Ned Potter:

Ned works as an Academic Liaison Librarian for the University of York Library. He has been named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker and an SLA-Europe ECCA winner, created LISNPN, the New Professionals Network, and is the author of the forthcoming book The Library Marketing Toolkit. He blogs at thewikiman.org.

Bethan Ruddock:

Bethan is Content Development Officer, Library & Archival Services, Mimas, the University of Manchester. Bethan is a member of the SLA Europe board, the CILIP Future Skills Project board, and was named an SLA Rising Star in 2010. Bethan is the author of the New Professional’s Toolkit,  http://lisnewprofs.com/.

Vouchers will also be given out as part of the evening, providing a 30% discount on selected Facet Publications.

The event is free to attend, and includes a complimentary beverage. Pre-booking is essential via this form.

Date: 26th June 2012 , 6 for 6:30pm
Venue: The Cross Keys, 107 Water Lane, Leeds, LS11 5WD Map
Cost: Free (includes one complimentary drink)

We want to create a manifesto for public libraries, a clear vision for what we believe a 21st Century library service should look like and how it should be delivered.  We have been fighting library closures across the country for a long time. When we formed Voices For The Library our intention was to highlight the positive aspects of public libraries, but our energy has been focused on fighting the immediate threat to them. Consequently we haven’t had time to build a picture of what libraries should be.  It is time to express a clear vision, so that when politicians and the media ask the question we can clearly articulate what a library service should deliver.

We at SLA Europe have long been proud supporters of Voices for the Library, and we would like to urge all of our members, whatever sector you work in, to take part. You can contribute ideas to this valuable project by leaving a comment on their blog post, tweeting about it using the hashtag #libfesto, or by joining the conversation at Voices for the Library’s Facebook group.

Anneli Sarkanen works as Information Officer at Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP, where she is highly regarded by the lawyers she works for. Among Anneli’s innovations has been the introduction of an internal wiki which is used as a communication tool, a knowledge repository and to facilitate project management within the Field Fisher Waterhouse Library and Information Services team.

Anneli is also an active member of the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL), and currently serves as Vice-chair of their PR & Promotions Committee. Recommending Anneli, a former colleague stated that Anneli would be ‘an excellent ambassador for the information profession in London and the UK’.

The award covers Anneli’s expenses for attendance at the SLA Conference in Chicago, 15-18 July 2012. The award will be formally presented by the Award sponsor Dow Jones at the International Reception on 16th July.

In addition, the SLA Europe board and Conference Award judging panel are pleased to be able to recognise Helen Westwood as a shortlisted candidate. Helen is Subject Librarian for Cass Business School at City University, where she has developed a range of information literacy resources, been instrumental in the success of the Cass Library’s social media engagement, and consistently receives excellent feedback from colleagues and students. Helen has been awarded a year’s membership of SLA.

The Conference Award replaces the SLA Europe Information Professional Award, which has been awarded to a number of successful and illustrious professionals since its inception (as the European Special Librarian of the Year, or ESLY) in 1994.

Primary role

Provides literature searching service and support to Shire colleagues
Assists with ordering documents from third party suppliers
Assists with the storage and retrieval procedure for library
resources.
Provides end-user training and assistance of library resources to
colleagues
Participates in global team activities & projects

Responsibilities
50% – Literature searching service:
20% – Library Resources Sourcing:
20% Library resources storage and retrieval
10% – Global team activities & projects.

Education & Requirements:
•       Masters degree in Library Science (or equivalent), or a relevant
scientific discipline (Life Sciences, Biology, Chemistry) OR
experience of information provision in the pharmaceutical industry.
•       Online information searching and retrieval.

Knowledge of :
•       the services provided by document delivery specialists.
•       specialized databases for the scientific community.
•       Generally has 3-5 years experience

URL: http://www.shire.com/shireplc/en/careers (job ID – 4180 BR)

There can be many reasons for the review – cost concerns, new business requirements, technology changes – but one thing is constant. That change will result. Yet John Kotter, the change guru, revealed in his seminal book Leading Change only 30% of change programs succeed! However, while change can be unsettling, and inevitably there will be winners and losers, change can also generate new jobs, new skills, and opportunities to innovate and lead.

Come and hear our panel discuss their experiences at the coalface of undertaking reviews and managing change, and network with other professionals facing the same challenges.

Lesley Robinson, Interim Head of Knowledge Management at Baker & McKenzie and Independent Information Consultant will chair an expert panel, all with extensive exposure to various elements of change management, in presenting their views and sharing their experiences in an open discussion:

• John Coll – Head of Access, National Library of Scotland
• Veronica Kennard – Director, Rothschild
• Ray Phillips – Head of information Service Development, The King’s Fund
• Ian Wooler – Knowledge Management & MBTI practitioner – Director IDW Ltd & Senior Associate at TFPL

Venue: The Exchange Minster Pavement, Mincing Lane, London EC3R 7PP

Cost: free for SLA members, and £15 for non-members, payable on the night

Timings:

• 6.00 – 6.30pm registration
• 6.30 – panel session
• 7.45 – Drinks and networking
• 9.30 – Close

To register for this event, please complete the online registration form.

This event is kindly sponsored by the FT and Swets.

Speaker profiles

John Coll is Head of Access at the National Library of Scotland. He is responsible for  managing physical and intellectual access to all public spaces within this major research Library including reading rooms and the Visitor Centre,  as well as digital services, exhibitions and events, information and enquiries, audience and customer research and the website and library guides. John  has carried out a range of service reviews at the Library and as part of the Library’s Corporate Leadership Team is currently  implementing a strategic management restructure.

Veronica Kennard has run Information Centre at Rothschild since 1991; she is responsible for the provision of research services to bankers around the world and ensuring that information sources are available at the desktop. Veronica’s career in information management began at the International Institute of Strategic Studies, followed by 11 years at the London Business School and stints at Bain & Company and Goldman Sachs. She was promoted to a director of the bank in 2005. In addition to her responsibilities in information, she also has oversight for Rothschild in the community. In the past few months Veronica has been involved in a global cost reduction review which has involved looking at areas where change is possible and where change appears to be impossible!

A veteran of a number of library reviews, both doing and being done to, Ray Phillips is currently Head of Information Services at the King’s Fund. He was brought in to help move the library to a smaller physical space while increasing their electronic presence. Has several years’ experience in information work, including 13 years in the NHS. NHS roles included four years managing Croydon Health Sciences Library, and four years as strategic lead for libraries and knowledge services at South West London Strategic Health Authority (SHA). At South West London SHA, Ray led on the strategic development of NHS-funded library services and also on various initiatives for the wider NHS library community in London.

Ian Wooler is a Knowledge Management Consultant and MBTI Practitioner with extensive business experience in Public, Private and Start-Up businesses. He specialises in blending people skills, learning styles, personality types, knowledge and experience with organisational processes and technologies for improvement in self, team and Corporate performance.

Simon Barron:

I currently work as E-resources Co-ordinator at Durham University. During my MA in Library and Information Management at Manchester Metropolitan University, I focused my research on electronic resources, ebooks, National Digital Libraries, and the use of technology in libraries. I also use social media technology to campaign for public libraries as part of Voices for the Library.

I’m looking forward to working with the SLA – especially the Science-Technology Division – and getting a wider view of LIS. It’ll be great to learn more about trans-Atlantic developments in technology and to spread the word about the UK’s public library crisis.

Marie Cannon:

My name is Marie Cannon, and I am currently enrolled on the MA Library and Information Studies course at University College London, and I also work as a Library Assistant at London Business School. Prior to this, I worked as a Graduate Library Assistant at Norton Rose LLP.

I am extremely honoured and excited to have won the ECCA, and I am really looking forward to the special networking opportunities this conference is going to offer me. I am also interested in the ways libraries are adapting their services in accordance with the changing needs and expectations of users; particularly using web 2.0 technologies, and how this can be used in the legal sector in particular.

Ruth Jenkins:

I’m currently a student on the MA Librarianship course at the University of Sheffield. Prior to this, I was a Graduate Library Trainee at the Bodleian Social Science Library at the University of Oxford.  I am always excited to learn how different library and information centres operate, particularly outside a traditional library setting, and I am really looking forward to meeting library and information professionals from varied and international backgrounds. This will be my first conference experience, and indeed my first time in the USA, so I am really excited to make the most of this amazing and generous opportunity.  I would like to thank the Business and Finance Division for their sponsorship.

Giles Lloyd-Brown:

I’m a Senior Library Assistant in the newly opened Health Library for Cardiff University. I’ve worked for the University for over a year and I’m currently working towards Chartership with CILIP. I’ve previously worked in a Public Library and a government library before obtaining a Pass with Merit in an MScEcon Information and Library Studies course, from Aberystwyth University. I’m looking forward to many aspects of the ECCA experience, particularly meeting new people and hopefully building some lasting professional relationships, as well as becoming more involved with the SLA.

Sarah Wolfenden:

I  graduated from University College London in 2008 with an MA in Library and Information Studies. Since then I have worked for Kingston College, supporting higher education students.  I am professionally active, most notably on the committee of Academic and Research Libraries Group for London and the South East (ARLG LASEC) and am awaiting results of my Chartership application. I am preparing to start a temporary post as Subject Liaison Librarian for Social Sciences at Brunel University and am hoping the chance to attend the SLA Annual Conference will lead to new opportunities and that I will meet many  inspirational people.

The SLA Europe board, and boards of the co-sponsoring divisions, are very pleased to welcome the 2012 ECCA winners to SLA. Look out on the blog for reports of their experiences at SLA 2012 in Chicago!

You’ll note that one of our SLA Europe members, Kate Arnold, is standing as President-Elect. This is the first time that a non-North American has stood for this position. We hope to have a virtual meeting later this year with Kate and Juanita Richardson, her campaign opponent, so that members get a chance to question the President-Elect candidates.

If you’re interested in following the activities of the SLA Board of Directors you can see what they’re discussing on their monthly calls (agendas and notes) and read updates from the President.

Most people are blissfully ignorant of SLA governance structures, until they need to know.  As members we should all have a greater understanding of how the association works and what the leaders we elect are doing on our behalf.

For 22 years the Business Information Survey has been charting developments in business information use through an annual survey of information managers. It is published each March in Sage’s quarterly journal Business Information Review. The focus of the Survey has changed over time, from a concentration on sources of information to key issues in corporate information management.

The methodology has also changed, from an open, widely distributed questionnaire to a series of in-depth interviews with a small number of senior corporate information managers. These are mainly based in the UK but many work for global businesses and have responsibilities for international services. It is a kind of ethnographic survey, a series of ongoing conversations with trusted colleagues, trying to chart year on year changes in their services, roles within their organisations and strategic priorities. It has only been possible to do this and to get brutal honesty from respondents by honouring a rule of strict confidence and aggregating results so as to avoid disclosing any identities. Most but not all respondents are involved in the Survey each year. The 2012 Survey included fourteen of the interviewees from the previous year whilst eight were new participants.

Although the respondents represent a range of corporate information, library & research services, across industrial sectors and of varying sizes, the Survey has no statistical representativeness or significance. But, given the seniority and frankness of the respondents, the findings provide a rich narrative of current practice and future intentions.

This year’s respondents are, on the whole, cautious about the likely fortunes of their companies and of the information/knowledge and research units they run. However, there is considerable evidence that they are tackling their managerial challenges with realism, imagination and gusto. But there are also warning voices about the sustainability of the conventional model of information services delivery. Here are some of the key issues:

1. Resourcing – content and staffing budgets under pressure but have stood up very well. Generally stable.
2. Integration of external and internal information
3. Mobile digital devices – expand tailored information delivery and service support
4. Externalization – more working with partners, third parties, individual contractors. Implications for licensing, vendor relations and support
5. Encouraging collaboration – sharing of explicit/tacit knowledge, removing silos, encouraging communities of practice, the rise of SharePoint
6. Retaining human intellectual capital in severe organizational turbulence, in particular in mergers  and de-mergers
7. Service style – innovate, excite, engage, pro-actively rather than reactively
8. Vendor relations undergoing major change, including content licensing, negotiating and service supply issues
9. Outsourcing/offshoring has expanded and has become normalized as standard and mature service model
10. Major push to improve search and data mining capabilities.
11. Enhancing analytical skills of IS/KM staff, either direct or via outsourcing contractor
12. Continue to improve position of IM/KM in company’s value chain, including understanding rather better how to add more value
13. Mergers/de-mergers have significant effects on IM/KM cultures
14. Growth of workflow systems as crucial back of house vehicles for extensive, globally distributed information services

These and other issues are developed much more fully in “Let’s integrate” – information services, content, technologies and collaboration: The Business Information Survey 2012. Business Information Review 29 (1), March 2012.

————– – – —————–

Allan Foster (allan.foster@gmail.com) is an information industry consultant and writer, previously Director of Information Services at Keele University and a senior information manager at Manchester Business School, Lancashire Polytechnic, Sheffield Polytechnic and the British Institute of Management. And a long time member of SLA. (Twitter: @allanfoster48)

For a 30 day trial of BIR and other Sage journals go to: www.sagepub.co.uk/freetrial

Simon Barron graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2010 with an MA in Library and Information Management. Following work for Nord Anglia Education as an Assistant Librarian at the Army Foundation College’s library for Junior Soldiers, Simon took up the role of E-resources Co-ordinator at Durham University Library. Simon is co-sponsored by the Science-Technology Division (the Diane K Foster International Student Travel Award)

Marie Cannon is currently enrolled on the MA Library and Information Studies course at University College London, and works as a Library Assistant at London Business School. Prior to this, Marie worked as a Graduate Library Assistant at Norton Rose LLP. Marie is co-sponsored by the Legal Division (supported by Jones McClure).

Ruth Jenkins is currently enrolled on the MA Librarianship course at the University of Sheffield, following a graduate traineeship at the Bodleian Social Science Library at the University of Oxford. Ruth has also worked as a library assistant in a public library and Devon School Library Service. Ruth is co-sponsored by the Business and Finance Division.

Giles Lloyd-Brown is a Senior Library Assistant at Cardiff University Health Library. He graduated from the University of Aberystwyth in 2012 with an MScEcon in Information and Library Studies, where his dissertation was on the influence of web 2.0 on academic library OPACs. Giles is currently undertaking CILIP Chartership. Giles is co-sponsored by the Pharmaceutical and Health Technology Division.

Sarah Wolfenden graduated from University College London with an MA in Library and Information Studies in 2008. Since then, she has worked as Higher Education Advisor at Kingston College, overseeing the running of the Higher Education Centre which caters for approximately 1800 students. Sarah is co-sponsored by the Leadership & Management Division.

The Award covers all expenses, including Conference registration, transportation, food, lodging and incidental expenses, as well as one-year membership in SLA. In return, the Award winners participate and assist in their co-sponsoring Division’s events during the Conference and report on their experience in Division and SLA Europe newsletters/blogs.

Announcing the winners, SLA Europe President Darron Chapman said: ‘I would like to congratulate Sarah Wolfenden, Giles Lloyd-Brown, Simon Barron, Marie Cannon and Ruth Jenkins on being selected for our prestigious Early Career Conference Award. It was a tough decision for the judges, and we’d like to thank everyone who applied. I am sure our 2012 winners will join the previous winners of the ECCAs and find that winning this award will give them an amazing opportunity to enhance their careers and help provide further professional development in the future. I look forward to meeting them all at the SLA Conference in Chicago in July 2012.’

The SLA Europe ECCA, now in its sixth year, is given to LIS professionals who have been working for less than five years or are enrolled in a European graduate-level programme in the LIS field. Applicants must have excellent English language skills and not have previously attended an SLA annual conference. The application process involves three steps: writing an essay; securing a recommendation from their line manager or a current faculty member in their programme; and providing an up-to-date résumé.

Co-Sponsored by SLA Europe, Business & Finance Division, Leadership & Management Division, Legal Division, Pharmaceutical and Health Technology Division and Science-Technology Division (the Diane K Foster International Student Travel Award).

SLA Europe are grateful to EBSCO for supporting this award.