Monday, January 25, 2010

Another Stipend!

SCIENCE-TECHNOLOGY DIVISION

The S. Kirk Cabeen Travel Stipend Award is offered to a library school student or first time conference attendee. This $750 award is to be used toward expenses of attending the SLA Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA, USA June 13-16, 2010.

QUALIFICATIONS: Be a library school student or first time attendee; be a current member of SLA, preference going to Science-Technology Division members; if NOT a student, then must be attending his or her first SLA conference;

NOMINATIONS: Self-nominations are encouraged.

Send a typed and signed document including complete title, Library School and anticipated graduation date, employer, and all professional and personal contact information.

All nominations must also include the following:

A short essay (500 words or less) on the theme of the 2010 Annual Conference: “Entering SLA's Next Century: Let the Good Times Roll!” The essay should be double-spaced. Neatness, spelling and grammar will count in judging. Supporting documentation must include a current curriculum vita OR resume for the candidate, significant publications, supporting letters, etc.

Applications should also mention if you are currently applying for other SLA division awards.

DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS: March 1, 2010

Nominations and all accompanying materials should be sent to Sheila Rosenthal, Chair of the Sci-Tech Division Awards Committee, at the following email address: slr@sei.cmu.edu

POST AWARD REQUIREMENTS:
  1. Recipient (s) will write a brief article (approximately 1,000 words) on the conference experience for the November 2010 Sci-Tech News.
  2. Recipient (s) will be asked to serve on the Science-Technology Division Awards Committee in the following year to provide for the continuity and enthusiasm of the awards.

NOTIFICATION:
  1. Applicants will receive notification of award status by mid March 2010. The award checks will be sent to the recipient as soon as the receipts are received by the Awards Chairperson.
  2. The recipients’ names will be posted to the Science-Technology Division’s Web site
  3. The award will be announced and presented to the recipient at the Science-Technology Division’s Annual Business meeting/breakfast

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Professional Profile – Pam Casey, Ontario 211 Services Corporation

For the past four months, as she was just recently hired, Pam has held the position of “Data Initiatives Manager” at Ontario 211 Services Corporation. 211 is a service directed at people in somewhat dire circumstances, who find themselves in need of food, shelter, counselling, job services and/or other non-emergency, government and social service information. In essence, 211 provides human services data to people in need. Pam’s job requires her to establish relationships with data providers, for instance, libraries or governments, or the example she gave, HIP, Halton Information Provider. This service helps residents of Halton find the information they need to maintain general well being. Pam’s job requires her to connect with services like HIP so that 211 can forward their users to these resources.

Describe your educational background.

Pam has a background in social service work, for which she obtained a diploma from Mohawk College. While she very much enjoyed this career, when she married she moved to Montreal, and had to give up this work as she did not speak fluent French. Thus, she was inspired to pursue a new line of work and went to Sheridan College, where she obtained her library technician diploma. Pam is also a certified technical trainer, which is an accreditation from CompTIA (a computer trainer certification body).

Describe your first job as a librarian or information professional etc. and subsequent career path.

After leaving her career in social work, Pam found her first role in libraries at the Halton District School Board. Here, she worked in two different libraries, French emersion and Vocational. While she did enjoy this, she felt that she was working too much for too little compensation, and wanted to spend more time at home with her children. She thus chose to pursue a corporate library position and secured a job at GlaxoSmithKline, where she was required to work only three days a week, but was compensated more than when she worked full time at HDSB. At GSK, Pam was a business researcher, with this position changing into managing an offsite library. Eventually, Pam moved on to work for NPS Pharmaceuticals, where she worked as part of a team but was responsible for the library in Canada. Unfortunately, she was laid off from this position. Therefore, Pam decided to put more energy into her own business which she had been doing on the side for several years as a self described “hobby business.” Pam’s business is called Information Now and provides information management solutions to various companies. Although Pam’s attention is currently directed at 211, she is still committed to Information Now.

How did your information training and background prepare you for the job you now have?
Pam stated that her prior work experiences were mainly in data positions, which helped to expand her knowledge about data and information management. Her experiences and training have also helped her to learn a lot about taxonomy and information architecture, which helped her to secure her current job at 211. This employer was also impressed that Pam had a social work background, as 211 is in the market of helping those in need, which Pam had extensive experience with.

Further, Pam emphasized that she regularly updates her experience by taking classes and courses that teach her more about data and information organization, while keeping her knowledge updated. She is also an active member of the SLA; in 2009 she was voted Member of the Year. It is this networking and self promotion that has helped Pam obtain the job she now holds at 211.

What advice would you give someone who is currently doing his or her Master in Information?

“Think outside of the box!” Pam stressed that current Master of Information students should not have such a narrow focus when it comes to finding a job; there is so much competition for traditional library jobs. Instead, they should analyze what kinds of skills they have gained from their education and focus on making these skills applicable to various arenas in the world of work. In Pam’s case, she marketed her skills to the corporate and pharmaceutical world.

What skills and experience should they be building up at this point, if they would like to work in this specific field?

Pam said that if one was looking to work specifically for 211 in her position, they would need to have very up to date taxonomy knowledge, as well as knowledge about human services information. Moreover, Pam stressed the importance of having some knowledge of how government politics work, as she said that her job required her to be in contact with many government agencies. She was also required to learn how to draft contracts and agreements, something she had never had experience doing before.

Any general advice for new information professionals?

“Don’t sell yourself short.” Pam stressed the importance of being up to speed in all areas of the information profession; one should have current knowledge and up to date skills. Further, Pam emphasized how crucial it is to learn how to properly “sell yourself.” She suggested that new information professionals should use all social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn (Pam uses all of them!), to build their advantage. She stressed the importance of networking, and mentioned that this was made even more possible by joining such groups as the SLA. Pam suggested that everyone should learn how to market themselves and the skills they have; just because one has a library degree does not mean that their skills are not applicable to another field.

What helpful lessons did you learn early in your career? Do any of them still apply today?

Pam expressed that her biggest mistake, career wise, was not getting her degree. While she has two college diplomas, she stated that she did not get many jobs she applied for, as employers only wanted to hire those who had a MLIS or MIS after their name. While she was completely capable of performing all the jobs she applied for, many times she did not even receive a call back as she did not have a MLIS, or similar degree. Therefore, according to Pam, the best thing one can do to further their career is obtain a degree, of any kind, as this really acts as a stepping stone to many jobs and careers.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Marketing your Skills Event

If you have ever thought about working in a non-traditional library setting or wondered where your skill set can take you in the future, our panel of Information Professionals can help answer some of these questions!

Find out more about the different types of alternative careers and how your library and information science skills can be marketed for non-traditional position – or even in generating a new role within an organization.

Join us:
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2010
CLAUDE T. BISSELL BUILDING
ROOM 728
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM


Get Advice. Ask Questions.
Think outside the box.


Panel speakers include:


Daniel Lee - Research Librarian for Navigator Ltd.
Since 2002, Daniel has worked as a Research Librarian for Navigator Ltd., a research-based communications and strategic counsel firm in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to joining Navigator, Daniel was responsible for managing web-based content at CIPS, Canada's leading association for information technology professionals. Prior to CIPS, Daniel provided information services to the marketing and communications department of an e-learning company in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since moving to Toronto in 2001, Daniel has been actively involved in the Toronto Chapter of SLA, serving as President in 2008. He is currently serving as Director (2009 - 2012) on the SLA Board of Directors. Daniel graduated from Dalhousie University's MLIS program in 2001. He also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Portuguese from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.


Heather Wilson - Research Specialist, InfoSolutions at Rotman
Heather Wilson is a research specialist with InfoSolutions, the fee-based research service of the Business Information Centre, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Before joining U of T in 2006, Heather was primarily responsible for IntelliSearch, the fee-based research department of the Toronto Public Library. Heather began her professional career in special libraries, managing the resource centre for Resource Integration Systems, Ltd., an environmental consulting firm specializing in recycling and waste management issues. Prior to receiving her MLS from the then Faculty of Library and Information Science at U of T, Heather worked at the Ontario Legislative Library, the former Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library and the Northern District, Runnymede and Wychwood branches of the former Toronto Public Library system. Heather has also been actually involved in the Special Libraries Association. She served as the Toronto Chapter President in 2000-2001 as well as the positions of director, secretary, and programming. She also managed the local information booth for the Special Libraries Association annual conference held in Toronto in 2005.


Rani Pooran - Manager, Knowledge Services, KPMG
After graduating from the Faculty of Information, Rani has primarily worked in the UK, US, and Canada with leadership in the accounting industry to operationalize knowledge strategy. She is presently employed as a Manager, Knowledge Services, at KPMG. Rani also focuses on diversity issues from both a societal and organizational perspective. In this capacity, she is participating in a Diversity Reciprocal Mentoring program at KPMG, has worked as a volunteer mentor with the Toronto Regional Immigrant Employment Council and is past member of the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Committee. Most recently, Rani launched her Diversity Spotting blog focused and is part of the board for Canada on Campus. Rani belongs to the Rotman Women in Business Initiative and is a graduate of the Rotman Emerging Leaders Program. Rani holds a BA Hon. (University of Toronto), MSc., International & European Politics (Edinburgh University), and MISt. Information Studies (University of Toronto).


Ulla de Stricker - President, de Stricker Associates
Founder and President of de Stricker Associates, a consulting business which serves a variety of clients by addressing challenges in intellectual capital, corporate memory, business and scientific intelligence, library services, and communication. She is also an accomplished public speaker and writer, having penned Business Cases for Info Pros: Here's Why, Here's How (2008), and Is Consulting For You? A Primer for Information Professionals (2008).

Juanita Richardson - Business Development Consultant, Cedrom-SNI
Juanita is a Toronto-based Business Development Consultant for CEDROM-SNi – a leading Canadian information services and solutions provider – and is Principal of Richardson Jalakas & Associates – an information strategy company which she founded in 1998. Prior to starting her own business, Juanita worked on both sides of the information industry: she was the Manager of Licensing, Product Strategy and Client Services with Infomart Dialog and, before “crossing the street”, was the Manager of the Business Information Centre in the Toronto Office of Deloitte & Touche and previously held positions in the Research Departments of CIBC Wood Gundy and ScotiaMcLeod. Her past clients have included corporations interested in implementing knowledge initiatives as well as information service companies interested in new content and marketing opportunities. Juanita holds a Master of Library and Information Studies from McGill University as well as a Master of Business Administration from Athabasca University. She has served on the Board of Directors of SLA and is also an active member of the Canadian Library Association, currently serving as President-Elect for CASLIS. She has spoken at various information industry conferences and has published articles in industry magazines.


Mari-Beth Slade - Risk Management Specialist, Deloitte
After earning an MLIS and MBA at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Mari-Beth moved to Toronto where she began her career in Financial Services, working as a research intern for consecutive summers at CIBC and RBC. From there Mari-Beth moved into the Professional Services sector with a role as Telecommunications Research Specialist at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Currently, she is employed in a non-traditional-library role at Deloitte. As Risk Management Specialist, Mari-Beth’s daily tasks include securities research, database management and dealing with independence issues to ensure Deloitte complies with regulatory standards. From 2007-2009, Mari-Beth was Advertising Manager for the SLA Business & Finance Division Bulletin and is currently volunteering outside the library community.


Kim Silk - Data Librarian, Martin Prosperity Institute
Kimberly Silk has over fifteen years of digital media experience and is actively engaged in the interactive media, library and education industries. She is currently the Data Librarian at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think-tank at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Between 2001 and 2009 her consultancy, BrightSail, served a variety of clients including corporate, academic, government and non-profit organizations. Kim has a particular passion for digital collections and online communities. As a librarian, she prides herself on understanding how to provide the right information to the right audience at the right time, with a focus on providing a positive and rewarding user experience. Kim’s corporate experience includes several years at Rogers Media, most recently as Director, Strategic Internet Development. There, she collaborated with the New Media and Publishing divisions to develop Internet ventures from concept to market. Prior to joining Rogers, she was Webmaster for Discovery Channel Canada, the first Canadian specialty channel to launch an interactive online component. Kim is actively involved in several professional associations; she is President of the Faculty of Information Alumni Association for 2009-2011, serves as Marketing Coordinator for the Canadian Association of Special Libraries and Information Services (CASLIS), and is an Alignment Ambassador for SLA. Kim earned her M.L.S. (Library Science) from the University of Toronto, and a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Waterloo.

MORE Stipends for the 2010 SLA Annual Conference

As promised we have received more stipend awards to attend the 2010 SLA Annual Conference. Descriptions are listed below.

Pharmaceutical and Health Technology Division
The SLA's Division of Pharmaceutical and Health Technology would like to provide financial assistance to students interested in attending the2010 SLA Annual Meeting in New Orleans. An award stipend of up to $1,500 will be granted to a maximum of 3 qualified applicants.

Applications are due by Friday, February 12.
For more information about the application please visit: http://units.sla.org/division/dpht/division_info/awards-travwin.shtml

Joe Ann Clifton Student Award Submissions from the IT Division
The deadline for this award is quickly approaching. For more details visit the website listed below. As the winner, we will:


  • Reimburse your travel expenses, not to exceed $1,500, to attend the SLAAnnual Conference June 13-16, 2010 in New Orleans.
  • Recognize and present the winning paper at the Annual Business Meeting ofthe IT Division.
  • Publish the winning paper in b/ITe, the official Division newsletter.


Engineering Division
Inspec is sponsoring their annual award of a $1200.00 travel stipend for a library school student toward payment of expenses incurred while attending the annual Special Libraries Association conference, to be held in in New Orleans, LA, June 13-16, 2010. The Inspec Award will be given to the qualified student who submits the best essay of three or less double-spaced typed pages describing the following topic:
"Describe and propose the use of a web 2.0 technology to connect users with information in an engineering library."
Qualification for Entering the Award Competition: Be a student member of the Special Libraries Association.


Special Instructions:
1. Give your full name, address, telephone number, e mail address, and a statement, on one page, of your qualifications, as given above, for entering the award competition. Include the name of your library school.

2. Type your full name (without any additional personal information) at the top of each essay page. Double space the typing on all pages.

Deadline for Submission: February 9
Submit entries for the award to:
Bette Finn, SLA Engineering Division Awards Committee
Georgia Tech Library and Information Center
Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlanta, Georgia 30332 0900
Voicemail: (404) 894 1790, Fax: (404) 894 8190

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Professional Profile: Kim Silk - Martin Prosperity Institute

Kim Silk is the Data Librarian at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think-tank at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Kim’s position is unique from other library jobs at U of T. She deals with a very specific user group, which has allowed her to develop a subject specialty in a unique brand of economic geography. Kim works in a research environment that is based on creativity and problem solving, and performs research that will hopefully influence policy.

Kim noted that during job interviews she found herself spending a lot of time educating people on what an MLS is, and how being a librarian can go beyond the walls of a traditional library. Information professionals need to understand both the collection and the users and use this understanding to shape information to particular interests. To Kim, this is the core of information science and the essence of what information professionals do. Kim commented that “information is tofu – whatever you put with it changes its flavour”, and that it is important to look at what your collection is, who your users are, and how they are going to use it. When asked about courses she would recommend to aspiring information professionals, Kim noted that she thinks courses on classifying and organizing information are extremely useful.

Here are some further thoughts from Kim on her professional experience and her advice for aspiring professionals.

Describe your current position.
“This position is a unique combination of academic and “special” librarianship; in that I am a solo librarian who supports the research process here at the MPI. This includes a very wide range of initiatives including managing a data collection of over a terabyte, as well as a modest monograph collection. I am the liaison for a variety of ongoing projects with various external partners from the government and NGO communities. I take on the strategy and implementation for all of our technology (liaising with Rotman IT) and adopt new technologies that accelerate the research process and aid in distributing our research to an international academic and public audience.”


Describe your educational background.
“I have a BA in English Literature and a concentration in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo (1993). I earned my MLS from the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto in 1998.”



Describe your first job as a librarian or information professional etc. and subsequent career path.
“While attending the Faculty of Information part-time, I worked full-time at Discovery Channel Canada where I was their webmaster. During my studies and for the eight years following graduation, I worked in the digital media field, focusing on developing systems and web sites that were easy to use. Between 2001 and 2009 I was a sole proprietor who provided digital media consulting to a variety of clients including educational institutions and libraries, as well as clients who were not in the library industry. In June 2008 I began working at the MPI as a consultant to build, manage and maintain their data library, and I joined them as a staff member in March 2009. Now is the first time in my career that I have had the title “librarian”. I have always been proud to be a librarian, although I did not always market myself as such. Even without the title, I’ve found my MLS to be highly relevant to my work in digital media.”


How did your information training and background prepare you for the job you now have?
“Whether information is analog or digital, the foundations of organization remain the same. Another commonality is to always design systems from a user’s point of view. While I was studying at the iSchool, I was fortunate to be able to customize my courses to serve my interest in early Internet applications and ways of communicating. Another important skill is to be that “go-to” person for many things; I position myself to be as resourceful as I can so that my organization sees my value every single day. I think it’s really important to stretch yourself to gain new abilities so that you are seen as indispensible to your organization.”


What advice would you give someone who is currently doing his or her Master in Information?
“Don’t restrict yourself to your idea of what an information professional is. Be open to new definitions because the profession is changing rapidly and there are more and more opportunities for our skills. While some positions are fading away, many more are opening up. I encourage all information students to push themselves to consider organizations and environments that are new or foreign to them.”


What skills and experience should they be building up at this point, if they would like to work in this specific field?
“Technology skills are very important. For me, there is nothing more frustrating than hearing that an information professional is willingly ignorant of technology. Don’t fear it – embrace it! And it doesn’t mean you have to become a geek; rather, being the liaison and translator between your user group and your IT department is one of the most valuable roles we can play. Information professionals who refuse to adopt a basic understanding of how technology is changing our world should probably choose another profession.”

Any general advice for new information professionals?
“Try new things, and don’t restrict yourself to anyone’s definition of what it means to be an information professional. We are in an information and technology economy. The jobs of years ago are disappearing or are already gone – be prepared to create – and embrace – your own definition of information professional.”

What helpful lessons did you learn early in your career? Do any of them still apply today?
“Perseverance is very important in any career. Acknowledge that your career will evolve over time. Sometimes you will find yourself in a job that isn’t a good fit – but try to gain what you can from the experience while, at the same time, doing what you can to move to a better role. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. It’s a sad stereotype that information professionals don’t promote themselves as well as other professions. I encourage you to have pride in your skills and expertise, and don’t be afraid to be a part of the important conversations in your organization.”

Thursday, January 7, 2010

SLA Annual Conference Student Stipend

The Special Libraries Association Business & Finance Division is offering student stipend awards and professional grants to help cover expenses at the 2010 SLA Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA, June 13-16 2010. The Division will award student stipends and professional grants for a total of up to six $1,500 awards.

For information about this award go to: