DC/SLADC/SLA 2011 Student Scholarship

The Washington, D.C. Chapter of SLA announces its 2011 scholarship program.  The Catherine A. Jones Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by IOP Publishing, will be awarded by the chapter in late August 2011 for studies leading to a Master’s Degree from an ALA accredited graduate Library Science program.

DC/SLA encourages talented men and women to join us with a career in special librarianship by assisting students who are preparing for a Master’s Degree in Library Science.  In support of this goal, a $2,000 cash scholarship is being awarded this year.
Selection criteria include:

• An essay describing the applicant’s interest in special librarianship and professional goals, including anticipated contribution to the profession (two-– three pages, 1,000–2,000 words)
• Letter of academic or professional recommendation
• Membership in the Washington, D.C. Chapter of SLA (If you aren’t a DC/SLA member yet, SLA student dues are only $40 per year.  Join today at http://www.sla.org/content/membership/joinsla/index.cfm.  Remember to choose the Washington, D.C. Chapter on your SLA membership form.)
• Enrolled or accepted in an ALA-accredited Library Science program

The scholarship application form and additional details are available on the DC/SLA website at http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/yp/dcsla_2011_Application_v2.doc
Application deadline:  August 12, 2011.

Drift away with DC/SLA with these events in July/August:

Drift away with DC/SLA with these events in July/August:

* 2011 SLA Annual Conference Wrap-upWed, July 13, 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Where: The Catholic University of America
If you didn't get to attend the SLA Annual Conference (or just had a schedule conflict and couldn't be in two places at once), come hear impressions and takeaways from chapter members. Co-sponsored by DCSLA and The Catholic University of America Special Libraries Association (CUA SLA) Location: The Catholic University of America School of Library and Information Science Information Commons Marist Hall Room, 132 Time: 6:00pm -9:00pm Networking with pizza 6:00pm - 6:30pm Program begins at 6:30. Cost: $15 for non-members; $10 for members; $5 for students/retirees/unemployed

* New Professionals Happy Hour
Wed, July 20, 6pm-8pm
Where: Vinoteca 1940 11th Street NW
http://www.vinotecadc.com/

* DCSLA Fiction Book Club
Wed, July 20, 6pm – 7pm
Where: Barnes & Noble bookstore at the corner of E Street, NW and 12th Street, NW - just down 12th Street from the Metro Center station.
Please RSVP: Barbara Folensbee-Moore at bfolensbee-moore@morganlewis.com

* Association Roundtable Brownbag Lunch
Wed, July 27, 12:00pm – 1:30pm
Where: Location to be announced
Information discussion of the Association Information Services Caucus. Group meets monthly. Topic TBD

* NonFiction Book Club Meeting
Thur, July 28, 6:30pm
Where: Zorba's Cafe 1612 20th St NW Washington, DC 20009
Discussing Steven Johnson's Where Good Ideas Come From

* Happy Hour with the SLA President-Elect Candidates
Tue, August 9, 6pm – 8pm
Where: NPR, 635 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC (map)
Nearest Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown or Mount Vernon Square
Here's your chance to meet SLA President-Elect candidates Deb Hunt and David Capolli. Deb and David will visit the DC chapter and you'll get a chance to hear their ideas on the profession, the association and whatever else comes up. Don't miss this fun, informal opportunity. Registration will begin at 6 , then starting at 6:30 we'll have an opportunity to listen to Deb and Dave. Come prepared with your questions! Beer, wine, soft drinks and food will be served. Register and pay at http://dc.sla.org/events/?regevent_action=register&event_id=22

* The Civil War for Librarians who Slept Through Jr High History
Date: Thur, Aug 11, 2011 6-8:30p.m.
Where: George Washington University, Himmelfarb Medical Library, Room B103 (lower level)
Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Himmelfarb+Libraray,+George+Washington+University++&hl=en
METRO:  Foggy Bottom, Blue and Orange Line
Mr. Lee Hadden, Army Geospatial Librarian at Ft Belvoir, VA will be presenting this program.  Lee is an active Civil War reenactor.  He is the author of several books and articles, especially "RELIVING THE CIVIL WAR, A Reenactors Handbook."   There will be limited copies of the Reenactors Handbooks for sale @ $20.00 cash, per book; the author will sign!

More information on the Reenactors Handbook

Register by Aug 10, 2011.   Space is limited to 30 attendees.

Cost: $10 Members, $5 Students/Retirees, $15 Non-Members
Registration

Contact Sharon Lenius with questions.  leniussa@gmail.com
Presented by the Military Libraries Group of DC/SLA
Sponsored by Proquest/Dialog. Thank you!

* DCSLA Fiction Book Club
Wed, August 17, 6pm – 7pm
Where: Barnes & Noble bookstore at the corner of E Street, NW and 12th Street, NW - just down 12th Street from the Metro Center station.
Please RSVP: Barbara Folensbee-Moore at bfolensbee-moore@morganlewis.com

The Civil War for Librarians Who Slept thru Jr. High History

Mr. Lee Hadden, Army Geospatial Librarian at Ft Belvoir, VA will be presenting this program.  Lee is an active Civil War reenactor.  He is the author of several books and articles, especially "RELIVING THE CIVIL WAR, A Reenactors Handbook."   There will be limited copies of the Reenactors Handbooks for sale @ $20.00 cash, per book; the author will sign!

More information on the Reenactors Handbook

Date: Tuesday, Aug 11, 2011

Location: George Washington University, Himmelfarb Medical Library, Room B103 (lower level)
Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Himmelfarb+Libraray,+George+Washington+University++&hl=en
METRO:  Foggy Bottom, Blue and Orange Line

Time: Registration and Refreshments - 6 p.m.; Program 6:45 - 8:30 p.m.
Register by Aug 10, 2011.   Space is limited to 30 attendees.

Cost: $10 Members, $5 Students/Retirees, $15 Non-Members
Registration

Contact Sharon Lenius with questions.  leniussa@gmail.com

Presented by the Military Libraries Group of DC/SLA 

Sponsored by Proquest/Dialog. Thank you!

SLA 2011 Conference Recap

If you didn't get to attend the SLA Annual Conference (or just had a schedule conflict and couldn't be in two places at once), come hear impressions and takeaways from chapter members. Co-sponsored by DC/SLA and The Catholic University of America Special Libraries Association (CUA SLA)

Location: The Catholic University of America School of Library and Information Science Information Commons Marist Hall Room, 132 

Time: 6:00pm -9:00pm Networking with pizza 6:00pm - 6:30pm Program begins at 6:30. 

Cost: $15 for non-members; $10 for members; $5 for students/retirees/unemployed 

Register and pay.

Future Ready 365 Needs You!

You may have already seen this years online initiative to help info pros share their experiences so we can all be more Future Ready, the FutureReady365 Blog http://futureready365.sla.org/    The FutureReady365 Blog is a community focused on sharing knowledge, ideas and insights on how we are prepared for the future. The intention of the blog is to have a different information professional post every day in 2011.

       Future Ready has been described by SLA President Cindy Romaine as an attitude---an attitude of being more adaptable, flexible, and confident in displaying the key skills that employers need. It's a "strategic shift" toward adding value to the information product to surprise and delight our constituents. DC/SLA  is filled with so many members working at the forefront of the profession and I'd love to see posts from DC/SLA members on the blog.

     Please send a post of 250-500 words or a few images to futureready365@sla.org.   Meryl Cole and her team will take care of the rest!

Summaries of SLA 2011 Conference Sessions

Missed the SLA 2011 Conference? No worries, Marie Kaddell, Senior Information Professional Consultant with LexisNexis, has you covered! She's posted summaries for several conference sessions that you might find interesting on her blog Government Info Pro.

We link to the summaries below but just to give your an idea of what you're in store for she has info on what Philly is like, how SLA used QR codes at the conference, Stephen Abrams ideas on innovation in the profession, how to effectively integrate Social Media into your organization's tool kit, how to create a following among your clients/patrons, the state of government info pros and what might change in the future, communicating ROI, and how use the goldmine of info in public records.

Hello Philly

QR Codes at the SLA Conference

Stephen Abram Looks to the Future: Getting Out in Front of the Curve

Using Social Media in the Workplace

Creating Groupies Info-Pro Guerrilla Marketing

Government Information Professionals Now and Into the Future

ROI and Beyond

Mining Public Records

"2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries: e-Initiatives and e-Efforts: Expanding Our Horizons" is now available

By Marie Kaddell


The 2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries:  e-Initiatives and e-Efforts:  Expanding Our Horizons is now available:  2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries in PDF. Best Practices for Government Libraries for 2011 and prior years are all available from the right sidebar of the Government Info Pro at http://www.governmentinfopro.com.
Best Practices is a collaborative document that is put out annually on a specific topic of interest to government libraries and includes content submitted by government librarians and community leaders with an interest in government libraries. The 2011 edition includes over 70 articles and other submissions provided by more than 60 contributors including librarians in government agencies, courts, and the military, as well as from professional association leaders, LexisNexis Consultants, and more. As the editor of Best Practices for Government Libraries, I want to thank the contributors for sharing their knowledge, experience, and thoughtful perspectives in this year's Best Practices. If you did not write for this year's Best Practices, I invite you to submit a guest post for the Government Info Pro.
The 2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries:  e-Initiatives and e-Efforts:  Expanding Our Horizons is broken into six sections:

• EMBRACING NEW AVENUES OF COMMUNICATION
• ADAPTING TO NEW AND EVOLVNG TECHNOLOGIES
• ALTERING OUR PLACES AND SPACES
• TACKLING CHANGING EXPECTATIONS, RESOURCES, AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS
• PRESERVING WHAT WE HAVE AND PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
• EXPANDING HORIZONS

Here is a sampling of the articles in each section:
EMBRACING NEW AVENUES OF COMMUNICATION

• Blogging at the Largest Law Library in the World
  Christine Sellers, Legal Reference Specialist, and Andrew Weber, Legislative Information Systems Manager, Law Library of Congress
• "Friended" by the Government? A Look at How Social Networking Tools Are Giving Americans Greater Access to Their Government
  Kate Follen, MLS, President, Monroe Information Services
• Podcasts Get Information Junkies their Fix
  Chris Vestal, Supervisory Patent Researcher with ASRC Management Services, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and DC/SLA‘s 2011 Communication Secretary
• Getting the Most from Social Media from the Least Investment of Time and Energy
  Tammy Garrison, MLIS, Digitization Librarian at the Combined Arms Research Library at Fort Leavenworth, KS
• Thinking Outside the Email Box: A New E-Newsletter for the Justice Libraries
  Kate Lanahan, Law Librarian, and Jennifer L. McMahan, Supervisory Librarian, U.S. Department of Justice
• Bill’s Bulletin: Librarians and Court Staff Working Together to Develop an E-Resource
  Barbara Fritschel, U. S. Courts Library, Milwaukee, WI
• Proletariat’s Speech: Foreign Language Learning with a Common Touch
  Janice P. Fridie, Law Librarian, U.S. Department of Justice
• Social Media Comes Together with Storify
  Chris Zammarelli, Contract Cataloger on behalf of ATSG, LLC for the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs, Office of Information Resources

ADAPTING TO NEW AND EVOLVNG TECHNOLOGIES

• EBooks in Special Libraries: Final Report of the Federal Reserve System Libraries Work Group on EBooks
  Luke Mueller, Technical Librarian, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
• Kindle Lending Programs in Libraries
  Montrese Hamilton, Librarian, Society for Human Resource Management
• Intranet Case Study: Government Agency
  Lorette S.J. Weldon, MLS, BSIFSM, BA
• Putting the E in Library
  David E. McBee, Federal Government Librarian, ww.librarybuzz.blogspot.com
• Web E-Accessibility to Reach Full E-Audience: "Expanding Our Horizon" to Better Honor Diversity
  Ken Wheaton, Web Services Librarian, Alaska State Court System Law Library

ALTERING OUR PLACES AND SPACES

• Embedded Librarianship and E-Initiatives: The Dynamic Duo
  Rachel Kingcade, Chief Reference & CSC Direct Support Librarian, USMC Research
• Utilizing Electronic Databases During a Library Relocation
  George Franchois, Director, U.S. Dept. of the Interior Library
• E-Reference at the Library of Congress
  Amber Paranick and Megan Halsband, Reference Librarians, Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room, Serial & Government Publications Division, Library of Congress
• Best Practices: Telework
  Robert Farina, MSLIS, Entrepreneur, Minor Potentate of Logogrammatic Research & Analysis, Data Wrangler, etc.
• Best Practices for Virtual Reference
  Susan Ujka Larson, MLIS
• To Build a Virtual Embedded Information Role, Start at the Top
  Mary Talley, Owner, TalleyPartners, 2011 DC/SLA President

TACKLING CHANGING EXPECTATIONS, RESOURCES, AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS

• Accidental Advisors: There’s GOT to Be a Better Way!
  Compiled by Nancy Faget and Jennifer McMahan (Eugenia Beh, Blane Dessy, Aimee Babcock-Ellis, Marianne Giltrud, Jessica Hernandez, Rich Louis, Virginia Sanchez)
• I Need a Library Job: Finding and Filling a Need on the Fly
  Naomi House, Reference Librarian, Census Library
• Rebranding the Library
  Julie Jones, Hartford Branch Librarian, U.S. Courts, Second Circuit Library
• NIH Handheld User Group: Library-IT Collaboration
  James King, Information Architect, NIH Library
• Cats and Dogs – Living Together: Leveraging IT Resources for Library Use>
  Sarah Mauldin, Head Librarian, Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP, Atlanta, GA
• Broadband Plan and the Provision of Public Libraries
  Christian Jiménez Tomás, Information Specialist, The World Bank Law Resource
• E-Gov Sites to Go Dark?
  Kim Schultz, Outreach Specialist at the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information, operated by Chugach Federal Solutions, Inc.
• E-Gov on the Web: A Brief Summary of Electronic Access Through On-Line Resources
  Jennifer Klang, Head of Reference Services, Department of the Interior Library
• Public Records Resources Online: How to Find Everything There Is to Know About "Mr./Ms. X"
  Jennifer L. McMahan, Supervisory Librarian, U.S. Department of Justice
• The Challenge of E-Legislative History for the "51st State"
  Lisa Kosow, Law Librarian, U.S. Attorney‘s Office for the District of Columbia
• E-Gov Resources on Native Americans and Tribal Issues
  Kathy Kelly, MSLS, C.A.
• LexisNexis 2010 International Workplace Productivity Survey: Executive Summary of Results for Legal Professionals

PRESERVING WHAT WE HAVE AND PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

• Federal Libraries on the E-Horizon
  Blane K. Dessy, Executive Director, FLICC/FEDLINK, Library of Congress
• Research Metrics: Measuring the Impact of Research
  James King, Information Architect, NIH Library
• When I Walk Across My Library I Think…
  Edwin B. Burgess, Director, Combined Arms Research Library
• E-Initiative Liberia: Creating a Legislative Library in the Rubble of War
  Mary Nell Bryant, M.A., M.L.S., U.S. Foreign Service Information Officer, retired
• JustSearch at the Department of Justice
  Lila Faulkner, Diane L. Smith, and Jane Sanchez, Library Staff, U.S. Department of Justice Library Staff
• Real Libraries, Virtual Fundraising
  Biblio Latte, Volunteer Reference Librarian, Community Virtual Library
• Accessible Libraries: Ensuring All May Read
  Jane Caulton, Head, Publications and Media Section, NLS, Library of Congress
• A Model Lessons Learned System – The US Army
  Nancy M. Dixon, Principal Researcher, Common Knowledge Associates

EXPANDING HORIZONS

• Ten Scary Issues: Future Directions for Military Libraries
  Edwin B. Burgess, Director, Combined Arms Research Library
• Future Ready 365
  Cindy Romaine, SLA President 2011
• Expanding Horizons with E-Learning: VA Librarians Develop Online Tutorial for EBN Training
  Priscilla L. Stephenson, MSLS, MSEd, Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA; and Teresa R. Coady, MLS, VA Central Iowa Healthcare System, Des Moines, IA
• Library Connect Newsletter: Information Industry Explorations by and for Librarians
  Colleen DeLory, Editor, Library Connect Publications, Elsevier
• Building a Framework to Embrace the New and Expand Your Horizons
  Bruce Rosenstein, Author, Living in More Than One World: How Peter Drucker‘s Wisdom Can Inspire and Transform Your Life
• All About E
  Peggy Garvin, Founder & Principal, GarvinInformationConsulting.com

Want more Best Practices? View the 2010 Best Practices:  The New Face of Value in PDF version. 

Good Reading!

Join DC/SLA for these Events in June/July

Join DC/SLA with these events and beat the heat!


Mid-Atlantic Chapters Reception at the SLA Annual Conference

Mon, June 13, 7:30pm-10pm

Where: Marriott Hotel, Salon C

Sponsored by Leadership Directories and Thomson Reuters.  The Washington, DC Chapter has partnered with the Maryland, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Princeton-Trenton, and Virginia Chapters to throw a party you don’t want to miss!!

DCSLA Fiction Book Club

Wed, June 15, 6pm – 7pm

Where: Barnes & Noble bookstore at the corner of E Street, NW and 12th Street, NW - just down 12th Street from the Metro Center station

The topic for June is books that are done as a series of letters.   Please RSVP: Barbara Folensbee-Moore at bfolensbee-moore@morganlewis.com

It’s 6 pm in Mumbai, what time is it in NY? The role of information services in global/IT consulting companies

Thu, June 16, 6:00pm – 8:30pm

Where: Latham & Watkins, 555 Eleventh Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC

BP Prakash, General Manager of the Library & Information Center at Tata Consultants will talk about managing a global information center from an international perspective. Mr. Prakash is also the President of SLA’s Asia Chapter, the fastest growing chapter in the Association and is sure to have a compelling vision of the future of the profession! Refreshments and networking from 6 pm to 6:30 pm; program begins at 6:30. Register and pay. $10 Students/Retired/Unemployed Members $15 SLA Members $20 Non-members Contact dcslaprograms@gmail.com with questions

New Professionals Happy Hour

Tues, June 21, 6pm-8pm

Where: RFD 810 7th Street Northwest

www.lovethebeer.com/rfd.html

Association Roundtable Brownbag Lunch
Wed, June 29, 12:00pm – 1:30pm

Where: Location to be announced

Information discussion of the Association Information Services Caucus. Group meets monthly. Topic TBD

2011 SLA Annual Conference Wrap-up
Wed, July 13, 6:00pm – 8:30pm

Where: The Catholic University of America

If you didn't get to attend the SLA Annual Conference (or just had a schedule conflict and couldn't be in two places at once), come hear impressions and takeaways from chapter members. Co-sponsored by DCSLA and The Catholic University of America Special Libraries Association (CUA SLA) Location: The Catholic University of America School of Library and Information Science Information Commons Marist Hall Room, 132 Time: 6:00pm -9:00pm Networking with pizza 6:00pm - 6:30pm Program begins at 6:30. Cost: $15 for non-members; $10 for members; $5 for students/retirees/unemployed

New Professionals Happy Hour

Wed, July 20, 6pm-8pm

Where: Vinoteca 1940 11th Street NW

http://www.vinotecadc.com/

DCSLA Fiction Book Club

Wed, July 20, 6pm – 7pm

Where: Barnes & Noble bookstore at the corner of E Street, NW and 12th Street, NW - just down 12th Street from the Metro Center station.

Please RSVP: Barbara Folensbee-Moore at bfolensbee-moore@morganlewis.com

Association Roundtable Brownbag Lunch
Wed, July 27, 12:00pm – 1:30pm

Where: Location to be announced

Information discussion of the Association Information Services Caucus. Group meets monthly. Topic TBD

NonFiction Book Club Meeting

Thur, July 28, 6:30pm

Where: Zorba's Cafe 1612 20th St NW Washington, DC 20009

Discussing Steven Johnson's Where Good Ideas Come From

More Advice on QR Codes

By Jill Hurst-Wahl

Older cell phones do not have autofocus cameras, so they can have a hard time reading small QR codes.  If possible, create a “larger” QR code, like 1.5 inches square (or bigger if on a poster, for example).  That should work with older phones.

Print the QR code using a laser printer, so that the image is crisper.

Try to limit glare on the code, since that will inhibit readability. So putting it behind plastic, for example, may limit the codes usefulness if there is glare.

Have a good color contrast on the code, e.g., black on white, again to enhance readability.

Create your code using software provided by the QR code reader you are going to use (or that you are going to recommend others use).  So, for example, use Scanlife software to create the code, and recommend Scanlife for reading the code.  Again, this helps readability.  This piece advice works if you’re in a situation where you can indeed recommend to people the ‘preferred QR code reader to use.

Try your QR code with several different readers, so you’ll see how it works.  Vcards (in a QR code) don’t always work well with different readers.  Also try out the code in different settings.  So if you going to put the code on your badge, test it on a badge to see how it is going to work.  (You might also consider how people will read the code and where the best place is to put it.)

If you plan on using your phone to read QR codes, download several different readers, since they all do not work the same (and sometimes you’ll need to try a different reader).

If you are using the QR code as a replacement for a URL (or some other information), have that information handy in a different form for those that do not have a QR code reader.

A Diverse Universe: Exploring the World of Intelligence Analysts

By Dr.  Edna Reid

What do intelligence analysts (IA) do? How can I participate in a red cell exercise* about the use of social media in the Middle East uprisings? What are the current issues in intelligence analysis in the U.S. and overseas? How can I identify recent books about these issues and meet the authors? Are these authors available to speak at my institution? What certificate programs are available in intelligence analysis and where can I meet their representatives? If any of these questions spark your interest then register to attend a D.C. conference (June 2011) on intelligence analysis or check out intelligence.gov!

Yes, the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) is having its seventh annual conference in Washington, D.C., June 6-9, 2011. The mission of IAFIE is to advance research, knowledge, and professional development in intelligence education (http://www.iafie.org). Members of IAFIE are involved in various intelligence disciplines such as intelligence analysis, national security, and competitive intelligence. Members are active in developing and diffusing intelligence studies and programs that emphasize the need for intelligence professionals (e.g., intelligence analysts, collection specialists, cyber threat specialists, staff operation specialists).

CNNMoney.com, in 2009, identified intelligence analyst (IA) as among the ten best jobs in America. Intelligence analysts are involved in identifying, evaluating, and analyzing information for decision makers in the intelligence community (IC). It is a challenging yet almost invisible career field that has some overlapping specialization and expertise requirements like those in library and information science, e.g., the emphasis on identification, evaluation, and analysis of information.

However many information professionals overlook intelligence analysis as an alternate career path! Reid’s article on Information Professionals as Intelligence Analysts describes the analytical skills required of intelligence analysts as somewhat similar to those of open source (publicly available information such as news) researchers and/or political analysts. Additionally, the article posits that intelligence analysts come from diverse formal education backgrounds such as degrees in social sciences, engineering, psychology, economics, library science, history, business, computer science, or political science.

In order for information specialists to become intelligence analysts, they will need to hone their analytical skills and enhance their knowledge about IC agencies (e.g., DHS, CIA, NSA). Those who intend to explore this alternate path or just seek additional insights can check out the IAFIE conference or intelligence.gov because they will open their eyes to other ways of framing (packaging) library/information science competencies.

An important aspect of framing competencies for intelligence analyst positions is being able to translate your industry’s jargon into that which is used in the IC so that you can be effective in communicating your interests. Toward this end, Reid’s article provides a useful comparison of terminologies used in library/information science with those used by the U.S. intelligence community. For example, unclassified information is Open Source INTelligence (OSINT), cataloging is metadata tagging, and spying is Human INTelligence (HUMINT).

So consider exploring the world of intelligence analysts or just pass this information to a friend or family member who may want to consider a nontraditional career path that has many opportunities and challenges that can lead to a global adventure!

*Red cell exercise is an analytical technique for pretending that the analyst is the bad guy.

Dr. Edna Reid is an Intelligence Analyst with the DOJ.

References

Careers in the Intelligence Community (We Have Thousands of Positions in All Types of Fields), Accessed May 19, 2011. http://www.intelligence.gov/careers-in-intelligence

CNNMoney.com Best Jobs in America 2009. Accessed May 19, 2011. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2009/snapshots/9.html

Intelligence.gov, Accessed May 19, 2011. http://www.intelligence.gov/about-the-intelligence-community

Reid, E. Information Professionals as Intelligence Analysts: Making the Transition. Best Practices …, 2009. Accessed May 19, 2011. http://www.governmentinfopro.com/federal_info_pro/2010/01/information-professionals-as-intelligence-analysts-making-the-transition.html

Join Us at the Mid-Atlantic Chapters Reception During the SLA 2011 Conference

By James King

The SLA Annual Conference is coming up quickly and I hope to meet many of you there!

I’d like to personally invite you to the return of the Mid-Atlantic Chapters Reception on Monday, June 13^th from 7:30-10:00 pm in the Marriott Hotel, Salon C – sponsored by Leadership Directories and Thomson Reuters.  The Washington, DC Chapter has partnered with the Maryland, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Princeton-Trenton, and Virginia Chapters to throw a party you don’t want to miss!! 

To ensure an accurate head count, tickets are on sale through your conference registration for $5 each or can be purchased on-site at the registration booth.  At the reception, we will essentially refund your ticket in the form of a drink ticket. 

Please plan on joining us for this event!!

A Diverse Universe: Managing a Library and Business Information Center

By Lois Ireland

My official title is Library & Business Information Services Manager.  The library part people get – it’s more or less typical corporate library services – research, ILL, acquisitions.  The business information services part causes some confusion.  Frequently people call me saying “I was referred to you about this, but that can’t be right – you’re the librarian!”

Like many librarians across SLA, my library staff builds websites.  We are the intranet gateway for colleagues within our division, which includes buildings & grounds, security, food & fitness and conference center operations.  We work with our co-workers within those areas – who know their stuff but don’t always consider the many ways other employees might be looking for them – to help them better serve their clientele by creating logical, easily navigated webpages with well-written, relevant content. 

Copyright questions are pretty standard for librarians to handle, but we also have responsibility for music and video licensing.  This covers including clips in presentations as well as playing background music as meetings get started.  Employees contact us to make sure the company stays in compliance with any restrictions.

A few years after I started at the company, I was asked to take over the corporate switchboard.  The logic was the library provides information to employees and the switchboard provides information to external callers.  Eventually, I got to design an automated phone attendant, one of those technologies we all love to hate.  Be assured, there is a true art to this design process.  I had to think about user behavior, taxonomy and synonyms while creating the menus and options that direct callers to the proper number.  Any calls that stump the system are routed to live operators during business hours.  In turn, if they’re stumped, they route the call to the library; we draw on our knowledge of the company to help callers get connected.

My videography/streaming team creates video files of meetings and programs, at the request of the business areas.  I worked with them to create a records management process which formalizes the retention and destruction of these video corporate records.  Video files are tagged with metadata to help them quickly identify and retrieve files.

My latest acquisition was the audio-visual team – the ones who set up the microphones, test the sound levels, bring in the projectors, start up the presentations and dial up the video conference.    I’m learning a lot about this set of technology!   Oh, and did I mention I handle the web conferencing service contract?

It can get hectic at times, when my day jumps from fielding a research request to checking on the status of A-V equipment to answering questions about web conferencing functionality.  But by taking on this seeming hodgepodge of roles, I’ve cemented my reputation with management for being curious, flexible and adaptive.

Lois Ireland is DC/SLA’s 2011 President-Elect.

More QR Code Information

By Jill Hurst-Wahl

I’ve been playing around with generating a new QR code for the conference, which has lead me to try too many QR code generators.  This one, which was in someone’s top ten list of QR code generators, worked very well:

http://www.moongate.ro/en/products/qr_code-vcard/

Every QR code I created was scanned differently in the QR code readers I have on my iPhone (Qrafter, i-nigma, 2D Sense, ScanLife and QR app).  The vcard should load correctly into “Contacts”, but some didn’t see all of the fields or wouldn’t create the contact record.  However Qrafter read the vcard correctly. 

The bottom line… (1) if you are creating a QR code with your contact info in it (vcard or mecard), please test it on several QR code readers, so you’ll know how others might see it.  (2) Have a couple QR code readers handy, because each may read a vcard or mecard differently.

SLA Announces "Need to Know Forum" at Annual Conference

The Need To Know Forum will be an opportunity for information professionals to
network with and educate managers from various organizations. The forum will consist
of a series of lunch sessions organized by topic of interest—e.g. biomedical and life
sciences or legal, plus the opportunity to attend up to two sessions on aspects of being
Future Ready,. The primary goal of the forum is to arm with what they “need to know”—
knowledge of the value that information professionals can bring to their organization. We
all know the value that an info pro brings; let’s make sure the public does too.
GOALS:
1. Connect managers with information professionals at SLA 2011
2. Provide direct exposure of information professionals’ value to a targeted audience
of decision-makers
3. Educate decision-makers by introducing them to the day-to-day work of many of
our members and potential members
4. Generate buzz for the profession itself
5. Take steps toward making the information profession mean more to external
audiences (public-facing)
INTENDED AUDIENCES:
1. Managers, researchers, and HR leaders from all Philly area organizations
2. Professionals who might not have seen themselves as “info pros”
3. Anyone (everyone) who would benefit from having a skilled librarian, research or
strategic knowledge manager on their staff

SUPPORT FROM LOCAL CHAPTERS:
1. Alert SLA Communications and Marketing Manager John Walsh to any publicity
opportunities in the Philadelphia area
a. local newspapers, business/entrepreneur publications specific to the area,
any local websites concerning business trends
2. Encourage unit members to ask their supervisor if they’re interested in attending,
and relay any other useful area contacts to jwalsh@sla.org.
3. Generate as much word-of-mouth publicity in the area as possible!—amongst
businesses, employers, and info pros alike (regardless of membership status)

A Diverse Universe: Working for the State Department’s Office of Information Resources

By Chris Zammarelli

After I landed my first library job working as a cataloging librarian assistant at College of the Holy Cross, I dreamed of having the chance to build a library from the ground up. I figured it was more of a fantasy than a goal, but recently I had a chance to do just that.

Last October, I began work on behalf of ATSG as a contract cataloger at the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs' (IIP) Office of Information Resources (IR). One of the main tasks of IR is to administer the Information Resources Centers (IRC) located in over 185 U.S. embassies. This includes hiring, training, and supporting Information Resource Officers (IROs). Think of them as foreign service librarians. They oversee the operation of IRCs and other American information spaces located around the world.

My main job as a contract cataloger is to catalog materials for IR’s virtual library. This virtual library is available to patrons of our information centers worldwide, and provides them with access to such resources as English as a second language materials, information on studying in the U.S., and resources on business and entrepreneurship.

As part of my work, I have created a collection development plan, worked with our vendors on designing and implementing our ILS and OPAC systems, developed a cataloging style manual, and, well, just cataloged materials like crazy. I hadn’t envisioned that the library I would get to build would be completely online, but it’s certainly nice not to have to make any decisions on carpeting and carrels.

Chris Zammarelli is a contract cataloger on behalf of ATSG at the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs' Office of Information Resources. He is also a 2011 candidate for the SLA Board of Directors.

Call for Submission for 2011 Best Practices for Government Librarie

By Marie Kaddell

I am now accepting submissions for the 2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries. This year, the topic for the document is E-Initiatives and E-Efforts: Expanding Our Horizon. You do not have to be a government librarian to write. If you have an article that you think would be of interest to the government librarian community (federal, state, local, courts, or military libraries) or would be pertinent to those interested in government information, I'd like to hear from you.

Best Practices for Government Libraries is an annual collaborative document that showcases government librarians who are innovating and creating success in the workplace and beyond. It also provides an opportunity for other thought leaders with an interest in government libraries and government information to share their knowledge. The 2010 Best Practices for Government Libraries includes 70 articles and other submissions provided by more than 60 contributors from libraries in government agencies, courts, and the military, as well as from professional association leaders, LexisNexis consultants, and more. Articles from Best Practices are posted on the Government Info Pro blog @ http://www.governmentinfopro.com.

Here are a few examples of recent posts of 2010 Best Practices articles on the Government Info Pro:

* More Nancy Drew than Marian the Librarian by Jennifer L. McMahan, Supervisory Librarian, U.S. Department of Justice -
http://www.governmentinfopro.com/federal_info_pro/2011/02/more-nancy-drew-than-marian-the-librarian.html

* Parsing Digital Value in an Academic Library by Edwin B. Burgess, Director, Combines Arms Research Library, Fort Leavenworth, and Deborah E. B. Keller, Reference Librarian, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -
http://www.governmentinfopro.com/federal_info_pro/2011/03/parsing-digital-value-in-an-academic-library.html

* Pilot Study as a Best Practice: Exploring the Value of the NIH Library Editing Service by Cindy Clark, Brigit Sullivan, Mary Ryan, and Verma Walker, National Institutes of Health Library, Office of Research Services, Bethesda, MD -
http://www.governmentinfopro.com/federal_info_pro/2011/03/pilot-study-as-a-best-practice-exploring-the-value-of-the-nih-library-editing-service.html

* Showcasing the Value of the Library Through Social Media by Christine Sellers, Legal Reference Librarian, and Andrew Weber, Senior Legal Information Analyst, Law Library of Congress -
http://www.governmentinfopro.com/federal_info_pro/2011/03/showcasing-the-value-of-the-library-through-social-media.html

* Strategic Planning and the Value of Libraries by Ellen Ensel, Director of Knowledge Management and Library Services, U. S. Institute of Peace -
http://www.governmentinfopro.com/federal_info_pro/2010/11/strategic-planning-and-the-value-of-libraries.html

View the PDF version of the 2010 Best Practices for Government Libraries: The New Face of Value - http://www.lexisnexis.com/tsg/gov/Best_Practices_2010.pdf.

Your submission for the 2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries can relate to e-libraries, e-collections, e-services, e-pubs, e-programs, e-gov, or e-anything else that you think would be pertinent. Virtual or hybrid efforts are a great way to come at the theme as well. You can also write on the topic from a theoretical point of view or discuss trends. Your submission could be electronic or hard copy, cutting-edge or time-tested but with a new twist, in place or conceptual, in the workplace or in the community.

The scope of submissions is only limited by your imagination. In past years, we have received: program descriptions and promotional materials, planning documents, websites and blog entries, video, displays, original articles, tips and techniques, testimonials, awards, and personal observations on the topic.

I particularly want to encourage you to consider the submission of a short, original article on the topic of E-Initiatives and E-Efforts from any angle: library, organization, profession, or personal.

For the 2011 edition of Best Practices, please submit your electronic documents to marie.kaddell@lexisnexis.com or mail hard copy contributions to Marie Kaddell, LexisNexis, Suite 600, 1150 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. Best Practices will be published later this spring. The deadline for submission is May 13, 2011. If you have any questions about the 2011 Best Practices collaborative document, please do not hesitate to contact me at marie.kaddell@lexisnexis.com.

This is your opportunity to step into the spotlight! Take advantage of it and share your successes, your ideas, and your wisdom. I am looking forward to seeing a broad spectrum of content again this year and I hope you will make it a point to participate.
Share! Write! Get Published!

Marie Kaddell is the LexisNexis Senior Information Professional Consultant for government librarians

A Diverse Universe – Working in the BNA Library

By Marilyn Bromley

In February, Larry Lempert, one of my BNA colleagues, wrote a Diverse Universe blog post on how he became Director of Product Research and Planning after years in the editorial side of the company, during which he earned an MLS from the University of Maryland.  Giselle Caruso, another MLSer here at BNA, participated with Larry in last year’s DC/SLA “Cinco de Mayo” session on alternative careers for MLS graduates; Giselle is a senior project manager in our business systems group.  BNA also has MLS grads serving as indexers, senior-level trainers and legal market sales professionals.  

So BNA’s a pretty diverse place for LIS professionals, right?  Yup, and even in the Library.   With a professional staff of 6 librarians, there is a lot of non-traditional work going on.

To begin with, the Library is responsible for the company intranet, thanks to our late colleague Rhonda Oziel, who got interested in HTML in the mid-1990s, developed some webpages, and before IT knew what was happening, created the BNA intranet.  Laura Gordon-Murnane is our current intranet webmaster.  Catherine Kitchell, reference librarian and treasurer of the News Division, manages the process of updating and publishing the annual BNA Court Directory, a BNA Books bestseller.  Four of us, including librarians Lan Choi and Clare Bailey, handle over 500 permission requests a year, with an industry-leading turnaround time of 24 hours.  Our competitive intelligence service is delivered to over 100 top BNA executives and movers and shakers every day.  I work closely with our general counsel on copyright matters, an important issue for every publisher.  Cataloger Matthew Newton applies for ISSNs for all our products, and assigns ISBNs to our monographs.  He also prepares “official” MARC records of our publications for our law school customers.  As in-house consultants in the product development process, the Library staff is involved in creating high quality value-added products for BNA customers and especially for you, our colleagues.  We take great pride in seeing that everything BNA produces not only delivers the best information, insights and analysis, but makes your job easier.  And that’s a win-win proposition for everyone!

Marilyn Bromley is Library Director at BNA and a 2011 candidate for the SLA Board of Directors

Get Your QR Codes On - at the SLA Conference

By Mary Talley and Marilyn Bromley

The first time I heard about QR codes was during a casual conversation with a colleague in mid-March. The second time was just a few days ago in a post to the SLA Leadership list from Marilyn Bromley, BNA (and a DC/SLA member). Now I'm seeing QR codes everywhere. Today, when I stopped at my favorite kabob shop for lunch, the little ceramic store next door had a big QR code in their window. Read on to find out more about these funny-looking squares of squiggles  - and how you might use them at the SLA Conference. Marilyn's suggestions are so good, we're thinking of incorporating them into the Mid-Atlantic Reception, our New Members event and more: 

Dear SLAers,

I've created a QR (quick response) code for myself, listing

my name, library, company, email and Twitter account, and

plan to print it out on a label and attach it to my SLA

conference badge.

Wouldn't it be great if all of us did that, so cool !  Then

we could run around with our smartphones and "zero in" on

each other, capturing our contact info in an easy fun

way....

I hope you will be in Philly and be part of the SLA QR buzz!

here are some free QR code generators - I used the first one

http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

http://www.qurify.com/en/

http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-generator/

here's how WVA University is using them in the library

http://www.thedaonline.com/news/libraries-create-qr-codes-for-available-computers-mobile-site-1.2110021 

Thanks to Marilyn Bromley for giving us permission to reprint her post.

Join DC/SLA for these Events in April

April's jam packed with social, networking, volunteer, and professional development events!

* Dine Around
Date:  April 1
Host:  Patrick Clapp
Restaurant:  Flying Fish
Restaurant Address:  815 King Street #A
Alexandria, VA
Restaurant telephone number:  (703) 600-3474
Restaurant website:  www.flyingfishdc.com
Closest Metro station:  King Street (Blue & Yellow Lines)
Arrival time:  7 PM
RSVP:  patrick.clapp@qiagen.com
Sponsored by the Solo Librarians Division of SLA.

* Building Sister Libraries
Date: April 2 10am-1pm
Location: Southeast Neighborhood Library, 403 7th St. SE, Washington, DC -near the Eastern Market station on the Orange Line.
DCLA, DC Public Library and the DC/SLA International Relations Committee welcomes registration for "Building Mindful Bridges for Kids and Armchair Travelers through Sister Libraries" on April 2, 2011, 10 am -1 pm. The workshop will cover the basics for setting up a Sister Library partnership with an overseas library. To register, please visit the DCLA website. Deadline for registration is March 31, 2011. For questions about the workshop agenda, please contact Barbara Conaty at bcon9876@aol.com or 703-863-2273.

* Dine Around
Date:  April 4
Host:  Sharon Lenius
Restaurant:  Joe Theismann's
Restaurant Address:  1800 Diagonal Road
Alexandria, VA
Restaurant telephone number:  (703) 739-0777
Restaurant website:  www.joetheismanns.com
Closest Metro station:  King Street (Blue & Yellow Lines)
Arrival time:  6 PM
RSVP:  leniussa@gmail.com

* Dine Around
Date:  April 5
Host:  Jessica Bland
Restaurant:  Faryab
Restaurant Address:  4917 Cordell Avenue
Bethesda, MD
Restaurant telephone number:  (301) 951-3484
Restaurant review:  www.washingtonian.com/restaurantreviews/2569.html
Closest Metro station:  Bethesda (Red Line)
Arrival time:  6:30 PM
RSVP:  msjbland@yahoo.com

* Treasures of the USGS Library
Date: April 6, 7-8pm
Location: USGS, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA
Join DC/SLA’s own Richard Huffine for a free lecture on the treasures of the USGS Library, held at the USGS facility in Reston, VA. Since its creation in 1882, the USGS Library has grown to become the world's largest library dedicated to earth and natural sciences, holding more than 1.5 million volumes and 800,000 maps. Richard Huffine, Director of the USGS Libraries Program, will highlight some of the rarest, most valuable, and significant materials held by the USGS. These include early maps of America, documents that establish the provenance of the Hope Diamond, and documentation of our exploration of the American West by Hayden, King, Powell and Wheeler. The Library’s initiative to digitize their collection for online access will make these cultural and historic records available worldwide to anyone at anytime.

* DC/SLA Board Meeting
Date: April 7, 6-8pm
Location: Dow Jones, 1025 Connecticut Ave, NW, 11th Floor, Suite 1100, Washington, D.C. 20036.

* Moving into Management and Team Leadership Roles Part 1-ClickU
Date: April 12, 1-2:30pm
Location: DowJones- 1025 Connecticut Ave, NW  11th Floor, Suite 1100 - Washington, D.C. 20036- (Metro: Farragut North or Farragut West; between L & K Street on Connecticut)
Guests must present a photo ID to the guard in the lobby.
In this session, participants will learn about making the move to a new position, including clarifying expectations and establishing early goals, even if your new boss doesn't think this is necessary. It's also important to understand yourself and the importance of knowing your tendencies to better understand those working with you. We'll also cover why politics and relationship building are critical, and how to approach these responsibilities with confidence and competence.
FREE for SLA members attending at the Onsite location (Dow Jones) sponsored by DC-SLA Chapter.
$25 FEE  for NON-SLA members attending at Onsite location (Dow Jones) sponsored by DC-SLA Chapter
Please RSVP Gregory Bailey at baileyinfospec@gmail.com and Register at: http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/committees_files/clicku.html (Limited to 30 people)

* Dine Around
Date:  April 12
Host:  Anne Caputo
Restaurant:  La Tomate
Restaurant Address: 1701 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
Restaurant telephone number:  (202) 667-5505
Restaurant website:  http://latomatebistro.com
Closest Metro station::  Dupont Circle (Red Line)
Arrival time:  6 PM
RSVP:  anne.caputo@dowjones.com, (202) 862-6632

* Dine Around
Date:  April 13
Host:  Jennifer Boettcher
Restaurant:  Hard Times Cafe
Restaurant Address:  3028 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA
Restaurant telephone number:  (703) 528-2233
Restaurant website:  www.hardtimes.com/location/detail.aspx?Locationld=3
Closest Metro station:  Clarendon (Orange Line)
Arrival time:  6:30 PM
RSVP:  boettcher@georgetown.edu
Reserve by April 6
Sponsored by the Business Information Finders Committee of DC/SLA.

* Celebrate International Special Librarians’ Day
Date: April 14 6-8pm
Location: Georgetown University Law Library, 111 G Street, NW, Washington, DC - nearest Metro is Judiciary Square or Union Station
Celebrate International Special Librarian's Day with the DC/SLA International Relations Committee. Our panel of distinguished speakers will discuss various aspects of international librarianship. The evening begins at 6 pm with networking and refreshments. Speakers: Alan Overland, Edna Reid, Dr. Sohair Wastawy, Dean of Libraries at Illinois State and former Chief Librarian of the Library of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt. Date & time: Thursday, April 14, 6 pm - 8:00 pm Location: Georgetown University Law Library, 111 G Street, NW (nearest Metro is Judiciary Square or Union Station)

$10 Students/Retired/Unemployed Members
$15 Members
$20 Non-members
Register and pay at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ISLD2011

* Dine Around
Date:  April 19
Host:  Lois Ireland
Restaurant:  Chevy's Fresh Mex
Restaurant Address:  1201 South Hayes Street
Arlington, VA
Restaurant telephone number:  (703) 413-8700
Closest Metro station:  Pentagon City (Blue & Yellow Lines)
Arrival time:  6 PM
RSVP:  lois_ireland@freddiemac.com

* Lubuto Library Project’s Zambian Language Literacy Project Brown Bag Lunch
Date: April 20, 12-1pm
Location: Bread for the World Institute, 425 3rd St. SW, Suite 1200, Washington DC 20024
The Lubuto Library Project was one of 12 groups chosen from several hundred applicants worldwide to be awarded a grant from EIFL’s Public Library Innovation Project, for which EIFL received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to encourage innovation with information technology in public libraries. Lubuto's project addresses the critical need that the educational system cannot meet for a means to teach all Zambian children to read in their original language. This same problem is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in countries with dozens, even hundreds, of different languages. Lubuto libraries reach out-of-school children and can help them toward reading by read-aloud and storytelling programs, but tools for reading teaching in Zambian languages are not available. Youth who had been using the One Laptop Per Child XO laptops in Lubuto libraries and experienced Zambian reading teachers have been trained in the OLPC application Etoys and now work each week to create early reading programs in seven Zambian languages. The project creators use six XO 1.5 laptops, which were granted to Lubuto Libraries by the OLPC Foundation. The open source reading programs can run on other platforms and in addition to being made available to Lubuto Library users on XO laptops will be posted on the LubutoCollections.org website to inspire the creation of similar programs in other African countries and languages. Mike Lee of Sugar Labs, Washington DC, USA and One Laptop Per Child organization, Boston, MA, USA and Jane Kinney Meyers, President of the Lubuto Project will present the project, demonstrate some of its output and discuss its impact during a brown bag lunch.

* Dine Around
Date:  April 21
Host:  Susan Fifer Canby
Restaurant:  Jackie's
Restaurant Address:  8081 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD
Restaurant telephone number:  (301) 565-9700
Restaurant website:  www.jackiesrestaurant.com
Closest Metro station:  Silver Spring (Red Line)
Arrival time:  6 PM
RSVP:  susanfifercanby@gmail.com
Reserve by April 16.
Sponsored by the Encore Caucus of SLA.

* Moving in Management and Team Leadership Roles Part 2-ClickU
Date: April 26, 1-2:30pm
Location: DowJones- 1025 Connecticut Ave, NW  11th Floor, Suite 1100 - Washington, D.C. 20036- (Metro: Farragut North or Farragut West; between L & K Street on Connecticut)
Guests must present a photo ID to the guard in the lobby.
This session will focus on specific competencies that will help participants make the successful transition to new responsibilities, including balancing priorities and avoiding burnout, even as projects, urgencies and priorities shift; delegating and coaching employees to help them build on their strengths; and communicating at the right time and in the right way.
FREE for SLA members attending at the Onsite location (Dow Jones) sponsored by DC-SLA Chapter.
$25 FEE  for NON-SLA members attending at Onsite location (Dow Jones) sponsored by DC-SLA Chapter
Please RSVP Gregory Bailey at baileyinfospec@gmail.com and Register at: http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/committees_files/clicku.html (Limited to 30 people)

* DC/SLA Professional Book Club

Date: April 26 6:30 - 8:30pm

Location: Teaism, 400 8th St. NW - Closest Metro Archives Stop

Hamlet's BlackBerry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age by William Powers.

About the book: 

Our discombobulated Internet Age could learn important new tricks from some very old thinkers, according to this incisive critique of online life and its discontents. Journalist Powers bemoans the reigning dogma of digital maximalism that requires us to divide our attention between ever more e-mails, text messages, cellphone calls, video streams, and blinking banners, resulting, he argues, in lowered productivity and a distracted life devoid of meaning and depth. In a nifty and refreshing turn, he looks to ideas of the past for remedies to this hyper-modern predicament: to Plato, who analyzed the transition from the ancient technology of talking to the cutting-edge gadgetry of written scrolls; to Shakespeare, who gave Hamlet the latest in Elizabethan information apps, an erasable notebook; to Thoreau, who carved out solitary spaces amid the press of telegraphs and railroads. The author sometimes lapses into mysticism—In solitude we meet not just ourselves but all other selves—and his solutions, like the weekend-long Internet Sabbaths he and his wife decreed for their family, are small-bore. But Powers deftly blends an appreciation of the advantages of information technology and a shrewd assessment of its pitfalls into a compelling call to disconnect. 

Find it at Amazon - Find it at DCPL

Please RSVP to gsauvey@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

* Association Roundtable Brown Bag Lunch
Date: April 27, 12-1:30pm
Location: TBD
Information discussion of the Association Information Services Caucus. Group meets monthly. Topic TBD

* DC/SLA Fiction Book Club
Date: April 27, 6-7pm
Location: Please RSVP: Barbara Folensbee-Moore at bfolensbee-moore@morganlewis.com
The topic for April will be books that take place in one day - this is within a 24 hour period or on the same actual day.  There are several web sites with very nice lists of books to recommend - see below.
http://www.onlinedegreeprograms.com/blog/2011/11-excellent-novels-that-take-place-all-in-one-day/
http://www.readinasinglesitting.com/2010/11/22/list-books-that-take-place-over-a-single-day/
* Dine Around
Date:  April 27
Host:  Lisa Haakon Pogue
Restaurant:  Bistrot Lafayette
Restaurant Address:  1118 King Street
Alexandria, VA
Restaurant telephone number:  (703) 548-2525
Restaurant website:  www.bistrotlafayette.com
Closest Metro station:  King Street (Blue & Yellow Lines)
Arrival time:  6 PM
RSVP:  lhpogue@hotmail.com, (703) 861-7247

* Dine Around
Date:  April 27
Host:  Peggy Garvin
Restaurant:  Indique Heights
Restaurant Address:  2 Wisconsin Circle
Chevy Chase, MD
Restaurant telephone number:  (301) 656-4822
Restaurant website:  www.indiqueheights.com
Closest Metro station:  Friendship Heights (Red Line)
Arrival time:  6:30 PM
RSVP:  peggy@garvinconsulting.com

* Joint Spring Workshop
Date: April 29, 8:30am - 3:15pm
Location: Library of Congress, Mumford Rm., 6th Fl, Madison Bldg. 101 Independence Ave., SE- Closest Metro Capital South
Do you have a strategic plan for your library? How do you know if your library is supporting your organization's strategic goals? In this time of fiscal uncertainty, how can you develop a strategic plan that will ensure your library is valued and essential to your organization's future?
This one day workshop should help you answer these questions, and, if you don't have a strategic plan for your library already, enable you to have the basic tools to develop one that makes sense in the context of your organizational goals.
Keynote Speaker: DeEtta Jones, DeEtta Jones and Associates, Raynna Bowlby, Associate, Library Management Consulting

$60.00 - Chapter Members
$85.00 - Non-Chapter Members
$25.00 - Students/Retirees/Unemployed
Includes continental breakfast and lunch.
Tax ID number is 13-5404745
Register and pay at: http://units.sla.org/chapter/cdc/events_files/jsw2011.html