The City of Brotherly Love Welcomes SLA 2011

Lisa Chow | Scholarship Winner | http://bit.ly/lisachow

Lisa is a 2011 SLA Rising Star and blogs at People Interact about usability, user experience, unconferences, interactions, and all things people.

Philadelphia's City Hall, Photo taken by Ayinde Listhrop

SLA 2011 took place in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love.

Here are my conference highlights:

Opening General Session

Thomas Friedman was the speaker for the Opening General Session.
Two takeaways from his talk:

1. Most ideas are not original. If you thought of it, chances are others thought of it too. Whatever can be done will be done. The question is will it be done by you or to you.
2. Being average is officially over. What’s your extra? Find it, develop it and exploit it.

Conference Schedule Conflicts

There are always schedule conflicts at conferences. One of many conflicts involved my responsibilities as DBIO Medical Section Chair and SLA Rising Star. I couldn’t make it to the SLA Rising Stars/SLA Fellows Roundtable where Rising Stars and Fellows were paired up for discussions, since the Medical Section business meeting and program took place at the same time. It all worked out because a SLA Fellow couldn’t make it to the roundtable either because she was one of the speakers for the Medical Section program. For other conflicts such as interest in multiple programs taking place at the same time, I would hop from one program to another, if the program wasn’t what I expected. Otherwise, I try to get a copy of the missed presentation.

SLA 2011 Philly Banner, Photo

 taken by Ayinde Listhrop

DBIO Medical Section Program: It’s All Hallway!

Karen Huffman, Mary Talley Garcia and I presented It’s All Hallway! An Unconference Approach to Professional Development where we gave an overview of unconferences, talked about specific unconferences such as the SLA unconferences and HealthCampNYC and how attendees can organize their own unconference. We did a mini-unconference as a part of the program. You can also find out more about unconferences in a recently published METRO LibGuide.

Toot Your Own Horn

"Create a brag-ologue" - Mary Ellen Bates, Info Pro Guerrilla Marketing session

Mary Ellen Bates gave a talk on Info Pro Guerrilla Marketing.
Five takeaways from her talk:

1. Create a brag-ologue.
2. Strut your stuff.
3. Build a 3D profile.
4. See yourself as a brand.
5. Work with fear.

Speaking of tooting your own horn, I nominated myself for SLA Rising Star. Why am I telling you this? Because if you’ve done great work, don’t wait for someone else to recognize it - go ahead and nominate yourself.

A First Time SLA Conference Attendee Gets Future Ready

Clara Cabrera | Scholarship Winner

Clara Cabrera is a Research and Reference Specialist for the law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr. Clara received her MLIS from Pratt Institute in 2009. An active member of the SLA–New York chapter, she has previously held the Library School Liaison and Joblog Coordinator positions. Clara was awarded the 2011 Rising Star award by SLA.

Collaboration to accelerate the availability of useful information. Adaptable skill set that anticipates and responds to the evolving marketplace. Alignment with the language and values of the community you serve. Community that connects stakeholders in mutually beneficial relationships.

So how does someone starting her second career and new to the library profession get to the best seat in the house of the SLA annual conference? This is how I got there along with some of my thoughts on being “Future Ready.” Prior to 2009, I was working for a small financial publishing company, having spent 2007-2009 working full time and attending graduate school to obtain my Master’s degree. Scheduling and finances being what they were for me, attending a library conference was difficult to swing. I did hear and read about friends and colleagues attending conferences and knew I was missing out on a great experience.

After being an active officer of the SLA student chapter at Pratt, I became actively involved in roles at SLA-NY. I attended local chapter events; I even organized a few events and meet many fellow information professionals along the way. I was nominated for the 2011 Rising Star award – an award that five new information professionals from across all the chapters receive. For the record, the best part of receiving this award is that I was nominated by people that I have worked alongside as a volunteer. None of the activities I have been a part of could have been successful without the parts played by so many others. The award provides entrance to the full SLA conference and an awards ceremony at the opening events of the conference, and the award winners each take part in a panel of fellow Rising Stars and newly inducted SLA Fellows.

The panel discussed the four pillars of Cindy Romaine’s concept of “Future Ready” – described on the Future Ready Blog as:

Collaboration to accelerate the availability of useful information
Adaptable skill set that anticipates and responds to the evolving marketplace
Alignment with the language and values of the community you serve
Community that connects stakeholders in mutually beneficial relationships

Working with Webb Shaw, Director of Editorial Resources of J.J. Keller – sponsor of the Rising Star Award – each of the Rising Stars were paired with a Fellow and we discussed how the elements of being “Future Ready” relate to our experiences in the profession. Leoma Dunn, of the Kentucky SLA chapter, and I paired up to discuss Collaboration.

Since we discussed how these pillars were part of our professional experience as new and veteran professionals, I’ll briefly mention the comments we made in discussing Collaboration. Since I think my biography reads of my collaboration in this field, it was fairly straightforward for me to discuss how collaboration played a part in my professional development. In my graduate years I found collaboration opportunities in both informal classmate study groups and student associations/groups. Collaboration is evident in my current work place

• in intra-departmental communication and reference tracking tools, such as email and SharePoint;
• in departments within the same branch of our corporate organizational structure (Technical Services, Knowledge Management, Content Management);
• with other firm departments, such as Business Development, Legal Talent recruitment, and Information Technology groups;
• with suppliers/vendors; and, of course,
• with the End User.

In the professional arena my collaboration experience has been in professional associations (SLA and others) and within informal meet-ups of professional people who share the same information professional space, but may differ in the job titles or firm in which we work. It also extends to the professional literature which I see as the “published format of collaboration” in which we follow and find out what other professionals are doing in the field (such as blog commenting or letters to the editors for print publications).

My panel partner Leoma discussed her own unique experience as President of the Kentucky Library Association, which includes public, school media, special, and academic librarians, and how the collaboration of these varied libraries help with each library’s own issues. Leoma works in the academic setting and has found that the nature of academic culture, where you have to present and work with others as part of your job, is more open, inclusive and naturally lends itself to collaboration.

Both Leoma and I referenced a great transcript (found on the CEO’s Corner page of SLA.org) of Janice LaChance’s presentation on collaboration at the ICAL conference in Delhi, India, in 2009. I recommend everyone read this speech. LaChance provides specific examples of collaboration at work in several U.S. library environments that really informed our understanding of collaboration at the larger multi-institutional level.

I enjoyed my participation in the panel on being “Future Ready”: meeting some of the other great new professional talent in the field, and the veteran knowledge workers that I had the honor of sharing the table with. Since the panel took place fairly early on in the course of the multi-day conference, I spent the bulk of my first time conference experience popping in and out of various sessions that piqued my interest, and vendor sponsored events that highlighted some upgrades to their products. Overall, I had a wonderful learning experience, and look forward to future conferences.

I could not have had these great experiences without SLA and J.J. Keller, the award sponsor of the 2011 Rising Star award. I owe a great thanks to SLA New York Chapter for nominating me for the Rising Star award and for also awarding me with a chapter scholarship to attend the SLA Conference. Thank you.

Learning About CI at SLA

David Adler | Scholarship Winner | http://www.linkedin.com/in/adlerd

David is a Senior Competitive Intelligence Librarian, Bingham McCutchen

This year with the chapter’s generosity, I was able to attend the SLA Annual Conference in Philadelphia. Listening to Thomas Friedman who was the Opening General Session Speaker was very enjoyable. Mr. Friedman spoke about globalization and the need to think about the way we do our jobs. We are living in an age where individuals can and must act globally. Mr. Friedman noted that in the future the world will be comprised of High Imagination Enabling Countries (HIE) and Low Imagination Enabling Countries (LIE). He challenged the audience to find the innovation within themselves. Mr. Friedman stated that if you do not act upon your idea, then someone else will. He noted that the days of “average” are over and that employees must reinvent themselves and their jobs to survive. Employers want employees with critical thinking and reasoning skills. Focus on these skills will help employees avoid their work being automated, outsourced or downsized. I found these points to be very relevant.

Because I do competitive intelligence (CI) in a law firm, I focused my track on legal and CI related sessions. I was not disappointed. There were discussions revolving around challenges of CI which include understanding the needs of your clients, designing and creating intelligence products and measuring the effect of your deliverables. How CI is perceived within the law firm was also discussed. Companies need to realize that their competition does not always mean their competitor. A competitor can be market change or new legislation or even an individual. When looking at the landscape that one operates in, one must keep these variables in mind to be successful. Your competitor today might not be your competitor tomorrow. I also learned that in order for a group to be effective in CI, one must understand the client and the competitive landscape that the client is in. The concept of Actionable Intelligence was discussed and the role that CI plays in the decision making progress was also mentioned.

Mary Ellen Bates, what can I say? A lot actually. She is always a pleasure to listen to and she did not disappoint. She discussed ways to describe what you do to your clients and various ways to market yourself. She recommended that when describing your work, focus on the WHY not the HOW or WHAT. Ms. Bates stated that each client interaction is a teaching moment and that speaking a client’s language is critical to explaining the services you can offer. To me these are excellent points.

There were hundreds of vendors there and I managed to stop by a majority of them. Most of them were products with which I was already familiar. However, there were a couple of vendors that seemed to focus on due diligence which was interesting.

I was able to network with around 50 people from companies that I previously did not know. I was able to make great connections. Speaking with them was very educational to me.

Overall, it was a great experience and I thank the chapter for giving me the opportunity to go.

You’ve Been Served: Visiting the Legal Division's Executive Board

Alyson Clabaugh | Scholarship Winner

Alyson is an information specialist with the mergers and acquisitions practice group at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.

Train doors rang in the darkness. “Philadelphia — 30th Street Station,” the conductor barked.

“Swell,” I sneered as I rubbed my palms together. I tugged my neck tie into place, adjusted my display handkerchief, clamped my felt hat on my head, and sprang into action: I would soon gumshoe my way into the SLA Legal Division Executive Board Meeting. I halted abruptly at the station’s curb. I whistled for a cab.

“Welcome to Philadelphia,” a lean, shifty-eyed hack driver tinkled.

“The Pennsylvania Convention Center — find her,” I growled. The hack pursed his lips menacingly, but I stared ahead until he threaded his way there. “Keep the engine hot. My get away may be dicey,” I commanded to a puckered forehead.

The door to Room 300 opened to admit me. Hawkish grins turned my way. “Welcome!” said John DiGilio, the SLA Legal Division’s 2011 Executive Board Chair. “I do not believe that we have met.”

Oh — these birds were cracking foxy. They knew my cut; they suspected that I was no board member. I smiled placidly, and I settled into a chair. I grunted: “Clabaugh. Alyson Clabaugh. SLA Legal Division. New York.”

“We are so glad that you could come. Can I get you something to eat? We have vegetarian and regular sandwiches.” Clearly he planned to grill me between bites. I smiled wolfishly. It would take more than tomato and mozzarella to make me squawk.

While the Executive Board Chair served me lunch, Tracy Maleeff, the SLA Legal Division’s 2011 Executive Board Chair Elect, thrust out her hand. I emptied my Diet Coke and countered her grasp. The talk was small, but her hint was big. This was her town: “I work here in Duane Morris LLP’s Philadelphia office. My Twitter account is LibrarySherpa, and I have been tweeting visitor tips all week. Feel free to contact me if you need anything.”

I proposed: “How about another drink?” I poured a terrific dose of Diet Coke and drained it.

The clock ticked towards high noon. It was time to talk turkey. Egad — if only I could figure out how they were communicating with each other — I could crack this case wide open.

“First, we want to share some surprising statistics. We have recently learned that only half of the division members have joined the SLA Legal Division’s listserv,” said DiGilio. “After the conference, we want to make a real push to get all of our members registered.”

A listserv — so that was their game. There was no more fooling around trying to be clever.

“We see the listerv as a real perk of division membership,” said Constance Ard, the SLA Legal Division’s 2011 Executive Board Past Chair. “We also think that it is a great tool for gauging what we can do for our division. Alyson, we would also love to learn what prompted you to join us today. Our board meetings are open, but general members do not often come. Are you getting what you want out of your membership?”

She had dynamited my cover. She offered a square deal, so I spilled. Then it all tied together — everything. If I wanted to be more involved SLA Legal Division outreach and programming initiatives, all I would have to do is…volunteer.

The SLA Legal Division listserv is a members-only benefit. Adding or renewing division membership is as easy as paying a visit to the SLA website.

Focused on Becoming Future Ready in a New Career

Kelly Amabile | Scholarship Winner | http://www.linkedin.com/in/kamabile

Kelly Amabile is the Reference Assistant in the Legal Library at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom. She is also a graduate student in the GSLIS program at Queens College-CUNY and plans to complete her degree in May 2012.

When I originally applied for a stipend from SLA-NY to attend the 2011 National Conference, I intended to use the experience to explore different areas of the library field and network with professionals. At the time, I was working part-time in several library-related positions and taking MLIS classes at Queens College. As I stated in my stipend application, all of my previous library experience has been in special libraries, including internships at The Horticultural Society of New York and The Metropolitan Museum or Art, as well as paid positions doing archival work for the Girl Scouts and corporate research for a financial start-up firm. All signs indicated a career in special libraries was in my future.

Surprisingly, that career began quicker than I expected and through a series of fortunate events, I accepted a full time position before heading to the conference. Being accepted to receive the SLA stipend actually aided in the process of my landing a job. I attended an SLA-NY happy hour event that recognized recipients of conference stipends and, at that reception, I met a recruiter. I sent her my resume and within a week I had two interviews, followed by two job offers. A few weeks later I accepted a position as the library reference assistant at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. My story proves that membership does indeed have advantages!

Given that I studied political science as an undergraduate student, it seemed to make perfect sense that Skadden was where I wound up. And it excited me to attend the SLA Conference even more, of course with a shifted perspective. I was now fortunate to be attending the conference with two of my new colleagues from Skadden's corporate library.

About six weeks after beginning the job, I arrived in Philadelphia as part of a new team, with a revised focus to learn as much as I could about law librarianship. The best way to start things off at a conference is to talk with people – and that is exactly what the SLA Fellows and First-Timers Meeting on Sunday afternoon gave me the opportunity to do. I ran into familiar SLA-NY colleagues and was greeted by SLA Fellows with many years of experience – it was a balanced mix of new and seasoned professionals that sparked inspiration and energized the conference.

Thomas Friedman, the Opening General Session Speaker, was also very inspirational and certainly a highlight for me. He spoke about the importance of imagination in an age where gadgets do so much thinking for us. His talk was an important reminder that our minds are our most valuable assets – and that we must foster creativity and intuition in order to stay ahead of the curve in our professions and be "Future Ready," which was the theme of the conference.

The way I experienced it, the conference was a packed schedule of three main types of events: educational sessions, networking receptions and visiting with vendors. Here are a few words about each:

Educational Sessions

I attended more than ten sessions during the course of the conference that explored topics such as competitive intelligence, emerging markets, public records, corporate archives and strategies for cost-prevention and adding value in a law firm library. It was interesting to be able to hear from librarians that work at small firms as well as large organizations. I scribbled many notes and took away fantastic ideas and tips.

Networking Receptions

When I wasn't listening to others talk about the profession, I was engaged in conversations about trends and tools. The conference provided a wide variety of opportunities to chat with colleagues. I attended all the receptions for the Legal Division (as well as the BNA Breakfast and Business Meeting), but also went outside my industry group to talk with folks who work in other settings, including business/finance, museums/arts and academic. I also attended wonderful receptions at the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. I met information professionals from all over the U.S. as well as international locations. And I learned that…librarians really like to dance!

Visiting Vendors

Over the course of the conference, I walked the entire exhibit hall with my Skadden colleagues, meeting new vendors and getting introduced to those with which my law firm already has relationships. Doing this with my co-workers was an invaluable experience, since they have worked with these vendors for quite some time and were able to educate me about the work we do with these outside partners.

As usually happens with these busy conferences, I was exhausted at the end and a tad overwhelmed, but it was certainly worth it for the valuable exchange of information I received and all the lovely people I met. I thank SLA-NY for offering me the opportunity to attend and I thank the national organization for creating an excellent event that allows librarians from many backgrounds to collaborate and share ideas that prepare us all to be "Future Ready."

SLA Conference: Source of Support and Inspiration

Christina Meninger | Scholarship Winner | christinameninger@gmail.com

Christina is an MSLIS candidate and will graduate in 2012 from Pratt Institute. Are areas of concentration are Archives, Digital Libraries, Moving and Still Images.

My First Conference

This year’s SLA conference was held in Philadelphia. Not only was this the first SLA conference I attended, it was the first conference I ever attended. As a result, my first session was the first-timer’s reception. I recommend this session for first-timers as well as returnees to facilitate a supportive atmosphere. It is an opportunity for to get information about the conference and suggestions about which sessions to attend, and make those first essential contacts, which make connecting with others easier throughout the conference. First-timers should leave feeling a little less overwhelmed as they embark upon the many other sessions during their first SLA conference experience.

During the reception, I met a number of first-timers, including several other graduate students, and exchanged the first of my business cards. Additionally, I met a young, energetic military librarian with quite a bit of entrepreneurial spirit. She was full of inspiration, encouragement, and positivity. She introduced me to the Solo Librarians Division, which consists of librarians who work by themselves and support each other. By interacting with each other through the division, they have an outlet for support, advice, and inspiration. In the end, they feel a little less alone.

Solo Librarians

Before the Success Stories of Solos session, I met a solo librarian who created and launched a website using Drupal in five months. A year later the site contained over 1,500 items. She had never used Drupal prior to the site’s creation. She is an inspiration to others who are unsure whether or not they can complete a project when they have little to no experience about a particular subject, technology, or skill.

During this same session, librarians who work alone in their organizations shared their stories. After hearing about their challenges and successes, they opened up the floor to other librarians and information professionals to discuss their experiences and address any concerns they have while working in their institutions. Everyone shared. In a solo librarian position, one of the attendees said the experience can be very “choose your adventure”; find out what your users need and create the opportunity to fulfill those needs. Additionally, if you need advice or assistance, reach out into your network and ask.

Ambiguity and Curiosity

The session Embracing Ambiguity and Curiosity: What your Career will Really Bring also had a conversational tone. The presentations and discussion focused on the ambiguities and uncertainties involved with being a librarian or information professional today. Librarianship is not black and white; it can be full of unanswered questions and uncertainties. Librarians need to embrace the ambiguity and practice taking risks. Finding a mentor who encourages risk-taking may lead to increased risk-taking and success. After the panel members discussed their experiences and advice, audience members did the same while addressing their concerns. The limitations and frustrations, particularly felt by information professionals in small and underfunded institutions, were diffused by the message that whatever you do to serve your users is more than what existed previously, particularly when creating something from nothing. Creating a detailed vision can help to keep you focused, particularly on days when you are doing routine tasks and feel you are not progressing with your goals. I suggested writing down your goals and posting them somewhere as a reminder when you are feeling overwhelmed or lost.

Feeling Energized

Throughout the conference, I observed a participatory, conversational, and supportive atmosphere in which attendees should be inspired and reenergized when returning to their everyday activities. I heard many people voice their frustrations and challenges, and others provide ideas and ways to overcome those frustrations and challenges.

Do you want to gain up-to-date knowledge about the field of library and information science? Are you feeling overwhelmed with your workload? Are you discouraged by everyday tasks and think that you are not achieving your goals or the goals of the institution with which you work? Do you want to meet information professionals facing these same challenges? Perhaps you just need support and inspiration? If you are faced with any of these concerns, I highly recommend attending the SLA conference next summer.

Networking, When You're Not Working

Seth J. Bookey | sbookey@gmail.com

As an SLA New York chapter member for several years now, I have gone to the annual SLA meetings every year since 2006. Usually, I paid my own way, since I was either working in publishing, or working for a library that didn't appreciate the value of my involvement in a professional organization.

This year, I found myself unemployed since January 2009, and I just couldn't afford to go to New Orleans, pay for my share of a hotel stay, and also pay for the conference registration fee. Fortunately, I applied for our Chapter's scholarship and received one of the three being offered to professionals. Another three went to student members of the chapter.
Having a little exposure or knowledge about a new product or database sometimes comes in handy on a job interview

When you are a student or not working, finding the right mixes of conference sessions is not always easy. My first and last full-time librarian position was for a genealogical society, which was nice, since my first love is family history. Unfortunately, the many times I have gone to SLA, only once did a session involve genealogy databases--it was geared toward news librarianship (my second love). Many sessions are geared toward very specific types of special libraries, and unless you really want to break into chemistry libraries, for example, the challenge for me this year, and every year, has been finding classes that are more general in nature. Also, being the Chapter's Webmaster this year, I also sought out more classes involving technology.

To that end, I heartily enjoyed Nicole Engard's discussion of open-source software, in which she explained what it is, what it is not, and gave a lot of great examples of what's available out there. I also went to a session on Drupal, an open-source content-management system that's getting a lot of use in libraries, which featured an example of how it is used in a federal library.

I also got a lot out of "Your Personal Brand and Social Media" as well as a business reference session, which was helpful since I took my business reference course at Queens College in 1995.

One thing I did this year that was a departure from previous conferences I attended. I spent quality time visiting vendors at the INFO-EXPO Hall. Of course, I have always visited the show floor, but this year, I devoted more time to talking with the vendors, asking more questions, and watching more demos. Of course, I wanted to win an iPad like everyone else, but past experience has shown that having a little exposure or knowledge about a new product or database sometimes comes in handy on a job interview, as it did for me two days after returning from New Orleans and getting an interview (but not the job).

As always, networking is a big part of the annual SLA conference experience. Every year, my partner Eric Schwarz (past president of the SLA New Jersey Chapter) and I have gone to both the business meetings and the no-host dinners for the GLBT Issue Caucus. This year, an archivist recording the events of New Orleans' drag king acts gave us a look at how information gets disseminated informally in underserved groups. And dinner was at New Orleans' second-oldest restaurant.

I also had a chance to run into and talk with other SLA members who are working on their chapters' Websites. This year, it turns out that our Chapter is not the only one looking to change its Website, so I had a chance to discuss informally what other divisions and chapters are examining in terms of platform and software changes.

Networking is not just relegated to seeing the people you see only once a year. I also got to spend more quality time with some of the New York Chapter members I see regularly. Like many New Yorkers, our Chapter's more involved members are often too busy to see each other outside of meetings and events. Meeting in the Big Easy facilitated a lot more unstructured, unscheduled chances to catch up and get to know each other better, which is certainly part of the glue that helps things work better while we're running around busy back in the Big Apple.

SLA Conference 2010: A Blueprint for Success!

Crystal M. Cutler | cutlerc1@gmail.com

Crystal Cutler works in a corporate library and is completing her MS LIS degree. She can be reached at cutlerc1@gmail.com.

More than a call to a series of do-able actions, it was a blueprint for personal and professional success in these changing times.The Opening Keynotes set the tone; Mary Matalin on aggregate tools, order versus random organization and accountabilities even for 3rd graders. Followed by husband James Carville, "Today, the availability of information is unlike anything we've ever known. What then, happens to knowledge?" SLA Conference 2010 was an important discussion about value, service and the future of things. But for a graduate student/first-time attendee/mid-career changer like me, it was pure gold; focusing me for the career ahead. More than a call to a series of do-able actions, it was a blueprint for personal and professional success in these changing times.

New Orleans was the perfect backdrop, with its tenacity and timeless beauty. Carville surmised it this way, as a boy in New Orleans, they'd each get a bag of clams then go on a mission to see how many different ways they could cook them. Variety, creativity; these were the N’Orleans way. Another presenter asserted, "There are an infinite number of things you can do with your degree. Throw away your resume. Think skills not roles. Don't talk to HR. Go out and find the manager or leader that's going to hire you." Each enthralling session encouraged attendees to focus on their service. Whether employed or not, envision yourselves as Consultants with employers and patrons as clients of our services. Think of their needs. Help others. Find others to help you. Promote yourself and your team.

Ask yourselves, why do you do what you do? What value do you have? Then demonstrate it.Continue to develop professionally. Improve knowledge. Stay current and on the leading edge of trends. Then go forth and market, brand, blog! Show up confident, competent and credible. Manage. Collaborate. Expand beyond your comfort zone. Be thought leaders. Innovate. Leverage social networks, media, technologies, even research to be positioned as players at the table when problems are defined. Ask yourselves, why do you do what you do? What value do you have? Then demonstrate it. Show that you can help solve problems. Know where your organization is going to be in three years and help them get there. Identify a gap and fill it. Then, mentor! It feeds back into this industry.

We have so many resources at our fingertips we really shouldn’t save them all for our client’s use. Utilize them to build backroom conversations, talking points and relationships. Make relationship deposits before attempting any withdrawals. As our own best resource we should all talk to friends and peers, then read-watch-do. Utilize Universal Principles of Reciprocation to return favors over and over again. And of Scarcity; the less something is available, the more it is wanted. We must increase our value. Be leaders, influencers, advocates for libraries, librarians/information professionals and the profession. Measure, evaluate and assess your achievements, time spent, costs and results. Change isn't all bad. Often, it comes bearing opportunities and career agility. This conference was just what I needed to complete my study and transformation. I returned home and like Nicholas Carr suggested in his closing address, continued to deeply absorb. Think I’ll start planning for 2011.

Four Days of Wall-to-Wall Knowledge Sharing

Robert Drzewicki | rdrzewicki@gmail.com

Robert Drzewicki is currently a graduate student in the MLS program at St. Johns University.

"Branding happens whether you want it or not," so best address it head on and actively take control and manage how you want to be seen by others.The SLA annual convention is officially over—WOW!—however, four days of wall-to-wall knowledge sharing sessions, outside networking events, vendor demos and the hospitality of New Orleans (along with the intense heat!) have made it difficult to get back to my regular daily schedule—what a great and memorable experience!

To provide some background, I am currently working on an MLS degree and trying to determine which career path I should focus on come graduation. Prior to the convention, I took advantage of the convention online planner and scheduled a few knowledge management, competitive intelligence, taxonomy and digital library sessions. These are of most interest to me as they are school courses I have recently completed or school courses I will be taking in the upcoming months. Besides scheduled sessions, I planned to attend some Business and Finance Division events along with Information Technology Division open houses. Fortunately, there were plenty of sessions, events and open houses offered to choose from!

All of the sessions I attended were excellent. Some of the sessions I found most memorable were as follows:

Social media is a hot topic and was well represented. I was able to catch 2 notable sessions: "Your Personal Brand and Social Media" and "Social Media for Business Intelligence." "Your Personal Brand and Social Media" was presented by Kim Dority and Scott Brown. They shared numerous tips for managing your online professional presence. Kim provided a few catch phrases which registered with me and drove home some main points. Concerning how to approach personal branding, she relayed, "market yourself as an undervalued asset about to go public." You are the authority on you, so present yourself in the best and most professional light possible. "You cannot talk your way out of something you worked your way into," in other words, lead by example. When sharing content, it is important to build your brand with your everyday actions. Finally, "branding happens whether you want it or not," so best address it head on and actively take control and manage how you want to be seen by others. Scott than followed up on some of the concepts and shared a number of examples with the audience.

"Social Media for Business Intelligence" was given by Ken Sickles from the Pharma Division. It was one of the most popular sessions I had attended. The room could not hold all the participants and the crowd spilled into the hallways. It involved using Twitter, Linked-In, Facebook and other popular social media sites to legally obtain competitive intelligence. Forty-five percent of small and private businesses use Facebook or Twitter—which is more than have a website! You can see company information on Facebook and Twitter ethically without exposing yourself. What are companies, suppliers, customers, partners and employees saying? The answer, as Ken relayed, "it can be as simple as putting out a tweet" instead of undertaking a massive Google search for information pertaining to company, people and products.

Knowledge Management was also well represented. Patrick Lambe hosted two intriguing sessions: "The Future of Knowledge Managers" and "Knowledge Management and Taxonomy." In "The Future of Knowledge Managers," Patrick kicked off the session by stating that Knowledge Management was "a fad that just will not go away." But the question is "WHY?" Simply, because—quality corporate knowledge will always be needed! He spoke about current problems and misconceptions that permeate the profession giving rise to detractors such as different mental models and lack of agreement on terms, needs and expectations. He also shared some insights on new roles and competencies that are relevant.

"Knowledge Management and Taxonomy" covered how taxonomy should be integrated into a successful Knowledge Management strategy. Emphasis was placed on taxonomy roles and responsibilities not taxonomy structures. He illustrated using a case study and the CYNEFIN sense making framework developed by David Snowden where you can identify four quadrants and progression of knowledge taxonomies progressing from chaotic (information overload, putting out fires), to known (developing docs and templates), to knowable (best practices and tacit), to complex (discovering patterns and trends, building wisdom).

Speaking of taxonomy, Heather Hedden presented “Taxonomy Made Easy,” based on her book The Accidental Taxonomist. I first met Heather at an SLA convention first timers networking event. The session provided an introduction to taxonomy, covering terminology and application. It was a thorough primer on the topic.

I also attended a few Business and Finance events with the Business and Finance Award Ceremony and Reception being the most memorable. This was a valuable opportunity to learn about and meet award winners and leaders in my division in a casual environment.

Finally, the convention closing presentation given by Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains, painted a cautious picture of the future of the internet and its effects on the human ability to read deeply, absorb knowledge and how it will ultimately transform our lives in the future. Certainly food for thought....

Thanks again SLA-NY for providing this wonderful opportunity!

Rebuild, Restore, Renew

Moy H. McIntosh | Moy_McIntosh@yahoo.com

Moy McIntosh is the Librarian at Fitch Ratings in New York. She is on the SLA New York Nominating and Program Committees. She attended Pratt’s MLIS program where she was a former President of SLA@Pratt. She has an undergraduate degree in Art History and Anthropology. She worked in the museum field prior to changing her focus to business librarianship.
Like the city we have to rebuild with training
For me this trip to New Orleans was very special. Not only was this my first SLA Conference,  an opportunity to meet and be inspired by our best, but this city has held a mythical image in my mind since childhood. In 1969, my mother traveled from Sweden to visit a small town in Kansas to see her kindergarten classmate from Germany. My father lived next door and they met over coffee. Two weeks  later for their fourth date, he flew to New Orleans. They met at the famous Two Sisters Restaurant for dinner and he proposed with a simple gold band "in case she said yes." As if New Orleans didn’t have enough of a romantic mysterious image. To a child this glorious city could entrance my level-headed mother to marry a man she’d only met three times. What treasures could it teach me?

Recently I realized that our conference in New Orleans was near the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. While I was there the sentiment of fight and resilience was quite evident with the city and its citizens. With the recent oil spill, variations of the Katrina theme of "Rebuild, Restore, Renew" could be spotted everywhere, from tourist shop t-shirts and shot glasses, to elegant prints in art gallery windows. As I took a photo of one of these window displays it occurred to me that with my career I should always try to rebuild, retrain, and renew.

The similarities between NOLA and SLA kept hitting me in the head like beignets I couldn’t resist that I ate again and again. While on the Degas tour, our guide mentioned the city was spared the burning and destruction that befell Charleston during the Civil War due to the new importance of railroads in the country. The city’s port and businesses failed, yet with time the Crescent City rebounded. We, like New Orleans, have retained a great history and an image to which we are connected, but like the city we have to rebuild with training. Just as the city has shown through the press that the tourists are back, the number of small businesses are at a record high, and the gumbo is still grand. We have to prove with our own press that we are as vital and needed as before.

I can’t express how honored I felt to be a part of SLA-NY during the awards presentation. To see Guy St. Claire and John Ganly be honored and the many New York members speaking their praises was very inspiring. We are a very strong group with many having the drive to lead great careers and the desire to give back to their community. The evening filled me with enthusiasm and made me wonder of all I could learn from these fantastic careers. The next day with this new exhilaration still coursing through my mind, I attended the Rising Star and SLA Fellows Roundtable. I was eager to hear the panel’s thoughts. It was a well planned event with each award-winning Fellow paired with a Rising Star winner from the previous night and given a subject to discuss. To have each topic viewed through the enthusiastic eyes of the Rising Star and then counterbalanced by the insight of the Fellow was a fascinating approach and well worth repeating next year. I thought how could we bring this to SLA-NY and then realized that I have already seen this at work, from wonderful mentors and fellow members that have always been very willing to give advice, to the constant push to get recent members involved on boards and committees.

I would like to thank SLA for giving me the opportunity to attend my first SLA Conference in New Orleans. Without the scholarship I would not have been able to afford the venture. New Orleans was amazing and I can’t wait to go back. She taught me a lot about strength, courage, and originality. The conference and the city will forever be a source of inspiration on how I want my career to be, how I will achieve it, and the courage it will take to always rebuild, restore, and renew.

Notes on New Orleans

Kerry Prendergast | kprendergast@wcs.org

Kerry Prendergast is the Director of Wildlife Conservation Society Library, Bronx, New York

This was a good opportunity for me to learn about what they offer and how their products might be beneficial to our scientists.Attending the SLA conference in New Orleans this year felt very much like the first time I went to one back in the 1980s. Even though I have attended several conferences in between, this one had a different feel for me because of my new position as Library Director at the Wildlife Conservation Society (you might know us as the Bronx Zoo). I was attending as a new librarian because I had not worked in science library before, nor had I ever worked for a non-profit.

I figured I had a lot to learn and attending the conference would be a good place to start. SLA-NY’s generosity made that possible.

My game plan was simple: attend as many science-related sessions as possible, talk to our most important vendors, and network with as many science librarians as possible. I diverged from the plan on a couple of occasions to attend sessions that might not be specifically applicable to my new field or because I ran into old friends and got distracted (that happens a lot at these conferences).

Here are a few of the sessions I attended: Scientific Publishing & the Mobile Revolution, Future of Science Librarianship, Data Curation: Reinventing Science Librarianship, Drupal Use in Libraries, and Nuts & Bolts of Contract Management
 Some of the vendor events included: Publish Accurately & Collaborate Easily with EndNote & Researcher ID (Thomson), Gale Cengage Overview, and OCLC Update

Because the Archives at WCS are such an important part of what we do at the WCS Library, I also attended the Archives & Preservation Caucus. It was a good opportunity to meet a few people doing what we are doing. Although it was not heavily attended, I think SLA should consider beefing up this important special library function. More and more students in library schools seem to be interested in archives management as a career and I keep seeing articles about the growth of the profession. One could say that the Society of American Archivists (SAA) already covers archives management but more special librarians are faced with this important task as well.

I also attended the Taxonomy Roundtable and Taxonomy 101. This is another facet of the profession that is becoming more important to my everyday work. I am currently working with our Photo Services department on a digital asset management system they are instituting. I have been guiding them through what taxonomy is and how it is used to ensure maximum access to the digital material. The roundtable was very interesting but perhaps a bit too sophisticated for our needs here at WCS.

In the Exhibit Hall, I had a chance to meet several of our vendors face to face. Because I have not worked with some of these companies before, Elsevier, Springer, etc., this was a good opportunity for me to learn about what they offer and how their products might be beneficial to our scientists. I also spent some time looking at digitizing equipment. Because we have so many older documents and other material that are delicate or brittle, digitizing will be a major component to handling our archives.

It was not all work at the conference. I had a lot of fun meeting lots of other librarians in the science field at the Biomedical and Life Sciences Division 75th anniversary party. EBSCO had a nice cruise on the Mississippi River and the Baseball Caucus had Ron Swoboda of the 1969 World Series Champion New York Mets as its speaker (I am a Yankees fan, but still…). I also got the chance to catch up with old friends and former colleagues.

New Orleans itself was hot and steamy. But it is a great town with lots to do and fabulous restaurants. Do not wait for the next SLA conference there to go.

Mingling with Professionals in the Crescent City

Shirley Zhao | shirl0207@yahoo.com

Shirley is currently enrolled in a dual degree program for an MS in Mathematics at New York University and for an MSLIS at Long Island University's Palmer School, while planning to work part-time in three positions: student assistant in the Manhattan Palmer School office, student assistant in Courant Library, and teaching assistant in NYU's Math Department.

It was eye-opening to learn about different technologies used in libraries and about issues that affect our profession.I quickly discovered that the SLA Annual Conference was both a very exciting and a very tiring experience. There were so many talks to attend, so many vendors to visit, so many people to meet, and so very little time to accomplish everything! At times I wished there were several copies of me so I could attend more events.

Upon arrival, I was warmly welcomed by the Physics-Astronomy-Mathematics (PAM) Division and invited to their Newcomer's Luncheon on Sunday where I met my conference buddy, Ruth Kneale, and other first-timers. I was amazed by the stories that each person told about their lives and work. This was where I met Pavlinka Kovatcheva who quickly became another conference buddy. She flew in from South Africa on a PAM scholarship to attend the conference and does amazing work at her library. Along the way, I bumped into some familiar faces and also made some new acquaintanceships. This was the first time I have ever talked to so many people about pursuing dual master's degrees and my future plans.

I attended several talks and PAM-sponsored roundtables. It was eye-opening to learn about different technologies used in libraries and about issues that affect our profession. One interesting talk I attended was titled “Drupal Use in Libraries.” I have since done much research on Drupal and can't wait to try building a website with it. The best part of this conference was that it wasn't purely professional. It had a networking and social side to it, too. The Academic Division held an open house and dance party on Sunday and the Divisions of Information Technology, Leadership and Management, and PAM together held a fantastic dance party on Tuesday.

The INFO-EXPO was the most awe-inspiring event of the conference. I walked into the hall and was astounded by the number of booths set up and the number of professionals gathered in one place. It took me all three days to fully explore the scene. Every vendor wanted to talk to me and introduce me to their product. Participating in the passport game was a great way to motivate people like myself to approach some booths. At the end of the day, I accumulated so many free giveaways that I could barely carry everything!

After making some new friends, I had a chance to explore the city of New Orleans with company. New Orleans is a beautiful and historic city. The people are friendly and the food is great, especially the gumbo and jambalaya at Mother's Restaurant and charboiled oysters at Drago's Seafood Restaurant. I even rode a streetcar along Canal Street for the first time.

All my experiences would not have been possible without the aid of the SLA-NY scholarship. Thank you to everyone on the scholarship committee. I would also like to thank those who gave me invaluable advice and guidance prior to the trip: Pauline Rothstein, Alice Flynn, Carol Hutchins, Marlene Wong, Janet Spongberg, Margaret Smith, James Callahan, and Pau Atela.