March 2009
Greetings!
It appears that Spring has finally arrived, and not a moment too soon. It's nice to see cheerful, yellow daffodils blooming after the endlessly dreary, cold winter.
Our first chapter event of the year, the March 19th tour & networking buffet at the National Cryptologic Museum, was far from cold or dreary. What a fascinating place with all sorts of nooks and crannies filled with interesting displays-- well explained and exhibited. The Museum staff and docents graciously led small group tours throughout the evening, giving the more than 80 attendees a rare look into the secret world of codes & enigmas, along with the people and machines involved with developing and "cracking" them over the years. A big round of applause goes to our host, Rene Stein and Curator Patrick Weadon, along with the docents including Patricia Clements and Bill Stevenson, for their hospitality, expert guidance and wonderful stories which brought the exhibits to life for everyone. The Museum is open for the public and I highly recommend visiting with family and friends. http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/museum/index.shtml
To view photos from the program, go to our chapter's blog, The Cutting Edge (http://sla-divisions.typepad.com/maryland/chapter_news/) or the chapter web site (http://units.sla.org/chapter/cmd/index.htm) where you can link to our chapter's Fickr album.
Speaking of the chapter web site and The Cutting Edge, both have been enhanced with "Flickr Badges" (dynamic photo slides) with links to our chapter's Flicker album, thanks to the efforts of our web master, Greg Horvitz and Ashley Conaway.
Our chapter's strategic planning initiative is well underway. Chairperson, Cindy Sheffield, and committee members have roughed out a set of ideas which they are now refining with input from other chapter members. For a quick overview of the Strategic Planning Committee's first meeting, read Sean Henry's entry in The Cutting Edge (http://sla-divisions.typepad.com/maryland/2009/03/strategic-planning-committee-plans-for-future-chapter-directions.html)
Tis the season for strategic planning initiatives... with the economy scaling back almost everyone is going back to the drawing boards with their plans and strategies. And so our chapter is hosting an evening program May 14th devoted to "Strategic Planning for the Information Center" led by Betty Jo Hibberd of Dialog. Join us at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory for a light meal and tips on making your strategic plan "doable" using strategic planning tools. Look for information about this upcoming program on our web site shortly!
I am pleased to say that our new initiative of holding "Chats" between chapter members and Un of Maryland iSchool students is being well received by everyone involved. Our goal has been to provide an open forum for students to ask questions from those of us in the field. Judy Tapiero, one of our Board Directors and myself, met recently with Dr. Preece, Dean of the Un of Maryland iSchool along with other members of the faculty, and our chapter will soon be increasing its activities at the school, aimed at students interested in practicing their information management skills in unique settings. If you would like to learn how you can personally contribute to this effort, please contact myself or Judy Tapiero (judith (at) theorganizedlibrary.com)
Our Chapter Executive Board will be holding a conference call meeting on April 2nd. My next message will review the business decisions from that meeting and what's coming up for our chapter as we approach the mid-point of our association's 100th anniversary year. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions regarding our chapter, its business, activities or volunteer opportunities.
Best regards,
Chris
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