Executive Connections

The World Wide Participative Web

“Participative Web” is a term that has popped across my laptop several times, and now seems to be entering the vernacular to address the multiple facets of Web 2.0.

I was recently asked about where the creativity and the Participative Web were going and how they are affecting libraries around the globe as well as, “How big of a change in mindset do you think this participative Web culture is for the library community?”

I have a few thoughts--but to start, for librarians and information professionals a “mindset change” is par for the course. As we saw recently during SLA2008 in Seattle, for the most part SLA members are professional adapters AND adopters!

They are ahead of the curve on new resources as well as new ways to use technology. They’ve been wading in the waters of these tools for years already and now they are bringing their more hesitant colleagues around to see the endless possibilities inherent in the 2.0 world. They are constantly changing the way they provide services to their end-user and will continue to do that well into the future.

Naturally I thought immediately of all the things that we have been doing with the SLA Innovation Laboratory, blogs, wikis, analytical software, social networking, mashups, and RSS.

Also on the top of my mind was how SLA’s global activities and our participation in various facets of information and Internet policy are assisting in widening the reach of these Web tools so that our planet’s knowledge base and creativity continues to grow and flourish. The two are intrinsic to each other.

So much of the participative Web – both the technology behind it and the culture that it produces – pivots on breaking down silos and barriers. When that happens and we embrace it, we take down the borders and roadblocks that traditionally kept information and knowledge locked in a location, and the global possibilities for sharing and growth are endless.

I’d be most interested in your thoughts on the Participative Web, how you think it may be affecting libraries, information centers, info pros, our society and policies and practices around the globe.

Please respond below or send me an email at Janice@sla.org

23 Ways to Becoming a Technodog

If you have not checked out the new SLA Innovation Laboratory or enrolled in 23 Things yet, I strongly urge you to do so. The Innovation Lab is a place you can experiment with or try out some of the latest technologies of Web 2.0, and 23 Things is a week-by-week learning program designed to get you up and running on these valuable tools as quickly as possible.

If you have ever wanted to learn more about wikis, blogs, podcasts or RSS feeds, the SLA Innovation Lab is the place to go. And, if you register for 23 Things, which runs through 15 September, 2008, you will be eligible for a prize drawing and certificate. Please click here to register.  It is a great way to become more technologically savvy, increase your value as an information professonal and, even, have a little fun.

I am interested in your thoughts, views or opinions on this post.  Please respond below or send me an email at Janice@sla.org.

Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are

I recently read an interesting blog post I want to pass along to you. It was written by Mark Hall, editor-at-large and columnist for Computerworld, about the results of a recent survey by the Association for Information and Image Management on the subject of "findability."

According to Hall, the survey looks at the findability of information behind an organization's firewall and the results are quite revealing. For example, Hall says AIIM learned that "...most good-size companies use around four separate search engines to locate enterprise content, a few as many as ten." And he says they found that even though about half of the 500 business users surveyed in May said they believe search has become easier to work with, nearly the same number said they think it is still too difficult and time-consuming to use.

I encourage you to read this post and review the full survey when it is released officially some time this month. And definitely take a look at the question Hall poses at the end of his post. You may recognize whom he could have in mind and may even want to reply.

As always, I would like to hear your thoughts, views and opinions on this post.  Please reply below or send me an email at janice@sla.org.

The Hits Keep on Coming

I am very excited about the response we have received from members to the advertisements that have been running in the Wall Street Journal.

In answer to a question raised in an earlier post on the subject, Dow Jones & Company graciously has agreed to allow SLA and our members to forward the ads or have them reprinted or reproduced for their use for a period of three years with the following language on all materials, "© Copyright 2008 Dow Jones & Co., Inc. Reprinted for SLA with permission. All rights reserved." This language appears at the bottom of the advertisements.

Also, several of you have asked me for more detail about the genesis of these ads and whether additional ads will appear. SLA and Dow Jones have agreed to join forces to support a co-branded advertising campaign in the Wall Street Journal that calls attention to the important role of information professionals. The campaign will consist of a variety of ads that will run through June 2011 and will be refreshed periodically. The media value is undisclosed, but SLA also will create online advertisements over the next few months. SLA and Dow Jones will create new ads with a similar message every three to four months, and Dow Jones will notify SLA each time these ads run.

I am very pleased to tell you that a 1/6-page version of the ad ran again today in the Wall Street Journal on page C8.

Once more, I would like to say a special thank you to Dow Jones for their tremendous support of the profession and SLA over the years. We appreciate it very much.

What's Up at SLA?

I want to make sure you are aware of an excellent article that appeared in the Washington Times

on Monday about the recent 2008 SLA Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO. The story focuses primarily on the increasingly tech-based capabilities librarians and information professionals must have. I encourage you to take a look at this terrific article.

Also, my remarks from the 2008 Membership Meeting during the conference in Seattle are now posted on the Web site. Here you will find an update on many of the activities SLA has undertaken this year and the overall "state of the association." If you were unable to attend the conference or had to leave before the Membership Meeting, I hope you will find the speech informative and helpful.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts, ideas and opinions about this blog entry. Please include your comments below or send me an email at Janice@sla.org.

A Visit To Emerald City

If you had the good fortune to attend the 2008 SLA Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO last week in Seattle, you know what a tremendous success it was. More than 5000 people from all corners of the globe took part in the event, which has truly become the most important conference for librarians and information professionals in the world.

In addition to the many outstanding Spotlight Sessions, CE courses, Tech Zones and Hot Topics sessions offered at the conference, participants had an opportunity to view the latest products and services available in the information industry and some of today's most cutting-edge information technology at the 2008 INFO-EXPO. A total of 283 exhibitors in 464 spaces were on hand this year, and we were especially pleased to welcome 50 new exhibitors to the event.

As I am sure you can imagine, there are many people I want to thank for making SLA 2008 so memorable. I particularly want to thank our exhibitors and wonderful sponsors, Dow Jones & Company, LexisNexis, and Springer. I also want to thank the 'Conference Planning Committee, headed by President-elect Gloria Zamora, the Division Planners,the Local Arrangements Committee, the SLA Pacific Northwest Chapter, and all of the outstanding speakers, moderators and panelists who gave of their time and talent. And I want to thank my fantastic staff at headquarters who work so tirelessly to make your conference experience as enjoyable and valuable as possible. I especially want to single out Kristin Foldvik, DeVonne Parks, and Akisha Edogun, who work year-round to make this conference the world-class event it has become.

And, of course, I want to say a special word of thanks and appreciation to SLA President Stephen Abram and the outstanding SLA Board for their leadership and dedication to the association and to the Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO.

I hope you had an opportunity to hear our remarkable keynote speakers, Dr. Vint Cerf, Google Vice President and a "Father of the Internet" who was interviewed by award-winning television journalist Charlie Rose, and Seth Godin, best-selling author and entrepreneur. Our thanks to these outstanding speakers for the insightful and challenging ideas they shared with us about the future. 

Finally, I would like to thank all of you who attended SLA 2008. Your interest, participation and drive are what make our conferences successful and worthwhile. If you were unable to be with us in Seattle, you can still access the conference blog, listen to podcasts from the conference, hear the SLA candidates and more at www.sla.org.  I hope you will make plans to join us next year for SLA 2009 in Washington, DC, from 14-17 June and a very special celebration of SLA's Centennial. It will truly be an event of a lifetime.  I look forward to seeing you there. 

I would be interested in your thought, ideas and opinions about this entry.  Please respond below or send me an email at Janice@SLA.org. 

SLA Says It "Big"

I hope you had an opportunity to see the advertisement that appeared in the Wall Street Journal before and during the 2008 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO in Seattle promoting the role of information professionals. The ad, which ran on a full page three times last week and once on a half page the week before, is the result of a partnership between Dow Jones & Company and SLA. The newspaper reaches about two million people a day, including C-level executives and other senior managers.

Kudos to Stacey Bowers and Cara Schatz of the SLA staff for their creative ideas and outstanding initiative in working with the Wall Street Journal to develop this memorable and historic ad. We had dreamed of having advertising exposure of this magnitude for years. And now, thanks to Dow Jones, we have seen this dream realized, and it is continuing. Please join me in thanking Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal for this opportunity and for all the support they have given SLA and the profession over the years.

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts, views and opinions on this posting. Please respond below or send me an email at Janice@sla.org.

And the Question Is?

Which SLA info pro will appear this month as a contestant on the television game show, Jeopardy? If you answered, "Alison Becker of the Southern California Chapter," you would be correct. Alison will be appearing on the iconic American quiz show on 29 May.

Jeopardy, which has been the highest-rated game show in the United States for the last 20 years, requires its contestants to audition for the program. Those lucky enough to make it through the tough 50-question video portion of the audition take part in a mock version of the game and are interviewed by Jeopardy staff.

If you would like to check when the show airs in your hometown, you may want to check the Jeopardy Show Guide. However, if you would like a sneak peak of Alison on the show, click on this link.

You may be interested to know that Carolyn Sosnowski who is an information specialist at SLA Headquarters also appeared on Jeopardy last February. Be sure to keep an eye out for Carolyn in reruns. 

I would love to hear your thoughts, views or opinions on this post.  You can either comment below or send me an email at janice@sla.org.

Eight Days a Week

From time to time an interesting piece of news or information crosses my desk or computer screen about an SLA member doing something fascinating or, at least, out of the ordinary from their day-to-day job. Such was the case recently when I received an interesting email alerting me to the fact that Rachel Kolsky, who is a member of SLA Europe and has worked in the financial services industry for many years, was interviewed on BBC Radio earlier this month concerning her activities as a tour guide in London.

As it turns out, Rachel is not just any tour guide. She proudly sports the prestigious London Blue Badge from the Institute of Tourist Guiding. In order to wear the distinctive blue badge, a guide must pass what are described as "rigorous written and practical examinations covering all aspects of the life and history of London and Great Britain."

What you may not know about Rachel is that, in addition to using her incisive mind to inform business executives at AIG Research and Development and to captivate tourists eager to learn the most fascinating details about London's East End, she is past President of SLA Europe, was named Information Professional of the Year at the International Information Industry Awards in 2006, and even was the top recruiter during SLA's 2004 membership campaign. But even more than that, she is an energetic, kind and charming person.

So, all of this got me thinking.  What other interesting things are SLA members doing that combine their talents as info pros with the passions in their personal lives? If you or someone you know is doing something readers of this column might find interesting, please send it along.  I would love to feature it in a future posting.

If you would like to share your thoughts, views or opinions about this topic, please comment below or send me an email at janice@sla.org.

China Earthquake: Hitting Home

I am sure all of us have been touched deeply by the toll of human suffering resulting from the recent cyclone in Myanmar and the devastating earthquake in China. While Myanmar and the Sichuan Province of China are thousands of miles away from my home in the United States, we are linked to the the victims of these disasters not only by our common humanity, but, in some cases, by the profession for which you care so deeply.

I am including a link to a letter concerning the fate of four librarians in the ravaged Province of Sichuan.  While it is testament to the massive devastation there, it also is a reminder that we are not really very far from one another and the values we share, no matter where we live in the world. 

If you are interested in making a donation to relief efforts, the following link will take you to one of the organizations accepting donations to assist quake victims. There are a number of other organizations also providing disaster relief.  www.worldvision.org

I would like to hear your thoughts, opinions or ideas on this topic.  Please feel free to respond below or contact me by email at janice@sla.org.