SLA Blog

Discount to Information Today’s Buying & Selling eContent Conference

As we charter through these uncertain financial times, we understand the value of networking within the information community. That is why SLA is working harder than ever to bring you affordable opportunities to stay on top of developments in the profession.

As a Learning Partner for Information Today's tenth annual Buying & Selling eContent conference, SLA has negotiated an exclusive member discount of US $600 off the standard registration rate!

When you register as an SLA member, you will pay only US $ 995. Be sure to register for the special Sunday, session “Maximizing the Rules of Engagement and Usage for Cost Optimization,” followed by a reception for SLA members and special guests co hosted by SLA and Information Today. In the session, content buyers will present five hot topics in content licensing and distribution for enterprise buyers.  Please view the Buying & Selling eContent 2009 program for additional information about the conference.

SLA CEO Janice Lachance and Director of Business Development, Stacey Bowers, will be in attendance and hope to see you there!

SLA Announces 2010 Board of Directors Candidates

SLA has nominated eight candidates to run for election to the 2010 SLA Board of Directors. The candidates were identified by the SLA Nominating Committee, which annually solicits names of potential candidates from the membership, and is responsible for putting together a slate of candidates that has exceptional talent, is professionally diverse, and provides regionally balanced representation.

Members will have several opportunities to hear from and get to know candidates at the SLA 2009 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO in Washington, D.C. The election will be held electronically in mid-September 2009.  The elected candidates will take office on January 1, 2010.

The candidates running for election to the 2010 SLA Board of Directors are:

For President-elect

• Agnes Mattis, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, New York City
• Cindy Romaine, Romainiacs Intelligence Research, Portland, Ore.

 For Treasurer

• Karen Kreizman Reczek, Bureau Veritas, Buffalo, N.Y.
• Dan Trefethen, The Boeing Company, Seattle

 For Chapter Cabinet Chair-elect

• Elizabeth Blankson-Hemans, Dialog, London, U.K.
• Debal C. Kar, The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi, India

 For Division Cabinet Chair-elect

• Mary Ellen Bates, Bates Information Services, Longmont, Colo.
• Stacey Greenwell, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky.

For more information about SLA’s governance practices and leadership, please visit the Board of Directors section of our Web site

Face of SLA Leadership Summit "Headshots" now available for download

If you were kind enough to allow the SLA PR Team to take your photo in front of the "blue screen" at the SLA Leadership Summit in Savannah, the images are up and ready for viewing and download.

Please download these images ASAP! They will not stay up forever, and will be pulled down in the next 30 days. Act now! 

Here’s how to access them:

1) Go to the Web site www.thephotogroup.com

2) Select online proofing and enter the password in the “event password” prompt:  savannah

3) You’ll see two categories: Blue Screen and Board Group Shot.  Click on either one of these to view the thumbnails.

4) Click on a thumbnail to view a larger image and see download options.

Please contact SLA PR Director Cara Schatz with any questions: cara@sla.org

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 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. 

SLA Centennial Website Launched, Previews Year-Long Celebration

The SLA Centennial Commission announces the launch of the SLA Centennial Celebration Web site, the official gateway to celebrations for the 2009 SLA Centennial!

SLA was founded in 1909 by John Cotton Dana and a group of librarians who recognized the need for an association which would promote cooperation and the sharing of knowledge to support business, government, academic and specialized librarians. One hundred years later, the SLA Centennial Celebration Website continues to promote that spirit of knowledge sharing among information professionals.

It is time to start getting excited for an amazing SLA Centennial Celebration in 2009!  Not sure how to get your own celebration underway? How about geting started on your entry for the SLA Centennial Video Contest!?!

SLA Adds New Dues Tier for Info Pros Making Less than $18K

With many facing lay offs and cutbacks SLA members are able to rely on their professional association to provide assistance in tough times

SLA has added a third tier of membership dues for the full member class of membership. Dues for members with incomes of less than US$18,000 annually are now reduced to US$35 annually. Association members who fall into this category, including those who are unemployed, will have full access to all of SLA's members-only services, including professional development, the SLA Career Center and networking opportunities. This initiative is an immediate response to the global economic crisis and will allow more members from around the globe to participate in the full range of SLA's benefits. This dues structure will make membership in SLA affordable for members working in any economy, as well as those who are students, unemployed, part-time workers or retired.

"Members need the support of their association more than ever if they lose their jobs," said SLA CEO Janice R. Lachance. "Our new dues structure will allow them to keep their professional skills and networks intact as well as provide them with the members-only SLA tools and resources the association provides to enhance their professional skills or find new employment. Being an SLA member even allows info pros to have access to discounts on health insurance as well as tuition at library and information schools."

Read the press release

2009 January Leadership Summit Registration Now Open

On-line registration is now available for the 2009 Leadership Summit to be held in Savannah, Georgia, 14-17 January 2009 This unique leadership development program offers attendees a one-stop opportunity to develop leadership skills in their careers—and also skills specific to volunteerism in SLA. Seize this chance to step back from your day-to-day routine and engage in group learning and skill-building exercises guaranteed to push your thinking and advance your leadership and management skills. At the same time you'll have fun and build lasting relationships with other information professionals. Make a difference in your career and SLA!

"Special Librarian" Named One of the Best Nonpolitical Jobs for Political Junkies

7 Best Nonpolitical Jobs for Political Junkies

If you want to sate your political appetite with a full-time job, here are some cool ideas

By Liz Wolgemuth

Ah, election season. There's nothing like a good battle between the Democrats and the Republicans (and Ralph Nader and Ron Paul) to whet the appetite of a political junkie. But if you're looking for something less temporal—the kind of work that will let you feed your addiction year-round—you don't have to become a legislator. Consider one of these (mostly) nonpolitical jobs where you may find a way to keep the spirit of the election alive every day.

Librarian: Not just any librarian—a special librarian. Special librarians work for companies, government agencies, nonprofits, universities, or museums, rather than for the general public. There are plenty of opportunities for people to focus on specialties. Janice Lachance, chief executive of the Special Libraries Association, says....

Read the Full Article in U.S.News & World Report

Last Chance: Download SLA2008 Seattle Photos

Please be sure to go through the site below and download the photos that you would like to keep.  The download site will be brought down on 15 October so please check the photos out ASAP!  You wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to get these fun pictures for your facebook page, newsletter, blog or office!

DIRECTIONS

1. Go to the site, www.thephotogroup.com

2. Select Online Proofing

3. Your password is sla08

4. You'll be brought to a page of categories organized based on the events in Seattle - to view a category click on it.

5. You'll be brought to a page of thumbnails - to enlarge a thumbnail, click on the image. To download an image, enlarge the thumbnail and use the link to the right of the enlarged image.

NOTE: To those who participated in the Face of SLA photo project in Seattle, please be sure to download photos for use as professional headshots.  You will find your photographs in the category labeled "blue screen photos"

Please be sure to go through the site below and download the photos that you would like to keep.  The download site will be brought down on 15 October so please check the photos out ASAP!  You wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to get these fun pictures for your facebook page, newsletter, blog or office!

DIRECTIONS

1. Go to the site, www.thephotogroup.com

2. Select Online Proofing

3. Your password is sla08

4. You'll be brought to a page of categories organized based on the events in Seattle - to view a category click on it.

5. You'll be brought to a page of thumbnails - to enlarge a thumbnail, click on the image. To download an image, enlarge the thumbnail and use the link to the right of the enlarged image.

NOTE: To those who participated in the Face of SLA photo project in Seattle, please be sure to download photos for use as professional headshots.  You will find your photographs in the category labeled "blue screen photos"