May 2009
Greetings and Salutations!
On May 14th our chapter hosted a program about strategic planning presented by Betty Jo Hibberd of Dialog. The event attracted a lively group who had fun exercising their planning skills on a case study. If you weren't there you missed a good time learning and sharing with colleagues representing diverse settings, including the information services of the National Academies of Science, Univ of Maryland Libraries, Inova Fairfax Hospital, and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center .
The full Chapter Board met for a business meeting on May 5th. Our guest was Dr. Trudi Hahn, the new faculty advisor to the SLA Student Group at the University of Maryland iSchool. During the meeting we drew the name of a current LIS student for our chapter's free ticket to the SLA Conference. Leia Dickerson, a first year MLS student at the iSchool, was the lucky winner! She'll be attending the full conference compliments of the Maryland Chapter, and will be sharing a photo essay and written article with us about her experience and what she learned while at the conference.
Our chapter blog, The Cutting Edge, has an article about Leia, as well as other chapter news. Take a quick read at http://sla-divisions.typepad.com/maryland/
Congratulations go to Lorette Weldon, our Chapter Archivist who has an article published in the May issue of Information Outlook. "The 'Googlization' of the Library Collection" is an interesting read with an innovative approach to solving time demands in a one-person information service setting. Lorette also had another article published in the May issue of Computers in Libraries. "Taking Your Library on The Road" is a companion piece on the same topic from a different perspective.
Chapter Member, Pat Fisher, will be teaching a course in marketing & communications at the University of Maryland iSchool. LBSC708D Special Topics in Information Studies: Marketing Information Services will be held between June 1st and July 12th. I'll be a guest lecturer on June 23rd, addressing the topic of branding and its role in managing an information service. The course can be taken for credit or audited. Check with the University of Maryland iSchool for details.
If you or someone you know who is a Maryland Chapter member, has recently published or will be giving a professional presentation, we'd love to know about it. Our chapter is filled with hard working, bright people with ideas and lots of experience. Let's share the wealth! Don't be shy. Tell us about your accomplishments so we can strengthen our network of who knows what. Send your info to me at my email address in the reply line above.
At the SLA conference our chapter is co-hosting an evening reception, Tuesday, June 16th. Designed to be a relaxing respite away from the hustle and bustle of the conference, members of our chapter are invited to mingle and network with colleagues from our co-hosts: the Washington DC, New Jersey and Virginia Chapters. As a Maryland Chapter member you are entitled to a free refreshment ticket by registering at http://tiny.cc/SLAMarylandJune16Reception
Information about the reception is on our Chapter blog (http://sla-divisions.typepad.com/maryland/). This event is being generously sponsored by Leadership Directories! Besides light refreshments there will be free Tarot Card readings and mini-exhibits about chapter activities. Expect to relax and have fun after a long day of listening and learning. If you're not a member of our chapter then bring your checkbook and become one during the evening. We'll be offering special membership sign-up incentives that you won't want to miss!
And finally, before I send off this message, let me announce that free passes to the SLA Conference Expo will be offered on Friday (this week) on this Chapter list. Watch your mailbox Friday for the message with the link to the free pass registration page.
Looking forward to seeing you at the Conference as we celebrate our association's 100th anniversary!
best regards,
Chris
Comments