SLA: St. Louis SLATE Newsletter

Message from the President

Greetings, St. Louis SLA !

I am writing my last “message from the president” piece for the SLATE.  This is truly bittersweet; I’ve had a great time being our chapter’s president, and at the same time, I’m excited about letting Chris take the reins.   These past two years have gone by amazingly fast.

Thanks to all who attended the Holiday Happening, and to those who participated in the silent auction.  The Lodge was absolutely beautiful and the food scrumptious!  

I know I’ve said it before, but I’m going to say it again; you will get so much more out of being an SLA member if you become involved in the chapter – attend meetings, volunteer for committees, every little bit will benefit both you and the chapter. 

Have a wonderful holiday season, and end of 2011; I’ll see you next year!

Renee Gorrell
President

It's Official -- Chapter Officers for 2012

Renee Gorrell passes the gavel to 2012 Chapter President, Chris Pryor, at the Holiday Happening. The traditional way...

 

 

 

 

 

...and the untraditional way!

 

 

 

 

 

Your Executive Board officers for 2012:

Christina Pryor - President

Stephanie McReynolds - President-Elect

Renee Gorrell - Past-President

Keir Haug - Secretary

Jill Bright - Treasurer

Kathy Cosgrove - Director-Business Manager

Connie Dee - Director-Membership

Membership News

What a year! Our chapter members have enjoyed wonderful educational and social opportunities, such as events on ebooks, social media, and the future of academic libraries, our chapter's 70th anniversary celebration, and several fun happy hours!

Despite the economy, our membership numbers have remained fairly steady. At the beginning of 2011, our chapter had 90 members. As of October 2011, our chapter had 95 members. The fact that our membership numbers have remained steady, despite the difficult economic climate, tells me that members understand the value of the St. Louis Metro Area Chapter. From networking events to professional development and career opportunities, our chapter has a lot to offer its membership.

We are also fortunate to welcome the following new members to our chapter in 2011:

Katharine Bava

Stephany Boyd

Rebecca Klemme Eliceiri

Travis Ferrell

Kevin George

Allen Graham

Joseph Hempen

Barbara Jones

Rebecca Kniest

Julianne Kurtz

Laura Lanigan

Thomas Leimkuehler

Suzanne Masters

Bernadette Schell

Lauren Todd

Lesley Zavediuk

Thank you all (new members and longtime members) for continuing to support and value the St. Louis Metro Area Chapter of SLA!

Stephanie McReynolds
Membership Director

Treasurer's Report

The following report was presented at our Annual Meeting on December 1, 2011:

 

Checking	$2,356.88
Savings Total	$6,591.58
	Savings Unrestricted: $3,653.17
	Savings Restricted (Travel Grant Fund): $2,938.41
Pooled Fund	$2,263.13

Total assets:                                     $ 11,211.59               

Recent Major Income

• $1,382.40 dues allotment from SLA national for 96 members
• $500 sponsorship from American Chemical Society
• $750 sponsorship from Dow Jones Factiva

Recent Major Expenditures

• $200 to SLA Wisconsin Chapter to partially sponsor the Midwest Chapter Open House at the 2011 annual meeting
• $1,000 from Scholarship Fund to Steven Pryor for 2011 SLA Annual Meeting attendance

The Programming Committee stayed under budget throughout the year, allowing the Chapter to subsidize a portion of the Holiday Happening attendance fee for members, as we did in 2010.

Jill Bright
Treasurer

From the Archives: SLA's Annual Convention in St. Louis

As your Chapter Archivist, I always enjoy diving into our files to answer questions or provide documents for special events. Recently, while selecting items from the Archives to be displayed at our 70th Anniversary celebration, I was drawn to brochures, correspondence, records and other documents collected the last time SLA held its annual conference in St. Louis.

That was in 1964.

The 55^th annual Special Libraries Association convention (not called a “conference” in the Preliminary Program or any of the other historical documents) was held June 7–11, 1964.  The theme of the convention was “The Special Librarian as a Creative Catalyst.”

That still sounds relevant, doesn't it?

Awards and Anniversaries

Congratulations to Betsy Williams who was awarded our Chapter’s Leadership Award for 2011 at the annual Holiday party. Betsy is a Senior Reference Librarian at the Ward E. Barnes Library at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She was chosen because of her ability to lead and inspire others through the offices that she has held and her service to the Chapter. Her many contributions to the Chapter are greatly appreciated!                           

Anniversaries in the Chapter for 2011

10 years               Judy Harris

20 years               Sara Beck, Maria Minowitz

25 years               Barbara Miksicek

Karen Goddard
Awards Chair

Trivia Night!

The St. Louis Metro Area Chapter of SLA’s second trivia night, “A Night in the Know”, took place on Saturday, August 20th, at the Crestwood Community Center. Doors opened at 6:15, with trivia beginning promptly at 7:00 pm. The wonderfully witty MC for the evening was Charlie Bright, the husband of SLA Treasurer Jill Bright. Trivia ranged from extremely easy to the more obscure, with something for everyone. Participants with knowledge of The Smurfs, space exploration, and celebrity children had an edge over competitors.  

A special thanks is given to judges Adrienne Brennecke, Todd Beckett, and Stephanie McReynolds; Steven Pryor for his help with PowerPoint and sound, and question writers Stephanie McReynolds, Todd Beckett, Adrienne Brennecke, Keir Haug, Geri Herberlie, Erin Lanham, and Connie Dee. I would also like express appreciation to those who helped with setup, bake sale, advertising, and overall guidance, especially Chris Pryor, who shared on numerous occasions advice and information from the previous SLA trivia night. 

The grand total raised by the event, which will be used for SLA scholarships, was $2,106. Thanks to everyone who came out to help or play! We hope to see even more members at trivia events in the years to come!

Connie Dee
Fundraising Chair

A good time...

We had some great programs this Fall:  70th Anniversary, E-Book readers, and the Holiday Happening!

Photos from the 70th Anniversary Program in September: 

 

Our guest speaker, Brent Mai, 2012 SLA President.

Photos from the Holiday Happening in December:  
The Lodge at Grant's Trail provided a very festive setting!

A captive audience for our Annual Business Meeting.

 

Shoppers check out all the great items in the Silent Auction.

A BIG "Thank You! to our sponsors for the Holiday Happening!