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Call for volunteers: ALA & RUSA committee service

A message from RUSA’s President Elect, Joe Thompson:

Hello RUSA members!

I’d like to encourage you to volunteer for ALA Committees before the volunteer form closes for these on November 1, 2013.  Committee appointments will be finalized at the 2014 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, and notifications will be sent out in the spring.  Terms begin July 1, 2014.  Visit the ALA and Council Committees webpage for committee descriptions: http://www.ala.org/groups/committees/ala.  For technical assistance or for more information on the ALA-level committee appointments process, you may contact Kerri Price at kprice@ala.org.

To volunteer, go to: http://www.ala.org/CFApps/Committee/volunteerform/volunteerform.cfm

Of course I’d also like to see you volunteer for RUSA!  You do have a bit more time to get your name submitted for these however.  March 1, 2014 is the planned closing date to volunteer for our RUSA, BRASS, CODES, History, MARS, RSS, and STARS committees.  There’s no reason to put it off though, so volunteer today!  Keep in mind that attendance at ALA Midwinter may not be required for some committees and sections.  Feel free to contact the committee chair, section chair, or me if you have any questions about attendance.  Links to RUSA division-level and section committees can be found at http://www.ala.org/rusa/contact/rosters.  Access the volunteer form using the same URL provided above.  The menu to select section-level committees is located at the bottom of RUSA Committee Volunteer Form.

RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more about the association at www.ala.org/rusa.

Thanks for supporting your associations!

-Joe

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Call for speakers: Business library instruction forum

Call for speakers for the BRASS Forum at the ALA 2014 Conference

The theme for next year’s forum is business library instruction.

Got an idea about what makes a business instruction session work? Share your experiences or research with one shot sessions, collaboration with faculty, course embeds, liaison, roving reference, or other innovative techniques. Special attention given to proposals that focus on assessment or other measurable results.

We are looking for 3-4 panelists. Each panelist will speak for approximately 20 minutes.  We are looking for librarians from any type of library setting, including academic, public, or special (see the abstract below for more details on the forum topic). While we are not able to offer any type of financial compensation, this is a great addition to any librarian’s CV.

Please send nominations (self-nominations welcome) or proposals to Charles Allan, ca20@txstate.edu.

The Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) represents the subject interests of reference librarians, business information specialists, and others engaged in providing business reference/information services. For more information about the section and its committees, please visit the section page at www.ala.org/rusa/sections/brass.

 

 

 

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How is BRASS like the Oscars?

Call for Nominations – Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship

(A message from award committee member, Bobray Bordelon)

Dear Colleagues,

For those of us in BRASS and/or the field of business librarianship—the Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship is like the BRASS Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oscars!  We honor an individual who has made significant contributions in the field business librarianship.

So please take a look around your professional life and reflect on what contribution to business librarianship has made an impact on your professional career.  Now is the time to honor this person for their important contribution with a nomination for this prestigious award. Our sponsor is Gale Cengage Learning.

The recipient will receive a $3000 cash award and a citation. The award and citation will be presented at the RUSA Awards ceremony at the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas June 26-July 1, 2014!

Applicants for this award will be evaluated based on their contribution to the field of business librarianship. These contributions may include, but are not limited to: authorship of a seminal book or articles in business librarianship; development of an imaginative and successful program centered around business within a library; teaching business librarianship in a particularly creative and substantive manner; and displaying strong leadership in a professional association geared to business librarianship.

NOMINATIONS –

To submit a nomination, please download and complete the nomination form, and follow the submission instructions therein.  For more information, please visit the award page at http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/businesslib.

Please email or mail the nomination packet by DECEMBER 15, 2013, to the Committee Chair, Mark E Andersen.

Mark E Andersen
Division Chief
Business Science Technology
Chicago Public Library
400 S. State Street, 4N-7A
Chicago, IL  60605
(p) 312.747.4470
-OR-
andersen@chipublib.org

(Drum roll)…  And the Oscar Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship goes to…stay tuned!

Remember, if you don’t nominate that significant contributor in our field, they can’t be considered for this award!

More information about these awards, including nominating instructions, can be found at the RUSA Awards Web page. Monetary award amounts are subject to change without notice and are contingent upon donor funding supplied at the time the award is presented. Questions about these awards should be directed to the committee chairperson or to Leighann Wood, RUSA awards program coordinator at lwood@ala.org.

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From flight attendant to librarian: Q&A with Louise Feldmann, RUSA Director-at-Large

Over the next several weeks we will be highlighting members of RUSA’s Board of Directors. Take a minute and get to know our fantastic leaders!

Meet Louise, RUSA Director-at-Large. Not only is she business savvy, but she can deliver a baby at 35,000 feet! Want to chat about all things RUSA with Louise? You can reach her at the email at the end of this post.

Louise Feldmann
Louise Feldmann

Louise Feldmann
Business Librarian
Colorado State University

What are you currently reading or listening to?
Currently, I’m working my way through the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon (so excited that a television series based on these novels is in the works!).  I just finished Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.  My reading interests are all over the place.  I love just browsing through our library’s literature collection and discovering gems!

What is the most interesting “reference” question you’ve ever been asked? (reference in quotes to allow for some flexibility in answering the question)
I’m a business librarian, so I get my fair share of “interesting” questions, from worm composting to motorcycle ownership in Pakistan.  I love a good, juicy reference question.  I can’t say I have one question that stands out; they have all been interesting!

Tell us about your current role at your library, and maybe a little bit about your career path, too.
I do the business subject stuff at Colorado State University Libraries – reference, instruction, and collection development.  I’ve been at Colorado State University for eight years.  Prior to coming to Fort Collins, I worked as a substitute adult reference librarian at Mountain View Public Library in California.

Describe a particularly rewarding experience in your library career.
Helping students is the most rewarding part of my job.  A few years ago, I assisted a team of business students with in-depth research on a company for a competition and they won!  They sent me a wonderful thank you letter.  It was great.  Thank you letters from students are fantastic.  I had one student tell me that I was like a rock star in the College of Business.  Brilliant!

Give one fun fact about yourself—can be personal or professional.
I was a flight attendant for 12 years and based in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Honolulu.  I have received training in how to deliver a baby at 35,000 feet!

Any hobbies?
I love to ski and travel.  I dabble in other things such as knitting, yoga, and painting.  Mostly these days, I drive my teen boys around to various activities!

Why did you join RUSA (and/or sections)?
I discovered RUSA when I started my academic librarian career.  I got involved in BRASS and through that discovered RUSA.

How has RUSA helped you in your career?
RUSA has helped me tremendously in my career, particularly via my participation in BRASS.  I’ve learned tons from colleagues across the country.  RUSA has provided invaluable learning and networking opportunities.

What are some of the RUSA activities you’ve participated in?
Most of my RUSA activities have been via BRASS.  I’ve chaired the discussion group and membership committee and served on the education and publication committees.  This past year I chaired the BRASS 25th anniversary party.

If you’re open to having RUSA members connecting with you directly, provide an e-mail address and/or phone number where they can reach you.
Absolutely!  Louise.Feldmann@Colostate.edu; 970-491-4262