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January 2001 Volume 60, No. 5 Contents z
DC/SLA Neighborhood Dinners
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President’s Corner
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Of Historical Interest
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Members' News
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Data Presentation — A Guide to Good Graphics and Tables
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USAID Library to Hold Open House and Resources Fair
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CUA to Host Alumni Reception during ALA Midwinter Conference
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Military Librarians Present: "Conversations with Some Tuskegee Airmen"
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Mini-Minutes of the November DC/SLA Board Meeting
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Strategies for Professional Organizations to Attract and Retain New Members
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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. Chapter Notes is free to DC/SLA members. Subscriptions to non-members are available at $10 per year. Advertising rates effective September 1997 are: $95 - 1/4 page; $175 - 1/2 page; $290 - full page. Discounts are offered for both pre-payment and for purchasing ad space in five or more issues. For information regarding advertisements, Contact the DC/SLA Chapter Notes Business Manager: Mary Talley-Garcia, Axelroth & Associates, 2409 Dexter Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20902 301/424-5456; fax301/309-8992; tmgarcia@bellatlantic.net EDITORS’ NOTE: Friday, January 12 is the deadline for materials, which can be included in the February 2001 issue. The issue is distributed approximately three weeks after the deadline. The preferred submission format is ASCII text sent via e-mail. Materials for Chapter Notes should be sent to both of the editors:
Electronic Collections: Understanding Their Value to Users
Eileen Deegan, U.S. Department of State, 301 4th St., SW, Rm. 4 South, Washington, DC 20547; 202/619-4870; fax 202/6194879; cneditors@yahoo.com
Amy Pass, National Skill Standards Board, 1441 L Street, NW, Suite 9000, Washington, DC 20005; 202/254-8628; fax 202/254-8646; cneditors@yahoo.com
Event announcements should also be submitted electronically to the DC/SLA Internet Committee chairs: Greta D. Ober-Beauchesne, Joint Bank-Fund Library; 202/6236413; fax 202/623-6417; goberbeauchesne@imf.org or greta@worldbank.org
DC/SLA Neighborhood Dinners Join your fellow Chapter members for a convivial
Kristina Lively, National Endowment for Democracy; 202/293-0300; fax 202/2930258; kristina@ned.org
TUESDAY, FEB 20
WEDNESDAY, FEB 21
THURSDAY, FEB 22
FOGGY BOTTOM/GEORGETOWN, DC Blackie's House of Beef 1217 22nd St NW 6:00 p.m.
DUPONT CIRCLE, DC The Childe Harold 1610 20th Street NW 6:30 p.m. Metro: Dupont Circle Host: Catherine Kitchell,
RESTON, VA Clydes Reston Town Center 11905 Market St. 6:00 p.m. Host: Mandy Baldridge, InfoCurrent
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evening of dining and conversation at the restaurant of your choice, on the date most convenient for you. Each "dutch treat" Neighborhood Dinner has a different host, and takes place at one of seven diverse restaurants throughout the Washington, DC metro area. Come partake of this opportunity to network, meet new members, trade war stories, and, of course, eat very tasty food. Please contact the host directly at least one day in advance to make your reservation.
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Metro: Foggy Bottom Host: Nancy Minter, Urban Institute Library nminter@ui.urban.org 202-261-5534 BETHESDA, MD Thyme Square Cafe 4735 Bethesda Ave Metro: Bethesda 6:30 p.m. Host: David Shumaker, MITRE Corp dshumake@mitre.org 703-883-6947
mbaldridge@infocurrent.com 202-775-1890
BNA Library ckitchel@bna.com 202-452-4431 BALLSTON/CLARENDON, VA Flat Top Grill 4245 N. Fairfax Drive 6:30 p.m. Metro: Ballston Host: Daille Pettit, American Hotel and Motel Association Library dpettit@ahma.com 202-289-3192
WHEATON, MD Sabang Restaurant (Indonesian) 2504 Ennall Ave. (next to Blockbuster) 7:00 p.m. Metro: Wheaton Parking also available Host: Sue O'Neill Johnson, World Bank sjohnson3@worldbank.org 202-458-2833
PENTAGON CITY/ CRYSTAL CITY AREA, VA Mozarella's Cafe 2nd Mall level, near the escalator Fashion Center, Pentagon City S. Hayes Street 6:00 p.m. Metro: Pentagon City Host: Gail Kouril, RAND Library gkouril@rand.org 202-413-1100 x5333
Return to contents President’s Corner Follow the Money! (Part 1) By Dave Shumaker, DC/SLA President "Follow the money" is good advice whether you're an investigative journalist or a special librarian. Take our Chapter budget. What does it say about our priorities, and how might we alter it to better reflect our strategic goals? Let's take a look. Just the Facts Chart 1 shows the Chapter's major sources of income. The largest is the "Annual Allotment." This is a payment -- currently $12 per member -- that the Chapter receives from the Special Libraries Association, and it accounts for almost one third of total revenues. Other major sources, all around 20%, are corporate sponsorships, registration fees from Chapter meetings and workshops, and Chapter Notes advertising.
Chart 1
Chart 1
Chart 2 shows the Chapter's major categories of expenditure. As you
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can see, Chapter Notes is far and away the Chapter's largest expense. Meeting and program expenses come next, and outreach programs -- mostly scholarships -- are third. The Search for Meaning What does it all mean? Some striking inferences leap out from these two charts. The first has to do with Chapter Notes. It is expensive to produce. At current rates, advertising covers only about 50% of its costs, so we have to subsidize it heavily with revenue from other sources. On the other hand, it is also the most valued member service we provide. In that sense, we may well conclude that it's an effective use of our resources. The second inference has to do with meetings and programs. Next to Chapter Notes, these are our greatest expense. We try to break even on meetings, charging just enough to cover expenses over the course of the year. Our budget estimates indicate that we will fall a bit short.
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Chart 2
Chart 2
At 12%, outreach -- mostly scholarships -- is the next largest expense. It is funded in part by direct grants from InfoCurrent (formerly Telesec Corestaff) and partly by other income sources. On the income side, we shouldn't overlook the importance of corporate sponsorships. These funds make the difference between surplus and deficit in our budget. They can be unpredictable, though, which leads us to include a substantial reserve (11%) to cover the possibility of a shortfall. If we achieve our optimistic projections, these funds enable us to do things like lower the price of meetings, making them more affordable for members, or engage in more outreach, like awarding more scholarships or donating funds to the Global 2000 fellowships as we did last year. The Trail Ahead Next month I’ll discuss in greater detail how our budget reflects our priorities, and what changes we might consider for the future. But first I'd like to make two observations: 1. The budget doesn't take into account all kinds of nonmonetary contributions. For example, it doesn't include the costs of the Chapter e-mail distribution list or website, all of which are borne by the Association. This means that our budget doesn't always reflect the true cost of delivering a service. 2. For any expenditure category, a couple of key questions are: "Is the level of expenditure too high, too low or about right for the Chapter's priorities?" "Are we spending money in this category in the most effective way?" Don't miss next month's exciting installment of "Follow the Money!"
Return to contents Of Historical Interest In observance of DC/SLA's 60th anniversary, Chapter Notes will be republishing items of historical interest from the newsletter's past issues. This month, the Chapter Notes editors would like to share an item that discusses the volunteer work of librarians in support of post-War information needs. The article appeared in the January 1946 issue of Chapter Notes. Volunteers — Their War And Peace Projects Since the end of the war a decrease in United Nations Service Center Pool Volunteers has been noted
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and the number of our library volunteers has also decreased. For the most part the loss has been due to good reasons but in some cases "there was so much else to do"...which too often means a lack of interest now that the war has been won. There has also been a great increase in cancellations for particular evenings. Approximately 45 library volunteers have been bearing the work load in truly noble fashion and they deserve no end of credit. We have several new volunteers but we must recruit more help. Congress comes through every night with the out-of-town newspapers, but we need more current magazines. Visitors to the Center increase in numbers every day, every week, and every month. This increase is immediately reflected in demands made on our volunteer library. We must keep racks and stacks loaded with reading material, and the housekeeping, not only in United Nations Service Center, but also in Service Club No. 1, the Annex, and other duty stations must go on. This takes many hands to make our volunteer effort light. If you can spare several hours every two weeks, or if you have books, music, maps, magazines, newspapers, or other things we can use, please call me at RE 7500, ext. 2245. Thanks -Carol Wanner, Chairman War Activities Committee Return to contents Members’ News Mandy Baldridge, DC/SLA Second Vice President, announces that her employer, TeleSec/Corestaff, has changed its name to Infocurrent and has moved to the District. She has worked with the company for 19 years and is currently Branch Manager. Infocurrent’s new telephone number is (202) 775-1890. Use this column to tell the Chapter about your news! E-mail the editors at cneditors@yahoo.com. Return to contents Data Presentation — A Guide to Good Graphics and Tables ~New Location!!~ Quality data presentations ensure user understanding by taking advantage of how users already process information, reducing the number of thought processes required to understand the data, and breaking down fundamental obstacles to understanding. This workshop will cover when to use graphics and tables, using your data to determine the type of graphic or table, the elements of good graphics and tables, and achieving clarity in presentations. Based on the principles set forth by Tufte and Cleveland, this is a practical workshop to show participants how to improve their presentations of quantitative data. Since 1976, Ms. Zawitz has been a staff member of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. She is the creator and content manager of the BJS website (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs). She has been responsible for a wide variety of publications and presentations including the award-winning "Report to the Nation on Crime and Justice;" "Drugs, Crime and the Justice System: A National Report;" and "Highlights of 20 Years of Surveying Crime Victims." Recently, she co-wrote "Displaying Violent Crime Trends Using Estimates from the National Crime Victimization Survey," which includes new designs for displaying error in sample data, and "Homicide Trends in the United States," a website with more than 50 charts and tables. She advises the BJS staff on data presentation, and has given lectures and training sessions on the subject.
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This event is open to everyone and is free of charge. Please R.S.V.P. by January 22nd to Joyce McNeill at Joyce.McNeill@EY.com or (202)327-7582. When: Tuesday January 23, 2001; 7:00 p.m. Where: Ernst & Young LLP, 1225 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington D.C. 20036. Ernst & Young is located on Connecticut Ave, one block south of the Dupont Circle Metro Stop at the three-way intersection of Connecticut, 18 and N streets. Side street parking is available with no meter charge after 6:30 p.m. Return to contents USAID Library to Hold Open House and Resources Fair The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Library staff invites librarians attending the ALA Midwinter Conference, as well as DC-area information professionals, to an open house on Tuesday, January 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. USAID staff will provide demonstrations and tours of their library, which focuses on international development and economic assistance. Also taking place that morning at the USAID Library, is an International Development Information Resources Fair. Librarians from a variety of organizations including the International Center for Research on Women, International Foundation for Election Systems, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, National Endowment for Democracy, Peace Corps, UNEP-Infoterra/USA, Society for International Development DC Chapter, Development Information Workgroup, U.S. Institute of Peace, World Library Partnership, and World Resources will display their publications, demonstrate online resources and discuss their services. Come and learn how to access the extensive resources available from these many international development information providers. The Library, which is open to the public, is situated in the USAID Information Center on the mezzanine level of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. To reach this location either walk from the Washington Convention Center (ALA attendees), or take Metro to the Federal Triangle stop and exit directly into the Reagan Building. For additional information, please contact Gail Wadsworth at (202) 712-4464 or visit the USAID Library website at http://library.info.usaid.gov. Return to contents CUA to Host Alumni Reception during ALA Midwinter Conference The Catholic University of America’s School of Library & Information Science and Alumni Board are hosting an alumni reception at Washington DC’s historic Cosmos Club on Saturday, January 13 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. All CUA SLIS alumni are invited to attend this event which is taking place during the ALA Midwinter Conference in Washington. The Cosmos Club is located at 2121 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, in close proximity to the Dupont Circle Metro station. Refreshments will be served in the club’s New Members’ Room. For more information about the alumni reception and The Cosmos Club, please see the CUA SLIS website at http://slis.cua.edu/alum/alumni.htm. Return to contents Military Librarians Present: "Conversations with Some Tuskegee Airmen" The Military Librarians Group of DC/SLA requests your presence at a special evening program: "Conversations with Some Tuskegee Airmen." When: Wednesday, February 21 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Where: U.S. Naval Heritage Center, 701 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 123, Washington, DC. Metro: Archives/Navy Memorial stop. Also, parking garage is nearby.
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What: An evening honoring the bravery and tenacity of that group of World War II pilots and support staff known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Dr. Alan Gropman, historian and faculty member at the National Defense University, will moderate a panel of four retired U. S. Air Force officers who were among the Tuskegee airmen: COL Woody Crockett, COL Elmer Jones, COL Charles McGee and COL Harry Shepherd. Cost: $20. Price includes plentiful appetizers and desserts. For more information, call Sharon Lenius at 703 601-2709 or email her at leniussa@pmorcas-arng.ngb.army.mil. To sign up, mail your check to Military Librarians Group c/o Connie Wiley, 1002 Shaw Ct, Fredericksburg, VA 22405. Make checks payable to DC/SLA. The deadline for reservations is Monday, February 19, 2001. Return to contents Mini-Minutes of the November DC/SLA Board Meeting Highlights of the November 14 meeting conducted by DC/SLA President Dave Shumaker and held at the Urban Institute, include: The Awards Committee presented nominations for the Special Libraries Association's 2000-2001 Awards and Honors. The Board accepted and approved all of the nominations. A discussion was held to lower the price of the January professional development event "Electronic Collections - Understanding Their Value to Users" to $35 for members. The Board approved the nomination of Becky Milton as co-chair of the International Projects Committee. For the full minutes, please see the Chapter website at www.sla.org/chapter/cdc/. Return to contents Strategies for Professional Organizations to Attract and Retain New Members By Carolyn Birken Editor’s Note: Carolyn, a graduate student at Catholic University’s School of Library and Information Science, is the winner of the Chapter’s 2000 Student Membership Award. With Carolyn’s permission, we are reprinting her contest essay. In presenting this award to Carolyn at the DC/SLA holiday reception, President Dave Shumaker remarked that her essay contains a great deal of solid, practical advice. Let's face it, people want to know what is in it for them! The best strategy for attracting new members to a professional organization is to make it relevant to them, make them feel "invested in the process," and allow them to grow professionally. In essence, people want to feel that being a member of an organization enhances their professional life by adding a dimension of direct professional relevance and bonding. There is nothing like sharing "war stories" with fellow professionals who perform essentially the same job you do. The isolation of feeling "disconnected or unconnected" dissolves when you can open up to a fellow professional about some of the "downs" as well as the "ups" of your job. So, first make a person want to join by giving new members a forum to discuss their viewpoints and tell others in the profession why what they do "counts." Maybe new members could be invited to stand up and introduce themselves at their first meeting and talk about themselves. If they were willing -- I know I would be -- new members could wear "Hello I'm so and so and I'm a new member." Or, better yet, allow new members to wear "special" badges for the first year to identify them as new members, so that at each meeting they could be easily spotted and mentored by "older" members.
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For organizations, such as the Special Libraries Association, I propose something fairly radical. We don't just need to "attract" new members, but actually "engender or make new members!" By this I mean, there needs to be extensive outreach to young people still in high school and college. Establish a local Special Librarians Speakers' Bureau with willing special librarians available to speak at high school and college career days, or maybe computer professionals' luncheons, or local- or federalgovernment sponsored seminars. In essence, spread the "good word about special librarians" to as broad a base as possible, with particular emphasis on penetrating into the vast world of the "undecided" student population. In conclusion, you retain people by making them feel welcome, appreciated and valued. Diversity of interest, within a professional organization, should be exploited. There should be constant opportunities for willing members to speak on special topics at meetings, write columns in newsletters and learn new things. For me, I would join a new organization to: learn new things in my profession, network, share "war stories," feel professionally connected, help others, and be helped by others. Return to contents DC/SLA Presents Electronic Collections: Understanding Their Value to Users This seminar offers an overview of current developments in electronic collections and the challenges they present to publishers, aggregators and librarians. Featured speakers Judy Luther, President of Informed Strategies, and Denise Davis of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS), will explore how to assess usage and the value of electronic collections to users. They will also discuss the conclusions of the White Paper on Electronic Journal Usage Statistics written for the Council on Library and Information Resources. The program’s additional speakers will be announced at a later date. WHEN: Tuesday, January 16 3:00 p.m -- 6:00 p.m. WHERE: The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. The Editors Building 1729 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Between 17th and 18th Streets on H; Closest Metro Station: Farragut West PRICE: $35.00 for SLA/DCLA/LLSDC/ASIS members $17.50 Students and Retirees $52.50 Non-members Light refreshments will be provided. Following the program, attendees and speakers are invited to go out to dinner informally in the neighborhood. REGISTRATION FORM: Name: __________________________________________________ Organization: ____________________________________________ Phone:_____________________ Email:_______________________ Please send your completed registration form and check to: Barbara Folensbee-Moore Library
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Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP 1800 M Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 202-467-7131 bfolensbee-moore@morganlewis.com Please send your completed registration and check (made payable to DC/SLA) to Barbara Follensbee-Moore by January 12. Return to contents
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