NJSLA Bulletin

SLA Blogs: Mega-Feed! Now Powered by Yahoo! Pipes

The mega-feed of SLA RSS feeds is now powered by Yahoo! Pipes. (You can subscribe directly as well.)  Grazr has changed its business practices, and no longer supports RSS feeds compiled from multiple feeds. The Grazr widget (listing feeds separated out by individual blogs) is still available but will not be updated.

Thanks to Nicole Engard for the refresher on Yahoo! Pipes and other mashups at SLA 2009. Her presentation is available here. (Scroll down to June 17, 2009.)

Buy Your Tickets Now for the Somerset Patriots on July 31

Hey Baseball Fans:
There are two ways you can buy your tickets for the Somerset Patriots game on Friday, July 31.

The first is to register and use a credit card on PayPal.  It is quick and easy...just follow this link...

 http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=xnFzbFgsgr_2b0C4eeY1625g_3d_3d 

The second way is to send a check (tickets are $14.00 each) made out to NJSLA to me.  Just email me at burton.barbara@gmail.com and I will send you the address details.

Either way, our deadline is FRIDAY, JULY 17 so be sure to get your tickets today!  The Patriots are in FIRST PLACE so make sure you don't miss it!

Happy Birthday, SLA!

From Dav Robertson, Chair, SLA Centennial Commission (with some added links):

2 July marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of SLA.  On that day in 1909, some 20 attendees at the ALA annual conference met separately on the verandah of the Mt. Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, N.H., USA, to form SLA and adopt a constitution that defined the "Object" as follows:

"The object of this Association  is to promote the interests of the commercial, industrial, technical, civic, municipal and legislative reference libraries, the special departments of public libraries, universities, welfare associations, and business organizations."

(For more on the founding of SLA, see Guy St. Clair's book SLA at 100, published by SLA for the Centennial.)

What were the founders thinking when they chose to use the word "Special" in the name of SLA?  From John Cotton Dana's comments we know that the name was casually chosen in that the members were all "doing some special work in libraries."  We also know that the founders wanted the new association to be inclusive, and in fact, the association grew rapidly as information pioneers in a variety of settings signed up.

Now that we are 100, we are reconsidering the name of our association and the direction to take in recruiting new members.  We have the evidence provided to us by the Alignment Project research, which shows that "special" does not resonate with those we serve.  We have the evidence which shows that we can recruit information professionals who work outside of "special libraries."

Upon the occasion of our centennial, this is precisely the time when we should be acting on these issues.  Urge your colleagues to discuss the findings of the Alignment Project and what steps SLA should take to promote the interests of information professionals in the 21st Century.  Be prepared to vote on a name change later this Centennial Year.  Align in '09.

All the best,
Dav Robertson, Chair
SLA Centennial Commission

Sign Up to Petition for SLA Taxonomy Division

At the SLA Annual Conference, the SLA members interested in creating a new SLA Taxonomy Division gained approval to circulate a petition to identify members for the proposed division, which will focus on ways to organize and structure information so that content is accessible and useful.

The proposed Taxonomy Division would offer a practical context for exploring issues and sharing experiences related to planning, creating, maintaining and using taxonomies, thesauri, authority files,
and other controlled vocabularies and information structures.

To learn more or to sign the petition agreeing to join this new division, go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=6tJ5CLQkMDsBnVSKgCFHxw_3d_3d.

You must be a current SLA member to sign the petition.

Contact Margie Hlava (mhlava@accessinn.com) or Janice Keeler (jkeelersla@sbcglobal.net) for more information or to volunteer to help get this division started.

[Please also see the previous blog entry on this topic.]

Enjoy a Night at the Ballpark on July 31

NJSLA will have its annual gathering to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Somerset Patriots on Friday evening, July 31.  If you haven't been to TD Bank Ballpark, it is a convenient and fun way to see our national pastime without the hassle of the big city.  Parking is easy, you are close to the field and there are even fireworks after the game.  Tickets are $14.00.  Mark your calendars today--registration details available soon.

All Back Issues of Cataloging Service Bulletin Now Available Free Online

Courtesy of Catalogblog (where you can read the full story) and forwarded by Catherine Lavallée-Welch (Chair, SLA's IT Division).

All 123 issues of Cataloging Service Bulletin (CSB) are now available at no cost. CSB is a quarterly bulletin that includes current, new, and revised information about LC cataloging and classification practices and policies. ...

Taxonomy and Meta Data Division Proposed: Planning Meeting at SLA Set for Sunday, June 14

From Margie Hlava and Janice Keeler:

... We are already working with the IT and KM Divisions to reconcile some known overlaps in scope notes, but if any other divisions have any issues, we need to know ASAP. Leadership – please distribute this note to your units to let them know of the proposed new division and also to tell people they are welcome to join us in Washington DC to discuss taxonomy and meta data
issues and the proposed new division.

Scope Note and Business Case for the New Division: The business case for the new division is attached and posted on the SLA wiki site.

The proposed scope note is: The Taxonomy and Meta Data Division (TMD) addresses meta data contained in taxonomies, thesauri, authority files, and other controlled vocabularies.  Areas of interest include:

• Standards, governance and management issues for all types of controlled vocabularies

• Issues associated with the creation, capture, delivery, structure, and use (such as in search) of controlled vocabularies and meta data for all information object types.

• Trends such as the development of the semantic web, ontologies, folksonomies and other tagging methodologies.

Meetings in Washington, DC, June 14: We are having a meeting for anybody interested in taxonomy on Sunday, June 14, from 3-5 p.m. in Room 145B of the convention center.  This session is not part of the official program, and will not show up in the online planner. 

Agenda:

• organizational issues related to the attempt to form a new division

• discussion of taxonomy issues of interest to participants

Assuming we can reconcile all overlapping scope note issues with other divisions, we will send out a petition to form the new division via SurveyMonkey shortly after the conference. If anybody wants to discuss this with us before or during the conference, please contact us.

Regards,
Margie Hlava, mhlava@accessinn.com 505-975-5578 cell
Janice Keeler, janice.keeler@nera.com, 312-573-2813 (work),
773-251-9373 (cell). I’ll be in Washington as of June 12.
 

DC Chapter Welcomes SLA Centennial Attendees

The helpful note below is from Greta D. Ober, 2009 DC Chapter President.

The wiki Greta lists is a great place to find roommates (http://wiki.sla.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=27624346) or a ride share: (http://wiki.sla.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=27625241).

See you in DC!
Eric Schwarz, NJ Chapter President

---

Colleagues, Washington, DC welcomes all SLA 2009 Attendees to the Centennial Celebration and Annual Conference.

The DC Chapter is delighted to assist in hosting this historic conference.

Be sure to stop by the DC Information Booth located near the SLA Registration area in the Washington Convention Center. We have the "Official Visitors Guide" which is packed with information you want and need. Major areas cover Museums, Theatres, Restaurants, Shopping, Hotels, Special Events and Maps.

In the Guide you will find Special emphasis on the Lincoln Centennial, the Green Scene of parks and gardens, and Summer Spotlight which features Festivals, Concerts and Other Celebrations. Other items we'll provide include METRO Pocket Maps, other maps of DC, Special brochures of the National Mall as well as the SLA 2009 Conference Pin.

Special Drawings held each day, so be sure to deposit your business card for great prizes. Drawings daily Sat-Tues at 4:45 p.m.; Wednesday 11:45 a.m.

We promise the prizes will be easily portable!

Use the DC SLA Wiki (http://wiki.sla.org/display/SLA2009) to learn specific things about the DC Neighborhoods, interesting things to do with kids - Toddlers to Teens using the "Our Kids" web site (many coupons for savings listed there!). Our Volunteers have been working on this page for more than a year....it is a real gold mine!

The DC Chapter Volunteers will be available to answer questions, make suggestions and generally welcome you to DC.

DC Information Booth: Saturday - Tuesday staffed from 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday 7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

There will be a special Restaurant Concierge located near our booth to assist in making reservations.
---Washington, DC Chapter  (http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/) ---->  Looking forward to seeing you in DC!!

Greta D. Ober, 2009 DC Chapter President

4 Things NEVER to Say to Someone Who Just Lost a Job (From DiversityInc.com)

DiversityInc.com, a great source on the business benefits of diversity in its many forms, has posted 4 Things NEVER to Say to Someone Who Just Lost a Job. Since almost everyone knows someone who has lost a job in this recession, I thought the advice was timely.

(This article and some other content on the site is free; other content requires a paid subscription [free to holders of email addresses with domains .mil, .gov, .edu, .org or .us.])

SLA-NY Happy Hour: Wednesday, June 3, 5:30 to 7:30 pm

From SLA-NY President Michelle Dollinger:

Please join us for a drink, a snack, and good networking prior to the SLA annual conference in DC (June 13-17), whether or not you will be going to Washington.  The SLA-NY Chapter is holding its next 2009 Happy Hour on Wednesday, June 3rd, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Midtown Executive Club. 

Happy Hours are a regular event the NY Chapter organizes to give members a chance to meet and chat.  Prospective members, students, and colleagues also are welcome.

There is no charge to attend, and there is no agenda except to network with colleagues in a quiet space. You will have an opportunity to introduce yourself to the group and make any announcements (such as a new position, job search or job availability).  Please come and tell us who you are and, if you are looking for something, what it is.

Midtown Executive Club
Rumford Hall
40 West 45th Street (betw. 5th/6th Aves).
You will see a blue awning that says CQ (for Club Quarters).

Drink Prices: $4 for soft drinks; $10 for wine or beer.
PLEASE NOTE: Half-price for beer and wine until 6:30.  
 
Please RSVP to Vida Cohen to help us establish an attendance figure. But feel free to drop by even if you have not RSVP'd.
 
Hope you can join us!

Please save these dates and check the Chapter website for all of the SLA-NY activities in SLA's Centennial Year 2009:  

• Saturday June 13 - Wednesday June 17, 2009 - SLA Annual Conference in Washington, DC       
• Tuesday, June 23, 2009  - SLA Centennial Dinner celebrating and honoring NY Chapter members at The University Club    
• Thursday, October 15, 2009 - Annual Meeting and Awards Presentation at Skadden Arps  
• Thursday, November 19, 2009 - SLA Information Forum at Baruch College 
• Thursday, December 10, 2009 - Centennial Holiday Party at McGraw-Hill

* If you received this announcement from a colleague and wish to sign up for the chapter email list, visit http://units.sla.org/chapter/cny/discussionlist.htm

View details for this and for other events on our online events calendar at http://sla-ny.blogspot.com/. You can subscribe to event updates as an RSS feed.

See this event on the NJSLA Calendar and add it to Outlook.