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President's Corner
This is the Right Time If you have been waiting for the right time to become active in SLA, you may be in luck. The right time is NOW. Thanks to very able Chapter presidents who have come before me, we are in a strong position to provide library and information science leadership at several levels in the Washington D.C. area, the U.S., and internationally. Your participation in Chapter activities provides many benefits. These returns include: the personal and professional rewards of networking, friendships, resume building, management skill development, and the satisfaction to doing something useful for others. Send me (sueojohnson@msn.com), or anyone involved with an activity, an e-mail with your interests and we'll see how you can participate. I have listed some contacts below to get you started: Anne Caputo, Program Chair and President Elect, is already putting together what promises to be an outstanding group of professional development and social programs for our "year," which goes from September through May. Be sure and come to programs, and send Anne your ideas. Barbara Folensbee-Moore has taken on the exceedingly important post of Hospitality Chair. The first event, in September, will give you a chance to meet the multi-talented new Executive Director of SLA, Roberta Shaffer. And now you can pay for events with your credit card, a process we are testing, that we think will simplify making reservations. Becky Milton and Marcelle Saint Arnaud lead the Chapter's International Projects Committee. We will continue our support for 25 Global 2000 Fellows from 22 developing countries. We selected them, we funded them, we mentored them, we provided them with SLA memberships, and now we have set up a web site and listserv for communicating with them and others about international issues. We would like to expand the numbers of SLA members from developing countries. Can your company sponsor a member for $115 per year? The benefits are that you will be providing information for a whole community of people needing access to library and information science knowledge. They in turn will share knowledge with us and with each other. Reputations and careers can be built this way. Back in Washington, Maureen Booth and Kenlee Ray, a DC/SLA Director, will lead a major effort to select and provide support for a library in the DC Community. Can you help them? We will also increase and promote giving free short, consulting sessions to Washington businesses as they deal with the changes brought about from the proliferation of end user Internet searching. Lynne McCay, winner of the Chapters' President's Award this year, will lead that effort. Let her know if you are interested in working on this. Roberta Geier will build on the foundations of our continuing student support program, and organize a young professionals group downtown. Let her know if you want to work on this. We have a new set of talented Newsletter editors, Marie Kaddell, Editor in Chief, Betty Landesman, and Jan Alfiari. Do you like to write? If so, please contact them. In a new feature, I am planning to draw attention to innovative Chapter members whose outstanding qualities represent what is best in our field. I call them "Innovators in our Midst." Perhaps you have not even heard their names before, but there are people in our Chapter who are setting the standards and creating best practices as they manage the chaotic, changing environments in which we work. Their approaches and ideas could work for you. Anna McGowan, DC/SLA Senior Director, will head up a new committee studying the feasibility of moving toward our Chapter's dependence on electronic communications media. Let Anna know if you want to work with her, and your opinions on this hot topic. David Shumaker, Immediate Past President, will head up a Simplification Committee to look at our committee structure, and suggest changes that help to encourage volunteerism. Eileen Deegan and Amy Pass, winners of the Chapter Members of the Year Award this year, will head up a new committee to produce a new edition of the DC Library Directory. They are a great team, so please join them. DC/SLA Chapter BoardAny member of the Chapter is welcome to come to Board meetings, held at 6PM on the first Tuesday of the month at BNA HQ, 1231 25th Street, NW. To look up location details of Board members, please use the SLA web site, www.sla.org. Go into "Members Only," put in your SLA pin number, and access the Online Directory.
Kudos!
Other Chapter Member News:
-- Betty Landesman Special Invitation
KIIE is a center of discussion, a clearinghouse of international information. Caucus members are involved or interested in efforts to promote networking on the international level through exchange of ideas, information and/or people. It provides the broadest possible opportunity for members to participate or volunteer and discuss international library activities. As part of the development of the clearinghouse, the caucus will begin work to compile and list international activities throughout the entire Special Libraries Association -- chapter activities, division activities, and committee activities. Additionally, to build on the excellent work done in our chapter to bring developing country librarians to the Global 2000 Conference in Brighton, England, this clearinghouse will also contain information on distance education, funding resources for professional development as well as grants and proposal writing resources. All this information will be available on the KIIE caucus Web site (www.sla.org/caucus/kiie) by the end of August. The main communication tool is the discussion group, which will include all 25 Fellows, 22 of whom attended the Global 2000 conference last October. To subscribe:
I hope you will also join to participate in building better communications between all those interested in international activities.
International Information Exchange Caucus Web site: www.sla.org/caucus/kiie
Marcelle Saint-Arnaud (Msainta@Naalc.Org) FLICC Program on Digital LibrariesBy Betty LandesmanOn July 12, 2001, the Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC) sponsored an all-day information technology update on "Building a Digital Library: How Digitization Affects Traditional Library Activities and Services". There were presentations on all aspects of digital libraries, including cataloging and indexing, archiving, preservation, accessibility, and reference services. José-Marie Griffiths, Professor of Information and Chief Information Officer of the University of Michigan, provided a digital library overview, including an assessment of the current status of digital libraries and future considerations. She referred to the NCLIS report on government information. There are many challenges in providing access to this information including: the inadequacy of finding tools, technological incompatibilities, the overwhelming amount of information, the lack of availability of all information on the Internet; and inequitable access for special populations. There are issues such as "passive dissemination" versus "proactive dissemination" which must be addressed. Furthermore, there are organizational dynamics that occur in this landscape such as overlap and competition among government agencies; inconsistencies and incompatibilities at the state and local levels; and public/private sector partnerships that must be successfully navigated. In discussing the "digital divide", Griffiths challenged the traditional definition of access as being a physical, technological one. To be successful, users need information literacy skills. We need to find a balance between computer intelligence and human intelligence; between proactivity and intrusiveness; between protection and openness. Technology is actually a minor component. The real issues are those of the basic foundations of knowledge. The web gives an illusion of depth, but it is not comprehensive. Other illusions are those of validity, structure, and permanence. The role of the information professional is really the traditional one of collection development (identification of trusted resources, knowledge of the resources that are collectively relevant to the community), cataloging (description of these resources), and reference. Following Griffiths' keynote, there were three presentations on the topic of "Providing Intellectual Access". Suzanne Pilsk and Martin Kalfatovic of the Smithsonian Institution discussed metadata and Dublin Core, and their use in providing access to digital resources. Their presentation is available at http://www.sil.si.edu/staff/flicc-2001dl/. Denise Bedford, Thesaurus Manager for the World Bank's Information Solutions Group, described the development of thesauri and their role in digital environments. George Barnum, Electronic Collection Manager at GPO, talked about the history of the Federal Depository Library Program, the challenges faced in making the transition to electronic formats, and the GPO-OCLC digital archiving project. In the afternoon, there were four presentations on the topic of "Providing Physical Access". Don Sawyer, of the National Space Science Data Center of the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center provided a reference model for an Open Archival Information System. Since long-term preservation of digital information is difficult, and there is no consensus on what is meant by "archiving", ISO developed a model. An overview of ISO archiving standards can be accessed at http://ssdoo.gsfc.nasa.gov/nost/isoas/, and the 2001 OAIS draft at http://www.ccsds.org/documents/p2/CCSDS-650.0-R-1.2.pdf (download Adobe Reader). Nancy Davenport, Director of Acquisitions at the Library of Congress, described their efforts to develop a framework to protect digital collections. The physical security framework for book collections, which differentiates levels of security based on a risk/value continuum, was not applicable in the digital environment. They need to decide what aspects of digital collections (integrity, accessibility, confidentiality) are most important to LC. Mary Lou Mobley, an attorney with the Disability Rights Section of the Department of Justice, gave an introduction to the Rehabilitation Act: Requirements for Federal Libraries (Section 508). Section 508 outlines the need for Federal agencies to incorporate design accessibility features into their planning for electronic and information technology in order to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities. Full information can be found at http://www.section508.gov/. The last presentation in this section was an overview of some of the technical aspects (servers, storage, clustering, security, scanning) of a digital library infrastructure, presented by James King, Network Administrator at the Naval Research Laboratory. The final group of presentations was on the topic of "Providing Reference Services". Diane Kresh, Director of Public Services Collections at the Library of Congress, described the development and status of the Collaborative Digital Reference Service. Through an international network of participants, CDRS's goal is to provide digital reference service to users anywhere and any time. Complete information is available at http://www.loc.gov/rr/digiref/. John Shuler, Head, Government Documentation at the University of Illinois at Chicago, talked about how digitization affects traditional library activities and services. The UIC Library serves as the contractor for the State Department's Public Affairs office, and provides reference service for the public on their behalf. We are defining new forms of relationships with new technology. Agencies are now able to deliver information directly to the user without the need to go through an intermediary. While electronic reference service is much like traditional reference service, it offers several challenges to library concepts of privacy and employee performance measures. We no longer have to be archivists; our collections point to information on other web sites that we don't own. Regardless of the challenges, electronic reference service is what users have come to expect. The full day's program concluded with a panel discussion, where Denise Bedford, José-Marie Griffiths, and John Shuler addressed remaining questions from the audience. U.S. Supreme Court Decision Could Impact Information ProfessionalsBy Frederik Heller On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court made its decision in one of the most hotly contested copyright cases in recent memory, New York Times Co. vs. Tasini (00-201). The case was originally filed against the Times and several other major publishers in a New York district court in 1993 by Jonathan Tasini, National Writers Union president, and five other freelance writers. The debate centered on the ownership of the copyrights to digital versions of freelancers' articles that had already been published in the print versions of The New York Times and other major publications. A provision in the Copyright Act of 1976 gives newspaper and magazine publishers a collective copyright to each issue they publish, as well as the right to publish revisions to the collective work. The court was asked to decide whether or not the electronic versions of a newspaper or magazine -- on a website or online database such as LEXIS/NEXIS -- should be considered revisions. If digital versions are revisions, as Tasini argued, then freelance writers would own the right to publish their articles electronically and be able to collect back fees from publishers. The Supreme Court decided 7-2 in favor of the writers, stating in its decision that "databases do not perceptibly reproduce articles as part of the collective work to which the author contributed or as part of any 'revision.'" After the decision was announced, SLA Executive Director David Bender said that the opinion "dramatically alters the landscape for management of information through online content aggregators and purveyors." Because its membership includes many information professionals who are either writers or employed by publishers, the Special Libraries Association remained neutral in the case. Although it is not known how many freelance articles are affected by the Supreme Court's decision, information professionals may soon experience missing articles in online databases, especially material written before 1995 (in 1995 it became common for publishers to request both print and electronic rights to freelance articles in their contracts). The New York Times has already begun pulling articles written by freelance authors from its website, citing fear of liability for continued copyright violations if it were to keep the material online. Database users could also encounter increased fees as publishers try to offset the higher costs of making information from freelance writers available electronically. The Supreme Court's decision did not rule on a solution to the publishers' copyright violations, which could total several billion dollars. The case has been sent back to the original federal district court in New York, where it will be joined with similar copyright infringement lawsuits against Dow Jones, Dialog Corp., and Gale Group. SLA 2001 Program HighlightsSan Antonio, Texas, June 9-14, 2001
The Library as an Enterprise Gary Hoover, entrepreneur and co-founder of Hoover's Online, identified eight key things that separate winners from losers with a combination of business analysis, personal inspiration and practical knowledge based on experience. These keys are: curiosity, history, geography, a clear vision, being consistent, serving the customer, and being unique. Curiosity, history and geography are the foundations for exploration. Hoover states that curiosity is important because you can learn something from everyone and suggests that nothing new is discovered by looking in the same places. History shows you where you've been, which is key to knowing where you are going. History also helps us to see trends. To have a sense of place and an awareness of space, we need knowledge of geography. It helps us understand the world and how it works which allows us to remove biases so that we can more clearly see our place in the world. Most of all it helps us understand where people are coming from. The four words Hoover associates with vision are: clear, consistent, serving, and unique. Southwest Airlines is his example of one of the companies in the U.S. that has developed an especially clear vision for itself. Their plan is simple and they know what matters. They fly only one type of aircraft so that all their crews are trained on the entire fleet and investment in spare parts are reduced. They are no frills - peanuts instead of a meal, first seats to the first people to arrive at the airport, and this allows them to take off in less time than any other major airline. The next key is being consistent. Know what you believe in, what you are good at, and what is important to you; then be willing to stick with it. Serving is important because what you do has to make a difference to the customer. The customers always get what they want - it's just a matter of who gives it to them. You need to pay attention to details, genuinely care about the customers, and put yourself in their shoes. Also remember a successful vision is unique. If you are trying to accomplish the same exact goal as another organization, it is unlikely that the two will be equally successful. One way to differentiate yourself is by finding gaps in a competitor's offerings and filling them. The final key to success is passion. You must love what you are doing. Toy R Us is a great example of this. They profess, "We love toys, we love our customers," and it shows. Competitors that failed had two motivations too. The first was to copy Toys R Us and the second was to get rich. The nature of their motivation shows as well.
Around the Globe, Around the Web, and Looking to the Future: Four Programs Bibliotheca Alexandrina Presented by Mohammed Aman, School of Library and Information Science, U. of Wisconsin, this program allowed for some insight into the efforts to start a library school at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, which is under construction. This is very good news if Egyptian librarians will be given an opportunity for a first rate education, and funding will be provided for them to attend, based on merit. It is unclear what support exists for Egyptian librarians to attend. Dr Aman will be involved in developing the curriculum and selecting faculty. He also encouraged receipt of single books or whole libraries. If books can be moved to Baltimore, UNESCO will ship them without charge. This service of UNESCO is an important component of building the book collections, as shipping costs $60 per box. Futuristic Studies The session on "Futurist Studies," described a way of using information science skills to look at change and its impacts. Speakers were from the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UH-CL), a leading center of futurist studies, and Deloitte Consulting, with graduates from UH-CL. One important activity of futurists is environmental scanning. For instance, you have a client whom you interview. Then, identify key documents to examine and products to scan. A framework of the Environmental Scanning Process was presented, looking very similar to the flow of information from organization and storage to distribution and analysis. The futurist must build a list of formal search terms to scan and update regularly. Personal networking is by far the most valuable source of information. One must look for biases in sources, and continually look out for good sources. Monitoring change is an important part of futurism. Look for small signs of changing trends, even though they may not be easy to find. Try to get to the fringe environment, practice thinking outside the box, and learn to be comfortable with ambiguity. Seek out unconventional thinkers, read outside your area of specialization. How does what you find effect a trend or a cycle? Focus on Websites Two sessions featuring selected web sites were very useful. The first is the Winner's Circle of the best environmental, biological and chemistry web sites, as selected by library experts in these fields. http://www.sla.org/division/dche/winners2001.html The second is a sometime "tongue in cheek," entertaining, half serious session called "60 Sites in 60 Minutes, by the Legal division…"from legal to business to indescribable." Take a look at: http://www.pro2net.com and click on Legal or http://infopro.lexis.com under Events.
Report on "One Dot Shopping: The Best International Business Sites" This session was jam-packed and ran over its allotted time. How gratifying for the four presenters, each of whom focused on a different world region in order to present the best websites for finding international business information. Planned and moderated by Ann R. Sweeney, Librarian and Webmaster of the Washington, D.C. Delegation of the European Commission and Iris W. Anderson, Group Leader of Information Delivery at the Joint World Bank-IMF Library, the session was sponsored by the Social Science Division and the Business & Finance Division. It was supported by Ebsco Subscription Services. The following topics were covered: 1. Iris W. Anderson, presented highlights of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund websites, focusing on finding country and regional information and the easiest ways to find country statistics from these two institutions. Special mention was made of two new initiatives of the World Bank: their Projects Database and the Development Gateway, a major portal for development information. To see the latter, go to http://www.developmentgateway.org/. 2. Ann R. Sweeney (Ann is currently chair-elect of SLA's Social Science Division), presented best sites for finding European Union business information. She began with the local EU delegation's comprehensive website and went on to show sites for e-commerce, Euro Info Centres, Eurostat and much more. Ann is planning a session for next year's SLA conference on the final implementation phase of the new Euro currency in Europe. To view Ann's list of recommended websites from the session, go to http://www.eurunion.org/infores/BestBusSites.HTM 3. Ann Griffith, Business Researcher at Ernst & Young's Center for Business Knowledge in Dallas, Texas presented the best business sites on Latin America. The main site continues to be the University of Texas' Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC) http://lanic.utexas.edu/, but she also discovered other interesting sites that are less well known. 4. Tesse Santoro, Senior Account Executive at Dialog in New York City, presented the best Asian and African websites for conducting business research. She divided her presentation into Japanese, Asian and African groupings. The good news here was that there really is a lot of good information from and about Africa. One of the best sites, however, remains the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa at http://www.uneca.org/ To see the handouts and PowerPoint presentations from this information-filled session, please stay tuned to the Social Science Division's website at http://www.sla.org/division/dsoc/index.html where everything should be posted soon. Otherwise, send any queries to Iris at ianderson@imf.org
SPECIAL LIBRARIES ASSOCIATION Mini-Minutes of the DC/SLA Board MeetingMay 8, 2001Sue Johnson signed a letter from SLA Headquarters asking SLA chapters to support international activities through the David Bender fund. A discussion was held on the remaining $6,000 that was raised for Global 2000 to be transferred to the David Bender fund to support the Global 2000 fellows. The following language will be presented at the SLA Chapter Cabinet meeting: To express the sense of the Chapter Cabinet that funds remaining from the Global 2000 Fellowships be used to fund SLA memberships for the current Global 2000 Fellows. The board passed a motion for a $3,000 donation from the DC chapter be made to the David Bender fund at SLA Headquarters. Catherine Kitchell, Treasurer, submitted a Cash Flow Report and a Balance Sheet to the Board. The Chapter has decided to undertake a new edition of the Washington Area Library Directory. Eileen Deegan has agreed to, and has been appointed by, the board to be Chair of the Ad Hoc Publications Committee. -- Erin Clougherty DC/SLA Closing Banquet PhotosPhotos by Sue O'Neill Johnson
SLA Conference 2001 - President's Reception PhotoPhoto by Sue O'Neill Johnson
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