The Vote Is In: SLA will remain SLA

With 50 percent of eligible members voting, the proposal to change our name from Special Libraries Association to Association for Strategic Information Professionals was rejected.

YES: 2071
NO: 3225

"Our name will remain," [SLA 2009 President Gloria] Zamora continued, "but we will go forward with developing opportunities for our members to use the Alignment findings to demonstrate their contributions to the organizations that employ them."

"Information and knowledge professionals are critical assets to the organizations that employ them, yet their contributions and capabilities are too often underestimated," said SLA CEO Janice R. Lachance. "The findings of the Alignment Project research will guide SLA in developing services and programs that will more successfully position these professionals in the marketplace and attract the recognition and compensation they deserve."

2009 SLA All Sciences Online Poster Session now underway

The 2009 SLA All Sciences Online Poster Session is now underway and will run from October 15 -29. The web conference features many of the posters originally presented at the SLA Annual Meeting, June 2009 at the All Sciences Poster Session and Reception in Washington, D.C. Division sponsors of the online event, as with the physical session, are: Biomedical & Life Sciences; Chemistry; Engineering; Food, Agriculture & Nutrition; Physics, Astronomy, Mathematics; Science-Technology.

A total of 14 posters are being offered under the two major themes which are

Theme I: Scientific Information Workflow: Librarian Perspectives, Best Practices, and Models in the Digital Era
and
Theme II: Innovations and Best Practices in Biomedical and Life Sciences Libraries

Details of the schedule, along with access to the discussion forums and the presentations themselves can be found at the location link below.

If you did not get to see these posters in Washington, D.C., or comment, ask questions, or exchange ideas with the presenters at the time, now’s your chance. Come peruse the poster selections and participate in the discussions which will take place in an asynchronous format, thereby freeing you from time constraints. But there is one inescapable time limit, and that is October 29, so don’t wait too late to participate.

Location: http://forum.lib.lsu.edu/slachem/
Registration: free (registration is necessary to post questions and comments, but not to view the presentations –we do hope you will choose to engage in the discussions, however)

SLA DCHE Survey

Members of the SLA Chemistry Division ---

It’s been 5 years since the Division last “took the pulse” of our membership, so it’s time to tell us (the Division Board and Committees) what’s important to you. Tell us what it is you need and what you think should be the Division’s focus; this will help the Division effectively plan the activities that will be offered to you in the near future. The survey covers communication, professional development, membership, mentoring, and also provides the chance for you to comment on other topics. Please take a few minutes and fill out the Strategic Planning survey; the survey will be open for 3 weeks (from August 13 to September 7th.)

Enter the Survey here

Don’t miss this opportunity to have your opinions heard!

Linda Shackle, Strategic Planning
Luray M Minkiewicz, Division Chair
Judith Currano, Membership
Ted Baldwin, Professional Development


If you have any difficulty getting to the survey, please contact Linda Shackle at linda.shackle@asu.edu

DCHE Session on Interdisciplinary Science (Inside Higher Ed)

Inside Higher Ed reported on "Interdisciplinary Science and Its Impact on Information Professionals," one of the SLA Chemistry Division programs (co-organized with the Social Sciences Division) at this year's SLA Annual Conference in Washington DC.

The Interdisciplinary Science Library - June 17, 2009

Carol Tenopir envisions academe as entirely connected. With interdisciplinary research creating more and more fields of study throughout higher education, university libraries are becoming the hub of the growing body of academic work spawned by these new disciplines. In a session here at the Special Libraries Association annual meeting, she told the audience that information professionals should embrace these new bodies of interdisciplinary thought both by helping scholars to access them and by taking an active role in compiling them.

Other speakers at the program: librarians Daureen Nesdill from the University of Utah, Kevin Lindstrom from the University of British Columbia, and Brandy King from Harvard University's Center on Media and Child Health.

April - June 2009 Newsletter Available

The April - June 2009 Newsletter is now online, including:

• a conference preview from our Chair


• A report on the ACS Spring 2009 Meeting by Meghan Lafferty


• Useful website for the 2009 SLA Annual Conference

If you are interested in contributing to future newsletters, please contact Kiem Ta (kiem.ta@okstate.edu) or Kevin Lindstrom (kevin.lindstrom@ubc.ca).

All Sciences Poster Session Abstracts Available

Abstracts for both themes of the All Sciences Poster Session and Reception are now available:

Theme I: Scientific Information Workflow: Librarian Perspectives, Best Practices, and Models in the Digital Era

Theme II: Innovations and Best Practices in Biomedical and Life Sciences Libraries

Nominations Announced

The SLA Chemistry Division’s Nominations Committee are pleased to announce their candidates for Secretary and Chair-Elect (terms starting in 2010).

Chair-elect: William Armstrong

Secretary: Lee A. Pedersen

To suggest additional candidates, send a petition with 10 members names along with the written consent of the proposed candidates to either Sue Cardinal, Betsy Aldridge, or Dana Roth by June 5th

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William Armstrong
Head of the Chemistry Library at Louisiana State University from 1999 until its closing in 2005, Bill Armstrong now serves as Collection Development Coordinator for LSU Libraries, coordinating collection development activities and procurement (or “de-selection,” as the case may be) of information resources for all academic departments on campus. For ten years, he co-taught a semester long for-credit course for biochemistry majors, “Information Retrieval in the Sciences,” with a colleague from the Biochemistry faculty, and has taught numerous sessions for chemistry graduate students.

Bill has been a member of SLA and the Chemistry Division since 2001 and has served as administrator for the online poster sessions since 2004, and moderator for the live sessions since 2005. He has served as President of the Louisiana/Southern Mississippi Chapter and is currently Networking Chair for the chapter.

Bill has published on diverse topics, including “Communication in the Sciences as Seen through Physics and Chemistry…” and “Cyberspace: Relationship Between Place and Being,” in addition to having given talks at ACS meetings on the future of Chemistry libraries and the Biofuel economy. He holds an MLIS and an MA in Philosophy from LSU.

Once a flamenco and classical guitarist as well as composer, Bill still has an avid interest in music, which is confined largely to listening these days, due to time constraints. He and his wife have a daughter whom they have raised bilingually in German and English – Bill has only spoken to her in German since she was born almost 18 years ago. He and his family enjoy hiking and horseback riding, among many other things.

---

Lee A. Pedersen

Lee Pedersen became a librarian in 2003 with an MLIS from Dominican University. Before then, she was a seasoned professional with a Ph.D. in physical chemistry and had years of experience doing research in industry and later serving in chemistry faculty positions. Her first job as an academic librarian has been at Brown University. She started at the end of 2004. She is currently the subject librarian and department liaison for chemistry, computer science, engineering, and physics, developing the collections, doing research, conducting instruction, and creating outreach opportunities. As a research chemist, she has published in journals, presented at national and international meetings, and been granted two patents. She also was elected as the secretary and later the alternate councilor for the Pittsburgh section of the American Chemical Society. As a librarian, her research is currently in instruction and outreach. She has presented at SLA and ASEE national meetings and, recently, had a poster on her program Librarian in the Lobby at the ARL forum on 21st Century Science Libraries. Her professional memberships are DCHEM, PAM, DST, and the RI Chapter within SLA. She is currently in her first year of a two-year term as President-elect of the RI Chapter. She is also a member of the Engineering Libraries Division of the American Society for Engineering Education.

Cancelled CE Course

Due to low enrollment and the Division's tight finances at the
upcoming SLA conference, the "Advanced Chemical
Information Topics" CE course has been cancelled. The remaining three courses are
still a GO (Chemistry for Non-Chemist Librarian, Chemical
Information Sources, Diving for Patents). So, please help get the
word out about these.

Contact TedBaldwin (ted.baldwin@uc.edu)
Professional Development Chair, Chemistry Division.

ACS New Professional Award: Paulina Borrego

The SLA Chemistry Division (DCHE) and ACS Publications are pleased to announce: Paulina Borrego is the winner of the 2009 ACS New Professional Award. Ms. Borrego is currently working as a reference librarian at the Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She obtained her MLIS degree from Simmons College in 2007.

ACS Publications will present Ms. Borrego with a $1500 check and an award certificate to support her attendance at the 2009 SLA Annual Conference. Presentation will take place during the DCHE Annual Business Meeting/Breakfast in Washington, D. C. on Tuesday June 16th.

DCHE would like to thank ACS Publications for their generous sponsorship of this award!
-Cory Craig
Chair of Awards Committee, SLA Chemistry Division

Sparks Award Winner: Li Zhang

The SLA Chemistry Division (DCHE) is pleased to announce: Li Zhang is the winner of the 2009 Marion E. Sparks Award for Professional Development. Ms. Zhang is currently working as a Science Librarian/ Chemistry Subject Specialist at the Mississippi State University Library. She obtained her MLS Degree in 2004 from the University of South Florida.

DCHE will present Ms. Zhang with a $1500 check and award certificate to support her attendance at the 2009 SLA Annual Conference. Presentation will take place during the DCHE Annual Business Meeting/ Breakfast in Washington, D. C. on Tuesday June 16th.

The Sparks Award is named to honor Marion E. Sparks, a pioneering and influential chemistry librarian who worked at the University of Illinois from 1913 through 1929.

-Cory Craig
Chair of Awards Committee, SLA Chemistry Division

2009 Conference Schedule Now Online

The Chemistry Division events for the 2009 Conference are now posted. We will continue to update the schedule as we get more information on speakers, sponsors and room locations.

Jan-Mar 2009 Newsletter Available

The Jan-Mar 2009 Newsletter is now online, including:

• Messages from the Chair, Chair-Elect, and MRM Section Chair
• Bob Buchanan's 'Beyond the Chemistry Web'

If you are interested in contributing to future newsletters, please contact Kiem Ta (kiem.ta@okstate.edu) or Kevin Lindstrom (kevin.lindstrom@ubc.ca).

Click U Online Courses Now Included in SLA Membership

Special Libraries Association (SLA) now offers free online courses as an exclusive benefit to SLA members. The free programming encompasses all non-certificate online courses that are part of SLA’s Click University, including programs such as Click U twice-monthly Webinars, the SLA Online Libraries and Click U Replays. Also available to members as part of their membership dues are execuBooks, recorded Annual Conference continuing education courses, 23 Things, the SLA Innovation Lab and SLA Leadership Training.

Click U Premium courses at the SLA Annual Conference and the Click U Premium Certificate Programs in knowledge management, competitive intelligence, and copyright management will remain as fee-based offerings.

Division CE Courses at SLA 2009

These highly-regarded courses are taught by experts in their fields, and provide essential and hands-on learning in chemical information, patents, and specialized information topics (substructures, biosequences, polymers).

Note that some courses provide discounted registration for student members.

Contact TedBaldwin (ted.baldwin@uc.edu)
Professional Development Chair, Chemistry Division.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(1) Diving into Patents: A Primer for Librarians
Date: Saturday, June 13, 2009, 8am-5pm
Tickets: $299 members / $399 non-members (no student discount)
Instructors: Denise Callihan (PPG Industries), Jan Comfort (Clemson U.), Michael White (Queens U.)

(2) Chemistry for the Non-Chemist Librarian
Date: Saturday, June 13, 2009, 8am-5pm
Tickets: $299 members / $399 non-members / $149 student members (limit 5)
Instructors: Bartow Culp (Purdue U.), Judith Currano (U. of Pennsylvania)

(3) Chemical Information Sources, Request, and References
Date: Sunday, June 14, 2009, 8am-12noon
Tickets: $199 members / $299 non-members / $99 student members (limit 5)
Instructors: Denise Callihan (PPG Industries), Bartow Culp (Purdue U.), Judith Currano (U. of Pennsylvania)

(4) Advanced Chemical Information Topics: Substructures, Sequences, and Polymers
Date: Sunday, June 14, 2009, 1pm-5pm
Tickets: $199 members / $299 non-members (no student discount)
Instructors: Ted Baldwin (U. of Cincinnati), Judith Currano (U. of Pennsylvania)

Call for Posters: 2009 in Washington DC

Call for Posters, 2009 Annual Conference (Washington DC)

Theme: Scientific Information Workflow: Librarian Perspectives, Best Practices, and Models in the Digital Era

SPONSOR: Chemistry Division
LOCATION/DATE/TIME: SLA Annual Conference - Washington DC; Tuesday, June 16, 5:00pm – 6:30pm

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: March 15, 2009

DESCRIPTION:
How often have you encountered faculty, students, or corporate researchers struggling to adapt to the nature of electronic information flows, yet clinging to paper schemes that no longer work effectively? Paper workflows in an electronic environment not only slow the research process, but also foster patron resistance to increasing amounts of available electronic information.

Today a vast array of possibilities helps us improve information flow
efficiency: custom search alerts, citation management software, PDF storage and retrieval on personal computers, production/storage and sharing of data compilations in large repositories, electronic collaboration tools (e.g., Delicious, Connotea, etc.), and more. What methods for creating new models of electronic workflows have you recently adopted or experimentally piloted? What successes or failures have you encountered in teaching patrons – faculty, students, researchers, etc. – new ways of handling information in an all-electronic workflow, from the literature search to the discovery and publication process?

Please consider sharing the results of your efforts at the upcoming All-Sciences Poster Session at the Annual SLA Conference in Washington, D.C., June 2009. Your poster presentation could help your colleagues immeasurably as we all seek to cultivate or improve scientists' digital information management skills. The poster session provides an informal and lively venue for sharing your innovative ideas on an important topic.

Guidelines for materials and layout of poster presentations are available on the SLA Chemistry Division website at http://www.sla.org/division/dche/poster.html.

SUMBISSION DETAILS:
Please submit your name, institution, email address, poster title, and description (250 words or less) by email to Bill Armstrong at notwwa@lsu.edu. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2009. Any SLA member is welcome to submit an abstract for consideration. In the event that a greater number of submissions are received than can be accommodated, members of the Chemistry Division will be given first preference. All applicants will be notified re: poster proposal acceptance on or before April 1, 2009.

CONTACT:
William W. Armstrong (notwwa@lsu.edu)
Sciences Collection Development Coordinator
Chemistry Librarian
Liaison to Physics & Astronomy
Middleton Library
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge , LA 70803 USA
Ph. (225) 578-2738
Fax: (225) 578-9432