SLA Blog

Facelifts for special libraries...share your experiences

Posted on behalf of the book's authors. Contact them for more information.

______________________________

Facelifts for Special Libraries: A Practical Guide to Revitalizing Diverse Physical and Digital Spaces (working title*) is a book currently being written to share collective experiences and to give practical advice to busy solo-librarians or special library managers as to how to revitalize their libraries both in the physical and the digital space.

The book aims to cover a variety of areas that could be considered revitalization projects including: renovations or upgrades to physical space with green initiatives, upgrading the library's digital space via open source software or other innovative web-based tools, as well as budgeting, planning, getting support from upper management and working with designers and vendors.

We are gathering information, case studies and interviews with librarians who have completed, are in the process of undertaking a physical or digital renovation project, or who are considering a future renovation or revitalization project in a special library.
 
*Upcoming book authored by three special librarians: Dawn Bassett (Vancouver Aquarium), Brooke Ballantyne Scott (Riverview Hospital and the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission), and Jenny Fry (formerly of the BC Institute Against Family Violence)
 
Share your experiences

We'd like our book to be as practical a guidebook as possible.
 
Our intention is to incorporate practical real-life examples in our book so if you have a story to share, advice, and/or images to share please post them on the blog or email us and we'll post them for you: http://faceliftsforspeciallibraries.blogspot.com/.
 
For more information, contact us at jbdbookproject@gmail.com.
 
If you know of other librarians who would be interested in this project, please feel free to forward this information to them.
 
Thank you for your valuable input.
 
Brooke Ballantyne Scott
Dawn Bassett
Jenny Fry

2 Days Left to enjoy $45 savings off Member Conference Registration!

There is just two days left to enjoy savings of $45 off the Early Bird member registration!

Register online by 31 January 2009 and you'll save US$ 45 off the Member Early Bird rate*. Online registration is now open. Make your plans now to register early. Use the discount code below when you register online.

Stimulus Plan Discount Code
SLA1909

*Discount is only available to SLA members on the Full Member registration rate. SLA membership must be active at the time of registration. Online registration and the Stimulus Plan Discount Code must be used to receive the discount. This is a one-time offer for SLA members and is good through 31 January 2009.

Centennial Video Contest: $10,000 in Prizes up for Grabs!

Deadline Extended:  SLA Centennial Video Contest Entries Now Due February 23

While an Oscar may not be in your near future, $10,000 in prizes is still pretty darn good! (Especially when you realize that there's $1,000 for a designated chapter AND division.) 

Get a group together and get going! We can't wait to see what YOUR vision is for the SLA Information Professional of the Future!

If you are planning to submit a video, the Centennial Commission would love to hear from you! Please let us know your intent to submit ASAP by completing and e-mailing this form to Tamika Mccollough at: tbmccollough@gmail.com

So get your cameras rolling ...And remember that any SLA member, individually or as a group, can submit a video. 

Details on how to submit, the fabulous cash prizes, and the rules of participation are available here.

While an Oscar may not be in your near future, $10,000 in prizes is still pretty darn good! (Especially when you realize that there's $1,000 for a designated chapter AND division.) 

Get a group together and get going! We can't wait to see what YOUR vision is for the SLA Information Professional of the Future!

If you are planning to submit a video, the Centennial Commission would love to hear from you! Please let us know your intent to submit ASAP by completing and e-mailing this form to Tamika Mccollough at: tbmccollough@gmail.com

So get your cameras rolling ...And remember that any SLA member, individually or as a group, can submit a video. 

Details on how to submit, the fabulous cash prizes, and the rules of participation are available here.

Centennial Celebration Opportunity: Submit Your SLA Photos

On January 15, during the SLA Leadership Summit in Savannah, Georgia, we officially kicked off our year-long SLA Centennial Celebration!  

For those many members that could not join the SLA Leadership at that event, we have a number of different opportunities for your to jump on the SLA Centennial Celebration bandwagon.  

Please visit the SLA Centennial Celebration Web site regularly! It is your virtual connection to the SLA Centennial Celebration for the entire year. We will let you know when a new opportunity for participation in this historic event arises, so please be on the look out for ways to join in the fun and festivities.   

One of the first opportunities is happening now! Please consider sharing YOUR pictures of SLA events on our SLA Centennial Celebration Flickr group.

The group already contains a couple hundred photos, and we would like to see many, many more.  Photos of chapter events are especially encouraged, as well as images from annual conferences, leadership summits, regional conferences, and other events of years past.

 If you have a Flickr account already, you can "share" your photos with the group that way. All images should be tagged with sla100.  All (appropriate) images are welcome.  The more, the merrier!

The SLA Podcast Center- New Content Now Available!

For those multi-tasking SLA members who are interested in learning more about the information and knowledge professions as they ride, fly, walk and bus to work, the SLA Podcast Center is a good place to start. 

Check out the latest from John Latham, author of the Information Outlook column "Info Management" as well as career enhancement tips from the SLA Career Center and more! 

Check it out today!  

Share Your SLA Photos

Celebrate SLA's centennial year by sharing pictures of SLA events on our Flickr group.  The group already contains a couple hundred photos, and we would like to see many, many more.  Photos of chapter events are especially encouraged, as well as images from annual conferences, leadership summits, regional conferences, and other events of years past.

If you want to help populate the images, you can send an email to: slawebsite@gmail.com

Subject line: Flickr photos
Submit your photos as attachments

If you have a Flickr account already, you can "share" your photos with the group that way. All (appropriate) images are welcome.  The more, the merrier!

Thank you in advance for your participation!

www.flickr.com More in SLA Centennial Pictures pool

Click University Offers Free Online Courses to Help Members Thrive in Bad Economy

Greetings from Savannah Georgia! We have some great news to share with you... 

Effective today, Click University will offer free online courses as an exclusive benefit to SLA members.  The free programming encompasses all non-certificate online courses that are part of SLA’s Click University, including Click U Live! monthly webinars, Click U Live! recorded sessions, and self-paced courses  Also available to members without charge are execuBooks, recorded Annual Conference continuing education courses, 23 Things, the SLA Innovation Lab and SLA Leadership Training. Courses offered through Click U at the SLA Annual Conference and through the Click U Certificate Programs will remain as fee-based offerings.

“During bad economic times, it is especially important that our members continue to master new information and technology to stay competitive,” said  SLA CEO Janice R. Lachance.

All professional development programs from SLA are offered under the auspices of Click U, which is beginning its fifth full year as an exclusive member benefit. Click U provides 24-hour access to learning opportunities and includes training on general business skills as well as SLA-produced courses tailored to the needs of information professionals. 

 

 “If we want employers to have a competitive edge, information professionals must stay sharp and be innovative, and that means continuous learning,” Lachance continued. “SLA provides these tools for success through Click U, and offering them as a benefit of membership will make them accessible to all of our members, regardless of their economic circumstances."

Following a unanimous approval vote by the 2009 SLA Board of Directors on Wednesday, 2009 SLA

President Gloria Zamora announced this decision to an appreciative audience and thunderous applause from 250 SLA leaders during this morning’s opening address of the SLA Leadership Summit. Zamora said, “I know you are thinking that it is counter-intuitive to be turning away revenue during a sagging economy, however increasing the value of SLA membership during this period of global economic turmoil should have an immediate and positive impact on our members. By including portions of Click U as part of your membership, we are providing you with a tool which enables you to enrich your marketable skills and become a more valuable asset to your employers.”

Beginning on January 22, SLA members will also be able to access everything within Click U using a single sign-in on the SLA home page, making access to the first and only online learning community focusing on continuing professional education for knowledge professionals fast, free and easy.

SLA Member Discount at SIIA Conference in NYC

SLA and the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) are offering SLA members a special discount of US$ 200 on the non-SIIA member registration fee for SIIA’s 8th Annual Information Industry Summit conference 27-28 January 2009 in New York City. To receive your discount, just enter PRMSLA when you register online HERE

I hope you will join me in attending this exciting event, where you can participate in discussions with content industry leaders while we embark on these uncertain economic times. As CEO Janice Lachance mentions in her latest article, "Your Best Investment in Today's Economy," in the December issue of Information Outlook, SLA is committed to “support your professional development and keep you in touch with thought leaders in the industry.”  This conference will give you the opportunity to discuss the true value of the products and services you use daily to deliver relevant, high-quality and timely content that influences your organization’s important business decisions. Listen to recent innovative case studies from your vendor community on the latest improvements to their products and services and what the future holds. As you network with the industry’s top leaders and thinkers, you can review business models, address new product ideas, and evaluate cutting-edge strategies. Please visit http://www.siia.net/iis/2009/ for more information about the conference program. 

SLA is working harder than ever to bring you affordable opportunities to stay on top of developments in the information profession.  Check the Member Discount Page often!

Second Stimulus Plan for Members

Our first stimulus plan was so popular that 100 people registered within an hour, so we have a second stimulus plan!

Register online before 31 January 2009 and you'll save US$ 45 off the Member Early Bird rate*. Online registration is now open. Make your plans now to register early. Use the discount code below when you register online.
 
Stimulus Plan Discount Code
SLA1909

*Discount is only available to SLA members on the Full Member registration rate. SLA membership must be active at the time of registration. Online registration and the Stimulus Plan Discount Code must be used to receive the discount. This is a one-time offer for SLA members and will expire 31 January 2009.

SLA Board of Directors Votes for Creation of SLA Academic Division

The 2008 SLA Board of Directors voted in December to approve the formation of the Academic Division of SLA.  As of 1 January 2009 this division is now officially accepting members.  To join the Academic Division of SLA, go to the online membership form and add this division to your membership. To join SLA and the Academic Division, fill out the membership form here. 

The scope of the Division is to focus on topics of interest to academic librarians from all subject disciplines. This division is committed to improving the quality of teaching and research at academic institutions by promoting collaborative opportunities between information professionals and the larger academic community. While other divisions are concerned with specific subject areas, the Academic Division covers topics of a general nature relevant to all academic librarians from all subject disciplines.

The proposed executive board is comprised of the following members:

• Chair – Stacey Greenwell, University of Kentucky Libraries

• Chair-Elect – Anna Burke, Babson College

• Secretary – Christian Miller, Cornell University

• Treasurer – Leoma Dunn, Thomas More College

More information on the scope of the Academic Division is available here. 

If you are interested in reviewing the board documents in full visit here.