http://newengland.sla1.org/?post-type=post&show_title=1&show_date... SLA New England Supporting librarians and information professionals since 1910 Welcome! August 21, 2008 Categories: News & Notes SLA Boston is finally jumping into the world of blogging! We’re really making an effort to increase communication throughout the chapter this year and this is one of the ways we’re making it happen…but we need your help & feedback to make it successful. In addition to the emails sent on the discussion list, we’re going to post items of interest and items for discussion here; from program announcements and reviews of programs/other items to association information, spotlights of members/libraries, and Marian answering your questions. We also have a calendar of events on the right hand side. I’d love for everyone to participate in the discussion, so post comments/questions back to us…get the conversation going! If you’d like to blog for SLA Boston, let us know! Email us at [email protected]. 1 of 428 3/24/2019 3:28 PM http://newengland.sla1.org/?post-type=post&show_title=1&show_date... SLA Boston Donates to Games for Health August 22, 2008 Categories: News & Notes SLA Boston is pleased to announce a contribution to the non-for-profit organization, Games for Health. Games for Health is a project produced by The Serious Games Initiative, a Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars effort that applies cutting edge games and game technologies to a range of public and private policy, leadership, and management issues. The Initiative founded Games for Health to develop a community and best practices platform for the numerous games being built for health care applications. To date the project has brought together researchers, medical professionals, and game developers to share information about the impact games and game technologies can have on health care and policy. The goal of the Games For Health is to help foster and support a community of researchers, developers, and users of applications that use game, game technologies, and game development talent to create entire new ways of improving the management, quality, and provision of healthcare worldwide. As part of that goal Games For Health also plays a greater role in helping to organize and accelerate the adoption of computer games for a variety of challenges facing the world today. In addition to the Games for Health conference, the Initiative is working to catalog use of games in health care, to assist current development, collect best practices, share research results, and explore ideas that might improve health care administration and policy. For more information about the organization, please visit the website: http://www.gamesforhealth.org/ 2 of 428 3/24/2019 3:28 PM http://newengland.sla1.org/?post-type=post&show_title=1&show_date... SLA Applauds the Opening of Shuttered EPA Libraries October 3, 2008 Categories: News & Notes Press Release from SLA Headquarters September 30, 2008 Following Public Outcry and Congressional Orders, EPA Headquarters, Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City Regional Libraries Open to the Public and Agency Employees For immediate release Alexandria, Virginia, September 30, 2008 Special Libraries Association (SLA), the first library association to denounce the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional library closures, today applauds the agency for its efforts to restore service and collections in its regional libraries. Under congressional orders, and following an outcry by the scientific and library communities, EPA will again provide access to library services for agency employees and the public in 15 states and its own headquarters in Washington, DC, starting today. "We are thrilled that after two years of diligent work by SLA and its members to educate EPA officials and members of the U.S. Congress on the importance of access to information, EPA is re-opening its libraries and restoring a much needed service for the public, business community and government scientists," stated SLA CEO Janice R. Lachance. "SLA, with assistance from our vocal members around the world and other allied library associations, remained vigilant in pushing the EPA to reexamine a short-sighted move that placed public health at risk. We are pleased with the direction EPA is now taking with its information network." In its September 24, 2008 Federal Register notice, EPA states that these re-opened libraries "will be staffed by a professional librarian to provide service to the public and EPA staff via phone, e-mail, or in person…for a minimum of 24 hours over four days per week on a walk-in basis or by appointment." "We are most pleased with the EPA’s commitment to staffing the libraries appropriately with trained information professionals and librarians," said Lachance. "EPA scientists and researchers, other Federal agencies, state and local governments, industry and the academic community are just some of those who rely on the information in EPA’s libraries to make decisions that affect everybody’s health. Simply digitizing materials and putting them online would not have met the needs of the community. The opening and staffing of these libraries is a happy new beginning to what started as a tragic story over two years ago, when we learned that the Bush Administration planned to cut funding for EPA’s network of 27 libraries and information centers." EPA will re-open its regional libraries in Chicago (serving the Great Lakes region), Dallas (Mid-Southern region) and Kansas City (Mid-Western region) after more than two years. In addition, one library in EPA Headquarters will re-open and include a small portion of holdings from what had been a free-standing chemical library, for research on the properties and effects of new chemicals, as a "special Chemical Collection". EPA announced plans in February 2006 to close libraries and began to eliminate services and collections at regional facilities shortly thereafter. These actions continued until Congress intervened and directed the agency to reverse course in December 2007. In response to this order and criticism from SLA and allied organizations, EPA has undertaken an elaborate "National Dialogue on Access to Environmental Information" to develop a new Library Strategic Plan in December 2008, just before the Bush administration leaves office. 3 of 428 3/24/2019 3:28 PM http://newengland.sla1.org/?post-type=post&show_title=1&show_date... The SLA Centennial Video Contest November 3, 2008 Categories: News & Notes The Centennial Committee put together this fantastic video contest – what does the information professional of the future look like? Submit your videos – yours could be shown at Annual in Washington, DC! The deadline is approaching: December 15th. Details are below. The SLA Information Professional of the Future John Cotton Dana…1909…Bretton Woods… The founders of SLA had a vision for how to fill the networking and educational needs of special librarians. With the forming of SLA in 1909, these fabled past leaders created an amazing professional association. For 100 years SLA has grown and transformed itslef, and the association that started as one idea, by one person, now serves a global market of over 11,000 information professionals, librarians, and their partners. In 2009, SLA celebrates its 100th birthday and as we look toward a second century of service, we are asking the questions: What will the next 100 years of connecting people and information look like? Can you peer into the future and see SLA’s leaders of tomorrow? Do you have an inspired vision of how SLA’s members will change in 25, 50, or even 100 years? Celebrate SLA’s Centennial with your video representation of SLA’s information professional of the future. Contest Theme The SLA Information Professional of Tomorrow Timeline Contest entry period: November 1 – December 15, 2008 Finalists announced at Leadership Summit, Savannah, Georgia: January 14-17, 2008 Judging of finalists by SLA members: January 14 – February 7, 2009 Winners announced: February 15, 2009 Winners presented and all entries displayed at Annual Conference: June 14-17, 2009 Prizes There are two categories of entries: Student and Professional. The winning entry in each category will be awarded: $1,500 cash Up to $1,500 to attend the Centennial conference in Washington, DC, June 14-17, 2009 Up to $1,500 for Chapter programming Up to $1,500 for Division programming Complete rules and submission information: http://wiki.sla.org/display/CCWIKI/Centennial+Video+Contest Promotional Video on YouTube: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=yXR-e2tiDQs [Submitted by Dav Robertson on behalf of the Centennial Commission; David Cappoli and Tamika McCollough video contest coordinators.] Information to Inspiration: Knowledge & Vision Shaping the Future Celebrating the SLA Centennial, 1909-2009 4 of 428 3/24/2019 3:28 PM http://newengland.sla1.org/?post-type=post&show_title=1&show_date... SLA Diversity Leadership Development Program Award December 4, 2008 Categories: Awards & Recognition Posted on behalf of SLA Headquarters: The SLA Diversity Leadership Development Program (DLDP) Award aims to accelerate the advancement and visibility of members who represent a diverse population of the Association by mentoring them for more leadership opportunities within the Special Libraries Association, to ensure that the Association remains vital, relevant, and representative of its diverse membership. Recipients receive: 1. An award of $1000. The awarded money should assist with airfare and/or accommodations and may cover at least one SLA Continuing Education course. 2. Complimentary registration, provided by SLA, to attend the annual conference and specific ticketed events as appropriate. 3. An assigned mentor who is an Association leader. To Be Eligible for the Award: Applicant must have been a member of SLA for at least 1 year. Applicants are eligible based on SLA’s definition of diversity, which includes but is not limitied to race, ethnicity, physical abilities, religious beliefs and/or sexual orientation.