The SLA Annual Conference was held in Baltimore, June 11th through the 14th.

Saturday & Sunday, June 10-11, 2006

CE Course - Immunology for Health Information Professionals
This course covers basic concepts in immunology including the specialized cells and organs of the immune system, innate immunity, adaptive immunity, diseases of the immune system, and relates these concepts to the types of questions clinicians, researchers, and students may ask of health information professionals. This course will provide an overview to the field of immunology, related vocabulary, how the immune system works, and key research areas to watch out for in collection development.
Speaker: George F McGregor , Director, Information Services (recently retired) , Chiron Corp
CE Course - Online Resources for Previewing Clinical Trial Results
Which databases offer the timeliest and substantive reports of outcomes? This session will compare sources for tracking recently released data, focusing on coverage of company communications to the media and on conference papers or poster presentations at profemeetings where first results are likely to be announced. Both fee-based and relevant free Web resources will be highlighted.
Speaker: Bonnie Snow, Director, Pharmaceutical Markets, Dialog

Monday, June 12, 2006

Developing Leaders
[Link to presentation notes by Paul Ziegler, DPHT]
Leadership development is about self-development, releasing what’s inside of us, what we value, what inspires us and what challenges us, what gives us power and competence, and encourages us. Using this knowledge and understanding then enable us to lead those qualities out of others. This talk provides practical strategies, tips and techniques on how to shape our organizations, build teams, drive results and inspire others to deliver value as well as develop leaders at all levels of the organization.
Speaker: Dr. Ken Haycock , Director, School of Library & Information Science, San Jose State Univ
Presented by: B&F, PHT, SOLO, AM, FAN, SocSci, Eng and P&HT
Moderator: Janice Keeler, LMD Chair
Sponsor: Lexis Nexis

Demystifying Open Access
[link to presentation - very large]
How will the open access model be seen and used by the corporate sector? Will scientists publish in these journals? How will marketing and communications departments leverage the publicity? Participants will learn about trends in this field.
Speaker: Donna Okubo , Institutional Relations Manager, Public Library of Science

Job Descriptions as Strategic Tools for Career Advancement
[link to presentation]
Do you see writing job descriptions as a boring chore? Do you have one? Is writing a job ad something you’d rather leave to HR? Stop! Your job description sets expectations for your current role and guides your career. Most importantly, it can be a strategic tool to get what you want! With SLA Endowment Grant support, the Pharmaceutical and Health Technology Division has developed position profiles for information professionals in healthcare industries. This collaborative project highlighted critical issues we all face: recruitment, career and strategic planning, and the desire to transform our roles and ascend to top leadership positions within our organizations. This session includes an overview of the project, a discussion of the lessons learned, and an opportunity to share ideas for communicating our value.
Speakers: Carol Bekar, MLS , Information Consultant, InfoCurators and Margaret Basket, MSI , NLM Associate Fellow, Univ of Rochester Health Sciences Libraries & Technologies

Vendor Update: Pharmaceutical Pipeline Sources
[link to Adis presentation]
[link to IMS presentation]
[link to Pharmaprojects presentation]
[link to Thomson presentation]
Hear from major producers and providers of pipeline information, including Adis, IDdb, IMS, PharmaProjects and Prous about their data and interfaces. You will get an overview of what's new and a sneak peak at their plans for further development in 2006/2007. Each vendor will present for no more than 10 minutes. Half this session will be for open Q & A from you. Come learn and enjoy this exciting format!
Speakers: Ann Westcott, Prous; Irene Buggle , IMS Health; Sue Shoolbread , ADIS; Peter Robins , Thompson Pharma; Wendy Manning , PJB Publishers

Breakfast Sponsor: British Library

Tuesday June 13, 2006

Understanding the Language of Early Warning Intelligence Systems
This session will focus on some of the overlapping concepts and language of the warning process that can be easily transferred from the government to private industry as a key to understanding the role and purpose of any warning system—whether is it is focused on terrorism or new market strategies.
Speaker: Jan Goldman , Professor for Strategic Warning and Threat Management, U.S. Department of Defense in Washington, DC.
Moderator: Deborah Hartzman, Manager, Amgen Libraries, Amgen Inc
Presented by: Chemistry, Competitive Intelligence and P&HT Divisions
Sponsor: SCARECROW PRESS

Lunch Sponsors: DIALOG; New England Journal Of Medicine

PH&T Division Reception Sponsor: DIALOG

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Where Can Your Skills Take You?
[Link to Sue Zalenski material]
Are you interested in exploring alternatives to traditional library or information center careers? Come hear from professionals who have done it! These former librarians have moved into other corporate departments, like training and development and corporate communications. Participants will also hear from former corporate librarians who have taken jobs with vendors who are supporting librarians or the with their own corporation in new ways.
Speakers: Lorri Zipperer , Cybrarian, Zipperer Project Management; Alice Bruemmer , Senior Consultant, Allstate Insurance Company; Susan Zalenski , Training and Development Consultant, Thomson Dialog
Presented by: Insurance and Employee Benefits Division, DPHT
Sponsor: FACTIVA

Competencies Needed to Build an Effective Information Team
[link to Stephanie Fitch presentation]
[link to Rya Ben-Shir presentation]
What individual skills and strengths are needed within a team so it can survive, thrive and impress in today’s corporate environment? How does that team come together and stay together to fulfill their group’s mission? Two professionals will discuss their different tactics and philosophies to create diverse and effective teams.
Speakers: Rya H Ben-Shir , Manager, Intelligen Center, Takeda Pharmaceuticals; Stephanie Fitch , Director, Scientific and Competitive Analysis, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.