SLA: St. Louis SLATE Newsletter

Message from the President

"Align in '09"

That was the theme at this year’s SLA Conference in Washington, DC. So what exactly does that mean?

The Alignment Study is an ongoing project to help us focus on who we are, what we stand for, and what we deliver to whom. The results of the Alignment Study are based on research conducted by SLA, Outsell, and Fleishman-Hillard, including SLA-member focus groups and interviews of information professionals, corporate executives, IT and HR professionals in various market sectors.

The Value of Membership

By Betsy Williams

Just a reminder…you have FREE resources from SLA—right at your fingertips!

Fundraising Update

By Christina Pryor

Upcoming Chapter Trivia Night Fundraiser

The chapter’s fundraising committee, along with additional volunteers, is working to put on the chapter’s first trivia night.  A Night in the Know Trivia Night is scheduled for Saturday, August 22nd at the Crestwood Community Center, located at 9245 Whitecliff Park Lane.  The fun and challenging trivia will start promptly at 7:00 pm, but participants can get there as early as 6:15 pm to decorate their tables and socialize with their fellow teammates and competitors.  Table decorating is encouraged but not required and there will not be a competition for this. Also, no glitter, candles, or confetti are allowed in the venue.

SLA Conference: What the heck is cloud computing?

By Erin Lanham

SLA Session:  “Commons, Chaos and Clouds” presented by 
Stacey Greenwell and Doyle Friskney, University of Kentucky

SLA Conference: Diversity, Succession Planning, and Mashup Tools

By Stephanie Tolson

Stephanie Tolson attended SLA 2009 conference and provided SLATE with information from three sessions she attended:  Diversity in Leadership:  Generation X - The Changing Paradigm in a Knowledge-Based Society, Succession Planning in Libraries, and Mashup Tools.

MOBIUS 2009 Annual Conference

By Jill Bright

This year’s MOBIUS Annual Conference was held at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Lake of the Ozarks. Held June 2-4, 2009, the conference served as a gathering point for Missouri’s academic librarians.

Special Libraries in the Economic Downturn

By Paula Martin

There is a lot of evidence of how an economic downturn effects public libraries. Funding can decrease as collected taxes wane, while usage of public computers and circulation of library materials increases. But how does an economic downturn impact special libraries, and what can we do to cope?

In Memory of Joan Miller

By Betsy Williams

Joan Miller, Senior Reference Librarian at the Ward E. Barnes Library (University of Missouri-St. Louis), died unexpectedly July 16, 2009. I had the pleasure of working with Joan for three years. She was my boss and my friend. I’m sorry to say I didn’t know her as well as I would have liked — Joan didn’t like to talk about herself.

Art in the Library

By Stephanie Hood McReynolds

Lisa Wolfe, self-described "librarian by day, artist by night," accepted the position of Director of Library  Services at Jefferson College Library on July 1 and is looking forward to a gallery showing of her art at the Schlafly Branch of the St. Louis Public Library in August.

Recently, Wolfe responded to a few questions about art and her day job.

Summer Books and Music

Are you looking for some good summer reads and tunes? Get inspired by what your fellow SLA members are enjoying.