Slany Chapternews Newsletter Fall 2008

The New York Chapter

ChapterNews Volume 80, #2 Fall 2008

President’s Message

IN THIS ISSUE President’s Message: ....................1

Going for “No”

Associate Editor’s Note

by Dr. Stephen T. Kochoff

Featured Theme: TRANSITIONS Karen Botkin ..............................4 Tina Chrismore...........................5 Ellen Mehling..............................7 Tom Nielsen ...............................8

all hate rejection yet for most of us rejection as job hunters goes with the territory. I once heard someone say that each of us needs to get twenty-five answers of “no” for each “yes” in the job hunt. I suspect that the metric varies depending on the circumstances, including the type of job sought as well as the “match” or “fit” or “chemistry,” and probably many other variables. A key tactic in sales is referred to as “going for ‘no’” — the more “no” responses you get the more “yeses” you’ll get. So for whatever solace this provides us, one aspect of job hunting is purely a numbers game. The more job opportunities you pursue, the more likely you’ll land a job!

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Jon Rosenthal ............................8 NY Chapter Questions.................11 Nominating Committee Announces 2009 Slate.............14 Winter Shanck Wins SLA Diversity Award ...............16 Scholarships at St. John’s for Full-Time Graduate Study........17 The SLA-NY Executive Board......18 The Backstory..............................19

An important strategy is: keep talking and, more importantly, keep listening. They are both helpful to keep in mind because you never know who could help you out with a job lead — a contact in a firm — a piece of advice — even a tangential lead. Don’t limit yourself in the job hunt and/or career change to your comfort zone — force yourself to talk to anyone. We should always be constantly networking. Job hunting is always looking — never ending! Talk to everyone and anyone. Who does your doorman know? Who lives in your building? How do you get to these prospects: either job prospects or someone who might help you out with informational Interviewing? Here’s how:

ADVERTISERS Dialog...........................................16 Donna Conti Career Resources .....9 EBSCO...........................................2 EOS International...........................4 Factiva .........................................10 InfoCurrent...................................14 MyMETRO .....................................7

Work circumstances can be very volatile so we all need to keep building bridges and relationships in our organizations and elsewhere. Try to stay involved and active and attend SLA meetings whenever you are able to do so. Keep broadening your interactions to include other professional associations, as well.

Prenax..........................................13 Pro Libra ......................................19 Research Solutions......................17 Westlaw Business ..........................3 Wontawk........................................6 ChapterNews

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Ours is very much a helping profession. I see this time and time again as we help each other out. You might consider setting up a group of advisors and/or mentors as you conduct your job search — these can be friends and colleagues. This group would consist of people who are happy to be sounding boards for you You’ll want a variety of backgrounds and view points. You will also want your advisors to be brutally honest with you; if it’s a dumb idea that you are considering, you want someone who will tell you that and advise you how to refine an ill-advised idea or clarify an approach. Take someone to lunch to have a chat and get their advice — people always welcome this.

ChapterNews Special Libraries Association New York Chapter Volume 80, #2 Fall 2008 PUBLICATION SCHEDULE ChapterNews, the bulletin of the New York Chapter of the Special Libraries Association, is published four times a year. Visit our web site: www.sla-ny.org Deadlines for submitting materials:

Job hunting can be fascinating — the process of gathering information about prospective firms, colleagues, and bosses. I am reminded of Bette Davis’s “hold on... it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” The bumpy ride of a job search can be ameliorated by taking the bumpy ride head-on, one step, one conversation at a time. We should always be reminding ourselves of what it is: one step at a time, embracing the bumps and the changes, persisting, networking, remembering that anyone is a prospect, and always, always with a positive attitude regardless of the “no” responses we encounter!

Spring issue: January 20, 2009 Summer issue: June 20, 2009 Fall issue: September 5, 2009 Submit all material to:

Roberta Brody ChapterNews Editor E-mail: [email protected] Submissions: Articles on topics of general interest to information professionals and the New York Chapter are welcome. Authors can send submissions via e-mail as text file or MS Word for Windows attachments, or with article in the body of the e-mail. Please use single-line spacing, Courier font, with minimal use of boldface and italics. Include a byline with your full name and place of work.

Steve Kochoff , SLA NY Chapter President, 2008 and Regional Sales Director, Basch Subscriptions, Inc. Steve may be reached at [email protected]

ADVERTISING inquiries should be addressed to:

Roberta Brody, Editor E-mail: [email protected] DESIGN & LAYOUT:

Gatta Design & Company, Inc. For inquiries call (718) 797-1070 E-mail: [email protected] www.gattago.com Special Libraries Association assumes no responsibility for the statements and opinions advanced by contributors to the Association’s publications. Editorial views do not necessarily represent the official position of Special Libraries Association. Acceptance of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product by Special Libraries Association.

ChapterNews STAFF Director of Communications ChapterNews Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor Advertising Manager Webmaster ChapterNews

Christina Darnowski Roberta Brody Corrina Moss Berte Schachter TBA Stan Friedman 2

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TRANSITIONS

TRANSITIONS

Associate Editor’s Note:

Changing Roles

The Future

by Karen Botkin

— It’s not what it used to be y degree is an MLS “with a specialty in music librarianship” which I used in my first professional job in the Music Library of Hebrew University (Jerusalem). When I headed home to the States, I contacted the library at which I had interned during my degree studies, the NBC News Library, and in short order they had an opening. I was a happy camper there, doing first entertainment research and then segueing into research for hard news stories. My undergraduate journalism training was useful there.

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by Berte Schachter

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ew things are harder or more interesting than correctly predicting the future. For many of us, just adapting to it is a challenge. The stories collected for this issue are the personal experiences of colleagues who went after a different professional life or adapted to new life when it was, “thrust upon them.” I think that they are all admirable and I hope they will serve as examples of flexibility, vision and perseverance. I have always considered the professional generosity of librarians as one of the best and most unusual of perks. So enjoy, listen to these authentic voices and think about your own future...

But one can only do so many biographical packages on Linda Evans (for the TODAY show, every time she had a new beauty book!) so I looked for my first change. I also realized that I needed to gain management experience if my career was to progress. A one- person library situation for a public relations firm was my next stop. The management, budget, and office politics training was useful, but I quickly decided a one-person library was not for me so I looked for the next change.

Some of the authors did not name their organizations but all were comfortable with using their names.

One of the possibilities was Head of Technical Services at a large law library. I knew nothing about legal materials, I had not cataloged in LC since library school, and I had never managed 13 people before. After six months, the “light bulb” almost literally went on over my head one day, and “I got it” at least the how-legal-materials-work part. About a year or so before I arrived, the library had purchased an expensive integrated library system (ILS). The training I had hoped for at the hands of the vendor never materialized, so to prepare for this change, I got a copy of the program printed out from the IT department and took it home. I spent about an hour a day in the office reading the manual and two weekends at home with the program spread out, in pieces, on my living room floor. I became an expert. Learning to manage the staff was harder — I took courses.

Berte Schachter, Director of Info Services, Advertising Research Foundation. Berte may be reached at [email protected]

After one particularly nasty winter commuting to NYC, a New Jersey job seemed to make more sense. I joined an urban/suburban mid-sized public library as Head of Technical Services and Assistant Director. Upon the director’s retirement, “I was it.” Responsibility for a physical building would have terrified me had I not grown up with a father who was a civil engineer and having a mother who was a shop steward helped me deal with the employees union. Preparation for this change was mostly about the huge learning curve on local politics, volunteers, and programming for the public. (Article continues on page 5) ChapterNews

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Although I lasted longer than with the public relations firm, I think I found another part of librarianship that was not for me.

TRANSITIONS

Now I am back to a special library in the business arena. I am now doing legal research so I am using the books and legal resources with which I had passing acquaintance from my law library days. The finite clientele of a business suits me.

by Tina Chrismore

Flexibility in the Pursuit of Happiness s librarians we have many opportunities in many different fields. Most of us have diverse interests so it is not always easy to figure out what type of library we want to work in. Some of us are lucky to know our path early in our careers. I, however, took many detours to end up with the job of my dreams.

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I will admit that my career path was not the one I dreamed about in library school, but each experience added to my knowledge and repertoire for the succeeding positions. I miss working in NYC and the camaraderie of being a part of a chapter of SLA in closer geographic circumstances. Technology seems to have since compensated for most of the shortcomings of being in a larger geographic situation. I welcomed the changes in most cases, looking on each as a chance to continue my education while giving back to the company or the public. Although I do not consider myself a risk taker by nature, I have always said I would not take a job that did not scare me. My suspicion is that serendipity had more to do with most of the changes than anything else. There has been a conscious decision to alternate between research/reference positions and technology/tech services jobs. Before making any leap, the researcher in me interviews people and searches for background to see what can reasonably be expected of the situation. I have a group of professional friends I use as a sounding board: I describe the possible job and have them consider it in light of what they know about me. Is it a good fit? I make the final decision.

I have been in libraries of some sort for most of my working life, starting as a page in my hometown public library at the age of 16. After working in my college library in Iowa, then as a library assistant in Chicago, I decided to attend Simmons College in Boston to get my MLS. Dean Matarazzo steered me in the direction of business libraries and after graduation I moved to New York, working at a small PR firm before landing a fulltime job at JP Morgan. From this stepping stone I went to PaineWebber where I would have happily continued working if not for the merger with UBS. My career path had been moving along nicely in Investment Banking when the merger forced me into a new job at Warburg Pincus, a Venture Capital firm. I enjoyed the research, but began to feel that I wanted work that would do more than just help the rich get richer. I decide to go back to school to pursue a school media specialist certification.

People facing a change should go into a new situation with eyes wide open. Here are some comments and suggestions: Know yourself. Know as much as possible about what the new situation entails. Who are the players? What are the politics? What specialized knowledge is necessary? Are your new employers willing to have you to learn on the job or do you need to get the training before starting? Is there a “reasonable out” if the new situation does not work? Can you live with that?

Taking classes in school media was wonderful. My experience in corporate libraries, mentoring and in training junior staff members, employees, and interns, made a high school the logical goal for me. My technology skills would surely be needed! This is the point in my life where my flexibility came in great demand. By nature, I am not a risk-taker, but I have learned that only by taking risks can I reach my potential and see out “what I am made out of”. In this spirit of change, with the need for personal challenge, and confident in my ability to always find work, I quit my job to do my internship and begin my job search. I soon discovered that the NYC Department of Education (DOE) is a different animal than most employers. First of all, in New York only high schools are mandated to have one certified school librarian per 1,000 students. Jobs are to be listed on the DOE website, and possibly other places, at the discretion of the principal. Very few jobs were posted on the DOE website and I was turned away from job fairs because there were no jobs available in my certi fication. If I would have considered a private school or a

Karen Botkin may be reached at [email protected]

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suburban school, I would have had more opportunities. However, I had decided that the public school was where I could do the most good. As fall approached and money ran out, it was necessary to accept a job in lower Manhattan with a former librarian colleague, working on her risk management database. Database training and customer service were still a part of the job and my attention to detail made working on a database a logical job change. I promised to stay at least one year and was comfortable back in the corporate environment, but it was not the job I longed for. After a year and a half, I quit to again search for my dream job. Once again, posted job opportunities were few and far between. It soon became necessary to start babysitting to help supplement my income. Again, my sink-or-swim approach left me gasping for air and I had to take a job helping a London-based company set up their New York office. As a former client of the vendor who specialized in international industry reports, I looked forward to the opportunity to work part-time as I continued my job hunt. After six months as an office manager I was promoted to head up the London-based research team. So yet again, my life changed and for six months I traveled back and forth to London spending one or two weeks at a time managing the researchers and the report writing schedule. It was an interesting, eye-opening, and confidence-building experience. But, again I was working long hours and although traveling to London sounds glamorous, I rarely had time to enjoy the city. I also missed my cat and Chihuahua, not to mention my friends in New York. I was eager to leave this job to reach my true goal of becoming a New York City School Media Specialist. In order to get my permanent certification I was required to work 2 of the 5 years that I held my provisional certification and time was running out. I had to try one last time to get a DOE job. So, yet again, I quit a job, determined to get into the public school system. After 3 years of working to survive, my resume was a mess.

$10/hour. They hired me on the spot to be a 3rd grade teacher’s assistant starting in Jan 2007. The principal recommended that I get a substitute teacher’s certificate, which I did. I loved working in an elementary school and being a substitute teacher in both the elementary and middle schools. During this time I learned about a librarians’ Listserv and discovered that the Listserv is where I would find jobs, not directly from the DOE. I answered an ad from a high school librarian who needed to get rid of middle school books. After picking them up I sent a thank-you email mentioning that I was looking for a job. The librarian just happened to be retiring and suggested that I apply for her job. And so it was that my flexibility and perseverance finally led me to the job that I love.

When I called the DOE this time, I was told that they don’t keep the jobs site up-to-date. I was told that the best way to find a job was to randomly send out resumes to all schools. This was frustrating for me because I didn’t know anyone in public schools and so I had no introduction. But, I did send out resumes. I also went to the DOE office in to investigate the teaching fellows program, for which I was not eligible since I already had a certification.

I wouldn’t wish this career path on anyone, however, it is a path I am grateful to have traveled. I cherish all of my experiences. I feel that working for NYC DOE as a high school librarian, is privilege and a bigger responsibility than any of the jobs I have ever held. I am now taking part in the great tradition of educating our young people and preparing them for their own great adventures. It is human nature to resist and dread chance, but I believe that only by embracing it will you truly find your happiness.

The summer of 2006, my rent went up $300, I didn’t have a job and I was about to pack up and move back to Iowa. Babysitting and savings got me through the summer as I made one last attempt to find any job in a NYC school. Fall passed and finally, I went to Craigslist and answered an ad for a teacher’s assistant that paid ChapterNews

Tina Chrismore may be reached at [email protected] 6

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TRANSITIONS

Changes by Ellen Mehling f someone had told me ten or even five years ago what I’d be doing for a living today, and that I’d be enjoying it, I would have sworn he or she was wrong. Yet here I am, happy with my unexpected and not-what-I-had-inmind career.

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My first position after graduate school was as a solo librarian and archivist in a very small special library. It was a shock to go from a big, academic library to a small and specialized one, and to find myself to be the entire library and archives staff. But I took a deep breath, jumped in and started swimming. I learned a lot and enjoyed myself. Then after some time there, the environment I found myself in changed dramatically. My employer, a nonprofit suffering financially due to the 9/11 aftermath and for other reasons, decided to close the library. Without a library, my employer no longer needed a librarian. It was anxiety-producing when I first realized my days there were numbered, and about eight months later I got laid off. This change was not my choice. I probably would have stayed there indefinitely but my departure was, by the time of my layoff, clearly inevitable. What I hadn’t expected, though, was the exhilaration I felt when I got laid off. Before, all I could see in front of me was something bad — the layoff. Once that happened and the layoff was behind me, now in front of me was at least the possibility of something good. I found myself feeling relief and even joy at finding myself without a permanent full-time position!

My presentation skills and, then newly-acquired, knowledge of how to conduct a successful job search have led to other opportunities and invitations as a speaker, instructor, and writer, and have even led me back to academic library settings. It has truly been one surprise after another.

After a brief job search I found the full-time job I have now, which is half outreach and half specialized reference in a very big public library. Again this was a huge change, from a solo librarian to one of hundreds of librarians, in a library system serving millions. Other changes came with the new job, some not entirely welcome (not at first, anyway!)

Change will come. My advice to others is not just to expect it and prepare for it but to embrace it and seek it out and that it is OK if it is scary. I figure if I am not heart-poundingly scared at least once or twice a month then I am playing it too safe. Change can be seen as a loss or as an adventure and opportunity — it is a lot easier to see it as an adventure!

The new position required lots of local travel, which I discovered that I loved. That was another surprise and, in fact, now, “9-to-5 at a desk” no longer appeals to me. I’d always had an aversion to public speaking and giving presentations and now in doing outreach, I had to give presentations regularly. To my astonishment, I found myself enjoying that too.

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I am aware that I am where I am because I have been lucky and because I have worked very hard. I expect to continue to work hard. I’ve learned to consider things I would have said a quick “no, thanks” to in the past. My career is not what I had imagined when I first got my MLS; it is better than I could have envisioned. And I am looking forward to whatever is coming next.

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profession through continuing education opportunities. The New York area offers an abundance of opportunities.

TRANSITIONS

Transitions

You will also need contacts, which leads to my second suggestion: network. Networking is that little activity that some people don’t think they have to do to succeed. But you do. If you establish healthy professional relationships with a variety of other librarians through networking, you will have a vast advantage when looking for a new position, whether you have to or not. When you let your professional network know you’re looking for a better job or that you need a job right away, they can help with referrals, advice and other support you need. Networking opportunities are also abundant in New York City and maybe you’re already a regular attendee at New York Chapter events, but be sure to break away from your friends to meet someone new so your network is always expanding. Better yet, volunteer to work with other professionals. The New York Chapter offers opportunities, as does METRO and many other library organizations in New York. Who knows, we may be networking with each other soon!

by Tom Nielsen started my library career in New York City working for short periods in several different settings; a hospital library, an academic library, and a government agency library; before landing a solo librarian position at an engineering firm. This position served 600 employees at 15 offices and was a challenge because the library was poorly organized, minimally automated and virtually unknown to staff in other offices. It took over five years to automate, catalog and reorganize the collection, and when the library was ready for use by all staff I knew I’d reached a point where it was time to look for a new position.

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I sought out other library jobs because I thought that was where my experience would be most beneficial. Little did I know that I had already laid the groundwork for my current position as Member Services Manager at The Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO), a library consortium. My varied experience at different libraries helped because it acquainted me with different library work environments and patron needs. So did my strong belief in METRO’s mission. I’ve always been an avid supporter of METRO, taking many workshops, starting a special interest group for solo librarians, and even testifying before a state legislative committee to reinstate funding to METRO and other library systems in New York City. My involvement at METRO didn’t go unnoticed by METRO staff and when my current position was advertised, that familiarity served me well.

Tom Nielsen, Member Services Manager at the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO). Tom may be reached at [email protected]

TRANSITIONS

Career Change by Jonathan Rosenthal

The change away from library work was not easy, though. I went from a very insular work environment serving up information to engineers, to a very visible one in which I represent METRO to all types of librarians and information organizations. For example, I have traveled to regional conferences and local library schools to talk about METRO, which I never did as a librarian. As a result, I’ve learned how to be more flexible with my time as well as with how I look at work. It’s no longer sitting at a desk from 9 to 5. Going to professional functions and talking to colleagues is a vital part of my work now because establishing relationships with librarians and library organizations is important for METRO.

y name is Jon Rosenthal. I am a librarian, an informational professional and a teacher. I have had two major careers in my life, but a librarian is who I was and who I am.

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I went to college to become a math teacher. I ended up as a sociology major. I went to graduate school for an education degree (social studies/history). During the month I graduated, the state of Massachusetts began laying off over 10,000 teachers. I was “lucky” enough to join them in the unemployment line … for over two years. I looked for many jobs. One day a friend of mine in a college library said he had been promoted and that I should apply for his job. It was a non-professional job overseeing students at public service desks and in the stacks. I was desperate and poor — so I applied. His boss gave him all the applications and told him to pick his replacement. Guess whom he picked?!

I have two suggestions for others who are either thinking of changing their career path or are facing a change. The first is to be proactive. Assume that you will eventually leave the your current position. This will force you to think about what you would need to find a new, more challenging position. Among other things, you would need skills and that means keeping up with changes in the ChapterNews

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I worked in the college library for the next three years. I LOVED it. I couldn’t believe people actually got paid to have fun learning. Then life changed. I was married and needed to relocate to help my wife’s career. I didn’t have a library degree but liked the career so I looked for and found a library job at an engineering company. Within six months of being hired, I was looking for library schools. I wanted to become a “real” librarian … and I did.

certifications and my doctorate. After two years more of unemployment and schooling, I am presently employed in a Special Education department as an Educational Team Leader. This person leads a team of educators who identify, develop, write and implement educ tion plans for children with special needs. This will be my third year. I had always kept in the back of my mind that I wanted to be a teacher, but I was having so much fun with the library career, I was not looking to change. Then, I was forced to consider a career change. In the beginning, I was worried, frustrated, and angry that my life had been disrupted. I would have to start over from the bottom again. It was going to be a lot work and CHANGE. I don’t think anybody likes change but the better I managed it the easier it became. One reason for my success has been that I chose a job (administrative) where many of my skills and talents were transferable. I needed to be able to work with all levels of an organization, all levels of skill sets, organize and manage information, work with technology, and to keep up to date in several fields (education, disabilities, law, etc. ) A second reason for my success may be that I brought my own life experience with me as a skill set; I am legally blind and have been since birth. I wanted those with disabilities to know they CAN be successful and do what they want.

I worked for the next twenty years in two large, international, one-hundred-year-old plus companies, one in engineering and one in management consulting. I was having a grand time. I loved what I did and I appeared to be good at it. Unfortunately for me, in BOTH cases, the companies ended up going bankrupt and filing for “Chapter 11”. Once again I was unemployed. At the time I believed that I wasn’t going to get a corporate library job right away, so I decided to change careers. The career I chose was education, but not in social studies/history. I now wanted to work in the field of Special Education. This was going to require additional education for me. So, I went back to school to get my new

I knew change was inevitable, uncertain, and required work. After three years, I am still low man on the totem pole in a union shop. I can still lose my job at any time. I always try to have a current resume. I always try to look at other job opportunities in my field and in others, even when my job appears secure. I try to look ahead and plan for the future. I didn’t pick librarian as a career. It picked me. I am still a librarian. I just work as a teacher. And, I AM HAPPY. Life is good.

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SLA Chapter Questions

mation society as a whole, we must take that risk and open our windows, doors and minds to collaboration and cooperation with other groups. Who knows what the future might bring!

Editor’s Note: SLA New York Chapter asked the two candidates for President-Elect of SLA to respond to questions of concern to our members. Their responses follow below:

What can SLA do to help our out-of-work members?

Being out of work is a tough spot to be in and one in which a number of SLA members find themselves, especially in tough economic times. As a professional association SLA is in a good position to offer a range of benefits, many of which are already in place. We have job postings and résumé services, networking and personal referrals, insurance offerings, and reduced membership fees. If I were going to start new services I might include a professional counseling, career assessment service or an ‘OoW’ mentoring option. However, these options address the symptoms and not the fundamental need. The real need is to increase awareness and generate demand in the marketplace for the skills and competencies of information professionals and offer learning and development opportunities to members so they can build and expand capabilities. That’s exactly what SLA is all about today. In addition, the Alignment Project currently in progress will position us to do even more.

Response from: Janice C. Anderson CEO, Access Sciences Corporation What do you see as the most pressing issue facing SLA and/or information professionals?

From my perspective, the most pressing issue facing SLA is the same issue facing information professionals of all stripes: how can we find, filter, organize and manage the information deluge that hits us every day? The answer requires both strategic and tactical thinking and diverse approaches that optimize the knowledge and expertise of information professionals from various disciplines. It also requires technology tools and solutions that are complex and ever changing. The outcomes range from an environment experiencing increasing effectiveness and efficiency at one end of the success curve, to a complex maze of silos and disconnected users and content collections that have little or no value to the organization at eh other end. Active participation and contributions from information professionals help build and sustain effective solutions and service delivery models that really work. We just have to get in the game.

Response from: Anne Caputo Executive Director, Learning & Information Professional Programs, Dow Jones & Company What do you see as the most pressing issue facing SLA and/or information professionals?

What is the key accomplishment you would hope to achieve during your term of office?

The most pressing issue facing our association and its members can be described as issues relating to perception, attitudes and credibility. It is critical that we address external views of information professionals from employers and potential employers, from the information-consuming public and from society in general. This need to understand how we can align ourselves with the world in which we operate is the foundation of the current Alignment Project underway with Fleishman Hillard and Outsell. Understanding the current and potential role of information professionals is so critical to our future. Taking the findings from this project we need to increase the visibility of our profession at senior levels,

During my term as SLA President I would hope to forge new relationships and strengthen existing relationships with many information industry associations, both professional and trade associations. Ours is a very dynamic industry with lots of different facets. My recent experience with other groups has convinced me that we must be open and receptive to partnerships and bridge building. If we can partner effectively with other groups we can leverage who we are and what have to offer and expand our visibility in the marketplace. Building those bridges will take time and effort and may be a bit scary. We will likely hear questions and statements like —“Are we at risk of losing our identity? They are not like us! Is SLA going to be absorbed?” If we are serious about what is best for our stakeholders, our customers, and the inforChapterNews

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CANDIDATES ANSWERS

NY Chapter Questions

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including the current series of Wall Street Journal ads which began in June and will be continuing throughout the year. We need to make stronger use of the Salary Survey, to create and distribute case studies of successful information professionals and their impact on their organizations and we need to continue to make the case for investment in information functions.

What can SLA do to help our out-of-work members? Four key areas can be highlighted:

▲ Make use of what already exists — the Career Center, located within the SLA website, offers a wide array of resources including career coaching with Marshall Brown and Kim Dougherty. Podcasts, resume writing and interview skills, alternative career paths and advice on career resilience. There are joblines, places to seek or post jobs, Click U Seminars, competencies documents, mentoring programs, career disruption websites and other career resources. SLA also offers greatly reduced memberships dues of $49.50 for members who are out of work.

What is the key accomplishment you would hope to achieve during your term of office?

My most important accomplishment would center around making the membership tent larger by focusing on three areas. The first focus would be our newest members who join as students but fall away from the association in their first years of professional employment. The First Five Years Taskforce is an excellent start in understanding and addressing this issue and should be continued and actionable items should come from its findings. At the other end of the spectrum we must address those most senior members who believe the association no longer offers value to them at the senior level. Finally, we must broaden the tent by looking again at the findings of the Partners and Alliances Taskforce , which I co-chaired with Bill Noorlander in 2006. This report lists dozens of job functions and professions which contain professionals looking for an association home. We need to make them aware of the many membership benefits offer by SLA and consider ways in which they might become full or affiliate members.

▲ Give back — the Career Center contains a wealth of valuable material, but some areas need an update. Volunteer as part of your job-seeking activities to provide updated material and sources. If you want to form a small group to work on this so much the better. Get credit for your efforts and get your name out there. ▲ Extend the networking value of SLA — in addition to the general networking opportunities offered at chapter meetings, consider forming a support group for people in the same position. The Illinois Chapter did this several years ago, meeting for breakfast once a month and offering speakers and other resources specific to job-hunting. If this is not already happening in your chapter, organize a group to make it happen. ▲ Align yourself with the future — leverage the findings the Alignment Project and other recent reports such as the May 2008 Forrester Report — Best Practices: Reinventing the Corporate Library. These reports allow you to repackage and refocus the key skills you already have in alignment with the view of professional information skills of the future. SLA will be offering programs with these findings in mind. Organize a panel or discussion of these findings in the New York Chapter. Janice C. Anderson may be reached at [email protected] Anne Caputo may be reached at [email protected]

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CANDIDATES ANSWERS

NY Chapter Questions

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Nominating Committee Announces 2009 NY Chapter Slate

President-Elect

by Gwen Loeffler, Nominating Committee Chair

tions/Open Society Institute (SF/OSI), where she has been employed since 1995. She has been working as a special librarian since 1979, setting up and managing new libraries for the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS); National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University’s School of Public Health; National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA); Drug Policy Alliance; and SF/OSI. She also served as the Psychology Librarian at Columbia for two years. Leigh holds a B.A. in political science from Wellesley College, a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.S. in Library Service from Columbia.

Leigh Hallingby Leigh Hallingby is Head Librarian at Soros Founda-

The SLA-NY Nominating Committee presented the 2009 slate of candidates for the SLA New York Board to Chapter members via Email in August. Read on to find out more about our four nominees. Members of the New York Chapter of SLA will have the opportunity to vote on this slate of candidates during the Chapter’s Annual Business Meeting on Thursday, October 16th, 2008.

Leigh has been active in the past in APLIC-International (Association of Family Planning Librarians and Information Centers) and SALIS (Substance Abuse Librarians and Information Specialists). More recently, she has served on the Board of SLA-NY in the position of Secretary. Leigh was also SLA-NY’s Chair of Arrangements for two years. She served as Awards Chair for three years, during which she worked with the Board to increase the number of SLA-NY awards from one to three and to create an awards page on the chapter website. Currently Leigh is Membership Chair of the NY Chapter.

2009 Slate of Candidates for the SLA-NY Board President-Elect Leigh Hallingby, Head Librarian at Soros Foundations/ Open Society Institute

Director of Finance & Fund Raising Carol L. Ginsburg, Senior Consultant with BST America

Director of Professional Development Janet Peros, Reference Librarian at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Leigh grew up in Westchester County, in Rye, NY. She has been living since 1979 in Teaneck in Bergen County, NJ. Leigh enjoys attending cultural activities in NYC, collecting porcelain, antiquing, traveling and (of course) reading.

Secretary Heidi Weinkam, U.S. Director of Research with the Brunswick Group

Director of Finance & Fund Raising

Carol L. Ginsburg Carol L. Ginsburg is a senior consultant with BST America, a global Market Data and Information Consulting and Outsourcing firm. She spent most of her career with Bankers Trust Company and its successor Deutsche Bank, located in New York, where she was a Managing Director responsible for the global strategy, management and operations of Business Information Services. During her tenure, Carol forged the bank’s 40 disparate information professionals into a global network which allowed the organization to utilize information services 24 by 7 and maximized the bank’s investment in data and information tools and resources. (Bios continues on page 15)

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(Bios continued from page 14)

Carol is a past president of the New York Chapter, past Chair of the Business and Finance Division and is currently Awards Chair of the New York Chapter and CoChair of the Content Buying section of LMD. She has chaired the Professional Development Committee of SLA, the Branding Task Force, the Public Relations Committee, the Nominating Committee and has served as a member of other SLA committees.

Secretary

Heidi Weinkam Heidi Weinkam is currently U.S. Director of Research

at Brunswick Group, LLC, one of the world's leading strategic communications firms, where she manages the research team, internship program and vendor relationships for the three U.S. offices. Upon receiving her master’s degree in information and library science, Heidi accepted a position as associate librarian at Entertainment Weekly magazine and later became an Information Professional Consultant with Lexis Nexis, focusing on media accounts in New York and Los Angeles.

She is the recipient of many industry awards. She is a Fellow of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) and a recipient of the SLA Hall of Fame Award and President’s Award and the Factiva Leadership award bestowed upon an individual who has shown competencies in all facets of information provision and leadership in the industry. She has written numerous articles and has lectured widely on topics such as, product usage, marketing, technology and the future of the information professional.

A children’s literature-loving New Jersey native living in Manhattan, Heidi was the president of the student chapter of the ALA (SILSSA) for Pratt Institute’s School of Information and Library Science, where she planned and executed several library tours and programs. Heidi attended Loyola College in Maryland where she received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

Director of Professional Development

Janet Peros

Being a librarian has opened many doors for Heidi, both professionally and personally. She has been looking for a way to be officially involved with SLA-NY and believes that the secretary position would be the perfect natural continuation of her skills and experiences--a position she would take on with great enthusiasm and enjoyment.

Janet Peros is currently Reference Librarian at

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. She was previously Special Projects Librarian at Bryan Cave LLP. She received her MLS and her BA from Queens College, City University of New York. Janet has been a member of SLA since 2001. She currently serves as a Director for the Legal Division. She is also a member of the Business & Finance Division and the New York chapter as well as a member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) and Beta Phi Mu.

Special Thanks As Chair of the Nominating Committee, I’d like to extend my personal thanks to the members of the committee: Andrew Berner, Rick Mattis, and Tesse Santoro. Their hard work; including meeting with members, explaining the scope and requirements of each open Board position, collecting credentials and assessing the suitability of each potential nominee; was invaluable. Thank you all!

Janet served as Co-chair of the Education Committee for the Law Library Association of Greater New York (LLAGNY) for the past two years. She is also a member of LLAGNY’s Technology Committee. Previously, she served as co-chair of the Newsletter Committee (20052006) and Board Member (2004-2005) for LLAGNY.

SLA-NY Nominating Committee

Janet’s selected publications include: “The Blog-Another Tool in Your Arsenal”, (PM Forum, Winter 2006) & (LLRX, January 15, 2007), “Blurring the Lines: Law Firm Libraries and Business Development Departments Share More Duties, Sometimes Share Credit”, (AALL Spectrum, April 2006) and “Face Time: The Power of Person-to-Person Marketing”, (Information Outlook, December 2005).

ChapterNews

Gwen Loeffler, Chair, [email protected] Andrew Berner, [email protected] Rick Mattis, [email protected] Tesse Santoro, [email protected]

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Winter Shanck Wins SLA Diversity Award by SLA and Staff Writers

New York Chapter Archivist Winter S. Shanck, Archivist in the Reference Library/Tape Archive at New York’s public broadcasting television station Thirteen/WNET, was among the five SLA members who received the Diversity Leadership Development Program (DLDP) Award at the SLA Annual Conference in Seattle in June 2008. The DLDP Award program was developed by the Association to help accelerate the advancement and visibility of members who represent the diversity of the Association by mentoring them for greater leadership opportunities. Recipients must have an interest and potential for leadership with SLA, have been a member of SLA for at least one year, and have between three and ten years of professional library and information experience. Candidates for the DLDP awards were reviewed and considered by the DLDP Committee, chaired this past year by Dr. Stephanie Tolson, and confirmed by the SLA Board of Directors. “Each and every one of these honorees is exceptionally deserving of this recognition,” said Janice R. Lachance, SLA Chief Executive Officer. “Their contributions to the association and to the information profession have helped SLA continue to grow into one of the most diverse and inclusive organizations in the field of information management today. I congratulate all of these award recipients and thank them for their continued dedication to SLA and the profession.” A very important part of the DLDP is the assigning of a mentor to each of the recipients. DLDP mentors play a very special role in the career development of each recipient. The mentors are seasoned information professionals who meet with recipients to give advice on career direction, building a portfolio of skills, and leadership opportunities in SLA and how to obtain those roles DLDP Award recipients, including Ms. Schanck were showcased at the SLA Awards Ceremony and Reception on 15 June, as well as at the DLDP Breakfast on 16 June at the Annual Conference in Seattle. Winter Schanck, Archivist at Thirteen/WNET, is currently the Chapter Archivist and also arranges the Midtown Luncheons. She may be reached at [email protected] Editor’s Note: Portions of this notice were extracted from an SLA Press Release.

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Scholarships at St. John’s for Full-Time Graduate Study

TM

he growing shortage of qualified individuals prepared to enter and manage the deadline-driven information-rich work environments of New York City is an amazing opportunity for 40 career-changers.

T

St. Johns University and the Institute of Museum and Library Services have joined forces with two leading NYC professional library associations (METRO and LLAGNY) to provide up to 40 ‘feature-rich’ scholarships

for full-time study leading to a graduate degree in special librarianship. Each scholarship winner will receive a fully-loaded laptop; free membership in METRO and a second professional association of the student's choice; funding for conference travel; customized skill-building workshops; and all tuition and fees. Fully-engaged academic/practice mentors with relevant academic/work experience are committed to ensuring each scholar’s long-term success. Class will be held in the St. John’s University Manhattan Campus at 101 Murray Street in Lower Manhattan, just two blocks from the WFC ferry dock and the WTC Path/Subway station. The sponsors especially seek multi-lingual students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who have experience using law, financial and marketing information. Applications are currently being accepted for January 2009; with up to 20 scholarships available.

Remember the New York Chapter web site address!

www.sla-ny.org Check it out!

For more information, please contact any of the Program Co-Directors: Jeffery Olson Vice Provost (718) 990-5705 Elizabeth B. Pollicino Associate Director, [email protected] Katherine M. Shelfer Associate Professor, [email protected]

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SLA NEW YORK Advisory Council Hospitality: Vida E. Cohen, [email protected]

Hospitality: Erika Yánez, [email protected]

Awards Chair: Carol Ginsburg, [email protected]

SLA New York Chapter

ChapterNews Editor: Dr. Roberta Brody, [email protected]

Diversity Chair:

Executive Board

Lassana Magassa, [email protected]

President:

SLA Global Outreach Chair:

Steve Kochoff, [email protected]

Rita Ormsby, [email protected]

President-Elect:

Governance Chair:

Michelle Dollinger, [email protected]

Agnes K. Mattis, [email protected]

Past President:

Student Internships:

Kevin Manion, [email protected]

Kaura Gale, [email protected]

Secretary:

Graduate School Liaison:

David Adler, [email protected]

Sarah Warner, [email protected]

Treasurer:

Membership Chair:

Bill Noorlander, [email protected]

Leigh Hallingby, [email protected]

Finance & Fundraising:

Nominations Committee Chair:

John Ganly, [email protected]

Gwen Loeffler, [email protected]

Professional Development:

Networking Downtown Lunches:

Miguel Figueroa, [email protected]

Margaret Smith, [email protected]

Director of Communications:

Career Day:

Christina Darnowski, [email protected]

Miguel Figueroa, [email protected]

Discussion List Manager: Karen Daenen, [email protected]

Job Listings Coordinator: Stan Friedman, [email protected]

Remember the New York Chapter web site address!

NY Webmaster: Stan Friedman, [email protected]

www.sla-ny.org

Archives: Winter Shanck, [email protected]

Check it out!

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The BACKSTORY: First Time Attendee Reports: The Conference Experience by Anne Deutsch

ttending the SLA 2008 Conference was a turning point for me in my career transition. As of June, I was half way through my MLS program and wondering if I had made the right decision. I had registered for the conference earlier, mainly because it was in Seattle and both Vin Cerf and Seth Godin were speaking. Should I dig deeper into my savings if I was going to change course? At the last minute I bought the plane ticket, made a room reservation, and headed to Seattle.

A

I rushed from the airport to the convention center, not wanting to miss Vin Cerf (splurging for a taxi, which I vowed not to do). Right after picking up my name tag (Anne Deutsch – None) I headed for the meeting room just in time to hear Stephen Abram asking me to be a “lab rat.” Luckily things turned around quickly; as it turned out I was being asked to take advantage of the SLA Innovation Laboratory with access to e-books on leadership, an application suite, Atomic Learning software tutorials, and Web 2.0 tools. There was also my personal favorite, “23 things’”, a program that leads you through 23 Web 2.0 tools in nine weeks. And how had I overlooked the fact that Click U offers a free course every month? The cab ride had more than paid for itself at this point.

I returned to school this summer feeling energized and with a new sense of commitment. I look forward to engaging as a more active member of SLA and to spreading the word about all that this organization has to offer its members. Anne Deutsch is currently pursuing her MLS at Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at Queens College of City University of New York. She may be reached at [email protected]

Attending sessions and meeting SLA members encouraged me to expand my definition of a librarian and to keep my mind open as I consider my professional path. These experiences also gave me the opportunity to experience different points of view. Were people really saying that it’s OK to use Google and Wikipedia (for their strengths, and around their weaknesses). What a relief! And to hear discussions about how and why people were implementing specific Web 2.0 tools within the context of the Millennial Generationís learning styles was enlightening.

ChapterNews

Editor’s Note: Anne Deutsch, like many Graduate Students in our field, is planning a career change upon completion of her MLS

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