A Note from the Chair-Elect

I hope you all had a great experience at the SLA Conference in Seattle in June. The conference was filled with opportunities to learn and network and to celebrate our profession. I hope that you all returned back to your organizations and were able to put at least one new thing you learned into practice already.

I enjoyed meeting some “Newcomers” to the Chemistry Division at the Newcomers’ Luncheon, congratulating the award winners at the Business Meeting, learning about alternative fuels and some hot technologies, and networking with new and old friends at the Chemistry Division’s Speed Networking/Open House Reception and the All Sciences Poster Session. HINT: if you happened to miss seeing any of the posters, there was an opportunity to view them via the online web poster session in October – November. You can still find them at http://forum.lib.lsu.edu/slachem.

Also at this conference the planners for the 2009 conference met twice and we are gearing up to set the schedules and topics for next year’s programs. You will see some familiar program sessions again, such as the Roundtable event. We also want to continue the Speed Networking concept for the Chemistry Division Open House Reception, and it appears as if the All Sciences Poster Session/Reception will do an encore performance.

Please stay tuned to the Chemistry Division discussion list to learn more about the other program topics being planned because we may put a call out for moderators, speakers and panelists in the next few months.

To join the SLA Chemistry Division discussion list, SLA-DCHE, please go to:
http://units.sla.org/division/dche/listserv.htm

Luray M. Minkiewicz, SLA Chemistry Division Chair-Elect
luray.m.minkiewicz@usa.dupont.com

News from the MRM Section Chair

Help us stay in touch!

The MRM section Board is continuing to work on some of the projects identified during our annual business meeting held a few months ago. Communications is the theme of the year, and our listserv and web page are the two best ways we have to communicate as needed with members and non-members alike.

Currently we’re reconciling the list of section members (as reflected by SLA’s records) and the names of people who are registered with the list, to identify those MRM section members who have not joined the list, and directly invite those members to join. It’s not a requirement, by any means, but it sure makes it easier to communicate!

To stay in touch between newsletters:

• Visit the website at http://units.sla.org/division/dche/mrm/index.htm


• Join the list by e-mailing Lyris@lists.sla.org. The body of the message should say: Subscribe sla-dmrm <your e-mail address> <FirstName> <LastName>


• Not sure if you’re already a member of the list? Go to http://sla.lyris.net/read/login

Cathy DiPalma, Incoming Chair

As the SLA program year draws to a close, I’m trying to provide incoming Chair Cathy DiPalma with a good feel for the kinds of issues and activities that she’ll be involved in next year. To that end, I’ve asked her to submit a Chair-Elect column for this issue. And thank you Cathy, for your kind words! I’m looking forward to supporting you next year as I’ve been supported so well this year!

Hello fellow MRM members,

I have been caught up in a whirlwind of activities since accepting the position of Chair-Elect of the DCHE Materials Research and Manufacturing Section; in addition to being the Program Planner for the 2009 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. It should come as no surprise that in the SLA whirlwind I have met many energetic and dedicated people. A debt of gratitude is owed to those who have helped guide and encourage me: Marty Rhine, Betsy Aldridge, Ben Wagner, Margaret Bower, the current DCHE Chair Sue Cardinal, and the current MRM Chair Nora Stoecker. Nora patiently answered questions and offered helpful suggestions as I began this journey last January at the SLA Leadership Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. We thank Nora for the leadership role she assumed in the MRM section; her contribution has been invaluable.

Looking toward 2009, I encourage the MRM membership to contact me with your ideas, comments, suggestions, questions, and yes, complaints concerning our section. Although materials science covers a broad range of activities and touches on many fields, we are all connected by the business of information and knowledge management within this very diverse discipline. I look forward to working together to continue to develop a stronger and more unified group.

Anticipation remains high for the 2009 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. next June as we celebrate the SLA centennial. I am fortunate to have the DCHE Chair-elect, Luray Minkiewicz as well as Susan Makar as co-program planners. We have been working for several months to develop programs we think will enlighten as well as entertain. If time and finances permit, please consider attending this very special conference.

Cathy DiPalma
cathy.dipalma@saint-gobain.com
Saint-Gobain NorPro
3840 Fishcreek Road
Stow, Ohio 44224
330-677-5-3566

Warm regards,
Nora K. Stoecker, nstoecker@nksinfo.com

2009 Sparks Award

2009 Marion E. Sparks Award for Professional Development

The Chemistry Division of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) is sponsoring a student/new member travel award to defray the costs of attending the 2009 SLA Annual Meeting June 14-17 in Washington, D.C. The award is intended to encourage the professional development of student members and new members of the Chemistry Division and encourage their participation in Chemistry Division activities.

TRAVEL AWARD:
$1,500 stipend to attend the 2009 SLA Annual Conference. The winner will also receive a certificate of achievement and will be introduced at the Chemistry Division Business Meeting & Breakfast.

ELIGIBILITY:
All student members of the Chemistry Division and all new members of the Chemistry Division (individuals who have joined since January 2008) are eligible. All applicants must have joined the Chemistry Division by February 23, 2009. See below for how to join.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
Please submit the following:

• A brief essay that: a) clearly articulates your objectives for professional development; and b) indicates what you hope to gain from attending the SLA Annual Meeting. Maximum length: 2 pages.
• Resume
• Names of two references.
• Brief budget (expected expenses for registration, airfare, lodging, food and/or continuing education course).
  

Registration in a Chemistry Division or other Continuing Education (CE) course is recommended, but not required.

DEADLINE:
All applications must be received by March 9, 2009. The winner will be notified by March 27, 2009. Essays will be judged by the SLA Chemistry Division Awards Committee.

HISTORY:
The award is named to honor Marion E. Sparks, a chemistry librarian at the University of Illinois from 1913 until her death in 1929. Ms. Sparks contributed a great deal to the field of chemical information, her achievements include teaching courses on chemical information, and authoring and publishing what is argued to be the first book to formally address chemical literature and library instruction.

SUBMIT APPLICATION VIA EMAIL TO:
Cory Craig (cjcraig@ucdavis.edu)
University of California, Davis
Physical Sciences & Engineering Library
One Shields Avenue
Davis, California 95616-8676

Poster Web Conference, Session 2 (Oct 28-Nov 11)

SLA All Sciences Poster Web Conference, Session 2

Dates: October 28 - November 11, 2008
Sponsors: Chemistry, Physics-Astronomy-Mathematics, Science & Technology, Engineering, and Biomedical & Life Sciences Divisions of the Special Libraries Association.

Location: http://forum.lib.lsu.edu/slachem/
Registration: free
Format: asynchronous web-based discussion board

List of presentations and accompanying forums:
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/sci/chem/vbulletin_real/schedule_Nov2008_unlinked.html

Please join the five science divisions of SLA for the second session of a two-part web conference featuring many of the posters originally presented at the SLA Annual Meeting, June 2008, at the All Sciences Poster Session and Reception in Seattle. Session 2 begins today, October 28, 2008 (CDT) and will last through the end of the day, November 11. Each poster presentation will have its own discussion forum moderated by at least one of the authors/presenters.

The presentations and discussion forums for all posters will be open and available the entire duration of the conference, thereby allowing conference attendees ample time to see the posters and take part in any and all sessions of interest. The conference site will be open 24 hours a day, and, as discussions are asynchronous, you will be able to participate at times most convenient to you.

Full participation in the event will require registration, but this is free and painless. For those of you who have already registered for a previous conference, your Username and Password are still valid. If, however, you have forgotten what they are, just click on the login button on the conference home page without filling in anything, and you'll be provided a link which will enable you to have your username emailed to you and to reset your password. When you fill in your registered email address in the box provided, you will be sent instructions on how to reset your password.

If you do not choose to register, you may still view all content and discussions, but you will not be able to post your own comments or questions. We do hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to discuss the various topics with the presenters, however.

If you have any questions at all about the conference, how to participate, or problems with registration, please email or call William Armstrong at (225) 578-2738 or notwwa@lsu.edu.

Chemistry Division Posters Online

Most of the Chemistry Division posters from the SLA Conference are now online, in time for the Poster Web Session:

• Catalyzing Community: Librarians in the Loop
• Science Experiments: Reaching Out to Our Users
• (Renovation – Architect) + Creativity = New Spaces that Work
• The PAMS Reference Wiki: a New Way to Address Traditional Reference Needs
• Low-Tech Works Too: Low-Tech Tools Help Science Students Collaborate in the Library
• Virtual plans, real projects: Second Life helps the UCSC S&E library plan its future
• Library 2.0: Collaborative – Interactive – Patron Focused
• Using Instant Messaging at an Academic Library Reference Desk: Successes, Challenges, and Future Directions

Poster Web Conference, Session 1 (Oct 6-21)

SLA All Sciences Poster Web Conference, Session 1

Dates: October 6 - 21, 2008
Sponsors: Chemistry, Physics-Astronomy-Mathematics, Science & Technology, Engineering, and Biology divisions of SLA

Location: http://forum.lib.lsu.edu/slachem/
Registration: free
Format: asynchronous web-based discussion board

List of presentations and accompanying forums:
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/sci/chem/vbulletin_real/schedule_Oct2008_linked.html

Please join the five science divisions of SLA for the first session of a two-part web conference featuring many of the posters originally presented at the SLA Annual Meeting, June 2008, at the All Sciences Poster Session and Reception in Seattle. Session 1 begins today, October 6, 2008 at 8:00a.m. (CDT) and will last through the end of the day, October 21. Session 2 runs from Oct. 27 - Nov. 11. Each poster presentation will have its own discussion forum moderated by at least one of the authors/presenters.

The presentations and discussion forums for all posters will be open and available the entire duration of the conference, thereby allowing conference attendees ample time to see the posters and take part in any and all sessions of interest. The conference site will be open 24 hours a day, and, as discussions are asynchronous, you will be able to participate at times most convenient to you.

Full participation in the event will require registration, but this is free and painless. For those of you who have already registered for a previous conference, your Username and Password are still valid. If, however, you have forgotten what they are, just click on the login button on the conference home page without filling in anything, and you'll be provided a link which will enable you to have your username emailed to you and to reset your password. When you fill in your registered email address in the box provided, you will be sent instructions on how to reset your password.

If you do not choose to register, you may still view all content and discussions, but you will not be able to post your own comments or questions. We do hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to discuss the various topics with the presenters, however.

If you have any questions at all about the conference, how to participate, or problems with registration, please email or call William Armstrong at (225) 578-2738 or notwwa@lsu.edu.

July - September 2008 Newsletter

The July - September 2008 newsletter has been published. Some of the articles include:
- Professional Focus Interview with Bob Buchanan
- 2008 Sparks Award Winner Conference Reflections
- Various Conference Session Reports

MRM Business Meeting Minutes

The minutes for the MRM Business Meeting (held online on May 23) are now available.

ACS Professional Development Award Winner: Carrie Newsom

Congratulations to Carrie Newsom, winner of the 2008 ACS Professional Development Award. She is the Chemistry, Chemical Engineering & Materials Science Librarian at the University of Florida.

At the DCHE Annual Business Meeting/Breakfast in Seattle on Tuesday June 17th, ACS Publications will present Ms. Newsom with a $1500 check and award certificate to support her attendance at the 2008 SLA Annual Conference. She will also be interviewed for a future issue of ACS's librarians newsletter LiveWire.

DCHE thanks ACS Publications for their generous sponsorship of this award!

Sparks Award Winner: Margaret Smith

Congratulations to Margaret Smith, 2008 winner of the Sparks Award.

Margaret is the Physical Sciences Librarian at the New York University's Bobst Library. She is also enrolled in the Library and Information Science Masters Program at Syracuse University, with her degree expected in May 2010.

At the Chemistry Division's Annual Business Meeting & Breakfast on June 17th, Margaret will be presented with a $1500 check and award certificate to support her attendance at the 2008 SLA Annual Conference. Also look for her “Conference Impressions” article in the SLA Chemistry Division Newsletter after the conference.

Named in honor of chemistry librarian Marion E. Sparks (University of Illinois, 1913-1929), the Sparks Award is intended to encourage the professional development of student members and new members of the Chemistry Division and encourage their participation in Chemistry Division activities.

April - June 2008 Newsletter

The April - June 2008 issue has been posted. Some highlights:

• Note from Chair Elect Luray Minkiewicz
• News from the MRM Section Chair Nora Stoecker
• Upcoming SLA Annual Conference in Seattle and Chemistry Division events
• Bob Buchanan's Beyond the Chemistry Web with a focus on nanomaterials
• Professional Focus - An Interview with Mary Ellen Bates
• 2008 Marion E. Sparks Award Winner Margaret Smith
• 2008 ACS Professional Development Award Winner Carrie Newsom

If you're interested in contributing to the July-September issue, please contact Meghan Lafferty or Kevin Lindstrom. The copy deadline for the next issue is July 2, 2008.

Professional Partnerships Project Wiki

The Professional Partnerships Project Wiki aims to provide our division's information professionals and library students with a unique learning opportunity that will engage them in projects that will add to the collective knowledge of our profession. Publishing and presentation opportunities will be listed and division members will be able to post details about the projects they are interested in collaborating on. Each project partner is expected to contribute equally to the finished product. Set up a watch under your SLA wiki account to get updates of edits made to the wiki page. Want to learn more? http://wiki.sla.org/display/SLACHEM/Professional+Partnerships+Project

DCHE Board Meeting (Leadership Summit)

The minutes from the DCHE Board Meeting at the SLA Leadership Summit are now available.

January - March 2008 Newsletter

The January - March 2008 issue has been posted. Some highlights:

• Exchange Librarian to China
  
• An interview with Judith Matthews - Head of the Biomedical & Physical Sciences Library at Michigan State University
  
• The use of creative items in a science library
• Job and career resources in "Beyond the Chemistry Web"
  

If you're interested in contributing to a future newsletter, please contact Meghan Lafferty (mlaffert@umn.edu) or Kevin Lindstrom (lindstro@interchange.ubc.ca).

Conference Schedule Posted

A preliminary first draft DCHE programming for the 2008 conference is now online. We will continue to update the schedule as more information becomes available.

Note: this still a work-in-progress. Please let me know if you see things that need to be fixed or updated.

2008 Executive and Advisory Board

The list DCHE Executive and Advisory Board members for 2008 is now available.

• Sue Cardinal (Univ Rochester), Chair
• Luray Minkiewicz (DuPont), Chair-Elect
• A. Ben Wagner (SUNY Buffalo), Past-Chair

• Nora Stoecker (NKS Info Svcs), MRM Section Chair
• Cathy DiPalma (Saint-Gobain NorPro), MRM Section Chair-Elect
• Betsy Aldridge (PACCAR Inc), MRM Section Past-Chair

Other than these transitions, most of the 2008 Board members are continuing from the previous year.

2008 Leadership Summit

The 2008 SLA Leadership Summit will be in Louisville this weekend. Here's what the DCHE Board will be discussing:

• The Agenda
• Treasurer's Report
• Travel Reimbursment - proposed changes to recommended practices
  
• Revised procedures for Sparks & ACS Awards
• Revised procedures for Occasional Awards
• Preliminary program for Seattle