SLA Academic Division

Smooth as Philly Cream Cheese: Academic Division Programs at SLA

by Alice Wasielewski

The Special Libraries Association Annual Conference and Trade Show begins in less than a week!  We look forward to seeing you June 12th through 15th in Philadelphia.  We’re sure you are already registered, but if not, click this link: http://sla2011.tornado1.com/registration/ .

As a final reminder of all the exciting Academic Division events, here is a summary of our “spread”, in order of appearance:

Sunday 7:00pm-10:00pm  
Karaoke Night

Monday 2:00pm-3:30pm
So They Say You Have to Publish? Some Editors of Journals for Special Librarians Tell You How It's Done

Monday 2:00pm-3:30pm
SPOTLIGHT SESSION:  Collaborations Across Disciplines

Monday 4:00pm-5:30pm
Academic Division Business Meeting

Monday 4:00pm-5:30pm 
SPOTLIGHT SESSION: Teaching Generation M

Tuesday 10:00am-11:30am
Academic Roundtable

Tuesday 2:00pm-3:30pm
Designing a Physical Space in a Digital Age

Tuesday 6:00pm-10:00pm
Poster Session

Wednesday 8:00am-9:30am
Science 2.1: New Forms of Scholarly Communications in the Sciences

Wednesday 12:00pm-1:30pm
SPOTLIGHT SESSION:  All Your Copyrights are Ours: Scholarly Communication and Open Access in the21st Century

See you in Philly!

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Sessions for Academic Librarians at SLA 2011

by Alice Wasielewski

The Special Libraries Association Annual Conference and Trade Show is almost upon us! Join us June 12th through 15th in sunny Philadelphia.  Here is a sneak peek of some essential events sponsored by the Academic Division:

Karaoke Night:
So you think you can sing?  The Academic Division is sponsoring an evening of karaoke with host Academic Division Secretary Kendra Levine as the sun sets.  Too bad the theme from Rocky doesn’t have any lyrics because we know you’d be all over it.  Don’t be shy; join us Sunday 7:00pm-10:00pm for some fun.

Academic Division Business Meeting:  
Every bit as important as Karaoke Night, the Academic Division Business Meeting is a chance for you to meet new people and get involved with an enthusiastic gang of Academic professionals.  Monday 4:00pm-5:30pm.

Poster Session:
The Academic; Education; Social Sciences; and Museums, Arts & Humanities Divisions have joined forces to present the very best posters their divisions have to offer.  Peruse these thought-provoking posters and take advantage of the unique opportunity to chat with their creators, Tuesday 6:00pm-10:00pm.

Let the Academic Division ring your Liberty Bell when you join us for our fabulous lineup of programs and events!  If you have not registered for conference yet, please wait no longer and do so here:http://sla2011.tornado1.com/registration/

See you in Philly!

Philadelphia Freedom: Sessions for Academic Librarians at SLA 2011

by Elaine M. Lasda Bergman, M.L.S.

The Academic Division of the Special Libraries Association has a wide range of programming at SLA 2011 that is relevant to the unique needs of academic librarians. Take a look at some of the offerings: 

Elton John sang about “Philadelphia Freedom,” and The Academic Division is involved with two sessions relating to academic freedom as it relates to scholarly communication. The first one:  All Your Copyrights are Ours: Scholarly Communication and Open Access in the 21st Century will examine new models in publishing that can facilitate the open exchange of ideas and knowledge, but can also pose new challenges. This session will explore the changes in scholarly publishing, the open access movement, and how to ensure that your research reaches the widest possible audience. The session features speaker Dorothea Salo of University of Wisconsin-Madison Library, who is one of Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers of 2009. This session will be held on Wednesday from 12:00pm-1:30pm. 

The second scholarly communication session is titled: Science 2.1: New Forms of Scholarly Communications in the Sciences. The presenters will explore new forms of scholarly communication and social networking for scientists.  This program features Donald Hagen, Associate Director, Office of Program Management and Acquisitions, NTIS; Dorothea Salo, Research Services Librarian, University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries; and Jean-Claude Bradley, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Drexel University.  The Academic Division co-sponsors this event with the Science and Technology Division. The session is generously sponsored by DIALOG and will take place on Wednesday from 8:00am-9:30am.

Other sessions include: 

Academic Roundtable: 
This “unconference” session will allow for discussion on a number of “hot topics” in academic librarianship, with full interaction and participation from all who attend. Not only is this a good opportunity to benefit from the experiences of colleagues with regard to the pressing issues facing academic libraries, it is also a good opportunity to network and make new connections. Judging by the “buzz” about last year’s roundtable, this a not-to-be-missed event! It will be held Tuesday from 10:00am-11:30am.

Designing a Physical Space in a Digital Age:
Learn how two new libraries are aligning themselves using new technology, space design, and student input to accommodate shrinking physical collections, embrace the trend of group work/study, and better prepare students for increasingly sophisticated workplace software. The speakers are Susan K. Nutter, Vice Provost & Director of Libraries, North Carolina State University and Helen Josephine, Head Librarian, Engineering Library, Stanford University. This event is co-sponsored with the Engineering Division, and is generously sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery, ICE Publishing, and Thomson Reuters. It will be held on Tuesday from 2:00pm -3:30pm. 

We hope you’re getting excited about this great lineup of programs, and next week we’ll tell you about some of the more social and informal events that we have planned for the Academics. We hope to share some of that “Philadelphia Freedom” with you! If you have not registered for conference yet, please do so here:http://sla2011.tornado1.com/registration/

SLA Academic is FUTURE READY!

by Elaine M. Lasda Bergman, M.L.S.

The Special Libraries Association Annual Conference and Trade Show is only weeks away! Join us June 12^th through 15^th in Philadelphia, PA.  Here is a preview of some of the terrific programs by the Academic Division:

Teaching Generation M: 
Join this “café discussion” which features editors and contributors to the book Teaching Generation M: A Handbook for Librarians and Educators. The “speed dating” format of the session will provide lots of interaction and liveliness. The Academic Division co-sponsors this event with the Education Division, and it is generously sponsored by Lexis Nexis. Join us Monday 4:00pm-5:30pm for this engaging session.

So They Say You Have to Publish? Some Editors of Journals for Special Librarians Tell You How It's Done:  
“Publish or Perish” is the motto by which academics including academic librarians must abide for a promising future at a college or university.  Join notable editors Anita Ezzo, Leslie Reynolds, Lisa O’Connor, and Tony Stankus for their perspectives on the process and perils of publishing successfully. The Academic Division co-sponsors this session with the Biomedical and Life Sciences Division and it is sponsored by Taylor and Francis.  It all happens on Monday from 2:00pm-3:30pm.

SPOTLIGHT SESSION:  Collaborations Across Disciplines: 
Learn about a diverse array of efforts being undertaken to help researchers collaborate across disciplines. A six member panel of speakers will include representatives from FriendFeed, Mendeley, Collexis, VIVO, and BibApp. The relevance and usefulness of this program has caused SLA to deem it one of the Spotlight Sessions of the 2011 Annual Conference. The Academic Division co-sponsors this session with the Division of Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition and is scheduled for Monday from 2:00pm to 3:30pm.

This is only a taste of the events the Academic Division has in store for the Annual Conference.  If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, there's still time! And remember to show the Academic Division some “brotherly love” by attending our great lineup of programs and events!

See you in Philly!

SLA Annual Conference, no travel required

Not able to go to New Orleans in June?  You can still participate in SLA 2010's two general sessions and ten spotlight sessions in real time.  The registration fee for the Virtual Conference is only $200, and if you register by June 4 using the special promotional code you will save $50 on the registration fee. Learn more about the virtual conference sessions and get the promotional code.

As a former division chair, I heard from so many members that we needed to offer more virtual programming.  This is a great opportunity to participate in the Annual Conference without traveling.  In addition to the Virtual Conference, you can follow #sla2010 on Twitter.  "See" you there!

How Cloud Computing is Changing Academic Work

Do you have questions about what the cloud is, how it works, and how you can make it work for you?

The Academic Division is sponsoring a CE course that will answer all of these questions, and send you back to your institution with new ideas on how to use the cloud to advantage.

How Cloud Computing is Changing Academic Work
Saturday, June 12, 1-5pm

Speakers:  Amy Buckland, Coordinator, eScholarship@McGill, McGill University (and an SLA Rising Star!) and Kendra Levine, Reference Librarian at the Institute of Transportation Studies Library, University of California Berkeley.

Description: The concept of "cloud computing" is not a new term, but it seems to be everywhere these days. This course will familiarize you with the services available in the "cloud", hardware which is designed for the "cloud", and just what it means in terms of security and privacy to have our data living online. A hands-on component will allow participants to get experience using these services and tools.

The concept of information living in the "cloud" has come to forefront as more and more companies offer Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) instead of simply developing programs to be downloaded to your desktop. Now that this information "lives" in the cloud, and not in one physical space, it is important that those working in academia understand how to both educate and use this new computing environment.

This course will include an introduction to cloud computing concepts, evaluations of different services (free and for-pay) that use the cloud, an investigation of the different hardware involved in accessing the cloud, and a discussion about privacy and security in the cloud.  Participants are asked to bring their laptops, in order to acquire some hands-on experience with some of the services demonstrated.

Call for Posters: SLA 2010

How Info Pros Use Social Media and/or Social Events
to Reach Out to New Clients

The Academic; Education; Museums, Arts, & Humanities; and Social Science Divisions of SLA invite proposals for a poster session to be held during the divisions’ Poster Session and Open House at SLA 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Poster Session and Open House will be held on Monday, June 14 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at The Historic New Orleans Collections, 533 Royal Street in the historic French Quarter.

In keeping with the SLA 2010 conference theme, "Entering SLA's Next Century: Let the Good Times Roll," the theme for the poster session is "How Info Pros Use Social Media and/or Social Events [“the good times”] to Reach Out to New Clients." Proposals should focus on the use of social media and social events in libraries or information work. Posters may include examples of social media tools in use, innovative ideas for future uses, comparisons of available tools, descriptions of successful social events, or any other idea relevant to the theme.

The poster session will be a relaxed and informal time to share ideas with your colleagues. We welcome proposals from any SLA member, new or experienced, and especially from students. In the event we receive more qualified submissions than we can accommodate, members of the four sponsoring divisions and student members will be given priority.

Proposals should be submitted by May 1, 2010 via e-mail to lyleminter at yahoo.com. Please include a title and description of about 250 words, and your name, institution, e-mail address, and address. Proposals will be reviewed by a committee for relevance to the theme and quality. We will notify applicants of our decision by May 10, 2010.

Call for Papers for SLA Academic's New Journal

Call for Papers for the Inaugural Issue of
Practical Academic Librarianship: The International Journal of the SLA Academic Division

Peer Reviewed Articles:

PAL seeks well-written manuscripts that are of interest to academic librarians and information professionals serving academic departments or affiliated institutions, including:

   - Original and significant research findings with practical applications

   - Best Practices

   - Implementation of new initiatives

   - Descriptive narratives of successful and unsuccessful ventures

   - Examination of the role of libraries in meeting specialized client  needs

   - Analysis of issues and trends

See the Journal's Focus and Scope for more information. Potential topics for inclusion are not limited to those listed on that page.

Other Content (not peer reviewed):

While not peer reviewed, PAL is also seeking content for two other key sections of the Journal:

   - Think Pieces: These types of articles are intended to spur discussion amongst scholars on message boards for each piece.

   - Interactive Online Exhibits and Demonstrations

See the Section Policies for more details on submitting these types of pieces for inclusion in the Journal.

We have opened our first biannual edition beginning January 2010. Submit your manuscript by registering as an author and following the five-step process.

Warmest regards,

Leslie J. Reynolds

Founding Editor, Practical Academic Librarianship: The International Journal of the SLA Academic Division

About the Journal   |  Editorial Team   |  Author Guidelines |  Copyright Notice |  Privacy Statement

SLA 2009 Conference Reflections

Things have finally settled down enough for me to ponder my real
takeaway lessons from SLA Annual. I was quite busy this year,
actually. I was lucky enough to get to help moderate some of the
first-ever SLA unconference sessions, and I also got to attend the
first-ever business meeting of the SLA Academic Division. And while
these things may seem topically disparate, the ideas put forth in each
regarding future programming were startlingly (refreshingly?) similar
with respect to proposed people, places, and format.

People:
Unconference session: Why not involve vendors as active participants
in unconference, beyond providing schwag?
Business meeting: Why not reach out to faculty and nonmembers where
the conference is going to be held? Why not reach out to other
organizations like ACRL and ASIS&T to learn about what they're doing,
so that we aren't reinventing the wheel?

Places:
Unconference session: Why can't we have an unconference at a public
library? Or in the unused areas of the exhibit hall? Why can't we meet
in the lobby of the conference hotel? Where people are actually
talking about things that matter to them.
Business meeting: Why can't we have conference sessions at academic
libraries in the area? Where we can see our sessions in context.

Format:
Unconference session: Why not "flatten" the conference hierarchy? Why
not allow real conversation rather than preaching on some topic that
was popular a year ago when proposals were due?
Business meeting: Why not use the SLA blog to inspire conversation and
comment? Why not have unconference-style division programming at
Annual?

The refreshing emphasis placed on inclusivity and flexibility in both
was manifest. SLA Academic: the first Un-Division? Sign me up!

SLA2009: Academic Division Unconference - WOW!

Over 50 people attended the unconference session hosted by the Academic Division - our first program ever!
After deciding on the topics to be discussed, we split into breakout groups to discuss a number of different topics.

The group came back together to have a big discussion on the always-important topic of building relationships with faculty. Some notes from the day are on the SLA Unconference Wiki.
I certainly think this is a format that works well for academics, and am pretty confident we'll do it again next year at SLA2010!

Phots by the awesome Kendra K Levine.