Evening Reception on November 17th at the Hampton Inn
Call for Proposals
Submit to www.utm.edu/wtts

Southern Expressions 2009 poster

http://library.utmem.edu/scmla09
October 28—November 1, 2009

Come join us in Memphis for the Southern Chapter annual conference! We will have everything ready for a supportive and beneficial connection with colleagues and friends.

Two speakers will talk about information technology and ways medical librarians can use it to professionally enhance themselves and their libraries. A third speaker will give some perspective on the role that Memphis has played in the history of health care.

We are also mindful of the hard economic times that have affected all of our institutions and organizations. Scott Plutchak will moderate a special panel of speakers from hospital, special, and university libraries on Surviving Hard Times. After short presentation by the panelists, listeners will be able to comment and ask questions about ways to promote themselves and their libraries when the importance of the library is challenged.

We’ll have continuing education classes, contributed papers, and a roundtable lunch to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to make the best use of the conference. There will be many chances to jam on the latest ideas and trends that are affecting our field.

The call for papers has gone out. If you have never presented a paper or a poster, this would be a great opportunity to get your feet wet. And even if you have, this is a great way to share your experience with other health care librarians.

If you can make it to only one conference this year, make it the Southern Chapter annual conference in Memphis!

The Mid-South Chapter’s annual Membership Meeting will be Thursday, January 24, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at the Grove Grill. The Grove Grill is at 4550 Poplar in the Laurelwood Shopping Center; it is on the north side of Laurelwood.

The lunch menu includes a variety of soups, salads, and sandwiches. Seafood is a specialty, and there is a new vegetable plate available. Go to http://www.thegrovegrill.com/ for details.

The Chapter will host prospective members. RSVP by January 21 to Donna Foster at Schering Plough (donna.foster@spcorp.com).

SLA’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE PLAYS HOST TO MORE THAN 5,000 INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS AT SLA 2007 IN DENVER

Largest Gathering of Librarians and Info Pros in North America Included Members from Six Continents
Alexandria, Virginia, USA, 18 June 2007 – Exhibition and attendance figures for the Special Libraries Association’s (SLA) annual conference and INFO-EXPO held in Denver, Colorado 3 – 6, June exceeded planners’ expectations and included, for the first time, SLA members from every chapter around the globe.
“Once again SLA delivered an amazing conference this year. Going by our attendance figures and the steady stream of glowing reviews and compliments from members and exhibitors, I think it is safe to say SLA 2007 was a smashing success,” said SLA Chief Executive Officer Janice R. Lachance. “The speakers and sessions in Denver were as inspiring as the mountains surrounding us while we were there! SLA will continue to build on the success of 2007 as we look toward 2008 in Seattle. Plans are already underway to deliver another gem of a conference in ‘The Emerald City’ next June.”
Final attendance figures for SLA 2007 totaled 5,047 individuals from around the globe representing 41 nations. Of that number, 813 participants were first-time SLA conference participants. SLA’s INFO-EXPO, the largest information and knowledge management exposition in North America, was sold out this year and featured 275 companies and organizations and 445 total booths. SLA welcomed 38 new exhibitors.

Flashback

SLA 2007 officially began on 3 June at the Colorado Convention Center with the Grand Opening of the INFO-EXPO exhibit hall. Later that evening, SLA’s 2007 Award Recipients were honored for their accomplishments in the information industry during the Opening General Session and Awards Ceremony.
The opening session culminated with a keynote address by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who called himself a “recovering politician” and delivered passionate and poignant remarks on the need for good decision-making based upon valid information and data. Speaking before a full room of some 4,000 information professionals Gore said, “What you’re doing (as info pros) is so crucial to the future of our country.”
Gore concluded his inspirational, and often humorous, presentation by urging audience members to become deeply involved in helping countries around the world with navigating matters of information access. He asked that they continue to participate with SLA in shaping sensible information policies involving the Internet, including issues of net neutrality and free access. Speaking about the future of information, Gore said America’s strength and competitiveness in the 21st century will depend largely upon a free flow of information that will ensure the best policy choices possible. At the conclusion of his talk, Gore received a standing ovation from the audience.

A game change…

Following a well received report from SLA Treasurer Sylvia James, the membership heard from SLA President Rebecca B. Vargha who told them, “Our profession is facing rapid change and the rate of change forces us to be nimble, sure-footed, and strategic… We have a great responsibility to the future of SLA and our profession.”

Vargha was followed at the podium by SLA CEO Lachance who delivered her annual State of the Association address. Lachance also talked about tremendous changes reshaping the information profession and announced that SLA is undertaking an extensive, research-based examination of the profession, and of SLA’s position in the evolving information economy.
“Working with a team of researchers, brand experts and futurists, we will seek to define what the profession will look like in the next ten, twenty, or thirty years…and what you will need from SLA to continue to be successful.” Lachance explained that SLA members would be informed and involved in the project, “Throughout this alignment process, we will encourage your input and ask your opinions. We will keep you up-to-date on our progress and consult with you at points along this path.”
The meeting concluded with each of the candidates for the 2008 SLA Board of Directors addressing the membership and sharing their views on leadership, the future of SLA and the direction of the profession. The candidates’ presentations will be available to the membership on the SLA Web site prior to the start of the election and voting in September of 2007.

Librarians Are HOT!

The Closing General Session keynote remarks by Scott Adams, the creator of the popular Dilbert cartoon strip, offered some comic relief for a standing room only crowd of attendees. After telling the audience how he became one of America’s most popular cartoonists, Adams shared a variety of Dilbert comic strips from over the years and explained the real-life situations that inspired them. During a question and answer session with attendees, Adams was asked why one of his Dilbert characters was romancing a librarian. His answer drew a thunderous round of applause. “That’s an easy answer,” Adams said, “Because librarians are hot!”

SLA 2008

Next year’s Annual Conference and INFO- EXPO will take place 15-18 June, 2008 in Seattle, Washington USA. The theme for the event will be ““Breaking Rules, Building Bridges” and feature a keynote address from Seth Godin, well known blogger and author of a number of books including Small is the Next Big, Purple Cow, and Unleashing the Ideavirus.

About SLA

The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves more than 11,000 members in 75 countries in the information profession, including corporate, academic, and government information specialists. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.sla.org.

• Donde viven los monstruos by Maurice Sendak
• How do I feel?/Como me siento? By Pamela Zagarenski (2 copies)
• Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats
• More More More, Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams
• Honey Baby Sugar Child by Alice Faye Duncan (3 copies)
• Goodnight Moon Board Book (Spanish ed.): Buenas noches, Luna by Margaret Wise Brown
• The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster
• A is for Airplane/A es para Avion by Theresa Howell (2 copies)
• El Mejor Libro De Palabras De Richard Scarry/Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry
• Colors Around Me by Vivian Church
• Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
• How Are You Peeling? By Joost Elffers
• Flower Girl Butterfiles by Elizabeth Fitzgerald
• My Pal, Victor/Mi amigo, Victor (bilingual) by Diane Gonzales Bertrand (2 copies)
• Busy Toes by C.W. Bowie
• What Color Is It?/Que color es este? By Pamela Zagarenski (2 copies)
• Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin
• My Clothes/Mi Ropa by Rebecca Emberley (2 copies)
• Food For Thought by Joost Elffers
• Fast Food by Joost Elffers
• The Snowy Day Board Book by Ezra Jack Keats
• Amelia Bedelia (Spanish lang. ed.) by Peggy Parish
• The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
• Thanks a Million by Nikki Grimes
• Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
• Tell Me A Story Mama by Angela Johnson
• Curious George by H.A. Rey
• The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss
• Fine Feathered Friends by Tish Rabe
• It’s Not Easy Being Big! by Stephanie St. Pierre
• The Best Mistake Ever! And Other Stories by Richard Scarry
• Just the Two of Us by Will Smith
• Dreaming by Elaine Greenstein
• The Wedding by Angela Johnson
• Born in the Gravy by Denys Cazet
• Doug’s Hoop Nightmare by Jim Jinkins
• Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell
• Walt Disney’s Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day by Bill Langley
• Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
• Horrible Harry Goes to the Moon by Frank Remkiewicz
• Tummy Trouble by Josephine Page
• Clifford’s Good Deeds by Norman Bridwell
• Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
• Harold’s Circus by Crockett Johnson
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• The Lady With the Alligator Purse by Nadine Bernard Westcott
• The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
• Tomie’s Little Mother Goose by Tomie De Paola
• Pocketful of Nonsense by James Marshall
• Curious George Goes to the Hospital by H.A. Rey
• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
• Rain Feet by Angela Johnson
• Charlie Parker Played Be Bop by Chris Raschka
• Have You Seen My Cat by Eric Carle
• Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
• There’s an Orangutan in My Bathtub by Mallory Tarcher
• Corduroy by Don Freeman
• If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Bought books from Half.com and Amazon.com
Spent a total of $432.92 for a total of 66 books
Maureen Fitzer and Octavia Perryman also personally donated many books
The chapter donated a total of 247 books

Our charity for 2006 is the Memphis Literacy Council and we’ll be meeting there on Thursday, May 25 at 11:45. The address is 902 South Cooper (south of Central and north of Young on the east side of Cooper).

This year, we’re donating more than 200 children’s books to this organization, which believes that “Literacy is a fundamental ingredient in building strong families and healthy communities. One in three adults in Memphis lacks sufficient literacy skills to cope successfully in today’s society. Ensuring that adults have access to quality literacy programs is vital to decreasing health and welfare costs, improving children’s school performance, boosting workplace productivity, and lessening prison recidivism.”