Advertising and Marketing Division Bulletin

Fall 2004

Editor: Hilary Rengert, eMarketer

Contents A Message from the Chair A New Look for the Advertising & Marketing Division Notes from Nashville           Letter from the Past Co-Chairs           2004 Award of Merit – Tesse Santoro           Summaries with Photos           Review of “Media Tools Unveiled”           Review of “Best of the Web for the Advertising Industry”           Review of “Advertising Agency Library Portals”           Review of “Adding Value and Making a Difference”                Behind MIND: The Carmichael Lynch Knowledge Center 2005 Toronto Conference Teaser The Truth About Toronto – Part One International Member Travel Grant Is Your Web Site Accessible to All? Dispelling Three Myths Membership Update and New Member Biographies Archives! We Have Archives! Call for submissions Share YOUR knowledge

A message from the Chair

By Jo-Ann McQuillan, Institute of Communications and Advertising

Summer is finally fading away and it’s time for me to give you an update of the advertising and marketing division’s latest happenings and current projects.

First of all, I want to share with everyone the tremendously satisfying experience I am having as Chair of the division. It is exciting and enriching to meet so many new people. I have my work cut out for me – Jen Hahs and Betsy Hoza Harootyan did a great job as Chairs and put together a wonderful conference experience for us in Nashville. All of their hard work and subsequent successes have set the benchmark that I am striving to attain this year. Please be sure to check out pictures from one of the most surreal conferences in recent memory – if you have been through the Gaylord Opryland biosphere experience, you will know what I mean.

As you may already know, I work in Canada, at the Institute of Communications and Advertising (ICA), the national professional association for advertising agencies. We have over 100 members, plus all of their subsidiaries, which accounts for about 7000 people from coast to coast. Many of my members are your Canadian cousins. I manage the ICA Library and provide information services to our members, with the assistance of my Information Coordinator, Toni Burton. We provide quick reference services, custom info packages, pathfinders, bibliographic instruction, team training and one-on-one work sessions. These services are available to all agency personnel so we get to work with receptionists, CEOS, CFOS, account planners - the entire spectrum. We also work with a wide variety of associations. We get an inside understanding of the information used by agencies as well as a perfect vantage point from which to assess trends in information usage. Our research is confidential but our experiences have been extremely diverse and bewildering. Toni will be acting as my “invisible” co-chair (she’s a little timid) – everything I will be doing will be supported by my colleague and the ICA in general.

Because we are in Canada, we do things a little bit differently. You will notice that we spell words differently from our American cousins (flavour, colour, favourite, centre, neighbour, etc.) - I beg your indulgence for the next year!

 We are really fortunate to have a dedicated and experienced team of people on the division board this year – please be sure to read the board bios on our newly revamped website. We’d love to hear from you if you have any questions, comments or suggestions. And you’ll be hearing from us in this issue of the Bulletin. Why not print out the whole issue? There’s a lot going on and you don’t want to miss any of it!

 If you are interested in getting more involved with the Advertising and Marketing Division, please let us know. There is always a need for volunteers and if you are in the Toronto area, we are particularly interested in hearing from you before the conference next year.

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A New Look for the Ad Marketing Division

By Rebecca Rydzewski, BBDO Detroit

The Advertising and Marketing Division is changing its look!  If you have been on the division’s Web site in the past few weeks, you might have noticed a brand new logo.  After thoughtful consideration, the DAM board decided that the old logo, although it served us well, was dated and didn’t reflect the attitude and culture of its members.  As advertising and marketing professionals, we understand the importance of logos and other visual representation as a way to communicate with the world around us.

Working with a graphic designer from the SLA headquarters, we came up with three designs for a new logo that the board voted on.  The message that we wanted the new logo to convey was that the Advertising & Marketing Division is composed of a group of professionals that work in an industry that is creative and forward thinking.  We feel that the logo we chose reflects this message.

The new logo has already been implemented on the division’s Web site and will replace the old logo on all forms of communication from the division (such as memos, signs at conferences, etc…).

We are excited about this change and hope to continue improving the look, feel and experience of the Advertising and Marketing Division’s current and future members!

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Notes from Nashville

Letter from the Past Co-Chairs

By Jen Hahs and Betsy Hoza Harootyan

While planning the Advertising & Marketing Divisions portion of the Annual SLA Conference in Nashville seemed like a daunting task initially, we think writing this review of the weekend is a bigger project!  So enough with the procrastination (everyone can blame the delay in the Fall DAM Bulletin 100% on the fact that Jen and Betsy are tardy in writing this article), on with the show…

Membership, oh, membership, we would have been up the proverbial creek without the contributions and support of DAM membership. We would like to begin our farewell message with a deeply felt thank you to all the people that helped us throughout the year. It's thanks to you that the conference was a rip-rolling success!

We also want to extend a hearty thank you to everyone who helped make the DAM portion of the SLA Conference come off without a hitch.  Besides the helpful support from the SLA headquarters, this event would not have happened without the help of Gwen & Stephen (past-chairs), our board members, our sponsors, and last but not least, our speakers!  The success of our programming is the result of your hard work and your dedication to SLA and DAM.

So, besides the conference, what else took place in the land of DAM this past year?  Along with Jen being constantly swamped with new business requests and Betsy getting married in March, we continued working to keep the division moving forward.  The website, thanks to the Steph(v)ens, has become a working resource for our members.  We hope everyone is using it regularly – or at least has taken the time to look at some of the handouts posted since the SLA conference.  Another resource is the listserv.  This tool, while often the last resort when working on a project, has helped answer many a brain twister and also helped our members get to know a little bit more about each other.  Finally, Jen and her helpers did a fantastic job on strengthening the relationships DAM has with the vendor community which played an important role at the conference.

While the attendance by DAM members was on the smaller side, hopefully those who did make the journey to Nashville can all say we had a great time at the conference.  With limited places to escape to from the Gaylord Opryland Conference Center aka “the biosphere,” the DAM members had no choice but to bond at every meal and event.  We also relied on each other to navigate the maze of trails that connects the three glass domes that contain waterfalls, gardens, and 2,881 guestrooms – not to mention, the temperature is always a perfect 72 degrees. The domed areas covered 600,000 square feet of territory so getting from point A to B wasn't always easy! Cocktails were sipped often enough at the revolving bar that we were able to calculate a drink to rotation ratio of about 1:1, and a nightcap at the Jack Daniel’s Saloon was soon a ritual for many of us. A division first, but hopefully soon a tradition, was a group limo ride. Attendees (NY was most vocal) decided that an “Escape from the Dome” was crucial for our collective sanity. We all climbed on board and headed to downtown Nashville for some traditional Southern cooking at Jack’s Bar-B-Que.

Left to Right: Hilary Rengert, Helen Fledderus, Kristine Spanier, Julie-Ann Zilavy, Velda Ruddock, Jo-Ann McQuillan, Betsy Hoza Harootyan, Robin Feuerstein, Jen Hahs, and Deb Rash

Lest you think that the conference was all about whiskey, pulled pork, and a night on the town, we will say that all of our programs were well attended by many outside of DAM.  And we’ll even go so far as to say, we had some of the best programming ever!

We want to especially thank our speakers and sponsors who really made it happen for us.  Stephen Fleming and Julie-Ann Zilavy did a fantastic job of finding the “Best of the Web” to answer just about any advertising or marketing research request.  They provided a handout, which has already become a resource kept close at hand.  Adbrands.net, appropriately, was the sponsor for this session.  With the support of WARC.com, Deb Rash and her husband John were a new twist for DAM by being the first a husband-wife team to present – and on a rarely covered topic to boot – “Media Tools Unveiled.” Hopes were high for a bit of a Sonny & Cher routine. Luckily, Deb and John understand DAM fondness for laughs, and they willingly obliged.

The room was packed and people spilled out into the hall to hear Grace Villamora and Mary Ellen Bates inspire us to “Add Value and Make a Difference” in our work and for our clients.  Thank you to Dialog for helping bring this message to a HUGE audience.  Another well-attended speaker was Chris Olson who shared with everyone tips “Cultivating Your Marketplace” through relationship building and leveraging opportunities within the workplace. 

Finally, with the help of Mintel, we were able to have a super presentation on “Agency Portals” developed by some of our colleagues at top ad agencies.  Stephen Fleming, Scott Jenkins, Douglas Buffo, and Velda Ruddock (moderated by Robin Feuerstein) shared some of the amazing things they’ve accomplished in this area – a great inspiration to us all.  Every presentation from the DAM division, in our opinion, was very relevant, and all were well attended.  It was also great to have so many of our division members willing to share with each other. Jen and Betsy give you all a big kiss!

All work and no play, though, makes the SLA Conference more like a very long work week, so we made sure there was plenty of opportunity for free food and conversation.  The annual DAM Business Luncheon allowed us to take care of some business items related to the past year and upcoming year.  Tesse Santoro was awarded the prestigious Award of Merit for her longtime service to the division – she is a real gem.  Jo-Ann McQuillan also is off and running with the 2005 SLA Conference in Toronto – if you could not make it to Nashville, Toronto is not to be missed!  A big thanks to emarketer who provided the lunch for our group.  Another “fun” event was the DAM Open House, sponsored by Lexis-Nexis: Free booze; Loads of cheese and crackers; Time to talk about anything job-related or not.  Need we say more? 

If you’re now reading this and feeling a little bummed you did not get yourself to Nashville, don’t worry.  Most presentation handouts and summaries are available on the DAM website - http://www.sla.org/division/dam/events/2004programs.html.  You especially won’t want to miss the wonderful resource of websites created by Stephen Fleming and Julie-Ann Zilavy!

As we handed over the torch to Jo-Ann in June, we will not tell a lie…we’re really quite relieved the year is up!  In all honesty, we both really enjoyed playing a larger role in the division, and it is not too painful.  Seriously. 

Get involved - you won’t regret it for a minute. Thanks again for everyone’s support this past year.  We look forward to see you all in Toronto!

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2004 Award of Merit - Tesse Santoro

Presented by Robin Feuerstein, SLA Conference, Nashville, June 8, 2004

"I am pleased to present the Advertising & Marketing Division Award of Merit. As many of you know, the Award of Merit is given annually in recognition of a member’s outstanding contributions to the Division.  This year’s recipient is someone I’m sure you all know and have likely been counseled by, Tesse Santoro. 

I would like to take a moment and share with you how very closely Tesse’s many contributions to the Division match up to the requirements for the award.   When you hear this, I think you will agree with me that this award is long overdue!

Tesse Santoro and Robin Feuerstein

The criteria used to select the winner include:  

• Contributions made over an extended period of time (we’re looking at over 20 years of continuous service to the Division)!
• Participation in programs and seminars benefiting the Division - Tesse has presented, moderated, contributed to and designed such programs & seminars…and often I might add!
• Special and notable service to the division, for example - committee work or leadership roles --- Tesse has chaired and held various positions at the Division level, where she is currently your Treasurer and ListOwner.  She has also chaired and held every position in the NY Group.  Indeed she practically, single-handedly, kept the NY Group alive for several years longer than it seemed possible!  And Tesse also worked has tirelessly to bring vendor sponsorship to Division programs.
• Notable innovations in the workplace – Tesse was instrumental in developing the online databases targeted to our specialty --- such as the indispensable MARS.  And she has made sure the RDS business databases include search features critical to those of us in advertising & marketing.
• Mentoring activities, which encourage other in the Division – here is where Tesse truly shines brightest.  She has mentored many of our current active members and has inspired them to serve in leadership roles, coaching them along the way.
• Activities, which bring recognition and acclaim to the Division – Tesse has had a hand in anything the Division has done which makes us worthy of recognition & acclaim. For example, she is active with Dialog’s Quantum 2 Professional program, which is closely aligned with SLA Professional Development.

Thus this award seems tailor-made for Tesse, wouldn’t you agree?

Now, let me recap the highlights of Tesse’s impressive career, for those of you who have not been around as long as some of us, to witness it firsthand.  Please note the diversity in her positions – she, perhaps, boasts the most well rounded resume in our group, spanning academia, special libraries and the vendor side!

Tesse received her MLS some years ago (wink wink) from The City University’s Queens College in NYC.

Her first professional positions were in academia where:

• Cataloger in the School of Visual Arts
• Humanities Librarian at Stanford
• Bibliographic Instructor at Brooklyn College

Then, lucky for us!, she moved over to the special libraries world, particularly advertising & marketing, where she held the positions:  

• Research Supervisor, later promoted to Manager of the BBDO IRC
• Manager of the PRSA Info Center

And then… 

• Manager of Grey Advertising Info Center

Recent years have found Tesse making her mark in the “vendor” world, and how lucky for us to have somebody like Tesse, who knows what we need from her own experience, representing us at the products and services we use everyday. She spent several years at RDS, a vital service to all of us in ad/marketing. Not only did she help develop these databases, she tweaked and re-tweaked them to fit our changing marketplace. And now she is an Account Manager at Dialog, working with nearly all of us on a daily basis!

My favorite Tesse story?  We’ve been through a lot … but this was the most fun we had (in my opinion…we’ll see if Tesse agrees…or if she even remembers this!)   We happened to be scheduled for lunch on the day it was announced the Maid Boys acquired Dialog.   Well, probably most, if not all of you remember what a huge shock this was!  Tongues were wagging all over the country!   

Let me tell you, this was no ordinary polite vendor/client lunch…there was much wonder, amusement and plenty of spicy conversation!  (Of course, it all turned out pretty much the way we envisioned it, DialUnits and all, on that red-letter day!)

So please join me in warm …. or boisterous if you choose….round of applause for your 2004 Award of Merit recipient, Tesse Santoro.”

2005 Award of Merit Nominations

The Advertising & Marketing is now accepting nominations for the 2005 Award of Merit. All nominations must be received by May 1, 2005. If you would like to nominate a member - or yourself - please send your nomination with a brief description of relevant information including biographical information to Awards Chair, Betsy Hoza Harootyan. The nominations will be reviewed by the selection committee (composed of the Chair, Chairs-Elect and Awards Chair).

The winner of the Award of Merit will be presented with a certificate and a check for $500 at the 2005 Toronto Conference.

For more info visit, http://www.sla.org/division/dam/about/merit.html

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Review of “Media Tools Unveiled”

By Stephen Fleming, Young & Rubicam Brands

A presentation by Deb Rash, Knowledge Specialist, Carmichael Lynch, and John Rash, Director of Broadcast Negotiations, Campbell Mithun

Sponsored by WARC

Deb and John Rash

One of my favorite presentations from last June’s conference was “Media Tools Unveiled” given by husband-and-wife team Deb and John Rash.  As polished and entertaining as Sonny and Cher, Deb and John introduced us to the complicated world of media research. 

The talk focused on Mass Media and Pop Culture Trends, Media Terminology and Media Research Tools.

John, a media buyer by profession, began the presentation with an overview of media and pop culture trends.  He pointed to:

• the rising importance of celebrities
• the connection between social trends and media trends

• the fragmentation of the traditional mass media market 

Because of these trends, John says media planners must now put together a mix of “exemplar and everyday moments” to reach their target audiences.  He also expects that product placement will become a more important media strategy as a result.

Deb started her career as a media planner and then moved into Library Science.  She now combines it all as a media and marketing research expert. 

Deb continued the presentation with an explanation of many media terms such as GRP, BDI, CPP, SOV and HUT.  She also discussed what “reach,” “frequency,” rating,” and “impression” mean and shared some of the larger concepts media planners face such as “Recency vs. Frequency.”

Deb then walked us through the array of research tools media planners use, including Claritas, SRDS, MRI, Simmons, Arbitron, Nielsen and others.  Of particular interest to me was her explanation of Crosstab reports, which combine the data from these other services.

Hooray!  I finally understand what media people do!

For a copy of the full presentation and their handouts, visit the DAM website at: http://www.sla.org/division/dam/events/2004programs.html#Media%20Tools%20Unveiled

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Review of  “Best of the Web for the Advertising Industry”

By Hilary Rengert, eMarketer

A presentation by Julie-Ann Zilavy, American Association of Advertising Agencies and Stephen Fleming, Young & Rubicam Brands

Sponsored by Adbrands.net

Conference attendees were treated to a session of expert insight and fast moving PowerPoint slides on the best web resources for the advertising industry. DAM Web Master and Manager of Young & Rubicam Brand’s Research Toolbox, Stephen Fleming shared the podium with Julie-Ann Zilvay, Manager of Online Services, at the American Association of Advertising Agencies.

Julie-Ann Zilavy

Pens were scribbling furiously as Julie-Ann presented the Best of the Web – US. Complimenting the list of sites was Julie-Ann’s fantastic commentary (with a touch of humor) on the sites features, weaknesses, usability and access. Highlights included sites on advertising legal issues, such as adlaw.com and lawpublish.com, cause marketing, multicultural, and a site for psychographics: Cable Television Ad Bureau at http://www.onetvworld.org/.

Stephen Fleming

Stephen Fleming took us on an International tour of the Best of the Web. He covered global, regional and individual countries in an exciting presentation of sites and languages. Invaluable sites for global agency ranking and expenditures were highlighted along with unfamiliar but useful links for individual countries’ trade journal and newspapers. Stephen also guided us along the best ways to access particular international sites and best practices when using translation tools on the web. There was not enough time to show all of the wonderful resources so in addition to his PowerPoint presentation, Stephen provided a collection of resources for international market, media and trademark research. His resource list contains hundreds of valuable links, ranging from global resources to an advertising association in Indonesia.

Be sure to download Julie-Ann and Stephen’s fantastic presentations AND invaluable resource lists from the DAM Events page at:

http://www.sla.org/division/dam/events/2004programs.html#Best_of_the_Web_for_the_Advertising_Industry

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Review of “Advertising Agency Library Portals”

By Hilary Rengert, eMarketer

A presentation by Douglas Buffo and Scott Jenkins, Leo Burnett USA, Inc., Stephen Fleming, Young & Rubicam Brands, and Velda Ruddock, TBWA Chiat/Day.

Moderated by Robin Feuerstein, The Interpublic Group of Companies

Sponsored by Mintel

Advertising Agency library intranet portals have advanced to a new level. This was evident from the three incredible examples of our presenters. Professional resource knowledge, html coding and strategic vendor relations were the building blocks to portals that are both user-friendly and promoted with the agencies. Each presenter approached the task of creating a portal differently. And each brought to the session their methods of practice and lessons to share.

From Left to Right: Gaby Fireman of Mintel, Douglas Buffo, Stephen Fleming, Velda Ruddock, Scott Jenkins, and Robin Feuerstein.

Douglas Buffo and Scott Jenkins of Leo Burnett USA introduced us to the Information Resource Center and their agency’s portal, LBCity. The IRC’s location in the portal is clearly titled Information Resources. Through the Information Resources link, users can easily access articles, the Red Books, reports and more. The design of Information Resources site enables tracking of usage statistics through the individually requested documents.

Under the CIO, they worked closely with the technology specialists of Leo Burnett, who developed the databases to support the system. The IRC developed the site’s taxonomy and index searching capabilities, and design elements. Through LBCity and Information Resources, Douglas and Scott developed a global online working environment and tool for the agency to connect together as seamlessly as working in the next cubical. The portal has allowed them to streamline their work processes and enhance their visibility within the agency.

As a follow up to a session on library portals from the SLA Conference in NYC, Stephen Fleming of Young & Rubicam Brands presented the changes of Y&R Brand’s information portal through its design, platform and name change! The former Y&R Virtual Library is now known as the Research Toolbox. Stephen, freed from developing the site on Lotus Notes, enhanced the Research Portal by creating it with  FrontPage. He inserted drop-down menus and with a controlled vocabulary, hyper-text linked vendor logos with embedded passwords, a Google-like search tool of the Research Toolbox’s pages, and added a touch of humanity by placing photos of the member of the Y&R’s research team, the Global Intelligence Group. Stephen created several points for users to submit requests to the Global Intelligence Group via the Research Toolbox as well as tutorials to navigate the site. Similar to the Leo Burnett’s Information Resources, the Research Toolbox enabled end-users to extract their own information from the various links. Statistics were also of concern to Y&R.  Stephen noted that with the new web-based platform he was able to gather usage data and adjust the content of the Research Toolbox based on the use and needs of the agency employees.

Velda Ruddock’s presentation on TBWA Chiat Day’s Intranet and Portal was visually striking, and the journey she shared was just as engaging. She explained the challenges of creating web services to accommodate all of the issues the agency had with information gathering and sharing. Velda addressed the importance of organizing the information by using basic taxonomy (considering US and global usage), creating sections for information, and setting a standard for data entry. Training was key to the continuity of the Intranet. Also important was the marketing of the Intranet and the creatively title Intelligence Bank. Velda included examples of beautifully designed newsletters sent throughout the company, available in html format for instant reading online or via pda!

The session’s topics lead to a discussion on the new challenges of special libraries in advertising agencies. Information professionals must be able to meet the expectations of the digital age. The time required to create and maintain a portal ultimately reduces the time away from traditional reference tasks (unless you are able to increase your staff!). The presentations challenged the idea of traditional reference service. Some champion the DIY method of providing all access to their users’ desktops, while others maintain content and search control by answering any and all research requests. A balance between the perception of value through the search or through providing the best, relevant research sources available struck me as more than just intranet or portal design but the crux of our information professional service as we are now truly able to service our agencies worldwide. I look forward to future conversations and presentations on the evolving solutions to the reference service process.

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Review of “Adding Value and Making a Difference”

By Hilary Rengert, eMarketer

A presentation by Mary Ellen Bates, Bates Information Services, and Grace Villamora, brightresearch LLC

Sponsored by Dialog

The room was packed to capacity as Mary Ellen Bates and Grace Villamora shared best practices for Adding Value and Making a Difference. Added-value must be a part of information professional practices; our two presenters took it to a new level. They illustrated exactly what we must be delivering to our clients and users to gain and maintain the respect we deserve.

Too many to identify! But in the far center you will see Jo-Ann McQuillan at the podium,
introducing Grace Villamora (yellow shirt, facing the audience) and Mary Ellen Bates (to the right of Grace).

Grace Villamora, author of Super Searchers on Madison Avenue, presented case studies of exceptional value-added service from Y&R Toronto, Crain Communications Chicago, UPSHOT Chicago, Chicago Tribune, and Carmichael Lynch.

Each example illustrated different value-added tactics. Brady Leyser of Y&R Toronto created custom reports with detailed Table of Contents for his clients, as long in length as needed or condensed summaries. Grace highlighted Liz Aviles of UPSHOT Chicago and her efforts to re-brand the library for 24-7 service and self-service. Aviles was fortunate to have a new space designed with natural lighting and a dynamic interior. She developed provocative promotions called smartcharts and positioned them in bathroom stalls! What a way to grab attention! It was Aviles’ added value of user-driven interior design and innovative marketing that lead to a job promotion.

Another fantastic example of value-added services through thoughtful design and creativity was Grace’s case study from Carmichael Lynch. Kristine Spanier developed MIND-Marketing Intelligence and New Discoveries after undergoing an agency-wide restructuring. Read all about MIND in this issue of the Bulletin, Behind MIND: The Carmichael Lynch Knowledge Center.

Mary Ellen provoked the audience to re-think the reference interview. Basic Library Science 101 tends to be far removed once in the field practicing. She reminded us not to make assumption about the end product by asking additional questions during the interview such as: What is the preferred format for the information provided? Charts or summaries? Do you need a Table of Contents or summaries? Not only should these questions be asked, the results should be given as requested.

The value of our professional judgment must be added to the results. Mary Ellen pointed out that one should re-evaluate the results before sending them out. She gave her own example of asking herself, “I am sending this because…, the value of this is…” for each item. She highlights the good items and extracts the useless. The old adage holds true, Less is More.

Mary Ellen also stressed that what you didn’t find might be just as valuable as what you uncovered. Let your clients know where you have searched and found or not found the best information. Another valuable point; always add a cover letter/memo or a table of contents or summary to tell your clients exactly what they are receiving.

 Researching, formatting, evaluating, summarizing AND writing a cover letter?!! Some audience reaction was “That is a lot of work!” But it is the essence of making a difference with added-value service.

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Behind MIND: The Carmichael Lynch Knowledge Center

By Kristine Spanier and Deb Rash, Carmichael Lynch

In Nashville, Grace Villamora and Mary Ellen Bates presented a session titled, “Value-Added Services” in which our efforts for Carmichael Lynch’s department of MIND (Marketing Intelligence and New Discoveries) were profiled. When we returned from the conference we received the great honor of winning the Quality in Action award from the Minnesota Chapter for the work we’ve been doing. If you missed the session, this is what we’ve been working on for the past two years:

After a holiday break in 2002, our president had reworked a couple of departments and moved the director of Planning, Doug Hagge, into the director’s role of our new department of Marketing Intelligence. The Knowledge Center and some planner consultants were to fall into this department and the mission we were charged with was to become a proactive resource dedicated to sifting through marketing and consumer information to share knowledge with employees to make them better informed and smarter on the job. Although the president had termed this department “Marketing Intelligence,” he gave us some freedom with the name and after some brainstorming we came up with the acronym “MIND” so that we could use it to brand the products and services we wanted to deliver.

There was just one challenge: in order to create all the products and services we wanted to offer to be this proactive resource, we needed a second librarian. But we couldn’t add one until we had increased our usage by in terms of billable hours. And to do this, we needed to be constantly “top of MIND” with employees so they would turn to the Knowledge Center first whenever they needed information. We had to create some of the products first and hope that they would indeed help to increase the demand for our services.

Our first effort was termed “openMIND.” It’s a quarterly series, featuring speakers who bring creativity to their life’s work with provocative ways of thinking. These speakers don’t have to have anything to do with advertising and marketing – all we want is to get our employees to be thinking a little differently or to open up their minds to something new. So far our speakers have included an FBI profiler, an action figure artist (in this case we rented a school bus and toured his studio), an archaeologist from the University of Minnesota, a color specialist from the Pantone Institute and a style expert. With each speaker we create a name for the session such as “Human Behavior: Lessons from an FBI Profiler” or “Dirt, Bones and Dark Places: The History of Tel Anafa” (the archaeologist’s visit coincided with Halloween). We also have a designer create posters that we hang through the agency. They have a tear-off section which reveals who is coming to openMIND. The tear-off was created in hopes of encouraging curiosity.

Next we created MINDreader, a monthly summary of the seven most interesting trend articles we have come across in our personal reading. We create a PDF document complete with the summaries and copyright-free visuals and send it out via email.

Soon after that we rolled out “abstractMIND,” which is a monthly repackaging of a book summary service. Each employee is able to read eight-page summaries of the top two or three business books a month – always helpful at cocktail parties or client meetings.

Our most recent product is “alertMIND,” a daily e-mail which contains all of our client and agency news of the day and links to national advertising/marketing columns and five other articles of interest. These articles we choose ourselves based on what we know that people are working on. We are able to send this out every day by 10 am. The strongest feedback was returned on this product including:

“alertMIND rocks!” President and Managing Partner

“This is a GREAT service!” Chairman and Chief Creative Officer

“This thing is great…I really think it will help us be better stewards of our clients’ businesses.” Director of Account Management

During the rollout of all of the MIND products we not only reached, but also surpassed our goal of increasing billable hours and we were easily able to hire a second librarian. She was instrumental in the creation of alertMIND and as we move forward she’ll be coming up with more new products and services. The goal right now is to have a strong weekly contender since we’re already hitting everyone with daily, monthly and quarterly products.

Aside from winning the Quality in Action award and being featured at the Nashville conference, we’ve had some other happy extensions of our efforts. Based on the first openMIND session, Kristine co-authored an article with Doug Hagge, which was published in Brandweek (“The Brand X Files”). We’ve received a lot of recognition at agency-wide meetings, which always helps to increase usage. We’ve even heard a rumor that IPG’s chairman is interested in speaking at openMIND and that’s a request we’d love to fulfill when he has time.

Change is, of course, a constant in our business and since Nashville we’ve undergone a few. Kristine had to make the difficult decision to leave MIND behind in order to shape and mold a new young mind at home. Deb is now left to carry on the torch and will hopefully be joined by a new Knowledge Specialist soon. Together they will continue to bring exciting innovation to the department and the agency as well as the information industry as a whole.

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2005 Toronto Conference Teaser

By Jo-Ann McQuillan, Institute of Communications and Advertising

We are really excited to be hosting the 2005 SLA Conference, from June 5-8, 2005, in Toronto. Our division is planning six sessions, a roundtable, an open house, a party and a few business meetings. Regretfully, it looks doubtful that there will be any agency library tours – most local libraries of significance to our members are either too small or not suitable for touring. I will be sure to tell you about local points of interest relevant to the advertising and marketing community.

Our sessions will cover a wide range of topics – here’s a sneak peek at the line-up for next summer.

Sessions

Using Business Statistics for Research

Co-sponsored with Business and Finance division, this session will feature a representative from Statistics Canada, an expert on international statistical sources and a noted Canadian speaker on effective usage of statistics in research.

Food Marketing Resources

The food industry is undergoing a massive transformation – and food marketers have to respond quickly without affecting the bottom line. Hear from experts who research food, who regulate food and who market food.

Mining the NEW Web for Information: RSS Feeds, Blogs, Social Networks and More

Mary Ellen Bates returns to update us on the latest technologies that we can’t afford to ignore. This session promises to be well-attended across all divisions.

Client Communications: Innovations and Inspirations

Whether you work for an advertising agency or an advertiser, you have a user group with whom you have to communicate. Join Chris Olson as she shares best practices in communication and learn from successful communication projects completed by our members. We hope to host a small exhibition of successful communication pieces.

International Advertising Librarians

As part of this year’s focus on international advertising librarians, this session will feature a panel handpicked and moderated by Grace Villamora. Learn about advertising in markets outside of the U.S., unique challenges faced by our international colleagues and useful resources on each country featured.

Account Planners and PR Pros – What do they know?

Advertising librarians are increasingly being forced to be interdisciplinary and people who aren’t information professionals are starting to assume our roles. Listen to boundary-crossers as they share information you need to know about these increasingly important areas of agency services.

Roundtable

We will be repeating our popular brown-bag roundtable with Julie-Ann Zilavy of the AAAA. This event will take place in the Historic Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Got some nagging questions you need to ask your peers? Want to know how others cope? This is your chance to speak up and share.

Open House

This annual tradition in fine dining and networking will allow members a chance to reunite, meet for the first time and interact with vendors in a relaxed setting. We will be introducing door prizes this year and this evening will be a nice way to start off your Toronto conference experience.

Party

This event will NOT be an official SLA conference program but rather, a special treat. This will be our time to celebrate advertising librarians while joining the ICA in our 100^th anniversary celebration. We hope to showcase Canadian ads, Canadian delicacies and end off the conference with a bang!

We are thrilled to host SLA in Toronto – please be sure to read the first installment of our article, “The Truth about Toronto” to find a wealth of interesting tidbits about “The Big Smoke.”

If you have visited Toronto before, you’ll know it is a unique city with a little something for everyone. If you have ANY questions about Toronto, or need any kind of recommendations about where to go and what to do, please feel free to contact me. I will help you maximize your experience in Canada’s coolest city. 

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The Truth About Toronto – Part One

By Jo-Ann McQuillan and Toni Burton, Institute of Communications and Advertising

In order to get you excited about coming to Toronto next year, we decided to share a few insider secrets on Canada’s funkiest city. As seasoned travelers, we like to know as much about a new city as possible - we always have crazy questions to ask before we hit a new destination. With this in mind, we hope to tickle your curiosity and fulfill your desire for honest information about the location of the 2005 SLA Conference.

This is the first of two installments. In this article, we will tell you about some lesser-known facts about Toronto (and some strange things too). In our next installment, we will tell you about the best restaurants, bookstores, clubs, bars and shopping areas, as well as secrets of the Fairmount Royal York Hotel. We’ll even tell you which tourist attractions are worth seeing. This is the inside scoop from two proud Torontonians.

Did you know?

• Toronto is the raccoon capital of the world.
• Toronto’s public library system is the second largest in the world.
• Mikhail Baryshnikov defected from the Soviet Union…in Toronto.
• Toronto is the most expensive place to park a car in Canada.
• 44% of all Torontonians were not born in Canada – only Miami has more foreign-born residents.

·         Toronto’s technology sector is the third busiest in North America.

• Toronto is known as “Hollywood north” – celebrity sightings are commonplace and many movies are filmed downtown, such as Chicago, Crash, Resident Evil 2, My Big Fat Greek Wedding – the list goes on.
• The artist formerly known as Prince now resides in Toronto and recorded his latest album here.
• The word Toronto comes from a Mohawk word, tkaronto which means “where there are trees in the water.”
• Toronto is the 5th most humid city in Canada. There are NO igloos.
• Toronto sits on the shore of Lake Ontario and is further south than you might expect. We are further south than London, Paris, Seattle and Boston.
• Toronto is the proud home to lots of ethnic neighbourhoods where you can explore music, cuisine and culture from any country in the world. EVERY culture is represented in Canada – from Armenian to Zambian, we have it all! We also have some of the largest expat communities in the world – in particular, there are huge Greek and Sri Lankan communities.
• Toronto is proud home to many celebrities: Sarah Polley, Eric McCormick, Bruce Mau, Jane Jacobs, the BareNaked Ladies, Donald and Kiefer Sutherland, Elisha Cuthbert, Ron Sexsmith, David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan and Carole Pope. Avril Lavigne has recently bought a house Toronto.
• We are also proud of our super stars gone abroad – Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, Kim Catrall, Shalom Harlow, Dan & Dean Caten of Dsquared.

Laws

Contrary to popular belief (or wishful thinking), possession of marijuana is not legal – yet. For a brief time in 2002, possession was decriminalized for amounts less than 15 grams. Our current Prime Minister is committed to re-opening the debate on decriminalization. If you are hoping to visit Canada’s version of Amsterdam, you will be a bit disappointed. Possession charges are usually dismissed for a first offence; subsequent offences are more seriously punished, with fines, etc. It’s best to not bother. That said, the laws may very well be changed before the conference. You will most likely smell the distinctive odour of pot in the city – our youth are the heaviest consumers of marijuana in the world. They are also quite mellow.

In Canada, you are NOT allowed to carry a firearm unless you are a law enforcement official or you have a special permit (usually only granted to high-profile lawyers or abortion providers). Leave your guns at home.

We also don’t permit switchblades or knives with blades over 6 inches in length.

Alcohol is served until 2 a.m. in bars. In Canada, you cannot walk around with a beer or a glass of wine in a public place. All alcohol carried on your person must be closed and covered (in a bag). You can only purchase alcohol from the LCBO, or a small wine store and beer can be purchased from the Beer Store to anyone over the age of 19. There is an LCBO conveniently located next to the Conference Centre.

Convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations are not allowed to sell alcohol. Remember, Canadian beer has a higher alcohol content than many American beers; it can creep up on you.

There is no longer any smoking permitted in bars or restaurants. However, there are a few private clubs that manage to skirt the smoking laws. You probably won’t be able to get into them unless you are a biker, a mobster or very rich. Please be forewarned: Canadian cigarettes all carry anti-smoking packaging, often with rather grotesque pictures. Don’t be afraid to request a less disgusting package – if you are a smoker, please note that our cigarettes tend to be a lot milder than American or European brands.

Marriage

As you may have heard, the Supreme Court of Canada has changed the legal definition of marriage and we now allow same-sex marriages.

Want to marry your same sex partner while in Toronto? Here’s a link to the info you need - http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/depts/legserv_marriage.htm

Women's Rights

In Canada, it is legal for a woman to bare her breasts in a public place. This includes parks, beaches, etc. There have been problems in the past with topless women walking near roadways. Chances are that you won’t see any examples of women exercising these freedoms.

Crime

Toronto is one of the safest cities in Canada and the area in which the Conference will be taking place is very safe and brightly lit. We don’t go in for a lot of homicide or violence here but we do excel at robbery. We also have a bit of gang activity but it exists in the northern areas of the city – the conference will be taking place in the southernmost part of Toronto.

And we are famous for our clean and safe subways. You will find them to be a pleasant and inexpensive way to get around.

Marketing peculiarities

Did you know?

• In Canada, you cannot advertise pharma products to consumers – you can say the name of a product but you are not allowed to say what the product does
• In Quebec, it is against the law to advertise to children
• Federal law requires that ALL packaging is bilingual (French and English)

Products available here only

• KinderEggs – those delightful chocolate eggs with treats inside are considered a choking hazard in many countries.
• Asian fruit jellies – these little treats resemble jell-o shooters but have no alcohol content. Considered a choking hazard but easy to get in Toronto.
• Tylenol with Codeine – without a prescription! You can buy Tylenol 1’s at any drugstore in Canada. In fact, it is estimated that over 65% of all Tylenol 1’s sold in Toronto are sold to visiting Americans.
• Crispy Crunch and Coffee Crisp chocolate bars
• Cuban cigars

Canadian cuisine

Because Canada is a nation made of diverse multicultural groups, we don’t really have a common cuisine. There are however, a few distinctly Canadian treats to sample when you visit.

• Canadian back bacon – we are famous for loving bacon, though most of us avoid this ultra-pink version of pork, with edges dipped in cornmeal.
• Butter Tarts – did you know that butter tarts were first created in Canada?
• Poutine – this dish, originating in Quebec, consists of French fries, cheese curds and gravy. It might sound disgusting, but it is truly delicious and addictive.
• Ice Wine – this wine, harvested after the first frost brings grape sugars to a crystalline state, is our pride and joy. Ontario ice wines win awards around the world. This is a very sweet after-dinner wine, not suitable for guzzling.
• Ketchup flavoured potato chips – apparently we really love ketchup.

So there you go – we’ve told you a few things you won’t read about in travel guides. And there is more to come! Stay tuned to the next issue of the bulletin for part two of this article, in which we will cover:

• The Best of Toronto – best food and restaurant options, best shopping, best nightlife, best museums, etc.
• Events on during the conference – we will help you to fill your spare time with festivals, concerts and much more
• Secrets of the Royal York Hotel – famous guests and ghosts, mind-blowing details
• Lowdown on interesting neighbourhoods – learn about Chinatown, Kensington market, Little India, Little Italy, the Distillery District, the Danforth, Cabbagetown and more!
• Tourist attractions actually worth seeing! You’ll be surprised – our list does not correspond with ANY travel guide!

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International Member Travel Grant

By Grace Villamora, brightresearch LLC

Objective:  To provide an opportunity for international members to attend SLA annual conferences. In general, international members enrich SLA’s pool of talent and core competencies. And, in particular, international members bring diversity and share first hand knowledge of international best practices and resources for Advertising and Marketing Division (DAM).

DAM will reimburse travel expenses of up to $1,500 (U.S.) for a librarian or information professional, outside the U.S. and Canada, to attend the SLA conference in Toronto, Canada, on June 5-8, 2005. The Grant is open to SLA members from countries within Africa, Asia and Oceania, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

DAM will also cover the costs of conference registration (Early bird: $275 before May 1, 2005 or Full Member: $325) and tickets to all DAM sponsored events.

Application Requirements:

• Applicant must be a current member of the SLA and the Advertising and Marketing division.
• Applicant must be presently working or have worked within the past three years, in a special library or advertising library or knowledge center or academic with subject focus in advertising or marketing.
• A minimum of three years of professional library or information professional work is preferred.
• Applicant may write in English up to two pages of narrative about:
• Description of applicant’s function as it relates to home office
• How attendance may benefit applicant and home office
• How experience may be shared with colleagues in home country
• Application should mention if currently applying for other SLA awards
• Mention attendance in other professional conferences, location and dates 
• Applicant must speak, write and understand English. 
• After the Toronto conference, applicant must submit a report in English of not less than 1,000 words on the learning experiences at the conference, observations, content and coverage of conference attended sessions. The report and applicant’s photo shall be published in the DAM Summer Bulletin and AMD home page.

Send application postmarked or emailed on or before:  January 31, 2005.

Notification:  The successful applicant will be notified by February 28, 2005.  The Grant check shall be presented to the recipient during the DAM business meeting at the Toronto conference.

Application should include: 

• Name of individual applicant
• Present position
• Name of Company/Institution
• Address
• Country
• Email
• Telephone
• Fax
• Education
• Previous library or information professional experience

Send the completed application on or before January 31, 2005 by email attachment, or FAX or postal mail to either:

Grace Avellana Villamora
SLA DAM International Relations Chair
brightresearch llc
7517 North California – Suite 20
Chicago, IL  60645-1323
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Fax 773-761-7135
gvillamora@brightresearch.com

or

Jo-Ann McQuillan
SLA Advertising & Marketing Division Chair
Institute Communications & Advertising
2300 Yonge Street Suite 500 Box 2350
Toronto ON M4P 1E4
CANADA
Fax 416-482-1856
jmcquillan@ica-ad.com

For more information about the SLA and the Advertising and Marketing Division, click on  http://www.sla.org/division/dam/index.html. We encourage DAM members to spread news about the International Travel Grant to their international offices and units, colleagues and networking groups.

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Is Your Web Site Accessible to All?

By Jeanette M. Mueller-Alexander, Hayden Library Reference, Arizona State University

Advertising and Marketing people love all the wonderful visuals and sound options you can put on your web pages, but did you ever stop to think that there are over 10 million blind or visually impaired people in the U.S.? (http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=15#num)

That over 1.5 million of these people use computers? (http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=15#comp)

In the UK there are over 1 million such people? (http://www.euroblind.org/fichiersGB/statUK.htm)

What about all of those that have hearing losses or deafness? There are 28 million people in the U.S. with hearing impairment. (http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/hearing.asp#1)

And another 9 million in the UK. (http://www.rnid.org.uk/html/factsheets/general_statistics_on_deafness.htm) 

Even those who are not physically challenged may be hindered by the technology available to them, such as older, slower computers, which cannot display all the bells and whistles; dial-up access, which can keep audio & video from playing correctly; etc.

While it may be obvious that government and education Internet web sites need to be accessible to all, corporate sites and intranets should be too.  You never know when you might have the demand for a compliant intranet for accessibility.

How do you make a web site compliant? Learn where the web standards are posted. Two frequently used sites are:

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are available from W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) Web Accessibility Initiative web site:  http://www.w3.org/WAI/
• NY Institute for Special Education Access to the Internet, Web and Windows page (http://www.nyise.org/access.htm)

If you want to test your web pages for compliance, try

• Bobby (http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp)
• W3C Validator (http://validator.w3.org/)
• A-Prompt (http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca/)
• W3C WAI Evaluation Tools list (http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/existingtools.html#Evaluation)

Don't think of this compliance as making for dull web pages! Following these guidelines can actually enrich your web site with additional information through alternative formats.

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Dispelling Three Myths

By Gwen Loeffler, Young & Rubicam Brands

A few years ago, Tesse Santoro came to me and my colleague Stephen Fleming, and encouraged us to take on a leadership position within the Division -- not just ‘a’ position, but ‘the’ Chair position. Because neither one of us had any Board experience, we were somewhat hesitant. However, after talking to Tesse, Kristine Spanier and many of the other Board members, we discovered that many of our concerns were unfounded. So, for those of you who are interested in getting more involved, I’d like to take this opportunity to dispel a few myths about taking on a leadership position within the Division or your local Chapter.

Myth #1 -- I don’t have the time…

In fact, the Association requires very little of leaders. Each position is really what you make of it. If you bring a lot of new ideas to the role, you’ll work harder, but the rewards are greater. To find out more about the specific responsibilities of each leadership position, take a look at the Division Recommended Practices at http://www.sla.org/Documents/divpractice.doc or the Chapter Recommended Practices at http://www.sla.org/Documents/chapractice.doc.

Myth #2 – I can’t because I’ve never held a leadership position before…

Our Division’s Board is comprised of a healthy mix of new and experienced leaders. Those that have been around a while and held various leadership roles are always available to provide you with guidance and advice. If you’re interested, just ask one of our current officers for more information on their position. You can find our contact information at http://www.sla.org/division/dam/members/officers.html.

Myth #3 -- I won’t know what to do…

SLA’s Leadership Training page at http://www.sla.org/content/resources/leadcenter/leadtrain/index.cfm

provides links to PowerPoint training manuals for the following positions: Archivist; Bulletin Editor; Committee Chair; Discussion List Owner; Fundraising Chair; Membership Chair; Public Relations Chair; Treasurer and Webmaster. In addition, each position has a corresponding discussion list that you can subscribe to so that you can share ideas among others holding the same position in another Division or Chapter. And, of course, there are always former Board members you can call on for advice.

I Just Can’t Get Enough. After enjoying my year as Division Chair-Elect, and the following year as Chair, and the next year as Past Chair, I remain active in the Division as the Publications Chair. I can assure you that the sense of accomplishment you get at the end of your term makes it all worth while. In fact, I found the experience so gratifying that I have signed on for another important leadership position, that of President-Elect of the New York Chapter.

The Benefits. SLA is, after all, an association of volunteers. Other than the 26 paid staff members the Association employs, it is completely staffed by volunteers. Therefore, we can only get out of it, what we put into it. But leadership isn’t only about what we can do for the association. Here are four benefits you can gain from leadership:

Meet New People. As a leader, you have the opportunity to get to know more of your colleagues throughout all of the Divisions and Chapters in the Association. You forge lasting relationships and develop a network of colleagues that you can call on for advice, encouragement and support.

Learn New Skills. By participating in SLA leadership training and networking sessions, you can learn new skills that are not only applicable to your position in the Association, but in your position at work.

Refine Your Skills. Through active involvement you get a chance to refine your leadership skills in the association environment – which can be a much more forgiving learning environment than one’s own workplace.

Show Them What A Librarian Really Is. As a leader, you serve as a representative of the profession. Instead of people saying, “you don’t look [seem] like a librarian,” you can show them the new face of our profession and tell them about the new set of skills we possess.

Not ready for a commitment?

There are so many ways to become active in the Division without making a commitment.

Get Published.  Been involved in an important project at work? Discovered a best practice or exciting new resource? Got a promotion or new job? Describe your experience in an article for the next Bulletin and forward it to our editor, Hilary Rengert at hrengert@emarketer.com. Hilary’s always on the look out for new material for the Bulletin, so submit your article anytime. Getting published is a great addition to your resumé and an impressive achievement to mention in your annual performance review at work.

Get Advice – Give Advice.  Our discussion list provides a medium for Division members to share ideas, solicit advice and network with colleagues. Find out how to subscribe or post a message to our list at http://www.sla.org/division/dam/list.html.

Get Heard – Hear from Others.  Every year the Division hosts a Roundtable at the annual conference. Members are invited to propose topics for discussion. Often times you’ll find you’re not the only one facing a particular challenge or trying a new online service. Do you have a topic or issue you’d like to discuss? Forward your ideas to this year’s Roundtable moderator, Julie-Ann Zilavy at julie@aaaa.org.

Still not convinced? Call or e-mail me at gwen.loeffler@yrbrands.com, and I’ll share more of my thoughts on leadership and active participation in the Association. And don’t just take my word for it – contact any of the Division’s officers or officers from your local Chapter to find out more.

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Membership Update

By Deb Rash, Carmichael Lynch

We had twenty-four new members join the division from mid-April to mid-July. Fifteen of this group are new to the association, the rest have added our division to their membership.

Are you aware of SLA's Member-Get-A-Member Campaign? For every new SLA member you recruit you'll be entered into a chance to win a new Palm Handheld PDA. And the top recruiter will receive complimentary registration and an invitation to have dinner with SLA President Ethel Salonen, SLA Executive Director Janice Lachance and SLA Membership and Leadership Services Director Linda Broussard at the 2005 Conference in Toronto. If that's not enough, all members who recruit at least one new member will receive a special pin and become members of the President's Club, a special designation noting your commitment to SLA.

Go to www.sla.org/NewMemberClick to find details and a toolkit that makes it easy for you. The contest goes through December 31st. Get recruiting! (And don't forget to promote the Advertising and Marketing Division while you're at it.)

SLA DAM New Member Biographies

Toni Burton is the Information Coordinator at the Institute of Communications and Advertising in Toronto, Ontario; ICA is a non-profit association of Canadian advertising agencies. She holds a Library & Information Technician Diploma from Seneca College.  Toni began working at the ICA as part of a work placement in 2001 while attending Seneca College, and then just wouldn't go away until they hired her. She joined the ICA full time in 2002 to assist in the operation of the Library and Information Services.  She has also held positions in libraries at Seneca College, the University of Toronto Schools and in the Canadian Broadcast Corporation archives.  Toni also holds a B.A in English Language and Literature from the University of Waterloo; she has been a member of SLA since 2002.  When she isn't at work Toni likes to read (shocking), play with her cat Dudley and listen to any kind of music but mostly folk and heavy metal while vacuuming up a storm.

Dru Frykberg is the librarian for the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University, where she aims to convince aspiring advertising and media professionals of the importance and allure of research. She has been an active member of SLA since May 2002. In 1996, Dru received her MLS from Indiana University in Bloomington. She also holds a BA in Journalism from IU. Before finding the perfect job, Dru worked as a newspaper reporter and public librarian. Besides being a member of SLA's News Division, Dru is active in the Iowa Chapter, serving as the newsletter editor and public relations chair. In her spare time, Dru strives to be a doting mother to two cats and a dog, enjoys smacking around a tennis ball, and is on a never-ending quest for the perfect margarita.

Susan Krauss is an Information Specialist at Deloitte Consulting in San Francisco. Her previous work experience includes positions at Dillon Read, Grey Advertising, J Walter Thompson and Krauss Research. While no longer working at an ad agency, her work at Deloitte includes branding and marketing questions for a variety of industries. Susan received her MLIS from Pratt Institute and has been a member of SLA since 1986. When she first moved from NYC to the Bay Area in 1994, Susan was an independent. Her favorite research question from that time was about “beauty queens gone bad.” Outside of work Susan enjoys listening to folk music, completing crossword puzzles and reading mysteries.

Rosie Levy is pursuing her MLIS degree at San Jose State University, and will be graduating in Spring 2005. She has been a member of SLA for 6 months, and is currently interning in the Knowledge Sharing department at Landor Associates in San Francisco, working primarily with visual assets. Prior to entering library school, Rosie worked in publicity and marketing at several Bay Area book publishers. She also serves on the executive committee of Litquake, a San Francisco literary festival, and spends a good amount of time treasure-hunting at garage sales and thrift stores.

Jeffrey Mallon is making an ardent and challenging career change after many years in the hi-tech/software industry where he held positions in marketing, product/management, and business development/sales. He recently completed a temporary position researching and cataloguing patron slides with the Art & Architecture/Film Library of UCSD. He has an interest in corporate marketing, on-line research and helping people, which makes him a good candidate for SLA membership as well as for a master’s degree in library science. Jeffrey’s goal is to obtain an entry-level information specialist position while he works toward his degree. He has a BS Business/Marketing degree from the University of Southern California and enjoys cooking, yoga, beach volleyball and the visual arts.

Jessica McBride is a Senior Intelligence Researcher at SafirRosetti where she has responsibility for the research and analysis of Business Intelligence and due diligence matters. Jessica started her career as a Library Assistant at Arthur Young & Co. (now known as Cap Gemini Ernst & Young) in the Information Technology Group. She then worked at Kidder Peabody where she provided research support services to the Investment Banking Department. While there, she earned her Master’s Degree in Library Science from Pratt Institute. Prior to joining SafirRosetti, Ms. McBride spent 11 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) first as a Senior Information Specialist and then as a Consultant in the Competitive Intelligence and Knowledge Management Group. As well as being a member of SLA, she belongs to the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, and in addition to research, Jessica has also created and conducted workshops on knowledge management and conducting value-added research for 10,000+ global financial services partners and staff.

Lisa Olsen is a Solo Corporate Librarian at International Truck and Engine Corporation, Fort Wayne, IN. She began work at International in February of 2004 and launched the Information Center just a month later on March 22nd. She received her Masters in Library Science from Indiana University, Bloomington in December of 2003. Lisa has been a member of SLA since July of 2004. Previous library experiences have included several different academic environments with positions stretching from technical services to graduate assistant. In addition to her love for information and libraries, Lisa enjoys music, reading, the outdoors, exercise and movies. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Religion.

Alexander Smoljanski was born in 1957 in St Petersburg, Russia and graduated from the computer department of Leningrad Aircraft Institute and Leningrad School of Translators. In the beginning of the 1980s he worked as a computer engineer and starting from the mid 1980s worked as a freelance translator of British and American fiction. Among translations published in the USSR are short stories and novels by Isaak Bashevis Singer, Anthony Burgess, Woody Allen and Agatha Christie. In the beginning of the 1990s Alexander worked for Encyclopaedia Britannica. Later he joined the Publishing company "World of Knowledge.” From 1998 on he has been with Integrum World Wide where major