Centennial Celebration

Cool Tool: Timeline of SLA History

From the first meeting of SLA in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, to the upcoming conference in Washington, D.C., and everything in between, SLA has a long and proud history and it is all captured in the new Centennial Timeline.

View Now, Vote Now: SLA Centennial Video Contest!

Voting is still open in the SLA Information Professional of Tomorrow video contest but the deadline is fast approaching. 

Voting will close on March 31st, so don't delay, VIEW and VOTE TODAY!

Celebrate SLA's Centennial year by casting your ballot for your favorite video in the Student and the Professional category. All SLA members can view the submitted videos here

Once you have watched all 16 of the videos, you can vote for your favorite videos using SurveyMonkey 

And just a few things to keep in mind:

• Voting will end on March 31, 2009, at 11:59pm (EDT).

• Winners will be announced on April 7, 2009.

• View the videos as much as you would like, but members may only vote once in each category.

• You will need your SLA membership ID to cast your ballot.  If you've forgotten yours, not to worry! Instructions on how to retrieve it are included on the voting ballot through the survey link above.

In case of a tie in either category, members of the SLA Centennial Commission and Video Contest Sub-committee will choose the winner(s).

Voices of SLA - Interview with William Fisher (1995)

What would you say to the person who is entering a graduate program in library and information science; What would you say to this year's graduates?

I would indicate that I think it's a good time to get into this area of study, and I would really be interested in why they were interested in the program because we're seeing now I think for the first time a clear sort of two-prong approach of people that are coming to this program--and that is still the traditional I'm interested in this because I love books and library and children and this and that and the other kind of stuff, which has traditionally always been the focus that people have at least started with, not necessarily the focus that they may leave with. On the other hand, we are now beginning to see more people mentioning the technology and their interest in that and a recognition of knowledge of the overwhelming amount of information and wanting to participate in the group of people that want to try to get some handle that information and organize it and make it accessible. So, I think that's extremely interesting because while there's still a need for that first group of people, it's certainly I think the second group of people that probably reflects a little more where the profession as a whole seems to be headed. Certainly where the great deal of potential for the profession seems to be headed. ...I'm not ready to give up on those traditional kinds of things yet. There are places where they'll be able to go, to go through this program, get what we could still call a traditional education, and go out and still have very productive careers in the field doing predominantly those traditional things. They're going to have to come out of here with some knowledge of at least basic technology, especially communication oriented technology, and there's going to be fewer and fewer places where they can go and establish a career of any duration or of any quality without that. So there're going to have to have some basics. And actually in recognition of that to some extent, we're instituting one of our first real entrance prerequisites--to get into the program now beginning in the fall you have to demonstrate basic computer literacy. And in the past we have not taken that for granted and have offered a course which everybody had to take to give them that literacy. We no longer feel that we have the time in the program to take that time, and to take a full semester and get everybody at least at the same spot. They're going to have to do that on their own and they're going to have to do that now before they'll let them into the program.

Interviewed by Doreen Cohen, February 17, 1995, at San Jose State

Read more

Voices from Our Past -- SLA Presidents' Reminiscences

By Susan DiMattia

Beginning with Guy Elwood Marion, who served as president of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) in 1918-19, some people who have held that office have participated in oral interviews or have provided written information about their memories of their term of office and the status of specialized librarianship in their contemporary environments. The comments range from sparse to detailed and cover a wide range of topics, yet there is a surprising number of issues and concerns that emerge repeatedly over a span of years--association governance and planning, proposed name changes and branding, mentoring, campaigns to grow membership, globalization, conflicts, and a host of others, just some of which are included below.

Guy Elwood Marion (1918-19)
Irene Macy Strieby Shreve (1947-48)

DEFINING SPECIAL LIBRARIANSHIP
Grieg Aspnes (1951-52)

PARTNERSHIP PROPOSALS
Eugene Jackson (1961-62)
Elizabeth Ferguson (1952-53)
Edward Strable (1972-73)
Shirley Echelman (1977-78)
Vivian Hewitt (1978-79)

VALUE
Frank Spaulding (1986-87)
Joe Ann Clifton (1988-89)

GLOBALIZATION
Ruth Seidman (1990-91)
Guy St. Clair (1991-92)

NAME CHANGE PROPOSALS
Miriam (Mimi) Drake (1993-94)
Edwina (Didi) Pancake (1994-95)

COMPETENCIES
Sylvia Piggott (1995-96)

MENTORING
Judy Field (1997-98)
Susan DiMattia (1999-2000)
Hope Tillman (2001-2002)

CONTINUING TO FACE THE FUTURE
Ethel Salonen (2004-2005)
Pam Rollo (2005-06)

A Different Kind of Washington Insider - Richard Huffine

Richard Huffine is a third-generation librarian. He relishes the legacy, along with fond early memories of climbing the stairs of an old house that was converted into a branch library. "My mother worked in my elementary school and public library when I was growing up," he recalls. "My grandmother ran a branch library in the public library system in the mountains of Tennessee. I didn't necessarily think about going into libraries initially."

Huffine was originally going to be a theater manager, having earned his BA in business administration with a minor in theater from Appalachian State University in 1991. "But then I started working in the college library as a work studies student of government documents. That's where I cut my teeth on the whole SuDOC [Superintendent of Documents Classification] system." It was that exposure that lead him to pursue a new career in library science and an MLIS from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, in 1995.

Today, Huffine, 39, is the national library coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Reston, Virginia. The federal agency is responsible for providing reliable scientific information on Earth sciences. There are three other main libraries connected to the Reston office: Flagstaff, Arizona; Menlo Park, California; and Denver, Colorado. For nearly two years, Huffine's job has been to coordinate the activities of the four libraries. Read more...

From the October 2008 issue of Information Outlook

A Life Fulfilled... Together. John & Jean Piety

Each of us enters this life undefined. Through experience and life's exposure, the definition comes into focus and we become the creature we were always meant to be. Some find that definition early and others a little later. And there are some who never know and live their lives empty and unfilled. That's not the case of two SLA members: Jean and John Piety of Cleveland, Ohio. They have been long-term members of the profession, and both are long-associated with SLA (Jean for 50 years, John for 23 years) and especially with their beloved Sci-Tech Division.

They have witnessed the changes that technology has brought to the profession--changes they have embraced and promoted within the industry. As a married couple they complement each other, and one cannot imagine one without other. In fact, they met for the first time in Chicago at the 1975 SLA annual conference, and they've been together ever since.

"We met at a luncheon meeting in a building overlooking Lake Michigan," recalls Jean Piety. "I remember the meeting was good--and everything that came out of that meeting was good."

"We were sitting at the same table," John Piety adds. "At the time, I was living in Overton, Maryland, with my parents. I had gone through a divorce and I was working for Computer Science Corporation. Jean was at the Cleveland Public Library." In the mid-70s, John got a new job at Pan American University (now University of Texas) as an acquisition librarian. Read more...

From the September 2008 issue of Information Outlook

Doris Helfer -- Chair, Technical Services Department and Science Librarian

In 2004, Doris Helfer was bestowed The Rose L. Vormeker Award for her "exceptional services in area of mentoring students and/or working professionals." It's more than a recognition given to those individuals who do more than show up for work daily. It's an extraordinary honor given to those who have had a long career as information specialists, and then share their knowledge with those entering the field--encouraging them to find their own specialty in the profession. At the awards ceremony, Helfer was especially emotional. Six weeks prior her mother had died unexpectedly.

"My own mother was my first mentor," the California-based SLA member says. "She encouraged me to do whatever I set my mind upon doing, and encouraged me to read and learn about some famous women in history and their accomplishments, and instilled in me the importance of education in pursuing my own career goals." Read more...

From the August 2008 issue of Information Outlook

James E. Manasco - Head, Collection Development, University of Louisville

James has worked in several academic libraries. He began his library career as a student assistant in the University of Kentucky Education Library from 1987 to 1991 and then served as a library technician at both the Margaret I. King Library (from Aug. 1991-Jan. 1992) and the Chemistry/Physics Library (from Jan. 1992-November 1996), both also at UK. While his academic background was primarily in American History, emphasizing the history of women in America, he really enjoyed working with the scientists at the Chemistry/Physics Library and desired to become a Science Librarian. Several mentors were instrumental in preparing him for this role, which left a lasting desire in him to mentor others. He acquired his first professional position as Natural Sciences Liaison Librarian at The Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado (December 1996-October 1999).

Longing to return to the Promised Land, and the University of Kentucky, he accepted a position as Head Librarian at the Robert E. Shaver Library of Engineering in 1999. However, no matter how much he enjoyed being at UK, James chose to accept a position at the University of Louisville in order to be closer to his wife. He began to serve as Coordinator of Liaison Activities for the Kornhauser Health Sciences Library on July 1, 2003.

James transferred to Special Collections at the Ekstrom Library at UofL a year later. He was appointed Coordinator of Operations for Special in July 2005 and then also assumed the position of Head of Collection Development in January 2006. In July 2008, James was finally allowed to work only one position for the University of Louisville Libraries and still currently serves at Head of Collection Development.

James has been very active professionally in the Special Libraries Association and has served as President of the Kentucky Chapter and Chair of the Science-Technology and Information Technology divisions. He is serving as Chair of the association's Bylaws Committee and Chair of the 2010 Annual Conference Planning Committee. For the Kentucky Library Association, he served as Chair of the Library Administration and Management Round Table (twice) and Chair of the African American Librarians and Library Employees Round Table. His interests and hobbies include: reading anything science fiction, or having to do with the history of women in the USA or Kentucky history; playing cards and other games with friends; getting thrown out of Special Libraries Association Annual Conference Open Houses; hosting the Cabin of Impropriety at the Joint Spring Conference and living and dying by how the Kentucky Wildcats are doing.

Education: BA American History, University of Kentucky, 1994; MSLS, University of Kentucky, 1996

From the SLA Kentucky Chapter Website

Susan Brown - Library Director, Transylvania University

Susan loves connecting people with the information they need. "I get a kick out of the light that goes on in someone when they finally find what they need." In her job as director of a small college library she does a bit of everything. She creates web pages; she knows where to find information in article databases, in the print collection or on the web; and she manages the people, budgets and collections of the library. "I could never do the job I do without all the great people who work with me in the library."

Education: BA English 1989; MSLIS, University of Illinois 1995

From the SLA Kentucky Chapter Website