What happens in SLA's Information Center? I thought today would be a good day to share some of my daily processes and describe the services we provide.
As much as we talk about information overload, there is actually a lot of action-related information in my e-mail inbox, and I use those messages to start the work of my day. After deleting the spam and junk, I was able to get down to business with the real content. The newsletters I receive from sources like the Chronicle of Higher Education and Library Journal usually have a few interesting articles. I also received an article on Second Life and one on a traveling library in Colombia from SLA's strategic communications director, Maura Kennedy. Library Link of the Day (also available via RSS) is a favorite source of news. I "collect" the best articles from these sources and others in tabs in Firefox so they are in one place and ready for me when I create the day's issue of Nexcerpt News Connections. Together with Factiva News Connections, NNC brings members articles on topics across the information and technology industries.
Also in my inbox: messages from various SLA discussion lists. I forwarded a few of these to staff members who may want to read and possibly respond. I received two comments to the SLA Blog post on blog training for SLA staff, so I followed up with a comment of my own.
Next: two inquiries about value and the information professional. I responded to those with some published survey data...and updated the Value portal, which has a long list of resources, at the same time.
Planners for the SLA 2009 Annual Conference and INFO-EXPO are busy entering information on sessions and events in the online planner, and I've received a few deadline reminders for this. (The registration for the conference opens in January.) The conference wiki, created by the DC chapter, is a great place to read, and share, conference tips.
One way I keep up to date is by using TrackEngine to alert me to changes in Web pages (sometimes, an RSS feed just isn't available). For example, when ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership updates the "new and upcoming" publications page, an e-mail is sent to me. This makes it easy for me to notify staff members of new titles they might be interested in reviewing.
While preparing today's Nexcerpt News Connections, I consulted my Bloglines account (although a move to Google Reader might be in order). I keep track of about 150 blogs, and usually pull several items from there to add to Nexcerpt, and I forward many more news bits to staff members. I also file some posts away for consideration for my Info Sites column in Information Outlook or for a briefer Worth a Click post on this blog.
As you can see, and I'm sure you know from your own experiences, one thing leads to another and it's lunchtime. Staying organized can be a challenge, but it's necessary for the work we do. Share your own tips and tricks and your favorite sources of information....