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)