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.”

I've been invited to blog the 2006 Annual Conference. This is the first time I've done this, so it should be interesting--for all of us. Needless to say, I will concentrate on issues of interest to small or solo libraries.

Before I forget, I will have a special guest at the Conference this year. He is John Welford, proprietor of Welford Writes (an indexing and proofreading service) in Leicestershire, England) and the proofreader of my newsletter The One-Person Library. John helped me greatly with my newest book, The New OPL Sourcebook--he checked all the resources that make up the greater part of the book. My publisher, Information Today, Inc., is hosting a book signing at the conference and John and I will both be there. I don't know the time and place yet, so watch this blog for more information and "y'all come!"

Here is my list of sessions to take note of.

CE Events: Branding 101: What it Takes to Build a Library Brand, Chris Olson, Saturday 10 June, 8-12 a.m. Leadership 101, Rebecca Jones, Saturday, 10 June 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Making a Business Case for the Information Center, Lesley Robinson, Sunday 11 June, 1-5 p.m.

The Keynoters: Gwen Ifill, Senior Correspondent/Managing Editor of US Public Broadcasting’s The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Opening General Session, Sunday 11 June, 6:30-8 p.m. Walt Mossberg, Technology Columnist, The Wall Street Journal, Closing General Session, Wednesday 14 June, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – a “must see” for me, at least.

SOLO Librarians Division Events: Happy Hour: Meet and Greet, Saturday 10 June, 5-8 p.m. Open House, Sunday 11 June, 8-11 p.m. Communicating Your Value to Management (ticketed event), Monday 12 June, 7:30-9 a.m. Developing Leaders, Monday 12 June, 9:30-11 a.m. (with many other divisions) Cultivating a Champion: Partnering with Groups, Monday 12 June, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m (with CI Division) No-Host Dinner, Monday 12 June, 5-8 p.m. Open House, Monday 11 June, 8-11:30 p.m. Moving to Client-Embedded Service (ticketed event), Tuesday 13 June, 7:30-9 a.m. (with B&F) Luncheon and Annual Business Meeting (ticketed event), Tuesday 13 June, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Becoming a Value-Added Information Professional with Mary Ellen Bates, Tuesday 13 June, 1:30-3 p.m. Board Meeting (all welcome), Tuesday 13 June, 5-6 p.m. Silent Auction, Tuesday 13 June, 6-8 p.m. Open House, Tuesday 13 June, 8-11:45 p.m. Suddenly Solo: Dealing with Unexpected Downsizing, Wednesday 14 June, 9:15-10:45 a.m. (with Engineering) Success Stories of Solos, Wednesday 14 June 1-2:30 p.m. 

Programs of Other Divisions: Community Partnerships in Safety: Encouraging Police and Librarian Connections, featuring Solo’s own Tom Rink, Monday 12 June, 9:30-11 a.m. Stress Management; Laugh for the Health of It, Monday 12 June, 3:30-5:30 p.m. (I missed this in Nashville—heard it is wonderful) Grant Opportunities for Special Libraries, Tuesday 13 June, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (MAH Division) Association Awards Dinner (ticketed event), Tuesday 13 June, 8-12 p.m.—Solo Division supporter Judy Field will be honored with the John Cotton Dana Award, SLA’s highest honor Keeping Current, with Paul Hane of Information Today, Wednesday 14 June 1-2:30 p.m. (News) Value of Information, Wednesday 14 June, 1-2:30 p.m. (Chemistry, PAM, Engineering, and S&T)

Most of these sessions will be summarized in upcoming issues of OPL. If you're not a subscriber, you can request a copy of these issues by emailing me at <jsiess@ibi-opl.com>.  (Or, of course, you can subscribe. Subscriptions start at US$69/year for 12 issues.)

Well, I'll "talk" to you later. See you in Baltimore! (If you want to contact me, my cell phone is 216-375-1316--call and we can get together.)

Judith Siess
First Chair, SOLO Librarians Division
President, Information Bridges International, Inc.
Editor/Publisher, The One-Person Library
Author of various books on solo librarianship and library management and marketing