September Message from the President
DC Community Members, As I write this message, our DC Community is preparing for the digital privacy professional development event on Saturday, September 25 from 12:30 - 4:30 pm ET. The event, titled "You Never Know What Is Out There: a Digital Privacy Workshop" is still open for registration and is free to SLA Members ($25 for non-members). You can register at https://www.pathlms.com/sla/courses/33086/webinars/24714. We've got a wide variety of speakers coming at the issue from a variety of perspectives and I am excited that this event will be captured as part of the DCSLA Channel in the SLA Learning Hub. Digital Privacy is an ongoing and evolving challenge for everyone but for information professionals, that challenge goes beyond our personal privacy to include the risks associated with use of products and services provided to our users and the organizations we serve. This event will get you thinking about all of these issues and hopefully give you some things you can personally and professionally begin to address. At the same time that we are expanding our knowledge about digital privacy, SLA's Professional Development Advisory Council is exploring interest in, and opportunities for, offering credentials for education and training within SLA. They're conducting a short survey through September 24 (click here to take it) and our own Communications Chair Sarah Braun is part of the Council. I personally think that credentials, especially things participants can share in Social Networks would be a great addition to all of the educational programming we currently offer to our members. I think we will need to learn and implement more assessment tools and be more thoughtful about learning outcomes. I definitely think SLA is uniquely positioned to identify, address, and confirm the core competencies associated with information work beyond traditional library skills. I also believe that practitioners are often the best teachers on topics that are not taught by traditional programs in library and information science. Finally, I need to make another plea of every member of our Community to consider how you can get involved and support your fellow SLA members. We have done a lot of great work this past year continuing to host events and programs. Supporting the DC Community of SLA doesn't have to be a "big lift" but it does require intention and commitment. At the present time, we need to recruit several members of our 2022 Board including someone to lead communications; someone to lead updating our Web site; and someone that can shadow our 2022 President and agree to lead the Community in 2022. We would also welcome members that want to join the Programming Committee to plan and produce both virtual and in-person events in 2022. Without volunteers, 2022 could be the last year of a dedicated DC Community since communities without leadership are being evaluated for merger or dissolution. Without sufficient support, the remaining DC Community Board will have to consider merging with other nearby geographic communities similar to the SLA Canada Community that formed in 2019. The SLA Wisconsin Community was dissolved last month after that Community failed to find leadership. The Wisconsin members were welcomed into other nearby Communities but they will no longer have a presence as a distinct group. As on of the smallest SLA Communities in area but largest in membership, I would hate to see the DC Community have to make this decision at a time when our presence in the nation's capital continues to be important and the network of members continues to support us all through this challenging time. If you would be willing to serve on a DC Community Committee in 2022, please contact Past President David Blum (davidblum84@gmail.com) or myself at richardhuffine@gmail.com as soon as possible. We need to elect a Board before our Annual Meeting in early December and we would love to start 2022 with a list of volunteers that are ready to support our community and the work we do. Thank you! Richard Huffine 2021 DC SLA President
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Volunteer OpportunitiesThe DC Community has some exciting volunteer opportunities for members who would like to get more involved! Presenters Needed: Adopting Hybrid Work in Specialized Libraries, November 18The DC Community is working on a Virtual Roundtable Discussion that is planned for Thursday, November 18 from 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET. The topic of discussion is "Adopting Hybrid Work in Specialized Libraries." We are looking for presenters from across a variety of organization types (academic, government, corporate, non-profit) and subject areas (health sciences, pharmaceuticals, financial services, law firms) that can talk about what hybrid work looks like for them now and in the future. We know a lot of folks are still working remotely but we also know that many libraries have worked out approaches to providing access to their collections, supporting researchers, and collaborating with one another again in a combination of in-person and virtual approaches. Presenters will have 5-15 minutes to tell us how you're approaching hybrid work both now and moving forward. We'll leave the majority of the time for questions, comments, and discussions with attendees. Contact Richard Huffine ( richardhuffine@gmail.com) if you want to present and we'll give you time on the program. If you're interested in just attending, the event will be promoted to all Community members in October. We look forward to the conversation on November 18! |
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Upcoming DC SLA EventsWe've got some exciting virtual events coming up this fall!
DC SLA October Board Meeting
Tue, October 5, 2021
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
Register Here
The Washington DC Community of the Special Libraries Association will have their next board meeting on October 5, 2021 at 6PM. It will be a virtual meeting only and not in person. We will be discussing updates in SLA, hearing from committees, and discussing future activities. We look forward to connecting with you. If you're considering running for the board, attending a board meeting is a great way to get an idea of how the board works!
DC SLA Programming Committee Meeting
Tue, October 12, 2021
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
RSVP Here
The programming committee for the Washington DC Community of the Special Libraries Association will have their monthly meeting on October 12, 2021 at 6PM. Please come share your ideas with us and help us to plan some great events. If you're considering volunteering on a committee, join our meetings to see how we work!
DC & Maryland SLA Presents: A Virtual Happy Hour
Tue, October 19, 2021
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
RSVP Here
Are you social but not ready to go to crowded bars? Do you want to meet librarians and information professionals inside and outside DC metropolitan area?
DC& Maryland Communities of SLA are co-hosting a virtual happy hour. No dress code!! Bring your dinner, alcoholic drink, or non-alcoholic drink!!
Topic of discussion: TBA
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News From Around Town
The Student Financial Aid Committee (SFAC) of the District of Columbia Library Association (DCLA) is proud to announce that Neva Faulkner is the 2021 recipient of the Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loan. Neva is pursuing an MLS degree at North Carolina Central University. She currently works full-time in the National Capital Region for the DC Public Library, where her focus is on the teen/young adult population. We congratulate her on being this year’s awardee, and wish her much success in her academic and professional careers. The interest-free loan of $6,000, which the DCLA SFAC can forgive upon an awardee maintaining a 3.0 or better GPA in graduate studies for the twelve months following the award, has been made to students in the Washington metropolitan area since 2002 thanks to a bequest from Ms. Fine (a past president of DCLA). To date, ALL of our awardees have had their loans forgiven. In related news, we’d like to announce that our previous winners earned loan forgiveness and their LIS degrees in the recent past, Gabi Huesca (2019) and Yuri Casas (2020). Congratulations Gabi and Yuri on earning loan forgiveness and academic success! You are both assets to the profession and the association. Gabi graduated in May 2021 with a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Maryland. She works full time for the DC Public Library, where she offers bilingual services in English and Spanish and is active in DC Public Library's "Libraries are for Everyone" Working Group. Gabi aims to expand culturally competent services and resources for underserved communities, including non-English speakers and immigrants. Yuri graduated in May this year, with a Masters in Library Science from Emporia State University. He is a librarian and educator, and has worked developing databases for libraries for 10 years in Peru. In the United States, he is working as a school librarian in Washington, D.C. He was a librarian libGuide volunteer at the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress. For a complete list of past winners please visit our website. Please contact dcla.sfac@gmail.com c/o Matthew Plank, (Acting Chair, SFAC) with any questions.
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