Flying Solo
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Issue Number 1 ~ 2005
CONTENTS:
!Message from the Chair, Carol Simon
!Message from the Editor, Sabra Breslin
!Membership News & Meet Some New Solos
!View in PDF Coming Soon
Message from the Chair
Well, it certainly has been a while but profound thanks to both Shannon Mack and Sabra Breslin whose collaborative efforts have resulted in the Division Website being updated and Flying Solo revived!
It has been a hectic few months leading up to Toronto! Details, details. But it all seems to be falling into place and it is shaping up to be an exciting conference in a great city. Check the listings below for updated and expanded programming information. This year the Toronto Solo Group has agreed to plan, organize and lead our No Host Dinner on Sunday evening. I am also working with them on setting up a few walking tours of Toronto’s diverse ethnic neighborhoods on Thursday. There will be no charge for these walks.
Of major impact to each chapter and division is an organizational change mandated by SLA. We have been mandated to conform our leadership cycle (which has traditionally run from July 1 – June 30) to SLA’s fiscal year cycle (January 1 – December 31). The deadline for conformance is 2007. After discussing this with the current Executive Board we decided to institute the change now, rather than waiting and asking future leadership to absorb the impact of the change. The immediate impact of this is that my term as Chair will be extended 6 months. This will allow the division to fall in line with this mandate. Yes there will be some hiccups, elections in April/May and then not taking over until January, but I think the Conference is the proper venue for the public introduction of the incoming Board. There are lots of details to be worked out and that will continue to be worked on as the process unfolds. Questions/comments?
Looking forward to seeing everyone in Toronto!
Carol
Message from the Editor
Ben and Jen were bombing at the box office in 'Gigli.'
Afghan political violence was on the rise.
L. Paul Bremer III was the top civilian administrator in Iraq.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar, Kobe Bryant was charged with sexual assault.
The SLA New York Conference was over.
Is any of this bringing back fond memories?
Well, the date was August 2003 and little did we know then, it would also be the last issue of Flying Solo for many months to come.
Recently, I volunteered to breathe life back into Flying Solo, and I hope you all enjoy having it back! Of course, this couldn’t happen without some other volunteers. So many thanks to Donna Siebold and Susan Lloyd who will help with reporting and proofreading and a huge thank you to Shannon Mack, who will post each issue on the Solo Division website.
As previous newsletter editors have written, please send me ideas for what you would like to see on these “pages.” I want Flying Solo to reflect the diverse nature of Solos so I will welcome any and all ideas for articles (even better if you want to write them!), great websites of interest, and news that will affect Solos.
Also, I will not be at the SLA Conference in Toronto, so I need volunteer Solos who will be in Toronto to write up articles about Solo Sponsored events as well as any other sessions of interest. Please include your thoughts and what you’ve learned since your experiences will help those Solos who cannot get to Toronto. If you can help, please send me an email! Thanks! sabra_breslin@yahoo.com
For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow
For those of you who have met Tom Rink, you’ll know that he truly is a “jolly good fellow.” And now he’s an SLA Fellow to boot! Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy! When I found out Tom had received this honor, I emailed my congratulations but also asked some questions about the award and what it means.
SB: Congratulations on getting the award! How do you feel about being named a SLA Fellow?
TR: Thanks, I think that I'm still in shock -- the whole thing took me totally by surprise.
SB: How did you get the award?
TR: Like any other award, one simply has to be nominated – but I'm not sure who nominated me.
SB: So what do you think led to your nomination? What advice would you give other Solos?
TR: The way I got it could probably be summed up by my remaining active in the Association at all levels -- Chapter, Division, Association -- and my inability to say "no." By saying "yes" whenever asked, it showed a willingness to participate and to remain active at all levels. The fact that I've attended Leadership Summits/Leadership Development Institutes (Winter Meetings) whether I was required to or not, plus I've attended Board Meetings whenever given the opportunity which has certainly helped increase my exposure among the leadership of the association. It's all about networking and a willingness to "volunteer" whenever asked.
SB: You’ve been busy! What sort of perks and responsibilities come with the award?
TR: The perks include honor and prestige! And it will certainly look good on my resume! The responsibilities – continued and future service to the Association.
SB: I’ve heard that there are some other honors coming your way. Can you tell me more about them?
TR: Well, I'm going to be profiled in Library Journal's upcoming (March 15th) "Movers and Shakers" issue. [http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA510553]
SB: That’s wonderful!
TR: Yes, again, I was totally shocked, but very delighted, to have been nominated and selected for this distinction. And, I was interviewed by the Tulsa Business Journal who ran a story last week (January 31, 2005) on my library and me.
SB: Great! Didn’t I also see an article about you and your library in The One Person Library recently?
TR: Yes, Judith Seiss reprinted an article in the November issue of The One-Person Library that I had written for the Oklahoma Library Association about my story/career. You can see the article at http://www.rose.edu/lrc/careers/rink.htm
SB: Do you have any other plans?
TR: Well, I've been asked to write an article on "Alternative Career Paths for Librarians" for an upcoming issue of Rachel Singer Gordon's Info Career Trends e-newsletter. [http://www.lisjobs.com/newsletter/archives/mar05trink.htm]
SB: Well, it certainly sounds like you have your work cut out for you this year. Again, congratulations and all the best! We’ll look for you in Toronto!
TR: Thanks!
Membership News & Meet Some New Solos
Membership Chair, Sheila Elfman reports that we have gained 43 new members since October 2004! Of course, we’re not sure how SLA counts “new members” so we think that some of these 43 are membership renewals – but whether you are a new member or an “old timer” renewing your membership, welcome! Sheila was able to contact several of these members, so in this and future issues, we plan to highlight a few.
ELIZABETH BOGDANSKI is a Solo Librarian at the UMI division of ProQuest Information and Learning in Ann Arbor, MI. She has been out of library school for a year and a half and this is her first full-time job. She has worked as an intern or on contract at academic, medical, corporate and museum libraries. She enjoys being a solo because of the autonomy and variety of work she does. There is always a new project to get involved with.
MARGARET PAPAI is the Librarian at the American Hungarian Foundation located in New Brunswick, N.J. She has an MLS from Rutgers University and worked as a cataloger at Rutgers University for 23 years. When she retired from Rutgers, she came to work at the Foundation full time. Before retiring, she worked Saturdays at the Foundation Library, which is an affiliate library of Rutgers University. The books are in their on-line catalog under HUNGARIAN. She uses Sirsi's Workflows to catalog her records. For Margaret, the best part about being a solo is the variety of work. She catalogs all types of materials, shelves books, answers reference questions and does archival work. It is never boring!
ARDYTH HILL is a Librarian at Kennametal, Inc., Latrobe, PA. She was the second employee in the "Library" well over 20 years ago. Since then, the librarian has moved on and support staff has not survived the numerous downsizing by the corporation. She is the last surviving librarian. She uses Opentext and Microsoft Suite for software. She likes being a Solo because there is never a dull moment.
SALLY BARNUM is a Solo Librarian at the Jewish United Fund Centennial Campaign (also Chicago Sinai Congregation). She has a MALS from Dominican University. During her 33 years as a librarian, she has been a Solo at five of the eight organizations she has worked for, including 19 years at the United Way of Chicago and 5 years at the JUF. For software, she uses JUF - Proprietary; CSC - OCLC. She likes being a Solo because she relies on herself and there is flexibility within the job. Her current position is as a donor researcher, which she sees as a very specialized form of reference librarianship, including computer and paper file management, a specialized form of cataloging. She occasionally has had full-time staff (usually clerical, sometimes professional) and hopes for another colleague soon.
RACHEL GINSBERG works for the architecture firm Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz in San Francisco. She is currently responsible for the Library collection (this includes monographs, serials, architectural drawings and building products; samples and literature), the archives, reference and research for projects. She is also in charge of the creation of a knowledge management department to incorporate her department and the information technology department into one unit to successfully maintain the firm’s flow of information. KMD is an entity made up of roughly 250 employees worldwide, and one of its goals is to make the tacit knowledge of all these individuals available to every other individual in the place. Rachel’s background is in fine arts and she received her library degree from Simmons. Her focus in library science was in art librarianship as well as corporate and private libraries. The current software she is using was already established when she arrived. Her archives database is in Microsoft Access. The Library Database is using Inmagic's DBtextworks, which is SQL'ed on to her intranet. The intranet uses Microsoft FrontPage. She loves being a Solo because she is her own boss. As she writes, “There is a certain freedom that comes in a position when you are the only person performing what you do at your company.” She also enjoys being a Solo because it makes it easier to build connections with other librarians outside of her workplace. Most of the Architecture and Engineering librarians in San Francisco are Solos, so she has built (pun intended!) a good network to contact others with questions.
LORAIN LOVEJOY is currently the solo librarian at PepsiCo corporate HQ in the Corporate Strategy/M&A departments in Purchase, NY. She has over 15 years experience in the corporate world working at Champion International, Texaco, Marakon Associates (consulting firm), and freelance. PepsiCo is her first solo experience. She uses many sources such as Lexis/Nexis, Factiva, First Call, Euromonitor, FactSet, Mintel, Capital IQ, IRI, M+M Planet Retail. Her hobbies are reading, walking, gardening, and cooking.
Many thanks to Sheila for her work as Membership Chair! And a hearty welcome to Elizabeth, Margaret, Sally, Rachel and Lorain! We hope to meet you in Toronto!
Hopefully everyone has gotten their information packet for the SLA Conference in Toronto. But, if not, here is some basic information about the conference as well as details on the events the Solo Division is sponsoring. Pre-Conference Learning Activities start June 4. The actual conference begins on Sunday, June 5 and goes until Wednesday, June 8. Post-Conference Activities are on June 9. For more details and the great online conference planner go to: http://www.sla.org/content/Events/conference/ac2005/index.cfm
Also, if anyone can help with reporting for any of the learning events, it would be great! Email me [mailto:sabra_breslin@yahoo.com] if you can write a report for Flying Solo. – The Editor
Registration Fees:
| Member Early Bird (May 1, 2005) |
$275 |
Solo Librarian Division Sponsored Learning Events:
Getting Your Message Across
Saturday, June 4, 2005 8:00AM - 5:00PM
Communicate Clearly & Effectively
Everyone needs to package information for clear and effective communication. This course is important to anyone with upcoming presentations at work and for leaders within the organization. Learn how to customize your messages for effective transmission. A clear understanding of how adults learn will be imparted to all attendees. Prerequisites are minimal and include a good command of English and a basic knowledge of PowerPoint. Audiences: All attendees Speaker(s): Helen Ann. Brown, Information Services Librarian, Weill Cornell Medical Library
Ticketed Event #115 Price: $199 mbr/$299 nmbr
Women & Management
Monday, June 6, 2005 3:30PM - 5:00PM
Leadership & Marketing/Top Tier Professionals
Join us in exploring this popular and important topic. Co-sponsored with the Women's Issues Caucus. Speaker(s): Jeanne Miller, University of Michigan; Womens Education Center Jan Cambopiano, Catalyst, Inc.
Establishing a Weblog on Your Organization's Intranet
Tuesday, June 7, 2005 11:30AM - 1:00PM
Yes, You Can Do IT!
This presentation will look at the practice and process of placing a weblog on an Intranet, behind the firewall. As the weblog’s administrator, you will have the opportunity of providing vital, up-to-date information to your organization. Organizational announcements, library updates, Internet links, and employee news are just some of the many types of information you will be able to offer. After a brief explanation of weblogs, the presenter will walk you through his recent experience of starting his company’s weblog. He will discuss the reasons behind the decision, the steps taken, mistakes made, successes encountered. Hopes for the future will also be examined. Time will be provided for questions and answers. Speaker(s): Dennis Hamilton, Information Services Manager, KZF Design Inc
Success Stories of Solos
Wednesday, June 8, 2005 11:30AM - 1:00PM
Solos, this is your chance to share your triumphs with people who understand the challenges you face every day: your fellow Solo librarians. Each year we gather together to celebrate our success stories. Librarians from all types of organizations share the problems they faced and how they achieved success. We also share some of the issues and frustrations we are currently facing and brainstorm tips for solving our problems. Speaker(s): Kathleen Rainwater, Gates Corporation
You and Your Recruiter - Part 2
Wednesday, June 8, 2005 1:30PM - 3:00PM
Managing the Relationship
Back by popular demand. Continuing and building on last years Nashville program and an earlier session this week in Toronto. How do you make this work? What do you bring to the table and what does your recruiter bring to the table? Successful outcomes! Moderator(s): Carol R Simon, Hofstra University
Solo Librarian Division Sponsored Business, Fun and Food Events:
Solo Librarians Outgoing Board Meeting
Sunday, June 5, 2005 5:30PM - 6:30PM
Review of previous years activities.
Solo Librarians No Host Dinner
Sunday, June 5, 2005 7:00PM - 9:00PM
Meet Old Friends, Make New Friends in Toronto
Join us in our annual series of No Host Dinners. Explore different restaurants, network with friends.
Solo Open House
Sunday, June 5, 2005 9:00PM - 11:45PM
Getting Together! Meet new members and renew old friendships in a relaxing environment!
Solo Librarians Annual Business Meeting & Luncheon
Monday, June 6, 2005 11:30AM - 1:00PM
Review accomplishments of Division over the past year. Installation of new officers.
Ticketed Event #440 Price: $40
Solo Librarians Incoming Board Meeting
Tuesday, June 7, 2005 5:30PM - 6:30PM
Meet your new board. Here's your opportunity to get involved.
Solo Open House/Silent Auction
Tuesday, June 7, 2005 9:00PM - 11:45PM
Meet, greet, network, decompress. Join us for our first ever Silent Auction, organized, produced and directed by our own Trip Wyckoff.
Walking Tour/Historic Neighborhoods of Toronto
Thursday, June 9, 2005 9:30AM - 3:00PM
Leisurely stroll through ethnic neighborhoods; includes lunch.
Ticketed Event: No ticket number or price at this time.
Recent Book Reviews
If you’re like me, I’m sure you all get massive amounts of information “pushed” into your email inbox on a daily basis! One of my favorites is HBS Working Knowledge [http://hbswk.hbs.edu/index.jhtml]. A few weeks ago there were several interesting book reviews which might be of interest to those of you in the corporate world. Follow the link to the actual review and enjoy!
Economic Espionage and Industrial Spying by Hedieh Nasheri. Cambridge University Press, 2004 [http://hbswk.hbs.edu/book-review.jhtml?id=4635&t=innovation&nl=y]
Career Imprints: Creating Leaders Across an Industry by Monica Higgins. Wiley, John & Sons, Inc. March 2005 [http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item.jhtml?id=4610&t=career_effectiveness]
Solo Librarians Division