SLA Blog

Info Today: Update on Google Book Search at SLA 2009

If you haven't been following the situation with the Google Book Search, take a moment to read Paula Hane's Information Today article,"Update on the Google Book Settlement"

The article is a great summary of all of the activity of the last few months including an overview of SLA's Public Policy update at SLA 2009. 

Read the article

Read more on the Public Policy Connections blog about SLA's position and work on this issue. 

Four Simple Steps for Submitting a Request for Information (RFI) Using the SLA Vendor Search

Need to submit a proposal or a bid? Try the SLA Vendor Search!

As our managers are asking for more options in content and services to compare pricing in these ever-changing economic times, SLA would like to make it that much easier. In just four easy steps, you can submit your Request for Information (or proposal and/or bid) to vendors using the SLA Vendor RFI Service. The request form can even handle attachments up to 2MB in size.

Here’s how you can send your request to multiple vendors:
 
1.    Go to the SLA Vendor Search.  Find the vendors from which you would like more information.  You can search or use provided categories.
2.    To the right of each vendor’s name, you will find icons (for phone, e-mail, etc.).  The bottom icon is an “i” for information.  Check the box next to the information icon for each vendor you would like to include on your list.
3.    When you have finished selecting vendors, go to the header bar at the top of the page.  Click on the “i” icon on the header bar.  An RFI will appear, populated with the names of the vendors you have chosen.
4.    Complete the form, add any attachments, and click “Submit” to send your request.

Be sure to share this information on this service with staff responsible for purchasing in your organization. (Please note: the RFI option is only available to vendors who have Web-enabled listings.)

Happy Bidding! 

"The Culture Keepers"

On Monday, July 20, the Sacramento Bee ran a very nice look at a local special library, the Sacramento Turn Verein library, formally known as the German-American Cultural Center Library, which has about 100 volunteers who keep it running. 

Alongside the article the paper also published a list of the 27 other special libraries in the Sacramento, California, area.  From gold mine history, to a geneology library, to the a state railroad museum library...it's quite an impressive list!

Read the full article "The Culture Keepers" by Carlos Alcalá.

SLA and SIIA Co-Sponsor Content Buying Study by Shore

Shore Communications, research and strategy consultants serving the information industry, recently announced a study co-sponsored by SLA and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA).

The study, which will include SLA members and executives from the information industry as participants, will ultimately produce a major research project focused on understanding how enterprise content buyers are handling the current economic climate.

The study, titled “New Rules of Engagement: Re-Tooling Information Sales and Marketing for the New Economy,” will include both traditional quantitative analysis and first-person narrative case studies. Analysis of purchasing and influencing factors will help give a better understanding of the climate and help to prepare every player in the information industry as to what lies ahead.

Participating SLA members also will have an opportunity, via webinars, to be briefed on the Shore findings and to receive a summary report. For more details and to register interest, please visit www.shore.com/newrules2009.

"Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic..."

As an avid Saturday Night Live (SNL) fan in the 90s, I was so pleased to read this title from Inmagic blogger, Carolyn MacNeil, that I literally LOLed at my desk:

SLA is neither "special" nor is it just for "libraries." Talk amongst yourselves.

If you don't get it...that just means you were probably doing better things with your Saturday evenings in the 90s than sitting at home memorizing sketch comedy character quotes.

However, you do not have to be knowledgeable about SNL quotes from 20 years ago to understand where she is going with her post.  Carolyn is talking about the SLA alignment initiative and the proposed name change for SLA...

 In actuality, members include more than just those in special libraries, and it includes more than just librarians. So it's true the name might not be an accurate reflection of the group. However, even though there are many different roles and titles within the group -- info pros, researchers, librarians, knowledge professionals, etc. -- what makes the group, well, a group, is that the commonalities outweigh the differences.

I have to say that I agree, it is what we have in common that makes us a tribe and it is those same traits, skills, training and expertise that will carry this tribe to success in the future. 

What do you think? What are the commonalities that we see in all SLA members, regardless of title, location, function or role? 

Want to talk amongst yourselves? Check out the SLA Alignment Wiki and the Twitter discussion using #slaname.

The future of conferences (podcast)

No doubt you recognize that the SLA Annual Conference has been changing.  In fact, new conference models are being adopted within the conference industry in order to change them from events focused around the number of bodies that attend to events focused on knowledge transfer (which is why conferences really do exist). 

A panel of conference professionals talk about the future of conferences in this podcast from Future Tense (ABC Radio Network).  Topics include current new conference models (e.g., bar camps, unconferences, world cafes and open space events) as well as models that might be adopted in the future, creating community, the use of technology and  how the current conference industry is like the music industry of years past.  (I'd never thought of correlating the changes in the conference industry to grunge music.)

Both the podcast (27 min.) and transcript are available.  No matter if you're organizing a conference of just attending, this podcast may help you consider different models that will make the conference experience more compelling.

Mary Ellen Bates – Candidate for Division Cabinet Chair-Elect – Question #2

One of the key points that has driven the Alignment Project is that we info pros have to use language that the marketplace understands. And we have to make the marketplace—that is, those who employ SLA members—aware of the strategic value of information and the ROI for hiring info pros.

 

What I found most interesting in the findings were the discrepancies between what the C-suite values and what value we think we provide. Across the board, our users and clients identify higher-value, more strategic aspects of our service as our key value, whereas we tend to define ourselves by the tasks that are required. Upper management already appreciates the importance of good information, and the difficulty in finding it. Our job is to get them to see that we are the missing link between information and actionable intelligence.

 

Now, what we info pros need is courage—to offer insight and to spot trends for our clients, to add analysis to what we provide. And, more importantly, in order to be seen as strategic players, we have to move beyond our traditional skills and add even more value and insight to our information products.

 

This applies to SLA as an association as well. SLA must tangibly show its value to its clients – us. That means continuing to explore new ways to build the professional connections and network that we, and upper management, value so highly. The other aspect of our association that we depend on is its ability to advocate for us and to give us the tools to advocate within our organizations. Studies such as the Alignment Project are critical to members, and SLA must continue to provide ways for members to demonstrate the competitive advantage we offer our organizations.

Stacey Greenwell - Candidate for Division Cabinet Chair-Elect - Question #2

For me, a key takeaway from the findings of the alignment project is that the terms "special library," "special librarian," and even "SLA" do not resonate outside of our profession.  I would argue that the terms are not all that clear within our profession, either.  I cannot tell you how many academic librarians I've talked with who ask me: "Why are you involved in special libraries? Isn't that for people who work in law firms and companies?"  Of course SLA is here to serve those individuals, but SLA also provides extraordinary continuing education and networking opportunities for academic librarians as well, particularly those of us who focus on a specific subject area or those interested in new technologies, leadership, or knowledge management.  When our own colleagues don't really understand what SLA is all about, how can we expect CEOs, Presidents, and Provosts to understand our association or even our profession?

It is clear to me that we have an opportunity to make some changes in how we define ourselves and our association.  Too often we focus on the tasks that we perform, rather than the value we provide to an organization.  While I consider myself a librarian, I look forward to the opportunity to call my professional association something which better defines who we are.  I encourage you to join in the discussion on Twitter and on the wiki.  What an exciting time to be a part of this association!

Liz Blankson-Hemans - Candidate for Chapter Cabinet Chair-Elect - Question #2

For me, the top takeaways from the Alignment Research Report are:

1)  We need to align values with perception in the minds of our organizations, so that instead of describing ourselves by the tasks or functions we carry out (eg cataloguer, research librarian etc), we define these tasks in terms of the value, benefit and impact we bring to the organizational effort or bottom-line -  such as "facilitating good decision-making", "advancing or enhancing business development opportunities", and so on.

2) Leveraging the equity or positive attributes of librariaship and all that it entails, whilst using more modern terminology or applications to describe who we are, and what we do - so for instance:

• "purchasing" instead of "acquisitions",
• "competitive intelligence and analysis" instead of "online searching" 
• "trainer/teacher" instead of "library instruction"

Both individually, and as an association, adopting these findings will help to tick many boxes of benefits as we undertake the serious business of aligning ourselves and our profession to be meaningful and relevant to our organizations for the next 100 years and more.  

It will help us achieve a clear sense of purpose, which may not necessarily be in the boardroom, but on our own terms and perceptible contribution to the organizational effort.  It will lead to recognition in the marketplace as critical assets within organizations.  This kind of recognition will help to draw new and younger members to "the profession".

But what will that "profession" be?  The alignment findings suggest that we have some work to do to come up with a name for this profession that resonates with the high value words and ideas that we as  professionals generate.  This name also needs to embrace and appeal to all who may see it and think - "yes, I do that" or "I can identify with that".

As our leaders have reiterated several times, we require not just a simple name change, but a total game change.  I don't have all the answers yet, and judging by the discussions on the blogs, neither does anyone else - but the key thing is that we have began the discussion and brainstorming of ideas.  Are you part of the debate?  Now is the time for your voice to be heard as we begin to "align in 09".

Agnes Mattis - Candidate for President Elect - Question # 2

The beauty of the Alignment Project is that the results are two-fold, for us as information professionals and for  the association as a whole. The research put new words behind the work we do as individuals. We will stop describing ourselves as functions but as strategic thinkers and knowledge workers who bring value to our organizations.

Through the research we can create a road map to guide our association as we enter our second hundred years. We can re-position our association to be more inclusive, to attract members who may have thought SLA did not have a place for them.

 

The top takeaway for me is now that we have all the research it is time put it into action.

 

The new portal will bring together everything to do with alignment. We will have the chance to absorb and digest the findings of Fleishman Hillard and Outsell. The Alignment Ambassadors will join SLA leadership to communicate the value and positioning of the Association and the profession. I have heard some people say this is just about a name change. But it is so much more than that. It becomes who we are and how we define ourselves. The research has shown that our current name does not resonate with those outside of the Association – How many times have you had to explain what a special librarian is? If a new name will make our communication and positioning better, I say bring it on. This sounds like a good start to me. I'm excited about the future of the association. We have a lot of work to do and  I want to be a part of it. How about you?