Silicon Valley Chapter | SLA

Publications by Chapter Members

Several of our members have published articles in the professional literature this year, and one has even published a book.  Congratulations to the authors!

 Jean Bedord, Principal, eContent Strategies

 "SMX West 2010: Nature of Search is Changing", Information Today, May 2010, p.26. http://www.infotoday.com/it/may10/index.shtml

 

Deb Hunt, Principal, Information Edge

"The Accidental Knowledge Manager: Another Role for Independent Information Professionals" ASIS&T Bulletin , October/November 2010  http://www.asist.org/Bulletin/Oct-10/OctNov10_Hunt.html

 

Raveena Raman, Senior Information Specialist, Analysis and Information Management (AIM) Services,  Elan Pharmaceuticals. 

1)  “Advancing the careers of life science professionals of Indian origin,” with Jagath R Junutula, Darshana Patel, Holly Butler & Anula Jayasuriya; Nature Biotechnology v28, 757–758 (2010).

2) “Protecting information resources before and After emergencies”, with Lisl Zach, Information Outlook, v14, n3, p25(3), April 1, 2010. Special Libraries Association    

 

Virginia Tucker, PhD Candidate, San Jose SLIS

Finding the Answers to Legal Questions: A How-To-Do-It Manual  with Marc Lampson, published by Neal- Schuman Publishers, October 2010    http://www.neal-schuman.com/bdetail.php?isbn=9781555707187   

 

Libby Trudell,  VP, Market Development, Dialog

“Does Taxonomy Matter in a New World of Search and Discovery?”  with Suzanne BeDell, Online  September 2010, v34, no 5 http://www.infotoday.com/online/sep10/BeDell-Trudell.shtml .   

 

Submitted by Libby Trudell

New address for Silicon Valley Discussion List

As part of our transition to being the Silicon Valley Chapter of SLA we have changed the “name” of the discussion list. The SLA Discussion List for our chapter has been changed to sla_csv AT sla.lyris.net (please note the underscore between “sla” and “csv”). The members who were on the previous discussion list will automatically (and hopefully seamlessly) be transferred to the new list. For those of you who are SLA members and not on our local discussion list, this might be a good time for you to become active. You can signup through SLA Headquarters at: http://www.sla.org/content/community/lists/index.cfm

A new beginning for the Chapter

In Leslie Fisher's work as Chapter President in 2009, she found that many of our colleagues did not know where the San Andreas Chapter was located, while they were aware of Silicon Valley. Given that we were also revisiting the Strategic Plan for the Chapter, including branding, it seemed opportune to revisit the Chapter's name as well.

In 2009. the Board voted to move forward with proposing a name change, following the process outlined by the national Association. Leslie posted over several months beginning in March 2010, explaining why a name change was necessary, the process and why she felt the new name suited us better. To quote from her May email:

Our Strategic Plan is being designed with an emphasis on adaptation and innovation.  It will serve us like a weathervane.  The components are like the directions, and by viewing it (and reviewing it) through prevailing currents – of business, of technology, of our social fabrics – the plan will serve as a guide, helping us steer through this time of paradigm shift, re-shaping our goals and directions as we proceed.

The name Silicon Valley Chapter is meant to serve as a beacon in this process and in the new era.  We thus identify ourselves with the regional hotbed of innovators and innovation.  We thus aspire to be of this region, a part of this sea change, participants and contributors in the evolution.  The name is meant to inspire us as achievers and to inspire our constituents – peers, colleagues, managers and executive management – with our sense of self, our commitment to innovation, and our active participation in these changing times.

At the August 30th meeting, after an excellent presentation by Leslie Berlin, the proposal was put up to a vote by the attending members and over 90% voted for the new name. So without further ado...

A revised Strategic Plan - your input needed!

The Chapter’s Strategic Planning Committee has been developing a new strategic plan, taking in mind changes in our contemporary professional world and current endeavors of the Association. This is the first update since the early years of this decade. The document will be a “living” document, intended to be adaptable over time and as the contexts of the chapter and the profession changes.  

  

 The initial draft plan has been provided to Chapter leadership for review. Recommendations from the leadership are being incorporated into the plan, and the latest draft will be discussed at the next Board Meeting. Be on the lookout for dissemination chapter-wide in the early fall. Your input will guide us in adapting the Strategic Plan to the times and interests of chapter membership.

 

Leslie Fisher

San Andreas Chapter Strategic Planning Committee Chair

 

Event: Blackberries, iPhones and the Future of Libraries: Quick and Easy Library Mobile Services at Joint SLA Chapter, May 11, 2010

Attendees of the joint SF Bay / San Andreas SLA chapter dinner meeting enjoyed a fast-paced presentation by Sarah Houghton-Jan, Digital Futures Manager, San Jose Public Library, who blogs at the Librarian in Black (http://librarianinblack.net/librarianinblack/).

Mobile devices change how we interact with our users and the services that can be provided. Mobile services are ubiquitous, and people are using them to do multiple things quickly and efficiently.   According to a Morgan Stanley report (http://mashable.com/2010/04/13/mobile-web-stats/), 80% of American adults currently use mobile devices, and by 2015 two-thirds of them will be using smart phones.

As librarians we need to ask our users what devices they use and how they are accessing the library. Then we need to design our services based on what users need and the platforms they use. Improved mobile access can be provided in two major areas. The first is a mobile-friendly website which requires simplifying the traditional interface and which meets the needs of a wider number of users. The second is apps, which can be more sophisticated, but must be downloaded to a smart phone. Sarah recommends modifications to the library website so it is more usable by mobile devices before developing apps.

Searching for Silicon Valley - What's in a Name?

Greetings All - Does anyone reading this have any doubts about where is Silicon Valley? I'll guess not.

 

And you know what, I'll guess also that a whole lot of folks who are not living in this region also know - at least generally - where is Silicon Valley. During my tenure as Chapter President in 2009, I took the opportunity to randomly poll folks in other chapters when I had the opportunity for an interaction. 

 

I attended the Leadership Summit in mid-winter, I attended the annual conference in the summer, I worked on an Association project and led a committee of nine members from various regions, and I had reason to interact with a few Association-level leaders or employees. And I asked if they had regional recognition of Silicon Valley. And I asked if they knew where San Andreas Chapter was located. And in most cases the answer was "yes" to the former and "no" to the latter.

SLA leadership voting - the polls are open!

Greetings San Andreas Chapter members - Governance for the Association runs in tandem with the calendar year.  New officers take seat on January 1st.  It is time now to elect our new officers for 2010.

 

Please take a moment to vote using the very convenient online voting option explained and accessible at the following URL.  http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/governance/2010bodelect/evote.cfm

 

This year we vote for a new President Elect, a Treasurer and both of the Chapter and Division Cabinet Chairs.  You have access to bios as well as recorded videos of the candidates at the above noted page. 

 

Please participate in this election as we align in '09.  Make your choice and be a voice.

 

Leslie R. Fisher

2009 President, San Andreas Chapter SLA

 

Associate Manager, Records & Information Management

Gilead Sciences

Foster City, CA

650-522-4299

Findings from the Chapter Communications Survey - Please Comment!

We had 58 respondents to the survey (though not everyone answered every question), not bad in terms of typical survey response rates but we're hoping there will be more discussing of the survey findings and comments here and on the mailing list.

The report and charts will be moved to the website and linked to from this blog post, but I wanted to make them available to Chapter members now. The highlights:

DEMOGRAPHICS

• 74% of respondents have been information professionals for over 10 years
• 71% of respondents have been SLA members for over 10 years
• 60% of respondents have been San Andreas Chapter members for over 10 years
• 24% of respondents have been San Andreas Chapter members for less than 5 years
• 75% of respondents are employed either full or part-time

COMMUNICATIONS

• Approximately half of respondents are new to the blog
• Approximately a quarter of respondents have subscribed to the blog since its inception
• Approximately a quarter of respondents have subscribed to the discussion list longer than memory serves
• 65% of respondents prefer to receive chapter communications a few times a month
• Respondents generally favor the list to the blog
• LinkedIn is highly utilized among respondents and Facebook is strongly used
• Approximately one-third of respondents use Twitter

Here's a Word document with the findings from the survey.

And here are charts of the responses and comments provided for open-ended questions.

Please comment here or on the mailing list.

San Andreas Chapter, SLA – Use Policy for Communication Channels

In order to more effectively utilize Chapter communication channels, the SA Chapter Communication Committee is defining general use policies for the blog and the discussion list.  We want to encourage use of these channels but also to manage repetition, timeliness and thoroughness. 

 

The following are guidelines.  Please adhere to these generally, but use your best judgment should you believe an exception is called for.  The Communication Committee welcomes your input.  To contact the committee, please refer to the Chair on the list of Board and Committee members on the blog.

 

The standard ethics and expectations of good taste that apply to any professional forum apply to use of all SA communication channels.

 

Blog posts:

 

The Process

Blog postings are mediated.  The blog committee monitors an incoming mailbox for new posts.  In general, turn-around time is approximately a week, which covers up to a couple of days between mailbox access, the process of proofing/formatting and posting.  Postings received the first half of the week are more likely to post to the blog the same week.  Postings may be expedited if direct contact with the blog master is established.

 

Acceptable Use

• Any item the Chapter will want to archive for historical reference, such as listings of current slate of officers
  
• Notice of Chapter events (annual meetings, Chapter programs, joint Chapter meetings, neighborhood events, Solo Librarian meetings)
  
• Reports on Chapter events
  
• Awards won by Chapter members
  
• Interviews with Chapter members
  
• Regular posts from the Chapter president
  
• Reports on major industry conferences from Chapter members (Internet Librarian, SLA Annual, SLA Leadership)
  
• Book reviews
  

 Discussion list posts:

 

The Process

The discussion list is self-driven.  For access to the San Andreas Chapter discussion list, please contact the Discussion List Chair found on the list of Board and Committee members on the blog.  For directions on how to use the discussion list or an alternate method for subscription, consult the following SLA website:  http://www.sla.org/content/community/lists/index.cfm

 

Acceptable Use

• Professional questions, inquiries or comments that are likely start a discussion thread
  
• Reminder notices of upcoming events
  
• Announcements from SLA HQ or the Leadership list
  
• Upcoming courses, conferences or other professional events not hosted by the Chapter, such as SJSU Colloquia notices (information not pertinent to our archives)
  
• Events of potential interest but not local to Silicon Valley (information not pertinent to our archives)
  
• Time-sensitive postings with one week or less advance notice
  
• Note:  job-related posts are NOT acceptable for the discussion list.  Please use the jobline if you have a job-related post.

 C   Communications Committee, San Andreas Chapter SLA

  17-Jul-2009

 

San Andreas Chapter - Communications Committee Survey Summer 2009

The survey Leslie referred to in her Update from San Andreas Chapter Communications Committee message is now up and you can access it at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=9jSE0OZqo6dUKWlLPc_2bGZw_3d_3d

We tried to keep it as short as possible while being sure to gather the information needed to communicate better with you, the Chapter membership, going forward. The survey will be open until midnight on August 3. If you have any questions about the survey, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Steven Kaye,
On behalf of the San Andreas Chapter Communications Committee

Update from San Andreas Chapter Communications Committee

Greetings All -

 

The Communications Committee wants to update you on our activities.  We are pleased to say that most chapter members who were signed up for the discussion list and the blog have remained on these channels.  We have designed a survey to collect your input on these resources which will be distributed next week [this was mailed on the 17th - SK]. 

 

The survey consists of five demographic questions and fifteen multiple choice questions.  There are additional text boxes associated with select questions as well as a closing Comments section.  We believe you will be able to complete this survey in approximately five minutes.  But we'll welcome all input should you decide to take your time and respond with detailed comments.

 

Because it is summer and some folks will be on vacation, we are going to hold the survey open for an extended interval of two weeks.

 

The committee has also just completed and posted a new policy statement on using chapter communication channels. We're hoping this clarification of best practices for using these resources will encourage increased participation by chapter members.  We're referring to the blog and discussion list in the policy.  But we're open to using additional channels as you see fit. 

 

We welcome your suggestions.  Please participate in the survey.  Thank you.

 

Leslie R. Fisher

Communications Committee Chair, San Andreas Chapter SLA

 

Joint Chapters Event, May 21 at SFO

Registration Open: Joint Chapters Event, May 21 at SFO

San Andreas and San Francisco Bay Region SLA Present:
Honoring the SLA Anniversary: Casting Our Thoughts Toward Another Century

Our Panel:  Bill Fisher, Cindy Hill, Richard Geiger, Libby Trudell and Deb Hunt
Time:  5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Location:  San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library & Museum
Cost:  $25 Members, $15 Retired/Unemployed Members, $30 Nonmembers, $15 Students

This program is about trying to envision the future through the eyes of information users, whose direct access to digital information sources is much broader than any of us could have envisioned 15 years ago. And it will only keep expanding. How will we change ourselves and how will we develop a new generation of information professionals to address the opportunities?

How do we, as information professionals, leverage our skills and expertise to bring value-added deliverables to our users so that we are seen as integral to the organization, contributing positively to its bottom line? How do we communicate our value to the stakeholders in our organizations?

How can SLA support its members in moving forward, staying contemporary and yet bridging the sometimes gap between historical and still valuable assets and the drive to embrace and adapt to new technologies and generational shift? How do we stay current as a value proposition to our organizations?

Please join a stellar group of leaders in SLA and in their greater professional lives. Bill Fisher, Cindy Hill, Richard Geiger, Libby Trudell and Deb Hunt will comprise a panel of professionals to help us focus and steer a group-wide exploration of the challenges and opportunities ahead of us as we step from a celebration of the first hundred years of SLA into the dawn of a new century.

SPEAKER BIOS:

* Bill Fisher is a past President of SLA (2002-03). He is an SLA Fellow (awarded 1998) and a recipient of the SLA John Cotton Dana Award (2008). Bill also has served as Chapter Cabinet Chair from 1994-95 and is Chair-Elect of the Leadership & Management Division. Bill served as the President of San Andreas Chapter from 1996-97 and President of the Southern California Chapter from 1986-87. He has served on numerous other committees and task forces and is currently serving on the Centennial Commission.

Bill is currently a professor at the School of Library & Information Science at San Jose State University. He has taught 25 years in the library/information science programs at UCLA and SJSU.

* Cindy Hill is an SLA Fellow (awarded 2001). She is a past President of SLA (2003-04), an SLA Director (1997-2000), SLA Secretary (1998-2000), and Metals & Materials Division Chair (1990-99). Cindy  is a longtime and active member of the San Andreas and San Francisco Chapters. She was President of the San Andreas Chapter from 1984-85. Her very first volunteer role was as a member of the San Francisco Chapter’s program committee (the San Andreas chapter didn’t yet exist). 

Cindy has worked as an information professional in a variety of industries including environmental, engineering consulting, executive recruiting and high-technology. Cindy’s two most recent positions include Vice President of Outsell’s Information Management Service, and prior to that, leading Sun's Digital Libraries & Research team. She has her own consulting firm, Hill Information Consulting Group..

* Richard Geiger is the 2009 recipient of the SLA John Cotton Dana Award, to be officially presented at the SLA Annual Conference in June.  He is an SLA Fellow (awarded 2004). Richard served two terms on the SLA Board of Directors -- as Director (1993-96) and as Treasurer (2000-03).  Richard was Chair of the SLA News Division from 1988-89, and served as San Francisco Bay Region Chapter President from 1991-92. He has served on numerous SLA committees and chaired many of them.

Richard’s long career as a news librarian included stints as Library Manager at the San Jose Mercury-News and Library Director of the San Francisco Chronicle.

* Libby Trudell served on the SLA Board of Directors as Chapter Cabinet Chair (2006-08), as a member of the SLA Nominating Committee (2003-04) and is currently on the SLA Public Relations Advisory Council. She has been Section Chair and Strategic Planning Chair for the Information Technology Division (1997-98). She served as President of the San Andreas Chapter of SLA (2003-04) and is currently the chapter’s Public Relations Chair. Previously, she was active in the Library Information Technology Division of ALA, and was a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Library Automation.

Libby is currently responsible for global marketing, pricing and customer service for Dialog. This role includes oversight for the Quantum2 leadership development program for information professionals and for Dialog’s Graduate Education Program. Prior to joining Dialog, she worked in several consortia serving the library community, handling customer support, training and marketing for electronic information services including OCLC, RLIN, and a variety of library automation products

* Deb Hunt currently serves on the SLA Board of Directors. She has been a member of the Special Libraries Association since 1982 and served as President of the San Francisco Bay Region Chapter from 2004-05. Deb Hunt is the mastermind and chief engineer behind SLA’s “23 Things.” http://wiki.sla.org/display/23Things/Welcome+to+23+Things%21. She is a past president (twice) of BayNet, the San Francisco Bay Area Library and Information Network, and is active in the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP), serving on the Board of Directors from 2001-03.

Deb Hunt is currently the Director of the Exploratorium Learning Commons, which melds the best of the Exploratorium’s library resources with current and future technologies. She is currently co-chairing the Exploratorium’s Information Infrastructure Initiative to design and implement knowledge services museum-wide to achieve performance excellence of internal staff and their interactions with external clients. She is also an independent information professional and Principal of Information Edge, http://www.information-edge.com.

VENUE:

* Our venue will be the wonderful aviation library and museum at SFO. The facility is modeled on the passenger waiting room of the 1937 San Francisco Airport Administration Building. Its mission is to increase public awareness of the important achievements in air transport by preserving, interpreting, and sharing the history of commercial aviation. The San Francisco Airport Commission has expressed its belief that, "in order to prepare for the future, we must preserve the past." Plan to arrive at 5:30 to register and take in the exhibits and library before dinner.

MENU:

* Hors d'oeuvres buffet -- tomato basil bruschetta, cheese and spinach puff pastry, mixed green salad, penne pasta with creamy tomato vodka sauce, lemon chicken, brownies, beverages

TRANSPORTATION:

* Driving:  http://www.sfoarts.org/about/directions.html

* Parking:  SLA will be able to validate your parking receipt, but must purchase the validation stickers in advance. Please indicate on the registration form if you plan to park in the airport ramp, and bring the parking ticket with you to the event to be validated.

* BART:  The SFO station is at the International Terminal. Enter through the glass doors straight ahead of you. Walk past the bank of elevators, then the exhibit cases, all  on your right. Follow signs to the SFO Library which is on the far side of the terminal near Virgin Atlantic’s First Class lounge.

DEADLINE:  Make sure your registration form & check are received by Thursday, May 14th.

Thanks to Dialog, whose generous donation has helped make this event possible. If you aren't familiar with the products and services of Dialog, you might want to take a look now: http://www.dialog.com/

Leslie Fisher
2009 President, San Andreas Chapter SLA
---------------------------------------

To register, download, print and mail this May 21 registration form with your check to:

  SLA Reservations
  c/o AIM Library & Information Staffing (AIM)
  P.O. Box 391210
  Mountain View, CA 94039-1210

Name: ___________________________________________________

Telephone: ________________________________________________

E-Mail: ___________________________________________________

Employer/Affiliation: _________________________________________

SLA Member (@$25) ____   Retired/unemployed Member (@$15) ____

Non Member/Guest (@$30):  ____    Student (@$15): _____

Cuisine for this event will consist of a generous hors d'oeuvres buffet.

Please check here ____ if you will be driving to the venue.

Check (payable to San Andeas Chapter of SLA) enclosed for:  ____________

DEADLINE: Make sure your registration & check are received by Thursday, May 14th.

Cindy Hill to receive prestigious global award

On May 14, 2009, SLA past-president Cindy Hill will receive the John Jacob Astor Award in Library and Information Science in Berlin. Awarded annually by the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation in cooperation with the Continuing Education Initiative for Special Research Libraries and Related Institutions, the award enables Germans or Americans who have made a special contribution to transatlantic knowledge transfer to come to Berlin to participate in a professional meeting on the latest developments in the field. Two other SLA members, Mary Ellen Bates and past-president Guy St. Clair, have received this award in the past.

“I'm honored to be in the company of other library and information professional luminaries in receiving this award, commented Hill. “My leadership activities with SLA have been instrumental in helping me reach to new levels throughout my career.”

Cindy Hill has worked as an information professional in a variety of industries including environmental, engineering consulting, executive recruiting and high-technology. Cindy’s two most recent positions are Vice President of Outsell’s Information Management Service and prior to that, leading Sun's Digital Libraries & Research team. Cindy is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences on the information profession, innovation, technology uses, trends and issues, and leadership and management topics. She has her own consulting firm, Hill Information Consulting Group.

A long time SLA member, Cindy has held many SLA leadership roles including President (2003-04), Secretary and member of the Board of Directors (1997-2000), Chair of the Metals & Materials Division (1990-99) and President of the San Andreas (California) Chapter (1984-85). She was made an SLA Fellow in 2001 and received the 2008 Karen J. Switt Leadership Award from the SLA Leadership & Management Division, recognizing her significant leadership in the information management profession. Cindy holds a Master’s in Library Science and a Bachelor of Arts in English, both from San Jose State University, where she also serves as Adjunct Faculty at the School of Library and Information Science.

Congratulations Cindy!!

Libby Trudell
VP, Market Development
Dialog

SLA WEST COAST CHAPTERS RECEPTION

• Oregon
• Pacific Northwest
• San Andreas
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• Sierra Nevada
• Southern California

SLA West Coast Chapter members and their guests are invited to the annual West Coast Chapters Reception in Washington, DC

Monday, June 15, 2009
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
National Press Club
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20045
http://www.press.org/directions.cfm

Light appetizers and a complimentary beverage will be served.
Cash bar for additional beverages.

SPONSORS (as of April 8)
IEEE       Infotrieve         CyberTools        Dialog         Safari Books Online

The San Diego Chapter is organizing this year’s reception.  Please direct questions to Past President Kathy Quinn.   
[email protected]
619-825-5014

Hope to see you there!
Leslie R. Fisher
2009 President, San Andreas Chapter SLA
650-522-4299

Information Ethics Update

More than 40 Ethics Ambassadors and unit leaders attended the Ethics Summit held at the June 2008 annual conference.  Participants listened to presentations from ethics experts Christopher Bauer and Barbie Kaiser before forming small groups to brainstorm items for an Association values statement around information ethics.  The PR Advisory Council reviewed all of the output for common themes and selected the following top five values statements best reflecting the Association's core mission, values and objectives:

• Making appropriate use of other peoples' work (e.g. intellectual property) whether created within our organization or externally.

• Transactional Integrity: Acting with honesty, fairness, and in good faith in serving and providing value to customers and negotiating with vendors.

• Respecting the privacy and rights of individuals and organizations in use of e-mail and online discussions and provision of information on user actions to management.

• Educating our constituencies on good information-seeking behavior appropriate to the type of decision being made, legal use of the information and using authoritative information sources.

• Diversity, cultural inclusiveness, respect for differences (e.g. making our sentiments known when we feel that material may be used in a manner harmful or hurtful to any given group.)

Based on input from the SLA Board of Directors, it has been decided that it would be best to launch an international event promoting the value of our profession in the fall of 2009. 

SLA is in the process of appointing an Information Ethics Advisory Council, which will continue the initial work the Ethics Ambassadors began in 2008.  The charge of the Council and a list of its six members can be viewed at http://www.sla.org/content/community/committe/ethics.cfm.  

Those of us involved in the ethics initiative are excited about the possibilities for this leadership role in educating SLA members about information ethics and working to bring this issue to light as one of importance to the business and academic communities.

In the meantime, after hearing some of the suggestions at the Ethics Summit, the PR Advisory Council has come up with the following tools and ideas.  They expect that the Information Ethics Council will add to these as well as come up with new and useful resources for members.

• Information Ethics Blog:  http://sla-divisions.typepad.com/ethics/.  This is open to everyone, including members.

• Ethics Discussion List:  This is currently the main source of information and updates with the Ethics Ambassadors.  At some point, I hope that this discussion list is opened to all members to serve as the main means of discussing ethical issues members encounter.

• Bi-Weekly Info Ethics Poll in SLA Connections:  Plans are in the works for a bi-weekly poll question in the new Information Ethics Corner in SLA Connections.  This will be how we will gather statistics such as how many member organizations have an information ethics policy or how many members have been asked to do something they considered unethical in obtaining information. 

• Additional Tools & Ideas:  SLA is looking into creating a short form and/or list of questions Ethics Ambassadors can use to gather member input on details about ethical dilemmas they have faced in the past.

If you have any comments, suggestions or questions about ethical issues in providing or obtaining information for your users, please contact me.

Wynne Dobyns
San Andreas Chapter Ethics Ambassador
[email protected]

2008 Highlights of the SLA San Andreas Chapter

1. Information Ethics.  SLA is undertaking a year-long initiative through its chapters and divisions to look at ethical issues that members encounter in providing information services to their users and to determine whether SLA should develop its own ethics guidelines rather than continuing to rely on the ethics guidelines developed by ALA, SCIP, AIIP and ASIS&T. Wynne Dobyns, the Chapter's Ethics Ambassador, organized a Town Hall meeting on July 28, 2008, at Santa Clara University. To provide background, Geoffrey Bowker, Executive Director, Regis and Dianne McKenna Professor, Center for Science, Technology and Society, Santa Clara University, was invited to speak about ethics in information service. Following his presentation, the 16 attendees formed small groups for general discussion and then all attendees shared stories, anecdotes and questions about ethics in using and providing information services. Wynne Dobyns will summarize the findings and suggestions from this event in a report to SLA headquarters.

2. Events. We sponsored three programs, six Solo Librarians programs, two tours and two neighborhood dinner events.

Chapter Programs

Feb. 20—This brown bag event was a live one-hour Webex presentation, followed by a discussion locally hosted by Lee Pharis at Exponent. Martha Haswell, senior research analyst for Best Practices LLC, reported on benchmarks from her study of 24 corporate libraries. About 15 members attended, half of them staying on for the discussion that followed the presentation.

Mar. 17—A virtual meeting using WebEx on the enhanced features of the SLA website was sponsored by Thomson Scientific, who donated the WebEx time and technology that allowed members to attend the seminar virtually. Presenters were Leslie Fisher and Libby Trudell. About 30 members signed up to "attend" this presentation.

Sept. 17—Janice LaChance, CEO of SLA,  speaking on Defending Libraries in a Time of Budget Uncertainties at the Coyote Point Yacht Club, San Mateo. This was the annual Joint Chapters meeting, and it attracted about 65 attendees.  It was organized by Rochelle Richardson and her committee from the San Francisco Chapter.

Dec. 2—This social evening was held at the MacArthur Park restaurant, an historic building designed by Julia Morgan, in Palo Alto. A light meal and social hour for 30 attendees preceded the annual meeting. Sponsors for the event were AIM, Dialog, IEEE, Information Express, and Morgan & Claypool.

Helen Josephine Appointed to IEEE Library Advisory Council

Helen Josephine, SLA San Andreas Chapter Past President, and Head Librarian Engineering Library, Stanford University, has been appointed to the IEEE Library Advisory Council for a two-year term, 2008-2010.

Formed in 1999, the IEEE Library Advisory Council (LAC) is a group of international corporate, academic, and government librarians who consult with IEEE to develop products and policies. Members discuss important issues and developments related to libraries and IEEE. For instance, at last year’s annual LAC meeting, highlights included a presentation on the expanding role of e-resources in technology development and updated U.S. patent guidelines. The meeting also included a discussion about best practices in resource access and delivery methods. Several upcoming IEEE Xplore® research and development projects were presented and a discussion ensued about the “Millennial Disconnect” and how networking sites, the Internet, cell phones, and changing work ethics have affected, and been affected by, the millennial age group.

Presentations from last years’ LAC meeting can be found on the IEEE web site here: http://www.ieee.org/web/publications/subscriptions/news/1107_01.html.

Bill Fisher Receives Dana Award

Congratulations to Dr. Bill Fisher for receiving the SLA John Cotton Dana Award!  At the SLA Leadership Summit in Louisville, KY, last week, it was announced that Bill is this year's recipient of the prestigious award that recognizes an SLA member for a lifetime of achievement in special librarianship and for demonstrating "beyond" exceptional service to our profession.  The San Andreas Chapter Award Committee submitted Bill's name for consideration of this honor because of his constant, willing, and passionate efforts on behalf of his colleagues and our membership at large.  You can offer your personal congratulations to Bill at [email protected]. 

Lee Pharis
[email protected]

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you a happy holiday season and all the best for 2008!

Claudia Cohen

Bulletin Committee

Opening Keynote Speaker for SLA 2008

Headline from SLA headquarters:

"Google's Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Dr. Vinton G. Cerf, to Deliver Opening Keynote Address at SLA 2008. Charlie Rose to Interview ‘Father of the Internet’ Live on Stage at 2008 Annual Conference and INFO-EXPO in Seattle”

For further information please click here for the full article.