Conference Grants!

Here is another exciting opportunity to attend the Annual SLA Conference!

SLA Toronto has again partnered with FPinfomart to offer the FPinfomart Student-to-Conference awards. With FPinfomart's generous support, two students will be chosen to receive grants of up to $1,500 to attend the SLA Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, from June 15-18, 2011.

"The Student-to-Conference Awards program is an effort to identify and encourage students who will make a difference in their profession," says Warren Cable, Vice President of FPinfomart. "FPinfomart is proud to participate this year and we remain committed to supporting the professional development of library and information science students as we recognize the importance of attending the conference," continued Cable.

Two students will be selected for these awards by the SLA Toronto Executive Board. Applicants must be willing to serve on the Executive or Advisory Board of the Toronto Chapter in 2011 or 2012."The SLA Annual Conference offers excellent opportunities for networking, continuing education and leadership development. The two students chosen for this award will benefit greatly from their experience in Philadelphia as they begin to transition into their professional careers. SLA Toronto is very appreciative of FPInfomart’s ongoing support of the Student-to-Conference awards and the development of information professionals,” says Jennifer Burns, SLA Toronto President.

Eligibility

· Applicants must currently be enrolled in an accredited library/information science program and be interested in a career in special librarianship

· The recipient may not accept a travel award for the 2011 conference from any other SLA division or chapter

· Recipients must be available to attend the FPInfomart Road Show in Toronto on Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Application Procedures

· Applicants must prepare a written statement of up to 500 words, in English, about what they hope to gain from the conference experience. These statements will be published in The Courier, SLA Toronto’s quarterly electronic newsletter.

· Applicants must provide a current resumé

· Applicants should submit these two documents, along with their address, telephone number, and email address no later than March 8, 2011 to Martha Foote, Chair, SLA Toronto Chapter Awards Committee, at mfoote@libraryco.ca

Good luck!

-ZC

Another Award...

Another award to bring your attention to:

2011 Joe Ann Clifton Student Award submission

Submissions are now being accepted for the SLA Information Technology Division’s 2011 Joe Ann Clifton Student Award. This award is intended to promote participation in the SLA Annual Conference by an exceptional library science student who has submitted an outstanding paper regarding the use of information technology.

This award provides up to $1,500 to the author to attend the 2011 SLA Annual Conference in order to be recognized at the Information Technology Division’s Business and Award meeting, and in order to present the paper. The winning paper will also be published in the Information Technology quarterly bulletin, b/ITe

In order to receive the award, the author is required to attend the conference and to be present at the division's Business and Award meeting to present the paper. If the paper has more than one author, the authors must split the award. (For example, if there are two authors and both are attending the conference, each author would receive $750.)

This monetary award is to be used to cover the following conference expenses:

- Conference registration (student rate)

- Ticket for the SLA Information Technology Business and Award meeting

- Travel (economy class 30-day advance purchase airfare or mileage cost calculated using the IRS standard business rate)

- Lodging (3 nights maximum)

The award does not cover any meals or other incidental expenses.

After attending the conference, the award winner must submit original receipts and required paperwork to the IT Division Treasurer in order to receive the award.

Submission Requirements: 

· The topic of the paper should pertain to the use of information technology. A paper which addresses a topic in a practical rather than a theoretical manner is preferred.

· Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited MLS or MIS program at the time of the award competition. Previous winners are not eligible for the award.

· Entries may be a paper which the applicant has written or is preparing for a class but has not been published. Only one paper per applicant will be accepted.

· IT reserves the right not to award the prize if it is the opinion of the judges that no submission is worthy of the award.

· IT will retain first publication rights of the winning paper.

Submission Deadline

The deadline for submission is Friday, March 18th 2011. E-mail your paper to Shawn Livingston, IT Membership and Awards Chair, at IT.Awards.SLA@gmail.com. Please include "SLA IT Student Award 2011" in the subject line.

E-mail is preferred (WORD or PDF), but entries may also be mailed to:

Shawn Livingston

William T. Young Library

University of Kentucky

500 South Limestone Street

Lexington, KY 40506-0456

(Phone) 859 257-0500 ext. 2113

IT.Awards.SLA@gmail.com

Good luck!

-ZC

Stipend Alert!

Thinking about attending the Annual SLA Conference? Here's another stipend! The deadline is fast approaching, so apply soon!

The Special Libraries Association Business & Finance Division is offering student stipend awards and professional grants to help cover expenses at the 2011 SLA Annual Conference in Philadelphia PA, June 12-15 2011. The Division will award student stipends and professional grants for a total of up to six $1,500 awards.

Deadline: March 1, 2011

For information about this award go to: http://units.sla.org/division/dbf/awards/

Job Hunting - Some Tips & Tricks

For many of us in second year, the job hunt is looming. While it is certainly a bit of a nerve-racking proposition, there are some tips that can make it a bit smoother.

While doing some reading, I came across this blog post, where the author doles out some pretty useful advice about the often dreaded job hunt. Some highlights:

• Make sure your resume is up-to-date well before you start your job search. Have someone, preferably with an objective eye (or even better, a mentor or supervisor!) look it over for you and edit accordingly
• Keep your resume on hand in both .DOC and .PDF formats
• Confirm your references and send them a small description of the job(s) you have applied for, along with a link to the posting, so that they may be able to speak more intelligently about your qualification for the role
• Consider building a digital portfolio/resume 

I feel the most useful piece of advice, however, is the suggestion that you create a spreadsheet to keep track of all the jobs you have applied for. As Lisa suggests:

"This will make it easier to see where you’ve applied, where you need to apply and when to do (if any) follow-ups. I have eight columns on mine in the following order: Company/Library, Position, Salary, Web Address, End Date, Resume Submit Date, Type, Status, Followup. Explanation of some of the ones I am using: Salary is to keep track of who is paying what (when mentioned), also helps me gauge what the market is currently paying out for certain types of jobs. Lots of positions are accepted via corporate HR sites and are assigned a position number – this include this as well in the Position field. Resume Type: Did I apply online, email it, fax it or what?"

Even better: she provides a template (second bullet point) so you can begin your very own job tracker spreadsheet! 

Good luck and happy job hunting!

-ZC

Why Get Involved?

If you've thought about getting involved with the SLA Student Group or the SLA Toronto Chapter but haven't yet- it's never too late!

The benefits of joining professional associations while a student are enormous: not only are the fees often lower, you also gain so many opportunities to meet current professionals working in the area, who are often an invaluable resource in your future job hunt. Moreover, professional associations keep you well connected and up-to-date about the ongoings of the profession in your local community. As one member from last year's student executive states: 

"The way that I found my current job was through more of a conventional application-based route. The networking emphasized throughout grad school wasn't as important in getting the job, but it certainly is important within the job and in expanding my contact base for the future. I learned a lot about networking by being involved in the SLA Student Chapter and gained a valuable group of contacts that I stay in touch with, some of whom work within my wider organization, and all of whom I can turn to for help. I continue to stay involved with SLA Toronto, volunteering for one of their committees, as well as attending their events. I find it to be a rewarding position that offers a different type of experience than I get at work. I've also found that it's valuable to maintain contact with fellow recent grads; while I navigate through work experiences post-school, it's been helpful to have others in a similar situation to talk to."

What better reasons could you need to get involved or join SLA today?! Particularly if you are a first year student, we would love to hear from you! Email slatsg@yahoo.ca to get in touch with the current executive about opportunities for the next school year!

-ZC