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The FreePint Bar is generously sponsored by Dow Jones Factiva.
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| Start New | Message Index | Flat View |
| First FreePint Daily Dispatch from SLA, New York |
| Author: | Annabel Colley |
| Date: | Monday, 9th Jun 2003 14:41 |
| Views: | 3,792 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds) |
| Category: | FreePint | | URL: | http://www.freepint.com/go/b24080 |
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Dispatch Number One from New York -- From Annabel Colley
Special Libraries Association Conference
Supported by Factiva, a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
Well we made it. FreePint arrived in New York City from the UK - to torrential rain. We felt quite at home. We registered for the conference which this year has the theme of "Putting Knowledge to Work". Focussing on the critical role of information professionals employing knowledge for strategic decision making in the global information arena. We enjoyed the hospitality of the SLA News Division in the early evening, in their Suite at the Hilton before hitting our beds still on London time.
NEW YORK HAPPENINGS
Our hotel is just round the corner from Radio City Hall where the Tony theatre awards took place on Sunday. No celebrities spotted so far but we will keep you posted! The New York hustle and bustle was further exaggerated Sunday by the very noisy and colourful Puerto Rican parade.
We enjoyed dinner and SLA awards ceremony at the luxurious University Press Club. The club is modelled on private membership London clubs such as the Reform Club. It houses the largest private members club library in the world. In the most traditional of settings (leather-bound volumes, wood pannelling and a ceiling inspired by the Vatican), corporate information professionals networked on more modern topics like Knowledge Management and taxonomies.
KEY THEMES EMERGING
"Using Information more aggressively".
... Was how the new European Special Librarian of the year (ESLY) 2003 described one of the key challenges for info pros. With two former ESLYs on the FreePint team we are always interested in what the current holder has to say.
A note for our student readers - University of Wales Dept of Information and Library Studies must be doing something right because the last three UK based ESLY's were all graduates.
Peter Clarke of top Management Consultants Mercer Oliver Wyman was recognised with this Factiva sponsored award for outstanding contribution to special librarianship. "Questioning existing models", "crediting alternative skillsets" and "linking what the information centre does to the business, driving the business need" are key tips. He paid tribute to his teams in three countries.
Factiva ran a continuing education course this morning on "Consultative Selling Strategies for Information Professionals". It was well attended, but Clare Hart CEO Factiva, with whom I chatted afterwards, said that she would like even more information professionals learning and practising essential selling skills.
"Trend towards Globalisation of Corporate information functions":
The very latest Outsell Inc. report "The Changing Roles of Content Deployment Functions: Corporate Information Professionals", published just a couple of days ago, identifies Globalisation as a top issue. FreePint finds this is backed by many of the people we chatted and listened to today. The increasing focus on globalisation by the SLA was also very evident at the International Visitors Reception champagne reception this afternoon. This seemed to be better attended than ever before, with a large range speakers and awards. SLA has a global task force, an international twinning project, and information exchange programmes with developing countries. Bill Fisher, current SLA President, said that he hoped that all SLA programmes and receptions would be international in the future.
SEEN AND HEARD
We networked with the following people today:
CLARE HART CEO Factiva. My interview with her will appear in FreePint in the near future. We covered a range of issues including the impact of Factiva's deal with Microsoft on the information industry, and the reasons for Factiva's shift to selling more KM tools and technologies.
CINDY HILL President Elect of SLA - who said she prints out every issue of FreePint and then sits down with her staff at Sun Microsystems in Silicon Valley to discuss it, and plan their action. It's good to know you are with us Cindy and I look forward to interviewing you later in the week about the challenges of change management. It was great that so many people came up to us unprompted to say what vital reading FreePint is to them.
STEPHEN ABRAM - Chair of the SLA Branding Task Force - and winner of numerous awards including, today, the John Cotton Dana award for outstanding contribution to the field of special librarianship. Stephen, the Vice President of Corporate Development for Micromedia ProQuest Canada specialises in tracking future trends. He is looking forward to moving the organisation forward whatever the outcome of the vote on the SLA's name change on Wednesday. (see <http://www.sla.org> for more information).
JANICE R LACHANCE the new Executive Director of SLA. Just appointed. Janice, formerly with the Clinton administration, is credited with shifting the US Office of Personnel Management strategic direction and transforming them into an innovative entrepreneurial organisation. She is not trained as an information professional and told me that she "came across" the SLA and became more and more intrigued and impressed by the vast range of competencies and professional areas that the membership operates in. We know from Bar postings and reactions to previous FreePint editorials we have quite a few FreePint readers with a similar relationship to the information profession. Watch this space...
I heard a rumour on the grape vine that Janice "found the SLA" rather than the "SLA finding Janice". Certainly she comes across as very proactive and passionate. She will need to be. From July she will work closely with Cindy Hill and the SLA board to drive the strategic re-positioning of SLA as essential catalysts and opinion formers in the global information economy.
TOP TIP TO TAKE AWAY
Information professionals should develop and practice a three-minute "elevator speech". How would you encompass what it is you and your department do, and why you justify investment when caught in a lift with your Director or CEO?
That's all for this dispatch folks. Tune in for the next dispatch, covering Monday's events and themes.
SLA FACTS:
SLA member profile: 12,000 information professionals in 80 Countries.
Information research experts who analyse, evaluate, package and disseminate information to facilitate strategic decision making in corporate, academic and government sectors. We're in New York so as the old song goes - start spreading the news!
Annabel Colley
FreePint
Next Dispatch (2): http://www.freepint.com/go/b24102
Dispatch Index: http://www.freepint.com/go/b24333
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| Start New | |
| Topic |
Author |
Date |
ID |
 | First FreePint Daily Dispatch from SLA, New York | | Dispatch Number One from New York -- From Annabel Colley
Special Libraries Association Conference
Supported by Factiva, a Dow Jones & Reuters ... |
|
Annabel Colley |
09/06/03 14:41 |
24080 |
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