May-June 2003 Volume 62 No. 5
President’s Corner: Thoughts on the End of the Year By Anne Caputo, DC/SLA President, anne.caputo@factiva.com Messages are flying back and forth between members of the DC/SLA Board and Committee chairs. We are considering all of the end of year business at hand: the Annual Business Meeting and Banquet, the recent DC/SLA election results, nominations for our two Chapter awards, attendance at the annual conference in New York in June, the coming vote on our new name, and thoughts about the announcement of a new SLA Executive Director. It’s a busy time of planning and looking forward to coming events. The end of the year is also a time to look back and rest, even a nanosecond, on the accomplishments of the past year, and what an amazing year we have had. In my ‘day job’ I am often asked to present professional development workshops for SLA chapters elsewhere. During these meetings I am invariably asked about what kind of programs and events DC/SLA provides. When I begin to tell them about what we do they are astonished at the range and diversity of our offerings, at the energy in our chapter and at the sheer quality of the programs and the number of chapter members who participate. Consider yourselves congratulated, all you organizers, volunteers, speakers, attendees, listeners and other participants. We have had a very, very good year. Just to name a few things,
http://www.sla.org/chapter/cdc
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Students/Young Professionals have sponsored happy hours, fund raisers, tours and programs. You are the envy of every chapter with your focus on getting people entering the profession involved and committed to SLA Book Club discussions have been held on topics as diverse as Peter Drucker and the Web of Deception. The John Philip Sousa Middle School has received donations of cash, books and unparalleled professional expertise from DC/SLA volunteers. Program topics covered taxonomy, teleworking, presentation skills, life planning, the new knowledge worker, selling the value of your information center and more. Dine Arounds covered twelve meetings in six neighborhoods to allow networking and small group discussions. Career Day and Spend a Day with a Special Librarian permitted new and prospective entrants into the SLA world to learn more and give us a whirl. Tours of the USA Today, US News & World Report, World & I and Folger Library expanded our understanding of how others work. The DC/SLA Board met 10 times with an average attendance of 18 per meeting and one grand planning session in the summer attracted 36 board and committee chairs. We are well on the way to completing a new edition of the Washington Area Library Directory, the first since 1996.
This is a grand list of accomplishments and, in the nanosecond we can look back and rest, I commend this list as one worthy of contemplation. In closing, I must thank Susan Fifer Canby for a spectacular assortment of programs and activities, Karen Huffman for her energy in organizing the Students/Young Professionals Group, Sue O’Neill Johnson for her unflagging energy and support of international issues, Barbie Keiser for stepping into big shoes and filling the role of International Relations Committee chair, Kristina Lively for our wonderful website, Frederik Heller for the accurate and helpful calendar of events, Cynthia Holt for the timely and entertaining Chapter Notes newsletter and the new DC/SLA Chapter Calendar, Barbara Folensbee-Moore for the excellent sites and meals at our meetings, John Latham for the insiders view of SLA headquarters and for his Employment Committee efforts, Alphonse Vinh for being the party and membership master he is, the incomparable Minters for their award nominations, Kelley Weber for her many efforts to manage the discussion list and to sell advertising for our publications, Eileen
Inside this issue: President’s Corner
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It’s Nifty Fifty for the 2 Military Librarians Division Putting All Your Eggs in One Basket
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Member News
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Futurists Nab NARA
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PayPal
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Teleworking—What Will It Mean?
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DC/SLA Professional Reading Book Club
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Intracity Librarian Scrabble 6 Championships Smithsonian Libraries Takes 7 Parisian Design Online One Dot Shopping
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Metadata Standards
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Special points of interest: •
Check out the new products and services from: Capcon Dialog InfoCurrent Library Associates PTFS, Inc.
Check us out on the Web http://www.sla.org/chapter/cdc/
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DC/SLA Chapter Notes | May-June 2003
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Special Libraries Association assumes no responsibility for the statements and opinions advanced by the contributors to SLA’s publications. Editorial views do not necessarily represent the official views of SLA. Acceptance of advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product by SLA. Subscriptions: Chapter Notes is free to DC/SLA members. Subscriptions to non-members are available at $10 per year. Advertising: Advertising rates effective September 1997 are: $95—1/4 page; $175—1/2 page; $290—full page. For information regarding advertisements, contact the DC/SLA Chapter Notes Business Manager: Kelley Weber, Surface Transportation Board Phone: 202-565-1668 Email: weberk@stb.dot.gov EDITOR’S NOTE: Friday, June 20th is the deadline for materials which can be included in the JulyAugust 2003 issue. The issue is distributed approximately three weeks after the deadline. The preferred submission format is a Word document sent via email.
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Deegan, editor extraordinaire of the library directory, Judy Grosberg for her care of the archives, Laura Hjerpe for making the Joint Spring Workshop a success, Dave Shumaker for his sage advice and for nominations, Estelle Alexander for the faithful tracking of our records, Bill Turner as the corresponding secretary and keeper of the mailbox, Susan R. Fournier for recording our discussions and providing impeccable minutes, Erin Clougherty for making sense of our treasury, and two absolutely excellent Directors, Kenlee Ray and Joan Gervino, who provided sound advice and direction in fundraising, liaising with other chapters and the myriad of duties small and large we asked them to perform. I’ve left some of you out in this list, but you know who you are and that you have helped in so many ways. We look forward to a new year beginning at the Annual Business Meeting and Banquet on May 20th, when new Chapter officers will be announced and Susan will begin her year as President. I have been honored to serve DC/SLA this year and to associate with such stellar companions. Thank you.
Materials for Chapter Notes should be sent to the Editor: Cynthia Holt The Gelman Library George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington, DC 20052 Phone: 202-994-1352 Email: holt@gwu.edu Event announcements should also be submitted electronically to the: Listserv Moderator: Kelley Weber, Surface Transportation Board Phone: 202-565-1668 Email: weberk@stb.dot.gov DC/SLA Internet Committee: Frederik Heller Phone: 202-383-1157 Email: fheller@realtors.org Send address changes for Chapter Notes to: SLA Headquarters ATTN: Address/Name Changes 1700 18th Street NW Washington, DC 20009-2508
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It's Nifty Fifty for the Military Librarians Division Subimtted by Sharon Lenius, sharon. lenius@ngbcio.ngb.army.mil
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oin the Military Librarians Division in celebrating 50 Years of partnership with SLA. The Division will be celebrating with,... what else, a Birthday Cake at the Annual Conference in NYC. Reserve 1 to 2 pm. in your very busy Conference schedule on Tuesday, June 10th for a Military-Style Cake Cutting Ceremony at the Hilton, Mercury Rotunda (3rd floor)! Stop by and sing Happy Birthday as we celebrate this 50th Anniversary. Other NYC-planned events include signs and placards outside one of the morning shows EARLY Monday morning. All are welcome to join us. Meet in the Hilton Lobby at 6:15 a.m. Or perhaps, join the group for a No Host Dinner at Fraunces Tavern Restaurant, the scene of General George Washington's famous "Farewell to the Troops" address at the close of the Revolutionary War. This is on Wednesday, June 11th, 2003. Free Bus leaves from the Hilton at 5:15 p.m. The cost for dinner is $45 per person. All are invited to these events to help with the celebration. Contact Sharon Lenius for additional information and reservations at sharon. lenius@ngbcio.ngb.army.mil.
Putting All Your Eggs in One Basket: How to Avoid Feeling Aggrieved by Aggregators Submitted by Irene Minich, minich. irene@ensco.com
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Who?
endors today are attempting to capture valuable library dollars by collecting or aggregating articles from journals into searchable databases and then charging considerable access fees. To their delight, users can have ready access to many full-text articles, right on their desktops. At the same time, some information centers fear this may be the final web-induced blow to their existence. What’s the real truth? Come hear local representatives from several aggregate producers tell us what’s new and what’s true about aggregator databases.
Sponsored by Interlibrary Users Association (IUA) of the Washington Metro Area
When? Thursday, May 29, 9 a.m. – 12 noon Where? ENSCO, Inc. 5400 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA, 22151 Cost?
Free to IUA Members $25 to non-members
Questions/ Irene Minich, ENSCO, RSVP? Inc., (703) 321-4604, minich.irene@ensco.com
DC/SLA Chapter Notes | May-June 2003
Member News
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eggy Garvin is editor of the 6th edition of Government Information on the Internet (Lanham, MD: Bernan), a reference book with a companion online database. Originally edited by Greg Notess, the book is an extensive directory and guide for U.S. federal government information on the Web and is designed specifically for librarians and researchers. The book and database also include information on state, local, and international Web sites. For the current edition, Peggy has revised the subject and author indexing, written a section on tracking changes related to the Homeland Security reorganization, and added a new “Bookmarks and Favorites” feature highlighting essential Web sites for researchers. The North Carolina Chapter of SLA had it's annual Awards banquet on Thursday, April 3rd and DC Chapter member Richard Huffine was their keynote speaker. Richard is the National Library Network
Manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and spoke to the NCSLA about some of the challenges and opportunities he finds in coordinating library services for the Agency. The NCSLA Banquet was held at the EPA facilities in Research Triangle Park, NC, and featured tours of the new facility, its library, and the state of the art scientific labs that support research activities within the EPA. Robert Cagna will be one of the speakers at the “Winner's Circle of Web Sites" session at the SLA conference. The session will be on Wednesday, June 11th, at 2:00 p.m., and he'll be covering web sites related to social gerontology (issues related to older adults). Robert would love to see chapter members who are interested! Ronald A. Rader, M.L.S., is author of the second edition of BIOPHARMA: Biopharmaceutical Products in the U.S. Market, the only reference concerning
DC/SLA Chapter Notes | May-June 2003
biopharmaceutical products. The 654page book is published by the Biotechnology Information Institute (Rockville, MD; see http://www.biopharma.com/).
Welcome New Members! Submitted by Alphonse Vinh, avinh@npr.org Please welcome the following new members to the SLA/DC Chapter: Ronauld Clowney Barbara Conaty Katherine Faulkner Kimberly Ferguson Kineret Gable Melissa Goldman Michael Huff Emilie Krut Tricia Peavler Barbara Rosen
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DC/SLA Chapter Notes | May-June 2003
Futurists Nab NARA For NYC Submitted by Katherine Bertolucci, SLA Information Futurists Caucus Convener Dr. Kenneth Thibodeau, one of the major players in electronic records preservation, will speak at SLA's 2003 Conference in New York City, co-sponsored by the Information Futurists Caucus (KINF) and the Library Management Division. Dr. Thibodeau directs the Electronic Records Archives (ERA) of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). He will address SLA during the Future Directions track on Tuesday, June 10th at 3:30 p.m. An internationally recognized expert in electronic records, Ken Thibodeau taught at the University of Notre Dame and led records management programs for both the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. At NARA since 1988, he now heads NARA's effort to build "the archives of the future," preserving our nation's electronic records, from NASA photographs to White House email. Ken Thibodeau is a key player in
the development of effective new methods for preserving electronic records through generations of information technology. Digital preservation is becoming an important topic for SLA. First introduced to us by Stewart Brand in Minneapolis/1999, the Information Futurists and LMD followed up at San Antonio/2001 with Jeff Rothenberg of the Rand Corporation and his highly entertaining talk on preservation basics, "Digital Information Lasts Forever - Or Five Years, Whichever Comes First." The September 2002 Information Outlook featured an article on the digital preservation efforts at the Library of Congress, "Digital Preservation Looks Forward," by Amy Friedlander of the Council on Library and Information Resources. The momentum continues for New York City. Stewart Brand will again address SLA, this time as keynote for Tuesday's Future Directions track at 9:30 a.m. In an interview for the February 2003 Information Outlook, Brand stated
that one of his themes will be digital preservation. Dr. Kenneth Thibodeau follows in the afternoon with a program about the very exciting preservation projects at NARA/ERA. Be sure to attend both these important programs for the latest in digital preservation. You just might find the solution for your own preservation efforts. Plan to join the Information Futurists for two more great conference events. Get an early start on the Future Directions track by attending the always lively KINF business and networking meeting on Monday at 5:30 p.m. You'll also enjoy a program on wearable and mobile technology with members of the MIT Media Laboratory. KINF is cosponsoring this program with the Information Technology Division at 1:30 during Tuesday's Future Directions track. Be sure to attend all the Information Futurists' events for an exciting look at the emerging technological world.
PayPal Now Used to Accept Credit Card Payments Submitted byErin Clougherty, eclougherty@marketresearch.com DC/SLA is now using Paypal to accept credit card payments for events starting with this year’s Annual Business Meeting and Banquet. PayPal is an account-based system that lets anyone with an email address securely send and receive online payments using their credit card or bank account. PayPal accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express, thus expanding your payment options. First time PayPal users will need to set up a PayPal account. Instructions for paying by PayPal are found on the event’s webpage at: http://www.sla.org/chapter/cdc/events_files/banquet03.html Upon completion of payment, PayPal will email a receipt to both DC/SLA and yourself. PayPal payments are not refundable. If you have any questions about using PayPal, please contact DC SLA’s Treasurer, Erin Clougherty at eclougherty@marketresearch. com or (301) 468-3650 x208
DC/SLA Chapter Notes | May-June 2003
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Teleworking--What Will It Mean? The World of Virtual Work Submitted by Alison Ince, aince@ngs. org
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o you have the discipline to work at home without being distracted by piles of laundry or a sunny day outside? Does a work station in your living room mean you will be working 24 hours a day? Your company's Help Desk doesn't make house calls, so what happens if you have computer problems? Will your career be hurt if you lose "face time" in the halls and miss meetings? These were some of the issues raised by four speakers on the morning of April 22nd at "Teleworking--What Will It Mean? The World of Virtual Work." About 20 people attended the event at the Sumner School organized by librarian Maggie Turqman. Linda J. White from the Library of Congress described librarians' experience teleworking with the Library of Congress Ask A Librarian service that uses QuestionPoint, a digital reference management and networking tool developed by OCLC and the Library of Congress. Six reference librarians telework a maximum of two days a week from home. The librarians enjoy not having to deal with regular office interruptions and are glad to be able to offer reference service on snow days (since patrons in California may not be aware that DC is covered in snow and the government has closed). Some of the problems of teleworking reference include not having access to the book stacks and not being able to access all online databases from home. Monica Martinez, research analyst for the MITRE Corporation, provides research support to analysts in the critical infrastructure protection team. Three part-time employees and two full-time employees telework from Virginia to Massachusetts to write a daily 11 to 15 page newsletter summarizing major news stories from the open Internet for their clients. She appreciates the flexibility of her schedule when teleworking. She also discussed the importance of attending departmental meetings in the main office, having a back up plan in
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case servers go down, and having the technology infrastructure to support working from remote locations. Alex Kramer, principal of Kramer Research, an information based service specializing in private investigations, public records, film, literary, and media research, gave the audience insights on what it is like to work from a home-based office. She described the need for stamina and discipline when working at home and listed some of the rules she follows: up and dressed by 9, treat yourself to lunch out, no TV before 5, and leave the country once a year. She also mentioned the importance of reminding people you are there and suggested pushing information to clients through email, dropping off information in person to get face time, and staying active in professional organizations. Julie Arnold is coordinator of reference services at the Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Maryland and coordinator of virtual reference services at the UM Libraries. She discussed telework plans in effect at the University of Maryland for faculty librarians and issues surrounding the choice not to telecommute. She also brought up the topic of the “virtual customer� and some of the benefits and challenges of setting up a virtual reference service and doing it from home. She teleworks one day a week but says it can be difficult to leave work behind when you are so efficiently connected at home. The issue of how bibliographic instruction and knowledge navigation can be accomplished in a virtual reference world came up in the Q&A after her presentation.
DC/SLA Professional Reading Book Club Submitted by Iris Anderson, ianderson@imf.org
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he next meeting of the DC/ SLA Book Club is May 8, 2003, 6:30 pm. The book being discussed is "Web of Deception: Misinformation on the Internet," by Anne Mintz. This gathering will be hosted by Iris Anderson at the Joint World Bank-IMF Library, 700 19th St., NW (between G & H Sts.), Washington, DC. Please email Iris at ianderson@imf.org or leave a voice message at 202-623-6403 to RSVP. Names of attendees will be given in advance to the Front/Security Desk. Bring a photo ID to receive a visitors badge at the Front Desk. The meeting room is on the Concourse level, C-713, one level below the first floor. The closest Metro stop is Farragut West. Exit on the 18th Street side.
Intracity Librarian Scrabble Championships Submitted by Kate Martin, kmartin@mckennalong.com
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ime for the third installment of the Intracity Librarian Scrabble Championships! We've had an LLSDC Scrabble champ, then an SLA winner, now our challenge has been accepted by DCLA! Check your calendar for June 19th for a Scrabble Tournament and Game Night with local DCLA, SLA and LLSDC members from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at McKenna, Long & Aldridge LLP, 1900 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. (near the Farragut North and Farragut West Metro Stations). Enjoy free pizza and beer, play Scrabble, Big Boggle and Uno, plus learn other great games with your friends and colleagues. Advanced and beginner play; two-letter word lists available on request. Questions? Contact Kate Martin, (202)496-7752 or kmartin@mckennalong.com
DC/SLA Chapter Notes | May-June 2003
Smithsonian Libraries Takes Parisian Design Online: Unique Challenges of Digitizing a Library Collection Submitted by Kitty Scott, (202) 554-3928
(Retired).
Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2003 Time: 1:30 - 3 p.m. Location: TBA
Speaker(s): Stephen Van Dyk, Librarian, Cooper-Hewitt Museum; Martin Kalfatovic, Head, New Media Office, Smithsonian Institution.
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ocusing on the unique challenges of digitizing Le Gardemeuble, ancien et moderne (Furniture repository, ancient and modern), this program presents the first digital edition from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Library's collection to be made available on the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' Galaxy of Knowledge website. Reception to follow program and tour. Program will be held at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, 2 E. 91st St. KRET meeting following the tour.
Sponsored by: Basch Subscriptions, Inc. http://www.basch.com/ & DC/SLA
One Dot Shopping: An Update of the Best International Business Sites Submitted by Greta Ober-Beauchesne, greta@worldbank.org Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 Time: 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. Location: Marriott Hotel
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oin us for our third annual program, where expert searchers show you their favorite free wesbites for conducting international business research. This year's countries covered in depth are Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Learn about best sources for country information, NAFTA trade agreements and disputes, business and government, statistics and more. Moderator: Iris Anderson, Joint World Bank/IMF Library Speaker(s): Benita Vassallo, Inter-American Development Bank Greta Ober-Beauchesne, Joint Bank/ IMF Library Kerry Prendergast, NBC Information Center.
Moderator(s): Ann Shea, Librarian, California African American Museum Library; Frank Spaulding, Retired Members Caucus; and Catherine "Kitty" Scott, Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Metadata Standards: What's New & How Will They Impact Your Work Submitted by Suzanne Pilsk, PilskS@si. edu
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ll you metadata mistresses and misters, catalogers, information organizers (etc.) should take a look at the upcoming event at the SLA conference in NYC. Mark your planner now and check closer to the date for the location on the Committee for Cataloging webpage at http://www.sla.org/committee/ catalog1/index.html Date: Monday, June 09, 2003 Time: 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. Location: TBA As information technologies evolve, metadata standards have become widely accepted in organizing information resources of both print and non-print. The most noticeable standards activities include Metadata Encoding & Transmis-
sion Standards (METS) and METS’ extension schema Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS). METS schema is designed to encode descriptive, administrative, and structural metadata for objects within a digital library using the XML schema language. MODS is an extension of METS in the form of XML schema for descriptive metadata that uses MARC definitions, so is compatible with existing library bibliographic data. By using the new XML technologies, METS and its extension schemas are bridging AACR2 and MARC with the new technology to make it easier and more effective for the cataloging and management of information resources. Do you want to know how these standards will impact your work? Come to this session to find out more! Speakers: Overview of metadata standards: Marcia L. Zeng, Kent State University
DC/SLA Chapter Notes | May-June 2003
METS: Jerome McDonough, New York University MODS: Rebecca Guenther, Library of Congress
Sponsored by: Inmagic, Inc. & Technical Standards Committee, Committee on Cataloging, Division of Information Technology
All interested folks are encourage to attend our Committee on Cataloging Meeting Annual Buiness meeting: Monday, June 9th, 2003, 3:30 - 5:30 p. m. Location: TBA. Moderated by Jian Qin , School of Information Studies, Syracuse University. 7
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PTFS, Inc. DC/SLA Chapter Notes | May-June 2003