Members and friends of SLA Toronto,

Welcome to the fourth issue of The Courier for 2008. The end of the year approaches and the holidays will soon be here. On behalf of the Chapter and the Executive let me extend my best wishes to you, your families and friends as you enjoy your winter holidays together.

As President, I set three goals for myself this year:

• to increase the Chapter’s membership;
• to focus on the needs of students and new information professionals; and
• to continue our partnerships with non-library groups and associations.

As of July 2008 or membership hovers around 400 members – this is a mild increase from the total members we had when I became President in January 2008. SLA Toronto is fortunate to have a concentrated group of dedicated information professionals in the GTA (and beyond) and despite fluctuations in our membership numbers, SLA Toronto remains one of the largest and most vibrant Chapters in the Association.

When I first came to Toronto, I was welcomed by a small group of SLA members who encouraged me to get involved with the Chapter. How I got involved is a very easy story to tell, which is why I have continuously shared it with students and new information professionals in the hopes they will be inspired to take an active role in SLA.

One of the ways to get students involved in the Chapter is to make it as easy as possible for them to attend our meetings and to meet our members. The Student Sponsorship Fund was established this year to allow all students to attend SLA Toronto events for free. I am thrilled to report that the Chapter hosted 26 students at our events during the first half of the year. That’s an average of four students per meeting. And we are looking forward to hosting many more students as the year wraps up. So far, there has been a tremendous response from the students who have attended our meetings; many of them had no idea what a special library was, but can now see themselves taking that path after graduation.

One of my goals, to continue our partnerships with non-library groups and associations, didn’t work out quite as I had planned. It was difficult to find a non-library group who not only understood what we do, but was also interested in finding common ground to come together. Many professionals outside of the library world do not have a clear understanding of the value that we bring to our organizations and it can be difficult to explain that value to them in language they understand. This is one of the main reasons I am very excited about SLA’s realignment project.

SLA Alignment Project

In partnership with Fleishman-Hillard, Andy Hines of Social Technologies, and Outsell Inc., SLA has begun a thorough examination to bring clarity and unity to the core identity and values of the Association and the profession. This project will not only help refine our current positioning in the marketplace, but provide a framework for discussing the inherent value in the profession and the Association in a clear, compelling and cohesive voice.

The results of this project will provide the Chapter with an excellent platform for developing relationships with professionals outside of the library community in the future.

As this is my last letter as President, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has made this year a success. To the members of the Executive and Advisory Boards, I want to thank you for giving of your time and energy to provide the Chapter with excellent programming and opportunities to meet and interact with one another – be it virtually or in the real world. To you, the member, I want to thank you for being a member of this great association and for supporting us this year in our efforts to provide you with the best possible member experience at the local level.

We have a rich harvest of SLA news and information to share with you in our Fall 2008 edition of The Courier!

Firstly, we want to offer our sincere congratulations to our President, Daniel Lee, who was elected to SLA’s Board of Directors in early October. We wish him the best of luck in this new endeavour and are confident that he will serve the SLA membership well. Congratulations, Daniel!

Speaking of the SLA Board, Toronto Chapter President-Elect Joy Shanfield has provided a very informative report for this issue’s BoardWatch column, which includes a letter from SLA CEO Janice Lachance about the importance of volunteers to our association. We would not be where we are today without the hard work and dedication of our volunteers. In addition, volunteering for SLA is a great way to contribute to our profession, learn new skills, and network with other professionals in the field. Find out how you can serve SLA and much more in the BoardWatch column!

If a leadership role is on your professional horizon, consider applying for Toronto Chapter sponsorship to attend the next Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute. This unique leadership development program for librarians in the first 2 to 7 years of their careers will be held in Emerald Lake, BC in late February 2009. See application details on page 9.

Read on for more information on upcoming SLA events, Chapter member news, past Solos co-chair Anna Porobic’s adventures with wikis, and a very timely article from Peter de Jager on adopting new technology.

As always, we are looking for writers, occasional and regular, to contribute ideas, comments, thoughts, and news items. Share your experiences with your colleagues. Contact us directly any time for more information.

Enjoy!

A Message from the Chief Executive Officer – Why Do People Volunteer?

This is the time of year when new officers are being elected and presidents- and chairs-elect are looking for those who will lead in appointed positions throughout 2009. Why not take a few minutes to reflect on the reasons people volunteer? It may make your job a bit easier.

The number one reason people volunteer is to contribute to a cause in which they believe or to give back to a profession that has helped them to excel. SLA falls within the latter. Who are those members who value SLA as a contributor to their success?

Eight out of 10 people want to put their skills and experience to use. What skills or abilities are needed for your chapter or division this next year?

Younger volunteers are more likely than any other age group to volunteer to improve their job opportunities or explore their own strengths. SLA offers training and a supportive network of volunteer leaders. Why not present the “volunteer jobs” you need to accomplish as career development?

People say they don’t have enough time to volunteer. What are some alternative ways of involving people in smaller projects? Examine position descriptions and be creative.

Most people don’t volunteer because they were not personally invited. Do you make an extra effort to invite people to join your chapter or division? Do you express to them that you need their particular assistance and ask them to join your leadership team?

SLA, like many associations, has a core group of volunteers who contribute year after year a majority of the volunteer hours. What measures are you taking to attract new volunteers and avoid volunteer burnout?

President-Elect Gloria Zamora has posted a call for volunteers. We’ll let you know of anyone expressing an interest in serving at the unit level. Look at this as a model and create your own call for volunteers. This outlines your units’ needs and might identify someone you didn’t know would have an interest in volunteering.

2009 also presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many members to take on unique volunteer opportunities to celebrate our centennial and get involved with SLA’s alignment for the future. Look forward to more details. A little thought now will prepare you to have your leadership team in place in January.

— Janice R. Lachance

2009 Board of Directors Election Results

Still haven’t heard who won the election? Read the 2009 Board of Directors election results. “I would like to express my gratitude to all of the 2009 candidates for taking the time and stepping up to the plate to run for election. Each candidate on the slate clearly deserved to be nominated, and I am sure that we will continue to hear from these SLA stars as they continue to serve the association with distinction in various other leadership roles,” said SLA CEO Janice Lachance. “I’d like to congratulate the new board members and offer them my gratitude in advance of their service. SLA’s success is based in the strength, dedication and intellect of our members around the world, and the sweat equity of our volunteers at all levels of the organization. Year after year, I continue to be amazed at the dedication and commitment I see from our leaders who work so hard to be a part of shaping the future of this organization and the information profession. Their leadership and service allow SLA to grow and flourish. We couldn’t do it without them!”

Read more from CEO Janice Lachance’s blog Executive Connections.

SLA 2008 Conference Handouts

In cooperation with a number of the SLA Divisions, we are pleased to provide access to conference handouts and presentations provided by those divisions. It should be noted that not all sessions lend themselves to this format, nor do all units of the association offer this service. The available handouts are Online at Click U for no charge.

I Spy an “Info Site”

Did you know that you can find the archives of IO’s Info Sites column in the Resources section of SLA’s website? The archives go back to October 2004, when the column debuted in Information Outlook. A member login is required to access the columns.

If you have suggestions for sites to include, email us.

US Border Policy Allows for Search of Data-Storing Devices

A U.S. border security policy allows agents of the US Customs and Border Patrol (to search and confiscate computers, phones, personal digital assistants, cameras, digital music players and other data-storing devices.

An article from the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) PracticeLink has suggested 10 steps you can take to shield sensitive information, like that protected by solicitor-client privilege, when crossing the border.

Read the CBA PracticeLink article.

Canadian Copyright Bill Dies on the Table

Bill C-61, An Act to amend the Canadian Copyright Act, was tabled during the second session of the 39th Canadian Parliament by Minister of Industry Jim Prentice. The bill purported to balance the rights of copyright holders and consumers. The bill died on the table when the 39th Parliament was dissolved prematurely and an election was called by the Governor General Michaëlle Jean at Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s request on 7 September 2008. The bill would have prohibited the unlocking of digital locks on content such as software, digitized music, digitized books and other protected subject matter, even for the purpose of exercising user rights recognized in the Copyright Act.

Read the related news story.

In July 2008, SLA blogged on the introduction of Bill C-61 and provided links to the Canadian Association of Research Libraries’ (CARL) statement entitled “A Canadian Approach to Digital Copyright.” A key element of that statement was that “to compete nationally and internationally, researchers in Canada require a fair and balanced copyright regime that recognizes the importance of users’ rights. Users’ rights must not be limited or narrowed in the digital environment.”

Organizations in Strong Support of NIH Public Access Policy

SLA and others sent letters to all members of the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property and the Committee on Judiciary expressing long-standing and strong support for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy and opposing any change to the current Policy that would undermine its proven effectiveness.

The Subcommittee will be conducting a hearing on the NIH Public Access Policy, a hearing that SLA and others strongly hope will provide an opportunity to better understand the importance and strategic value of the Policy as it advances science, improves access by the public to federally funded research, provides for effective archiving strategies for these resources, and ensures accountability of our federal investment.

Read the letter.

Open Access Handbook Published

The English version of a handbook, entitled Open Access: Opportunities and Challenges, a joint publication of the European Commission and the German Commission for UNESCO, 2008, has been published.

The publication is available in print and electronic version. The handbook aims to provide information about the opportunities and challenges offered by Open Access, and to present a wide array of issues and positions under debate.

The English version of the handbook is a translation of the handbook in German, published by the German Commission for UNESCO in 2007.

Download the Handbook.

Read more details about the book.

Welcome to our New Members!

Please join me in welcoming the following information professionals who joined the SLA Toronto Chapter between May and September 2008:

I look forward to meeting each of you at a future SLA Toronto event!

Claire Lysnes

SLA Toronto Chapter Membership Chair

clysnes@gmail.com

Here are some of the upcoming events presented by SLA Toronto Chapter. See the Toronto chapter website for details.

SLA Toronto Chapter Annual General Meeting

November 12, 2008

5:30 PM (registration), 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (event)

One Up Restaurant and Lounge

130 Dundas St West, Toronto ON

SLA Toronto Chapter is holding its AGM in November this year to report on its 2008 year and elect its Executive Board for the 2009 year.

SLA / CASLIS Joint Holiday Social

December 3, 2008

5:30 PM (registration), 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM (event)

Arts & Letters Club of Toronto, 14 Elm Street (Elm & Yonge, 2 blocks north of Dundas W)

You are invited to attend our annual holiday celebration with your library friends in The Great Hall at The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto.

SLA Toronto is pleased to announce its decision to again sponsor a qualified candidate for the upcoming tenth Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute, to be held February 26th to March 3rd, 2009 in Emerald Lake, British Columbia.

***Deadline for application package submission to SLA Toronto is November 11th, 2008***

This year, the Toronto Chapter will be sponsoring one nominee after reviewing qualified applicants. Sponsorship will include a $1500 grant from the Chapter to cover the registration fee and offset transportation costs to and from Calgary, Alberta.

The Chapter requires that the nominees meet the criteria established by the Institute as well as be a member of the Toronto Chapter. (Please see the Institute’s website for nomination criteria.) The successful nominee will also agree to serve on the Executive Board of the Chapter within one year of attending the Institute as well as report on the experience of attending in the Courier. Nomination by SLA Toronto does not guarantee admission to the Institute.

Nominees shall send to SLA Toronto a completed nomination package, as detailed on the Institute’s website. Please e-mail or fax application packages to Claire Lysnes at clysnes@gmail.com or (416) 814-8902, with originals to follow by mail to:

Claire Lysnes

SLA Toronto

c/o

PwC Management Services LP

145 King Street West, 11th Floor

Toronto, ON Canada M5H 1V8

More information on Northern Exposure to Leadership may be found in the Press Release below and by reading:
The 6th Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute: Part 1: What is NELI?

By Dave Hook and Tracey Palmer

The 6th Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute: Part 2: The Experience

By Dave Hook and Tracey Palmer

Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute

By Daniel P. Lee

NELI Press Release

September 29, 2008

The tenth Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute (NELI) will be held in Emerald Lake, British Columbia, from February 26th to March 3rd, 2009.

The Institute’s mission is to assist professional librarians to develop, strengthen, and exercise their leadership skills so that they may be better equipped to formulate, articulate, and achieve the future changes required by libraries into the 21st century.

Based on the premise of experiential learning, the Institute includes group and individual exercises, as well as the opportunity to learn in conversation with mentors, who have been chosen for their own leadership skills, and who will be participating as volunteers.

Northern Exposure will target 24 librarians who have a desire to develop their leadership potential, received their library degrees generally within the past seven years, and a minimum of two year’s professional library experience.

Individual nominations will be welcomed from a variety of sources, including employers, associations, library schools and the corporate information sector. Nominees will be asked to supply a one-page resume, a one-page synopsis of achievements, career goals, and expectations for the Institute, as well as a one-page description, employer or nominator validated, of a leadership opportunity to be made available to the nominee in the year subsequent to the Institute. Those chosen as participants must secure funding to cover a registration fee and transportation costs to Calgary. Meals, accommodation, as well as the programme and learning materials will be provided.

See http://www.ls.ualberta.ca/neli/index.html for ‘Description’ and ‘Nomination Criteria’.

Nominations must be received by November 30, 2008.

For more information contact:

Ernie Ingles,

Executive Director,

Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute,

c/o 5-07 Cameron Library,

University of Alberta,

Edmonton, Alberta,

Canada, T6G 2J8

Tel: 780-492-5170

Fax: 780-492-7925

Email: ernie.ingles@ualberta.ca

Upcoming Event: Networking Mixer and Social

The New Information Professionals Group will be wrapping up 2008 with another great social in November. This time, we’re going to spice it up a bit.

Have you ever wondered exactly what somebody did in their position? Saw them at a speaking event or a social, but never had a chance to go into detail? Ever wonder what it is like to work as a corporate librarian, a media librarian or a subject specialist? Well, now is your chance to find out. I’ll be sending out a request prior to the social, asking participants to submit a brief professional synopsis of themselves; including information such as their position, job description and any other professional contributions. Still a student? Super – tell us about your experience and your professional goals for the future.

All NIP member attendees will get a succinct introduction to the other participants, broadening their knowledge of what positions are out there, while casually socializing with friends and colleagues.

The mixer is taking place this November. The venue and date will be announced within the next week via the SLA Toronto listserv and the SLA – New Information Professionals Facebook Group. I look forward to seeing you!

Thank you for making this year’s events so much fun!

Laura Warner is a graduate of Dalhousie University’s MLIS/MPA program and is a Reference Librarian for the CBC.

Claire Lysnes has been promoted to the position of Portal Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada. The Portal is PwC Canada’s intranet which serves over 5,000 partners and staff. In addition, she is currently managing a project to introduce the firm to enterprise RSS technology via a 200 person proof-of-concept pilot this fall. Claire continues to be a member of the Canadian firm’s Knowledge Management Group, as well as the University of Toronto Faculty of Information Alumni Association President and the SLA Toronto Chapter Membership Chair.

In June, Kimberly Silk, President, BrightSail Strategic Marketing, began a contract with The Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, to build an online research repository and collaboration system to support their researchers. She will be with the MPI until the end of December 2008.

In August, Melanie Browne changed jobs. She was previously an information specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto and has now moved to be a Librarian / Project Manager for Maple Leaf Foods Corporate, Toronto, ON. Her new email is BrowneMG@Mapleleaf.ca and her telephone number is 416-926-2058.

Information and research services at CIBC have undergone a major transformation over the past eight months. The centralized Research Network team was disbanded, and a new service model initiated, impacting a number of Toronto Chapter members. Continuing in their roles of providing in-depth research support, Donna Smith-Roselle, Petra Gibb-Neale and Silvia Franzoi moved into major business areas, as embedded researchers. Alma Lambio (and her role of vendor support and liaison) was transitioned to the centralized Market Data Services group. Jennifer Bennett transitioned into a new role of contract manager, remaining within Corporate Training & Development. Philomena Pun is now enjoying early retirement. Sara Chi has joined CriticalKnowledge (a consulting firm based in New York and Toronto) in a new position as researcher/project manager, and Mary Lou Parkinson is actively exploring new research and analysis opportunities. Cynthea Penman has been managing the transition, including: establishing outsourced research contracts for non-supported business areas; realigning information product ownership; website redesign, etc., and will be leaving CIBC in December. This is the end of an era at CIBC, mirroring changes happening across the information industry, and offering new and interesting opportunities for all concerned. You can contact Cynthea at cynthea.penman@cibc.com or cynthea.penman@live.com

People on the Move will be a regular column highlighting the achievements of our members and help keep us all in touch. Please share your career changes, retirements, life changes, volunteer work.

Submit your news to Frances Wong at FWong@blgcanada.com.

One of my first tasks as SLA Toronto Solo Group Chair was to create content on solo librarians for the SLA Toronto Best Practices wiki. As a starting point, I was given the New Information Professionals wiki (from which I couldn’t steal too much). It took me quite a while to figure out what other wiki pages flourish under the Chapters’ sky.

At first, the assignment seemed insurmountable. So many “landscapes” to review, so many steps to learn, and so little time in the packed workday schedule of a solo librarian! Fortunately, there were no deadlines, and the time factor was further eased by the extra-help of a summer assistant in my library. Being a solo librarian for the past 10 years (and past Solo Co-Chair) was the only strength I had against the initial impediment of adding “best practices” with no practice with wikis at all.

After many hours of exploring the web and visiting numerous wiki gardens, I took a better look at the SLA wiki space, which lead me into “23 Things”. One of those 23 things was, sure enough, wikis. What a great way to learn new tools! This was an excellent opportunity to try applying wiki instructions from the Week 7 session to my practical task. Of course, I realized pretty soon that my wiki couldn’t have many of those great features, but I was not going to complain. I preferred the idea of a minimalist wiki garden.

Another aspect of my preliminary research covered solo librarians’ presence on the internet, through library associations’ websites, individual blogs and wikis. I noticed that too many pages were desperately out of date, which made me wonder: if others can’t keep up, HOW WILL I be able to “cultivate” this wiki garden? I must keep it simple.

When I felt I had enough gathered material and ideas to build the wiki, I started writing the introduction text, mission statement, backgrounders and history. The biggest challenge was how to offer enough relevant content without repeating what’s already been said somewhere else. For each section I would throw as much material as I had and later on I would work on “trimming” and “weeding” the material.

For the history section, I obtained evidence about the first, very enthusiastic steps of the One-Person Library Support Group, and personally met with the first Toronto Solo Chair, Penny Lipman. I also reviewed previous issues of the in Courier to “unearth” earlier reports on solos’ work. Solo survey was another big endeavor I was doing on the side, so I used it to create some unique content for the wiki.

Applying the Text Formatting Rules to the prepared text was my next step. The rules were pretty basic, although without WYSIWYG. I had to learn what characters to use for bold text, headlines and lists. One of the first things I tried was making a link to an external page. I also needed to come up with clear titles and avoid playing too much with formats, bullets and colours because “a Wiki is not about presentation but more about quality content” (same as above). Only when I saw the content alive did I start getting ideas about improving the organization and the page structure. What followed were numerous re-writings of the content until it all made some sense visually and structurally. (Amidst of all this editing, the Chapters’ website was down on several occasions, so I almost thought I was a culprit, because each time I changed something, the site would be down for the day!)

When the wiki seemed ready for a preview, I shared it with solos and a few friends. I got some positive feedback and a few helpful suggestions. This is when it became clear to me that this wiki was aimed at the Chapter’s volunteers, and not members at-large. (Ta-daaa!) Over the next three weeks I had dozens of edited versions and numerous ornamental changes. With wikis, it’s never too late to make it right!

The SLA Click U Live Seminar Best Practices for Setting Up Wikis, September 11, 2008 opened some new horizons and put my work on wikis in a different perspective.

• I could see how current wiki design and syntax lacks flexibility, allows no customization and no comments.
• Wikis are all about cooperation and here I was, the only contributor.(But, on a positive side, I didn’t have to worry about someone re-writing my sentences).
• Wikis are not discussion-management tools, nor forums. This is why I dropped the idea of having a section Solos Ask Solos, suggested by some folks.

Luckily, the current Chapters’ wikis will be moving to the SLA wiki space platform, so hopefully, this will mean better customization and more flexibility in the future.

Some of the benefits I experienced with this wiki include:

• Sharing handouts and material for the solo meetings prior to the meeting
• Sharing reports of the meeting for those who couldn’t participate
• Sharing a link for solo survey and posting the results later on
• Contacts in Solos’ Directory easily updated and not lost in someone’s personal Inbox
• One week’s UPCOMING EVENTS section becomes next week’s PAST EVENTS’ report (i.e. content evolves constantly, or as needed).

Some of the lessons learned are:

• Have the mission and the audience of your wiki clearly defined before you start
• Inspect all the surrounding environment of your wiki early
• Less is better
• Do not get attached to your content – some parts will have to be deleted in order to let wiki grow
• Keep checking the content regularly and keep exploring new ideas

In helping this wiki grow, I’d like to throw in a few “trees”: for example, Guidelines for Solo Chairs could be a useful tool for future volunteers. The other exciting challenges for this wiki could be how to enforce collaboration and how to motivate more solos to become wiki gardeners. Bring on some ideas!

Other Resources:

About Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki

Business Cases for Info Pros: Here’s Why, Here’s How

By Ulla de Stricker

“Too many good ideas are not funded because a compelling case is not made for them. Ulla de Stricker provides a clear, concise, and straightforward approach to building your successful business case.”

-Dr. Ken Haycock, Professor and Director

San Jose School of Library and Information Science

Dr. Ken Haycock’s comment sums up Ulla’s book very well.

Ulla’s vast experience in the library and knowledge industry shines through in this step-by step book. It is a must-have tool for those in the industry who have business cases to create and would even be suitable for those working on creating business cases in any field.

To go one step further, Ulla’s book provides information for the novice manager and provides an informational framework similar to what one learns in business school.

Since businesses find it difficult to agree to projects without quantitative support, the information managers often find themselves in a bind, as ROI for information and knowledge based projects are difficult to measure and the business case even more difficult to sell.

Ulla discusses an overall approach that responds to management’s need to know “What’s in it for me?”

In the book Ulla covers off everything that one needs to do a business case: from defining what is a business case, to the overall process of writing including all prework such as how to prepare, where to get content or find the info you need, format and language to use.

Fully supported at every stage with examples and case studies, the book supplies both the understanding and the tools to put forth your case and get it accepted by management.

Some of the chapters included are:

The Decision Making Context

Thinking About Money

The Business Case Approach

The Business Case Framework

The Business Case Memorandum

Case Studies

Presenting the Message in Person

Appearance Matters

In sum, worth every penny! The book is available from the publisher – it’s easiest to go to www.destricker.com and follow the link there.