Slany Chapternews Newsletter Spring 2005

ChapterNews Volume 77, #1 Spring 2005

Letter from the Chapter President

IN THIS ISSUE

Fundraising 101

Letter from the President: Fundraising 101 .........................1

Last year, the Board of the New York Chapter was forced to think creatively about a problem that we had not worried about in quite a while: finding sufficient money for chapter programs and scholarships.

Hooray for Spring ..........................3 Holiday Party Survey .....................4

Sponsorship from vendor sources was down significantly, to the point where we were worried how we were going to pay for chapter activities in the coming year. New York had relied on vendor contributions for so long that we assumed this source of funds would always be there for the asking. We were wrong.

Chapter Announcements...............6 In Memoriam Francis Elizabeth McMeen.........7

New York is the largest chapter, with somewhere between 1,100 and 1,300 members, depending on the month you do the counting. We also operate in one of the most expensive cities in the United States. What would we do if vendor contributions continue to remain low? How can we continue to pay for programs without sufficient vendor contributions? A bake sale is not a sufficient source of revenue, not when the least expensive venue we can find in NYC (with a 200-seat capacity) costs $800, before refreshments and speaker expenses. Local programs cost us from $1,000 to $5,000 and up. Asking members to fully pay for our actual program costs is unrealistic.

Notes From The Archvies NY: Where SLA Comes to Work and Play .......................9 Our Evening with Malcom Gladwell .....................10 A Winter Interlude ........................11

This situation made us think and ask some questions about ourselves as a chapter. We know that we need to continue providing worthwhile programs throughout the year to Chapter members, many of whom cannot attend the Annual Conferences on a regular basis. Association membership is driven primarily by local Chapter activities throughout the year.

Internships: A Win-Win Situation.................13

We turned to a fundraising consultant for help examining the issues and coming up with solutions. I met with a consultant with an established record with major cultural and non-profit associations, both in New York and nationally. He even has an MLS.

ADVERTISERS Dialog.............................................5

His observations are interesting: Donna Conti Career Resources...10

▲ We certainly are worthy enough recipients. We do many worthwhile things, both locally and nationally, such as providing student scholarship and internship programs. We also offer professional development programs to our members. Librarians represent an established profession that many people view favorably. The profession is directly linked to the information revolution/explosion or whatever one wishes to call it. Our members could be (and should be) perceived as fulfilling a vital role in this information era. It is just a matter of finding interested donor organizations.

EBSCO...........................................7 EOS International...........................4 Factiva .........................................12 Global Securities Information, Inc...8

▲ For member associations such as ours, fundraising turns out to be very much a local effort. For example, Houston-based companies with established gift-giving programs are much more likely to donate funds to local Houston-based activities (i.e., chapters) rather than to a parent association based elsewhere. The same principle applies to corporate donors in every large city.

InfoCurrent.....................................3 Prenax..........................................14 Pro Libra ........................................7 Wontawk......................................11 ChapterNews

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(Letter continued from page 1)

ChapterNews New York Chapter Special Libraries Association Spring Vol. 77, No. 1

▲ The crux of the problem, however, is communicating what we do in a way that donor organizations would respond to. The fundraising world has a language of its own, a language we don’t yet know how to speak. We need to create a Case for Support to explain what we do, and a Strategic Plan for Fundraising to explain what we would use donated money for. Without these documents, we couldn’t even get in the door to ask for money from corporate donors.

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE ChapterNews, the bulletin of the New York Chapter of the Special Libraries Association, is published four times a year.

▲ We need professional help to create these documents and to guide us through the fundraising process. Once the documents are completed, they will provide a template for fundraising in every large-city chapter! The fundraising process works pretty much the same in every major city, with corporate donors requiring the same kinds of documentation from recipients. Therefore, the benefits of creating these fundraising documents in New York would extend throughout the association, providing money at the local level.

Deadlines for submitting materials:

Fall issue Winter issue Spring issue Summer issue

September 24 December 15 March 15 May 14

Submit all material to:

Jennifer Kellerman ChapterNews Editor E-mail: [email protected]

▲ We need to find donors who will fund significant student scholarships and cutting-edge programs in every major city. Imagine how this could further enhance our perception in the public eye and our standing as an Association.

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.

Needless to say, this was very exciting to us! We felt that we could be on the verge of doing something really significant for our chapter and for many other chapters in the Association. The New York Board approved funds to hire the consultant, but they were insufficient. We were hopeful that the Association would look favorably on this effort and assist with the funding. On behalf of the New York chapter, I submitted an application for an Endowment Grant from the Association in the amount of $20,000. In November, we learned that we had been turned down for the grant.

ADVERTISING inquiries should be addressed to:

Nancy Bowles 235 East 22nd Street, Apt 9L New York, NY 10010 Telephone: (212) 679-7088 or E-mail: [email protected]

Needless to say, the Board is extremely disappointed. The idea still seems to make so much sense to everyone, so I remain hopeful that there is a solution. One of the reasons we were turned down is that the amount of money we asked for was large, relative to the total amount of available funds from headquarters. But perhaps Chapters can collaborate on this mutually beneficial project? I look forward to this possibility. This is the next plan for our fundraising project. I hope to report positive results to you soon.

DESIGN & LAYOUT:

Gatta Design & Company, Inc. For inquiries call (212) 229-0071 or 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.

See you at our next Chapter program! Tom Pelizzi is a Principal at InfoSpace Consultants, where he has been a special library consultant and library designer for more than 17 years. Inquiries about this article should be addressed to [email protected].

CHAPTERNEWS STAFF Director of Publications ChapterNews Editor Advertising Manager Webmaster ChapterNews

Mike Gruenberg Jennifer Kellerman Nancy Bowles Michael Rivas 2

Vol. 77, #1 Spring 2005

Message From The Director of Publications

YOUR SOURCE FOR SKILLED INFORMATION NAVIGATORS • The premier source for

Hooray For Spring

high-caliber library & information management

By Mike Gruenberg

professionals • Executive search & direct hire placements nationwide • Temporary & temp-to-hire

n the summer of 1966, my friend Bobby and I traveled across the United States in his MGB. It certainly seemed like a good idea for two college kids to drive to California. We left New York on a Saturday evening and arrived approximately a week later in San Francisco no worse for wear and tear but thoroughly exhausted upon arrival. Thus began my love of travel and my fascination with sports cars. As a result of that trip, I decided to learn about sports cars and did everything possible to gather literature and consume facts about them.

I

assignments • Competitive candidate benefits & training programs

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New York City Metro area: 212-642-4321 [email protected] Washington, DC Metro area: 202-775-1890

In those years, students were politically active in growing numbers. Whatever your beliefs, you usually attended campus meetings to uplift your fellow followers and do everything possible to influence others on your point of view. One of the ways to show your belief and influence others at the same time was to wear a pin proclaiming your views. The easiest pins to obtain were for the politicians. I remember my JFK/LBJ pin and, of course, the McGovern for President pins. Campus bookstores, record shops, political rallies all had an appropriate pin to champion their cause.

[email protected] www.infocurrent.com

much like Spring. This project has been near and dear to me because I took on the responsibility of updating our site when I became Director of Publications almost two years ago. The Board has been incredibly supportive of this work and was an integral part of the process. I was also lucky enough to have Michael Rivas join us as webmaster. Between our ideas and having Michael translate those ideas into reality, we came up with a look to the site that is second to none. Thank you to all who contributed to this project.

Occasionally, the amount of pins produced exceeded the number of people who were willing to wear them. Therefore, the more striking or larger or humorous the pin, the better the chance it had of being worn. It became a marketing exercise as to how to reach the most people to wear your pin.

Another reason to be proud of our chapter is the election of Agnes Mattis as Division Cabinet Chair-Elect. No person I know works harder for the membership than Agnes. One of the reasons I accepted the position of Director of Publications was because of her. I knew that whatever work I did, she would probably do more and that I could learn from her. She has been my friend and mentor for many years. I am grateful for all she has done to educate me, but more so for what she has done to further the organization on both a local and national level. I therefore decided that I should produce a pin about Agnes. I came up with “HOORAY for AGNES.” After all these years, this pin fits my parameters. It makes me smile, only a few, select people will know what it means and it acknowledges a wonderful lady.

After supporting a number of political candidates over my high school and college years, I decided in the last year of college, I would only wear humorous pins that primarily made sense to me. I searched for the pins that would gratify me, make me smile and perhaps produce a message that only I could understand. I finally found a pin that fit the above mentioned parameters. It was beige, larger than most other pins, had a branch with little buds coming out of it to herald the new season and a bird sitting on the branch with the message “HOORAY for SPRIMG.” Those clever ad people at MG (also my initials) developed a button that acknowledged Spring, touted their car in such a way that it wasn’t immediately transparent and gave me a button I could proudly wear. I thought that was very cool. So what does all this have to do with the NY Chapter? Aside from the emergence of Spring, we have a lot to shout about. This month, we have unveiled our new website. The design and colors are bright and cheerful, ChapterNews

Michael Gruenberg is Corporate Sales Manager at Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA). He can be reached at 516 5761575 and his e-mail is [email protected].

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The Results are in: Holiday Party Survey Revealed By Gwen Loeffler

More than 100 people responded to our Holiday Party Survey conducted between December 16-24, 2004. Highlights of the survey include: ▲ 60% of the respondents attended this year’s party at Planet Hollywood ▲ Nearly 50% attend the party most years ▲ Beer, wine and soft drinks beat out the full open bar option by only a small margin ▲ 70% indicated that hot and cold hors d’oeuvres were sufficient, but 23% would be interested in a full buffet with entrée(s) ▲ Music and entertainment is not as important for the majority of our members. Most indicated that quiet, background music is sufficient – or none at all ▲ 70% would NOT be willing to pay the full cost per person to attend the party

Only a few members recommended other possible venues for future parties. One of the main challenges in securing a space for the Chapter’s Annual Party is finding an affordable space that can accommodate 200-250 guests.

▲ Members seem evenly divided on who should be invited to the party with nearly 38% indicating they would like it to be a joint event with other NY-based library associations

In terms of what we could do to ensure that members attend the party next year, respondents suggested more notice of the date of the party; more and better quality food; less expensive ticket price; quiet venue; and schedule the event on a mid-week date.

Some of the most revealing aspects of the survey were in response to the open-ended questions. For example, as you might expect, the major factors affecting a member’s decision to attend the party were date, time, price and whether or not friends and colleagues would be attending.

Thank you to everyone who responded to the Holiday Party Survey! Your responses do matter and your opinions will be taken into account when planning future parties and events. Look for additional surveys on programs and events coming soon.

In response to question about what guests liked most and least about this year’s party and previous parties, factors like food, noise-level, size of space, seating, lighting and ambiance were at the top of the list. Of the recent venues in which we have hosted the holiday party, the Museum of Art & Design and The Manhattan Penthouse rated the highest.

ChapterNews

Gwen Loeffler is Senior Research Specialist at the global advertising and marketing network Young & Rubicam Brands, and President-Elect of the New York Chapter of SLA. She can be reached at [email protected] or 212-210-3986.

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Vol. 77, #1 Spring 2005

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CHAPTER ANNOUNCEMENTS CHAPTER ANNOUNCEMENTS Kevin Manion on the Frontlines Beginning in the next (Summer) issue of ChapterNews, Kevin Manion will contribute a column called “Frontlines.” The column will deal with a different topic each issue and detail the stories, experiences and successes of New York Chapter members. Membership in a professional association like SLA is an important part of career development. By compiling and sharing these stories, Kevin hopes to raise awareness of the value of membership and to promote communication and professional networking.

In Memoriam... Frances Elisabeth McMeen Former Personnel Consultant, Theresa M. Burke Employment Agency Frances McMeen died on February 3, 2005, after several

months of failing health. A graduate of Penn State University, she received her Master’s Degree in Library Science in 1965 from the University of Pittsburgh. Frances worked as a Consultant at the Burke Agency from 1972 until 1991, specializing in the placement of Library Personnel in Special Libraries.

The first topic Kevin will cover is how seeking advice/ input/guidance from colleagues in the information services profession helped solve a problem in your operation. Share your experiences with Kevin by emailing him at [email protected] or phoning him at 914-378-2263.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Endowment Fund of the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew, 263 W. 86th St., NY, NY 10024.

Welcome to the New York Chapter

— See article on page 7.

Sarah Warner, Membership Chair We would like to welcome the following new members to the New York Chapter. We look forward to meeting you at our chapter events!

Members on the Move… Michael Gruenberg has taken a position with Cambridge

Scientific Abstracts (CSA) as Corporate Sales Manager. CSA is part of the Cambridge Information Group based in Bethesda, Maryland. Michael’s role will be to oversee the sales of CSA's products to the corporate community. He can be reached at 516 576-1575 and his e-mail is [email protected].

Ted Baldwin Debbie Bard

Patsy Lee

Tina Chrismore

Soeun Nam

Janine Devereaux Robin Dodge

Barbara Oliver

Beth Eisman Damian Hayden Howard Hill

And the winner is…..

John Miller

Susanne Pichler Ludmilla Pollock Jason Powell

JaNae Kinikin

Congratulations to Agnes Mattis, who was elected Division Cabinet Chair-Elect. She, along with the other newlyelected board members, will be installed to the SLA Board of Directors at the 2005 Annual Conference in Toronto. Carol Ginsburg will be inducted into the SLA Hall of Fame

at the 2005 Annual Conference in Toronto. Congratulations, Carol!

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In Memoriam...

Frances Elisabeth McMeen Former Personnel Consultant, Theresa M. Burke Employment Agency

Frances McMeen died on February 3, 2005, after several

months of failing health. A graduate of Penn State University, she received her Master’s Degree in Library Science in 1965 from the University of Pittsburgh. Frances worked as a Consultant at the Burke Agency from 1972 until 1991, specializing in the placement of Library Personnel in Special Libraries. Her clients included a wide variety of corporations and law firms. She was a person of diverse careers, talents and interests. In addition to her work as an employment counselor, she held librarian positions for major libraries and corporations, including the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore and NCR Corporation. She also served as an editor for information services, performed as an administrative assistant, and organized and compiled data for Goldman, Sachs & Co. An avid reader and lover of books, she had the reputation among friends and associates of being a “book detective,” with a rare ability to doggedly pursue and obtain information about beloved books — and frequently the books themselves in hidden and sometimes musty places. She had a special expertise in books written by the late British author Barbara Pym and was an active member of the international Barbara Pym Society. Ms. McMeen was an excellent writer and public speaker; she wrote a number of columns for Along the Juniata in the Daily News, and book reviews for various professional organizations. Her sense of humor stayed with her throughout her life. Her friends, co-workers and audiences for her talks and writings enjoyed her witty and perceptive observations on many subjects, including the joys and frustrations of daily life in New York City. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Endowment Fund of the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew, 263 W. 86th St., NY, NY 10024.

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ChapterNews

LEADING THE WAY IN SECURITIES RESEARCH

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Notes from the Archives:

and Philadelphia chapters. The New York Chapter, responsible for the entertainment program on Sunday night, put on a fashion and variety show covering the previous fifty years. It was a huge success, with 596 attendees squeezing into a room designed to hold 400. In honor of the association’s golden anniversary, it was decided to invite those retired members who had been active volunteers at the association or chapter/division level to attend free, thus waiving the $7 registration fee. This was also the first convention where Divisions asked to be allowed to use their conference allotment money for speaker expenses instead of flowers for the meeting rooms. The Board of Directors agreed to allow this change because Atlantic City was more difficult to get to than most of the earlier venues for the conventions and, therefore, speakers would incur higher travel costs. It seems quaint now to think about flower arrangements in all the meeting rooms at an SLA conference.

New York – Where SLA Comes to Work and Play By Ellen Miller

any of you took part in the SLA Annual Conference held in New York in 2003. I thought you might enjoy reading about some of the other conferences held here in the past. The earliest convention (as they were known then) was held in November 1909 and was presided over by John Cotton Dana, with forty members in attendance. There is limited information in the archives about the subsequent conventions in 1911, 1920, 1934, 1937 and 1943. However, starting in 1952, the archives are a treasure trove of details about convention planning.

M

In 1967, SLA came to New York again for a conference held at the Commodore Hotel, which was situated next to Grand Central Station where the Grand Hyatt now stands (this was before the construction of the Met Life, formerly Pan Am, building). Once again the conference committee analyzed a broad range of hotels and settled on the Commodore for its central location, ability to supply required meeting space, availability of dates and prices. Considering that it was fifteen years since the 1952 convention, the increase in costs was minimal, with rooms at $8.50 for singles and $13 for doubles. Meals were now $2.75 for breakfast, $4.00 for lunch and $6.00 for dinner.

Back in those days, the local chapters of SLA were entirely responsible for the arrangements of a conference in their locale. The conference committee handled not only program planning but also hotel selection. The committee in 1952 did an extensive comparison of six hotels in the city before settling on the Hotel Statler as the convention hotel. Lest we all think that spreadsheets were invented with the rise of the personal computer, there is a wonderful handwritten version of one in the archives showing the comparative features and costs of each hotel the committee contacted. One of the primary considerations in choosing a hotel was cost. This spreadsheet shows that single rooms were $5.50 and doubles were $9. Meal events came in at $2, $3, and $4 for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Overall, convention fees were quite reasonable, with registration at $1.50 per day or $5.00 for the entire five days.

The last conference where the local chapter was entirely responsible for program content was held in 1977. Ron Coplen, the conference chair, put together a five person team and I was fortunate enough to be asked to serve as secretary/treasurer. We no longer had to handle local arrangements for hotels and meals (thank goodness!) so we could concentrate our energies on program issues. This was the first conference to use the combined venues of the Hilton and the Sheraton to house both meetings and exhibits. Although prices were still modest by today’s standards (student attendance was particularly encouraged through a $5 registration fee), prices had escalated to the point that an awards luncheon was held for the first time in place of the traditional banquet.

Some of the other highlights of the 1952 convention were the Young Women’s program, aimed at newer librarians who were felt to have different educational interests and needs than the “old-timers.” There was some concern about the use of the designation “young women” but no one seems to have been able to come up with something better. This was also the first New York conference for which a restaurant guide was produced, a copy of which is in the archives. As always, social events were as much a part of the weekly activities as educational programs and the 1952 conference included a square dance (very New York, don’t you think?), a tour to the Cloisters and a boat ride around Manhattan.

Ellen Miller is a 32-year member of SLA, who twice served as President of the New York Chapter. She retired from J.P. Morgan in 1999 and now spends her time gardening, singing in her church choir and doing occasional consulting assignments. She was inducted into the SLA Hall of Fame in June 2004. She can be reached at [email protected].

1959 was the 50th anniversary of the Association and it was decided that the annual convention would be held in Atlantic City and co-hosted by the New York, New Jersey ChapterNews

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Our Evening with Malcolm Gladwell By Gwen Loeffler

Career Resources, Inc. DC On-Line, Inc.

M

ore than 200 Chapter members and their guests were on hand for “An Evening with Malcolm Gladwell” on Monday, January 31, 2005.

Each Chapter member was encouraged to invite a special guest to this event. That guest could be their CEO or President, CIO, CKO, their Director of Research or Business Development, their supervisor, a valued client or a potential student. David Man, the Chapter’s Arrangements Chair, and Kae Wells greeted everyone at the reception desk. The first 100 guests received a free copy of the January 2005 issue of Fast Company which featured a cover story on Malcolm Gladwell. Attendees had the opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues and visit with representatives from Factiva and First Research during the cocktail reception before the presentation. Anne Caputo, Barbara Burton, Judy Matolka and Yvonne Valenti of Factiva were available to provide information on Factiva’s new products and services. Bobby Martin, Lee Demby and David Buffaloe from First Research showed off their website to introduce members to the service. Both vendors conducted a raffle that evening. Kathleen Pritz of Skadden Arps won a $50 gift card to Starbucks from Factiva. Barbara Tanzer of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart received a 3-month free trial from First Research.

Additional thanks go to Ruth Kaplan and the staff at JP Morgan Chase for making sure all the details of the reception and presentation went smoothly. Our appreciation also goes to Gladwell’s publicist and everyone at Little, Brown and Company, for working with us to arrive at a mutually-convenient date for the event.

Tom Pellizzi, the Chapter’s president, welcomed every-

one to the event. I am delighted to say that I had the honor of introducing Malcolm Gladwell. During his presentation, Gladwell suggested ways that we can improve skills of ‘rapid cognition.’ He described situations in which having less information – what he refers to as a ‘thin slice’ of information – can lead to better, more effective decisions. Gladwell responded to questions and comments from the audience during a lively Q&A session following his presentation. Then it was back to the reception hall for a book signing where everyone had the opportunity to meet Gladwell one-on-one. Representatives from Posman Books in Grand Central were there selling copies of Gladwell’s new book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, which Gladwell personalized for each of our members.

And, of course, our very special thanks to Malcolm Gladwell for taking time out of his very busy three-week book tour to deliver such an entertaining, thought-provoking presentation on the subject of his new book, which reached #1 on The New York Times Non-Fiction Best-Sellers list only the day before his presentation. Gwen Loeffler is Senior Research Specialist at the global advertising and marketing network Young & Rubicam Brands, and president-elect of the New York Chapter of SLA. She can be reached at [email protected] or 212-210-3986.

Our thanks to Factiva and First Research for sponsoring this unique event.

ChapterNews

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A Winter Interlude By Gwen Loeffler

A few of us from the New York Chapter shoveled our way out of snowy Manhattan in January to attend SLA’s annual Leadership Summit in Tampa. Highlights included: ▲ Summit attendees had the opportunity to hear from the candidates for SLA’s Board. Pam Rollo, the New York Chapter’s Nomination Chair and SLA’s President-Elect, introduced each candidate. Candidates sketched out their ambitious goals for the association. Our own Past President, Agnes Mattis, gave a rousing presentation of her qualifications and vision for the position of Division Cabinet Chair-Elect – AND SHE WON! You can find out more about the newly elected Board of Directors-Elects at http://www.sla.org/ content/SLA/governance/bodsection/0405bodcand/ 0405bodelect.cfm. ▲ SLA President Ethel Salonen announced the first group of members inducted into the newly formed President’s Club. The Club recognizes individuals who have been influential in recruiting new members to the association. Congratulations to Chapter members Gretchen Hazlin, Charles Lowry, Kevin Manion and Frank O’Conner for being named to the 20042005 President’s Club. ▲ Janice LaChance, Executive Director of SLA, delivered an inspiring speech on the new initiatives at SLA Headquarters. You can read about the highlights in the Association’s Performance Review at http:// www.sla.org/ PDFs/PerformanceReview.pdf. She urged us all to maintain a positive, optimistic outlook and to approach every new challenge with inventive ideas and creative solutions.

After intensive days of meetings, presentations and workshops, we relaxed in the evenings, dining al fresco, and meeting new friends. The fun began on the first night during the “Meet and Greet” cocktail party in the hotel lobby bar. Thursday night, the Tampa Chapter arranged a private tour and reception at the Florida Aquarium. An elaborate reception on Friday night at the hotel brought the Summit to a close.

▲ In addition, Janice declared learning as “the centerpiece of the association.” The SLA Board will focus more on Professional Development activities in the coming year. One of the major initiatives is the establishment of SLA Online University where members can participate in online courses focusing on technology, management and other areas critical to our growth as information professionals. Read more about the SLA Online University at http://www.sla.org/content/ SLA/ pressroom/pressrelease/2004pressrelease/pr2429.cfm.

I can’t wait to see everyone at the annual conference in Toronto. I’ve already registered, started to add things to my online conference planner, and booked my room at the Conference Headquarters hotel the Fairmount Royal York. If you haven’t booked your room yet, I encourage you to do so as soon as possible – rooms are going fast.

ChapterNews

See you all at our Chapter events this Spring and in Toronto in June. Gwen Loeffler is Senior Research Specialist at the global advertising and marketing network Young & Rubicam Brands, and president-elect of the New York Chapter of SLA. She can be reached at [email protected] or 212-210-3986.

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{New York SLA Chapter :} THE FACT IS CLEAR:

FACTIVA SUPPORTS YOU.

Factiva is proud to continue its long standing support of the information professional community.

{

The fact is clear. For robust professional development and innovative products, you can rely on Factiva. Take advantage of content and e-learning tools just for information professionals — including selected professional meetings. Apply for the SLA Leadership or SLA-EIP Award, attend one of our Webinars, or visit FreePint, the global network of information researchers. Whether it’s taxonomies, end user search tools or targeted news for your intranet, Factiva delivers products you can use with confidence. Sign up today for Factiva’s monthly information professional e-mail newsletter at www.factiva.com/infopro.

© Copyright 2005 Dow Jones Reuters Business Interactive LLC (trading as Factiva). All rights reserved.

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On a rotating basis, senior researchers are assigned to work closely with interns. Researchers assign work, discuss resources and approaches and act as mentors and sounding boards for the intern. They also review all the intern’s research and analytical output and provide creative feedback to help interns hone their skills.

Internships:

A Win-Win Situation By Kevin Manion On a recent Monday morning, I turned on my computer, got a cup of coffee and sat down to catch up on some work.

This practical learning relationship is beneficial to the researcher, the intern, the department, the organization and ultimately to our profession as a whole. It is important for us to remember that we have a responsibility to help new professionals acquire the skills they need to make their way in today’s challenging job market.

I was greeted by an email from an intern we had hired last summer. Her message was filled with excitement. After a series of temporary jobs, she had just landed a plum permanent assignment as a knowledge manager in an international financial company. Her first week involved a trip to England to meet the European team. The email made my day!

Kevin Manion is Associate Director in the Strategic Planning and Information Services Department at Consumer Reports. He may be contacted at [email protected].

In the past year, the Strategic Planning and Information Services Department at Consumer Reports has created a dynamic and active intern program aimed at preparing the next generation of researchers and information managers. The program is designed to present students with real life work situations, teach them about relationships with clients and help them understand how a multifaceted information service operates.

The Internship Experience:

A Win-Win for Students and Hosts

As part of their work, interns are assigned a variety of projects ranging form straight-forward reference questions to more complex and in–depth research. Interns participate in meetings with clients and are responsible for the timely delivery of the work assigned to them. They provide input regarding the sources to be used and the final look and feel of a report. They also participate in staff meetings and are invited to contribute to brainstorming sessions. As the program continues to evolve, we have begun to include overviews of our archives and records management operations; interns also spend some time examining the issues involved in designing and maintaining a customer-focused intranet site.

By Dana Gordon The quality document manager for the library at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, an associate in the communications department at a unit of Johnson & Johnson, the librarian at the HealthCare Chaplaincy in New York. What do these folks have in common? They are talented members of our community who got their first taste of professional experience as interns in library settings. The library schools in our area offer internship or practicum experience. Students are discovering that, in today’s competitive job market, an internship can be one of the best ways to get ahead.

The department manager has oversight of the program and is responsible for outreach to library schools in a 100-mile radius of our Westchester Head Office and for interacting with other entities such as the SLA internship coordinator. The manager also participates, with a senior researcher, in a preliminary phone interview and a secondary on-site interview. Interns are selected based on a number of factors including attitude, willingness to learn and interest in the work of the organization. The best interns have come to interviews prepared as they would if they were applying for a job. We have been impressed by the professionalism and work ethic of many of our interns.

The chapter sponsors an internship program where we try to match students with an appropriate host site. You can get more information on the program at http://www.sla.org/chapter/cny/internships.htm. Some considerations for host sites and students: For host sites: One of the biggest challenges in hosting

an intern is time. Many potential hosts believe that they do not have enough staff or time to train someone. It’s hard to imagine taking extra time to show someone the ropes in addition to our already heavy workloads. I urge you to consider hosting an intern. Today’s library school students are trained in the major online search services (Continues on page 14)

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semesters, and may be available for short terms projects during the January semester break. You should post your notice with the Chapter web site at least a month before the start of each semester. For students: It is important to treat the internship as you any other professional employment experience. When applying for an internship, be prepared to provide the most updated version of your resume, listing all relevant employment and experience. It is also helpful to list the library courses you have completed or will be taking during the semester. A brief cover letter sent as an e-mail to the prospective host is sufficient. Include an appropriate subject line for your message, such as “Application for Internship.” Don’t leave it blank! Unfortunately, many of us receive spam, and an e-mail from an unfamiliar address may be deleted or blocked by a spam filter.

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The person who will interview you for the internship is likely to ask why you have chosen their library for your internship. Even if you’re not sure you want to work permanently in the area of the host site, you must be prepared to show interest and enthusiasm for your host site and the industry of which they are a part. For example, I usually ask interns how they get their news. While it’s nice to hear that they read Newsweek, what I really want to see is that they follow the news in print, on TV or on the Web, and have an interest in world affairs. I don’t expect a prospective intern to know how to use all our databases--but you will be a better searcher if you are familiar with the issues in your host site’s industry. At a minimum, you should monitor the mailing lists and blogs related to your area of interest.

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and office software. If they are changing careers, they may have extensive workplace experience, which is a great plus. Interns can help with those projects that haven’t gotten off the ground due to lack of personnel.

The SLA divisions and other library professional associations all have e-mail lists that can get you up to speed, (and they’re a great way to get a peek at the kinds of reference questions we receive).

Interns are usually required by their school to work on a major project which the host and the student agree upon in advance. Once trained, they can work independently. This allows the host more time to work on other projects. Even if you are not able to fully train your intern on a task, allowing interns to be a “shadow” on projects can be an extremely valuable learning experience.

Due to shifting priorities in a busy library, interns may be assisting with cataloging one minute, indexing another, and then pitching in with reference questions. It may not always be so busy, but interns should be prepared to quickly shift between projects as directed by their supervisor.

Today’s interns may be part of the so-called “next-gen” librarians. They did not grow up in a book-oriented world and may have information-seeking behaviors that are different from what we are used to. I’ve watched my interns “work the web,” navigating in ways I never considered, and coming up with solutions I haven’t. The best part of hosting an intern is learning from their experience. Interns have introduced me to new web sites, shown me tips in MS-Office I’ll be forever grateful for, and dived into complex software packages I haven’t had the time to fully learn.

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As an intern you need to keep a positive attitude toward constant change and remember that the greater variety of experience you get, the better off you will be as a professional. You may be asked to do things that are different from how you would do them, but you need to respect the culture of your host site and follow your supervisor’s guidance for how things are done. Dana Gordon is the deputy director of the Newsweek Research Center, and the internship coordinator for the New York chapter. She can be reach at [email protected]. 14

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