 9, 2001, 4:30-6:00 pm, Diversity and Leadership Development (DLDP) Awards Reception.
- Sunday, June 10, 2001, 12:00-1:30 pm, Sci-Tech Division's Newcomers'Lunch
- Sunday, June 10, 2001, 4:30-6:00 pm, DLDP Committee Liaison Meeting
- Monday, June 11, 2001, 7:15-8:30 am, DLDP breakfast
- Monday, June 11, 2001, 10:3011:45 am, Education Division's program, "Library Education: Knowledge Skills for the 21st Century."
- Monday,june 11,2001,5:00-6:00pm, Alumni Reunions for all participating schools.
- Tuesday, June 12, 2001, 3:00 - 5:00 pm, DLDP's program: "Diversity Leadership and Development Program Committee Discussion on Cultural Cooperation in Today's Workplace.
I really encourage students to attend the conference in June. It is a great educational, professional development, networking and job searching opportunity. Be sure to attend the First Time Conference Goers reception and some of the Open Houses.
Barbara J. Arnold
SARC Chair
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Is SLA in Your Future?
While it is definitely a milestone to complete graduate school it is really only the beginning of a lifetime of professional learning. All of us are re of the continufly accelerated rate of change in how we practice librarianship. Ten years ago we knew President nothing of webmasters, digital libraries, wireless networks and chief knowledge officers. It is this need to maintain state of the art expertise in a rapidly changing professional world that makes membership in SLA a smart choice for the information professional.
SLA has evolved over the last 91 years as a professional association with a mission to serve the knowledge professionals who provide focused information and service to a specialized clientele having an impact on their success, mission and goals. Our membership works in a wide variety of settings including corporations, to governments, non-profit organizations, academic and special collections in public libraries. it is not the work setting that defines the members of SLA, it is their role in using the practices and principles of special librarianship to put knowledge to work. This is important to remember when making the decision, to stay in SLA.
There are many reasons to make SL-A your professional home. First and foremost is the personal network that is the most valued benefit of membership according to our surveys. Our network is both deep and wide encompassing a wide range of subjects from astronomy to women's issues, and all the competency areas you may need such as technology and management. For many veteran SLA members, myself included, it is the number one reason we join and stay in SLA. Access to a wide range of experts in their field who are willing to share with you their knowledge, whether it be about the subject content you are working with or skills necessary to do the job, is an invaluable asset. Members respond on discussion lists and to telephone calls because they know someday they may need help themselves and their SLA colleagues will be there to return the favor. Being a member of SLA is like knowing the secret handshake to get the help you need.
Throughout your career, you will also find that you will constantly need to expand your own skill set through attendance at programs, seminars, and conferences. SLA's professional learning offerings combined with chapter and division programs at conference can help you meet this need. Through the virtual association, we are continuing to expand our efforts to bring learning opportunities to you. Distance learning programs and desktop access through the website to the Information Resource Centers offerings are just 2 of the ways that SLA brings knowledge to you.
I have also found that being a volunteer in SLA is fun and rewarding. Colleagues are great people that you get to know better while gaining or enhancing your leadership skills.
Professional involvement is also the key to building image, your own and that of your profession. SLA is there to promote our value through marketing and public relations. SLA helps us to leverage the strength of our profession through promotion of our skills to our employers in terms meaningful to them, publicizing our image as global, collaborative, and proactive information experts, and through influencing and guiding the formulation of national and international information policies.
To be a professional is to recognize the need to continue to grow and to help others to do so as well. I have found SLA to be the place where I can fulfill that need and I hope that you will too. Please stay involved.
Donna Scheeder, SLA 2000 - 2001 President
Words from a Student Chapter ....
Do you know who your Student Committee Member is?
Generally, the first day of classes, we're asked to tell something about ourselves to our fellow students. While most people with whom I attend school have always loved libraries and reading. I was never a big reader nor liked to visit libraries too much since they were such quiet places and the librarians often appeared stern and/or annoyed when I asked them a question. A second reference I often make about myself is that I have often thought of myself as a late bloomertaldng the 13-year plan to finish college. (Fortunately, my parent's only had to pay for the first two year's! ) Although I enjoyed going back to school as an adult, I decided that one degree was probably enough after graduating in 1994 with a B.A. in Behavioral Social Sciences and Management.
After 13 year's of working in the same division at National Geographic Society, however, I decided to move into a division that offered me a chance to "play" more with computers. The Archives & Records Library (ARL) is a service division like my previous one, but ARL's focus is on the collection and preservation of vital records and important information and material relating to the Society. After transferring to ARL in 1998, my new director encouraged me to attend Library School. And, to make this long life-story short, I've now completed two years of library school and have one year left.
One factor that influenced my decision to select the University of Maryland is that the library program has a strong technology focus and offers many opportunities to become involved with Student Groups SLA, ASIST, and SAM. One key area that has greatly added to my experience in library school is -vice presiden sharing in the nd webmaster; SLA Student Eileen Abels, SLA Chapter liaison, co-vice president (www.glue.umd.edu/~clisla/sla.html). After being Webmaster of the Student Chapter for two years (1999-2000), 1 also decided to become President of my Chapter as well as Webmaster and Student Committee Member for SARC (www.sla.org/sarc.cfm) (2001). Both involvements are helping me to learn about communications between SLA and the Student Chapters, to think about what matters most to students, and to develop ways to jointly work towards meeting students' needs for finding a good fit within the library profession.
SLA Student Chapter at the College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
The University of Maryland's SLA Student Group has a strong presence at the College of Information Studies, or "CLIS" for short. Some of the information we publish includes stories about past events, information about upcoming events that we open to the entire library school, and scholarship information for graduate studies and conferences. What I've enjoyed most about our Student Group and what makes us unique, I believe, is we organize a variety of events in which we open to all graduate library students. We have even started talking more with the Catholic University Chapter and inviting them to our functions.
The Washington, D.C., area is a thriving place to live and work. We've organized tours of several special libraries such as National Geographic Society's libraries and indexing divisions, National Public Radio, and, just recently, ten of us attended a tour of the Naval Observatory's library, master clock, and telescope. These tours have illustrated the variety of possibilities the special library field has to offer. Our officers have also met several times for a brunch planning meeting prior to the start of spring / fall classes. This year our chapter also decided to try to build the start of an annual job fair for the library school graduates.
2001 is the Year of Teamwork (and Committees)!
It's important to get involved. You can make a difference. My involvement in the Student Chapter at Maryland as well as with SARC has helped to strengthen my ability to work in teams and negotiate within and between groups. SLA is here to help students now and when they graduate. What is difficult is that students need to let us know what we can do to help. A lot of us go into library school because we want to develop our library skills to either be promoted within our current position and/or succeed at finding a job that meets our interests.
SLA offers a way to connect with people working in many different kinds of libraries. These "connections" are not just about finding that "perfect job"; it's also about sharing ideas and leaming from one another to be able to do the ob you're doing better. What I've learned in library school is that libraries take on many different forms. When attending SLAsponsored Chapter dinners and events or participating on committees and in Student Groups, you learn about the diversity of interest and knowledge that people bring to the field. Libraries may be thought of as "quiet" institutions, but, in fact, they seem to infiltrate almost every organization and influence change through their thought-filled involvement on many diverse teams and networks of information exchange.
So, to wrap this up.... What I've been trying to do as the SARC Student Committee Member is listen and communicate more to the Student Chapters. I have tried to open more communication between SARC and Faculty Advisors to help the Student Groups know more about how SARC might assist students in their pursuits and make their experience with SLA more beneficial.
Karen Huffman
SLA SARC Webmaster;
Systems Specialist
National Geographic Society
Washington, DC
SLA Student Members Raise Money for the Clarion Free Library!
Library services available to teens vt 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.
According to Wm 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 Econoniic 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 SIA decided to try to locate grant money to begin building a collection of teen materials."
Students and faculty advisors in the organization developed the grants and McCartney secured the help of State Representative Fred Mcllhattan to sponsor the grants.
"This really is a remarkable story of students, faculty, and local leaders working together in an effort to create a better community," said Jane Moore McGinn, an assistant professor of library science at Clarion who is also co-advisor to the organization.
According to McGinn and Buchanan the new teen collection at the Clarion Free Library is designed to accomplish several purposes: To provide a current collection of materials of interest to teens and to provide information on career and educational opportunities for teens.
A special focus of the collection will be pre-college reading, said Buchanan, explaining that most colleges have lists of books they expect students to have read prior to their freshman year. Students working with CFL personnel will identify required reading lists from colleges most often attended by area students [Clarion, Edinboro, Slippery Rock, Carnegie Mellon, etc.] and will add as many of these books as possible to the collection.
Another focus of the collection will be career information for high school students who plan to enter the work force rather than attending college.
"We are very excited about the possibilities of this project," said McGinn. "It enables the students to learn about librarianship by actually engaging in professional level work, and it provides a greatly needed service in the local community."
"We really owe a special thanks to Representative Mc Ilhattan without whose sponsorship these grants would not have been possible," said Buchanan.
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 866-272-5612.
William Buchanan
Faculty Advisor
Clarion University
One Way to Raise Money for a Trip to Annual Conference
The SLA Student Group at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota, is very proud to share the news of their recent fundraising efforts. The group decided it would be great if they could put enough money together to send one of the students to the SLA Annual Conference in San Antonio. We decided to sell a cookbook called "Brainfood: Recipes for Librarians", an idea that we got from the student group at Urbana-Champaign. Thanks to the efforts of some hardworking students, in particular Shea Peeples, the cookbook turned out wonderfully. Since we were able to coincide the sale with the Minnesota SLA Chapter's Christmas party, we were incredibly successful and managed to raise enough money to provide a substantial stipend. Thanks to the generosity of the SLA Minnesota chapter, who donated an amount that more than matched our raised funds, the stipend grew to be enough to almost completely cover the cost for one student to attend the conference and stay in San Antonio for the week. Most importantly, congratulations to Karen Stauber, the award recipient. Karen's outstanding interest in special libraries makes her a great representative of our student group.
Emily Nielsen
CSC SLA Student Group Treasurer
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