SLA WIKIS FOR OPLS

1. SOLO Librarians Division, http://wiki.sla.org/display/SLADSOL/Welcome
It is new and there isn’t much there yet. Of course YOU can change that by adding content: resources that you think other solos would like to know about, for instance.
2. SLA Toronto Chapter Solos, http://wiki.sla.org/display/Toronto/Solo+Librarians
definitions, backgrounders (links to articles), links to other sites, survey results, and other resources. VERY useful!
3. Other SLA wikis can be found at http://wiki.sla.org/dashboard.action You will have to register, but it’s free. Subjects: 2009 Conference, 23 Things (Web 2.0), divisions and chapters, SLA Centennial, competencies, information ethics, new info pros, leadership, unconference (sharing ideas, events), wikis 101 and wiki sandbox (try wikis for yourself).

STEPHEN ABRAM’S VISION FOR SLA

“For the SLA Centennial, we’ve been asked to provide an essay on our perspective regarding where our profession has been, is and is headed—no small task.” So wrote Stephen Abram, current president of the Special Libraries Association. Here is just a short summary of his “wish list.”

1. Focus: If we want our profession to achieve something great, then we have to do it with laser-like focus.
2. Recognition: Let’s work on getting someone who values us to be a highly visible champion. [Almost ex-First Lady Laura Bush was a great disappointment in this area. Editor]
3. Confidence: We need to have the confidence of our convictions and take action—sustainable action.
4. Communicate: …to influence the people who matter—the ones who affect the hiring of librarians and information professionals, those ones who choose priorities, the ones who ascertain budgets…
5. Balance: Let’s balance all of the needs of every type of specialized librarianship. Our differences and small and our common needs are great.
6. Learning: Let’s learn anew. Let’s learn new modes of learning. Let’s create compelling content. Let’s collaborate on a whole new scale.
7. Trust and Respect: We need to ensure that we don’t devolve [our] critical thinking strength into random criticism.
8. Welcome: Let’s embrace new graduates and those new members in the first five years of their careers. Let’s invest time and effort in our LIS schools. …let’s welcome a wider range of information professionals from all around the world.
9. Risk: Our need is great; we won’t get to where we want and need to be without taking some calculated, more sizeable risks.
10. Commit: Commit to a future, a positive future, that you create—not one that just happens to you.

There’s lots more in his full post on the SLA Centennial website. If you care about SLA’s future, you should read the whole thing.

URL: http://www.sla.org/content/Events/centennial/visions/abram.cfm#abram

NEW FROM THE SLA INFORMATION CENTER

The Information Center Connections blog is up and running. Carolyn Sosnowski has put a lot of effort into it and it is really worth your reading and subscribing--I do. It's part of the larger family of Connections blogs (which evolved from our e-newsletters).

Also, the 2008 SLA Salary Survey was just released; new this year: a breakout chapter for CI/Business research There's a blog post with the details and a direct link to SLA site with more information, including summary data. Personally, I don't understand the salary survey. I don't know of anyone making these high salaries--I certainly never did.

URLs:
Info Center blog: http://slaconnections.typepad.com/info_center_blog/

All connections blogs: http://www.sla.org/connections/

Blog post about salary survey: http://slablogger.typepad.com/sla_blog/2008/11/2008-sla-salary.html

Salary survey summary data:http://www.sla.org/content/resources/research/salarysurveys/salsur2008/index.cfm

I'M LOOKING FOR REPORTERS FOR SLA CONFERENCE IN SEATTLE

Strange as it may seem, it's time to think about the June SLA Conference in Seattle. The preliminary program is out and, as usual, I am looking for people to report on sessions for The One-Person Library newsletter. I pay US$25 per session for 2-3 paragraphs on the session and its relevance for solos.
I assign reporters first come, first served, so volunteer now. (I will, of course, repeat this post again until I get all the sessions covered.)

Here are the sessions for which I need reporters.
Sunday, 15 June
5:00-7:00 pm
Opening general session, Dr. Vint Cerf

Monday, 16 June
7:00-8:30 am
Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget: Effective CI for the Small Guy
Selling Yourself and our Skills
9:00-10:30 am
Leadership: Building on Your Natural Abilities and Strengths
Working Globally
1:30-3:00 pm
The Next Information Revolution and Our Role as Revolutionaries
3:30-5:30 pm
Embedded Librarianship: Background and Overview

Tuesday, 17 June
7:00-8:30 am
Building Bridges, Creating Partnerships
9:00-11:00 am
All I Really Need to Know I Learned…in Library School?
The New Face of the Special Librarian: Lessons from Solos
11:00 am-12:30 pm
If Knew Then What I Know Now: Tales from the Dark Side
3:15-4:45 pm
Educating the Next Generation of Knowledge Managers: How Library Schools, I-Schools, and the Profession are Meeting the Challenge
Keeping Found Things Found

Wednesday, 18 June
8:00-9:30 am
Transformational Roles: Breaking Rules

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS FOR SLA 2007 ANNOUNCED

Former US VP Al Gore will open the Special Libraries Association 2007 Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado. There will also be an all-conference program with Clifford Lynch (Coalition for Networked Information), Tom Hogan, Sr. (Information Today, Inc.—one of my publishers), Eugenie Prime (formerly at Hewlett Packard’s library), and Stephen Abram (VP, Innovation, SirsiDynix and President-elect of SLA)—that should be good! On a lighter note, Dilbert’s creator, Scott Adams, will be the closing keynoter. An interesting mix—I can’t wait—see you there.