Rocky Mountain Chapter SLA Blog

RMSLA member article in FUMSI

Congratulations to Rocky Mountain Chapter member Kathleen Rainwater! Her excellent article on automotive industry research just came out in FUMSI (which stands for Find, Use, Manage and Share Information). Kathleen does a great job defining industry segments and provides loads of valuable resources for this industry. Great job Kathleen!

Scott Brown, RMSLA (past) Past President

The SLIM Experience

Four Emporia graduates share their experiences in a library and information science masters program

If you're considering a masters degree in library and information science, you probably have a lot of questions about the experience. Last Fall, questions were posed to four of RMSLA's then-student members: Robbie Bravman Marks, Elizabeth Kelsen-Huber, Cyns Nelson, and Karen Mackenzie. Read on to meet the interviewees and “hear” their candid replies. Full Article

Springtime in Emporia

This feature article, Springtime in Emporia, is authored by Scott Brown.

In the spring and fall, I get to travel to Emporia, Kansas - home of Emporia State University and the Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management (SLIM). The Emporia SLIM program is the oldest school of library and information studies in the western half of the United States. Founded in 1902, the program serves a twelve-state area, including Kansas, North Dakota, Oregon, New Mexico, and, as many SLIM students already know, Colorado.

But I'm not a SLIM student - I'm a member of the SLIM Advisory Board. The Advisory Board was formed in 2005 to help guide SLIM efforts to remove the current conditional accreditation status of the SLIM program. Not to worry: the program IS accredited. The purpose of the Advisory Board is to guide SLIM in attaining full accreditation after the next review in 2008.

Read the Full Article (PDF)

Networking at the Conference

You either love it, or hate it, but either way it’s something you need to do! Why?

1. Networking helps you to find out how other people are coping with the same problems you have.
2. Networking can help you keep up with trends.
3. Networking can find you new friends.
4. Networking can help you find your next job, even if you don't need one right now.

Networking isn’t always easy - some of us are natural introverts.

The annual SLA conference is a great place to start. Everyone you bump into has something in common with you, and it isn’t too hard to start a conversation. You can always ask: “Which sessions did you attend today?” Or “Have you been to the exhibit hall?” and  “What’s the best thing you found?”

A good way for an introvert to network is to hook up with an extrovert. If someone you know finds it very easy to talk to strangers, hang around them and you’ll be included in the conversations they strike up.

Don’t forget to bring your business cards!  Exchange cards, and after you finish talking to someone, jot a note about the person on the back of the card – so you don’t forget why they were interesting.

Give it a try – many people consider networking to be the highlight of an SLA conference.

Hope to see you in Baltimore!

Kathleen Rainwater

Welcome Aboard: Former StorageTek Employees Learn about SunLibrary

This feature article authored by Scott Brown, Sun Microsystems, talks about an exciting awareness and marketing event conducted by Sun's corporate library in Colorado.

Welcome Aboard: Former StorageTek Employees Learn about SunLibrary
by Scott Brown
April 2006
Summary: On the first day of September 2005, Sun Microsystems grew instantly by almost 7000 employees.  No, Sun didn't have a massive hiring campaign on that day - that's when the acquisition of StorageTek in Louisville, Colorado by Sun closed in the US.

Within SunLibrary, Sun's global corporate library, we realized that the acquisition meant an additional 7000 potential users of SunLibrary resources and services.

Read the full article to hear what cool things SunLibrary did with the new Sun employees to partner and make them aware of SunLibrary resources and services - Full Article(PDF)