Government Info Pro

Digging Up Definitions

Look for a definition? This tip from the Monthly Tips from Customer Support on the LexisNexis Info Pro site will give you some in-depth guidance on finding a wide suite of definitions on lexis.com. Learn about relevant sources, search strategies, and more.

Read the full tip: Finding Definitions.

Check out more Monthly Tips from Customer Support.

Best Places to Work in the U.S. Government

If you are interested in knowing how U.S. government agencies stack up as workplaces, then take a look at The Best Places to Work Rankings for 2010. It is put together by the Partnership for Public Service and American University's Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation (ISPPI).

Designed to help a broad audience of job seekers, researchers, federal employees and government leaders, the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings draw on responses from more than 263,000 civil servants to produce detailed rankings of employee satisfaction and commitment across 290 federal agencies and subcomponents.[About Page, The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government.]

The 2010 rankings compare the overall index scores for 2010 versus 2009 and indicate the percentage change. You can search for an agency, compare agencies, or view by categories by which agencies were scored. These categories include:  training and development, effective leadership, teamwork, pay, work/life balance, and more.

CLICK U and Post Chat: Strategic Marketing for Corporate & Government Libraries

Washington D.C. Area Information Professionals:

As the DC/SLA Click U Coordinator, I'd like to share information with you about an upcoming Click U session. Click U sessions are a great way to keep up professionally. The sessions are free to SLA members but you do need to register to attend the locally hosted session in DC. Registration information is provided below.

POST PROGRAM CHAT:  Stay for a few minutes after the session for a group discussion of program takeaways.

Here's the program description:

Program: Strategic Marketing for Corporate & Government Libraries

Presenters: George Scotti, Springer, and Scott Brown, Social Information Group

Program Description:

Corporate & government libraries face unique opportunities and challenges when marketing their products and services. This two-part webinar provides a comprehensive look at creating a marketing campaign, from planning and stakeholder work through sustaining your marketing campaign. We'll also look at ways to creatively incorporate social media tools into your marketing efforts.

Part I: Planning your campaign covers strategic planning, stakeholder work and creating targeted messaging for your audiences.

Date: Thursday, September 23, 2010

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST

Location:

LexisNexis
6th Floor
1150 18th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
(Metro: Farragut West/North)

Guests must show a photo ID to the guard in the lobby.

RSVP (All Attendees Must RSVP):

Please RSVP to Marie Kaddell to reserve your seat.

Make sure to note whether or not you are a SLA member in your RSVP.

Price:

Free for DC/SLA members; $25.00 for non-DC/SLA members (payable via PayPal). Non--members: Please confirm your space before making your payment on PayPal.

Searching on the Gulf Oil Spill

Do you need to do research on the 2010 Gulf oil spill? This tip from the Monthly Tips from Customer Support on the LexisNexis Info Pro site will give you some in-depth guidance on searching the topic on lexis.com. Learn about relevant sources, search strategies, and more.

Read the full tip: Finding Information on the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill.

Check out more Monthly Tips from Customer Support.

SLA 2010: SLA Summary Article

There are many informative articles in the lastest DC/SLA Chapter Notes. Make sure you take a look at this special conference wrap-up and election issue. While you're reading, please make sure you check out my summary article of SLA takeaways. It's entitled:  Conference Filled with Nuggets of Information and you will find it on page 15 of the July/August 2010 issue of DC/SLA Chapter Notes. Topics covered in the article include:

• Disaster Planning
• Future Trends
• Mentoring and Coaching
• Social Media
• Strategic Planning
• Taxonomies

You can download the PDF at: July August 2010 DC/SLA Chapter Notes.

DC SLA Chapter Notes Special Annual Conference and Wrap Up Issue Available

The July/August DC/SLA Chapter Notes is out. This is a special SLA Annual Conference and Wrap-Up & Election issue. It's a great issue with many articles written by government librarians or covering presentations by government librarians.

DC/SLA Chapter Notes editor, Chris Vestal, shared a list of some of the what you can find in this issue in  a recent note to the DC/SLA listserv. Here's what Chris had to say:

• Learn advanced search techniques to use when job hunting online in Career Column.
• Hear how members have survived digitization projects.
• Read DC/SLA's President's highlights from the SLA Annual Conference.
• Explore our Conference Photo Collection.
• Get nuggets of wisdom concerning disaster planning, future trends, mentoring and coaching, social media, strategic planning, and taxonomies.
• See how attending the conference virtually had a direct impact on a librarian's job in The Way Forward.
• Find out how to Augment your library's Reality.
• Hear what SLA's Fellows and Rising Stars had to say about demonstrating your value.
• View the DC/SLA Conference Stipend Winner's Poster on Mobile Reference.
• Discover how putting some "UN" in your conference can be a win-win.
• See the historical evolution of prostitution in New Orleans.
• Read about how one of the youngest divisions was also one of the busiest at this conference.
• Get to know the SLA President-Elect Candidates, Brent Mai and David Stern, in an exclusive Q & A session.
• And I saved the biggest news for last-drum role please-get the first look at the candidates for DC/SLA's 2011 Board of Directors!

You can download the PDF at: July August 2010 DC/SLA Chapter Notes.

Five to Follow on Twitter

 

Need some suggestions about who to follow on Twitter?  Here is a list of five you might consider:

• GuyKawasaki
  Twitter Bio: Firehose that answers the question: What's interesting? Co-founder of Alltop.
• IdeaGov 
  Twitter Bio:  Gov 2.0 Innovator. Advisor. CEO. Founder, Silberberg Innovations, Gov20LA. Think Fast. Don't be afraid.
• LexisNexis
  Twitter Bio:  LexisNexis® is a leading global provider of content-enabled workflow solutions to professionals.
• losinglibraries
  Twitter Bio: Libraries everywhere are suffering from significant budget cuts, layoffs and closings. Save your library!
• socialinfo
  Twitter Bio: Social Information Group (SInG): effective use of social networking tools for info sharing, marketing and connecting. News and info through our Twitter feed!

If you want more suggestions see my prior Five to Follow on Twitter post archive.

Of course, you can follow me on Twitter at Library Focus.

Who do you follow on Twitter? Share your recommendations in the comments section of this post!

Fine Tuning Your Research on Bills and Bill-Tracking Reports

If you are interested in fine-tuning your search stategies on lexis.com when researching bills and bill-tracking reports, then this tip from the Weekly Tips from Librarian Relations Consultants will be of interest to you. This tip is from Senior Librarian Relations Consultant, Leanne Battle.

Read on...

I need to keep tabs on federal legislation, pending and forthcoming, regarding oil spills and offshore drilling. Is there a way to do that at lexis.com® and not miss any bills that may not specifically mention those terms?

Absolutely. The LexisNexis SmartIndexing Technology™ terms that we love for increasing the recall and precision of our search results in news searching are also available when searching bills and bill-tracking reports. Use the LexisNexis SmartIndexing Technology™ Resource Center on InfoPro to help guide you in creating your search. Remember that in addition to using the index terms you can also assign relevancy scores.

Read the full tip.

CLICK U AND POST PROGRAM CHAT: Battling Information Overload

Washington D.C. Area Information Professionals:

As the DC/SLA Click U Coordinator, I'd like to share information with you about an upcoming Click U session. Click U sessions are a great way to keep up professionally. The sessions are free to SLA members but you do need to register to attend the locally hosted session in DC. Registration information is provided below.

POST PROGRAM CHAT:  Stay for a few minutes after the session for a group discussion of program takeaways.

Here's the program description:

Program: Battling Information Overload: Key Techniques for Different Technologies

Presenter: Sarah Houghton-Jan, Digital Futures Manager, San José Public Library

Program Description:

We all know what information overload is but so few of us know how to manage it so it doesn't manage us! Learn quick and easy principles for dealing with information overload, including organization skills, how to filter your input, time management, and stress management. You'll learn how to manage your email, RSS feeds, social networks, IM, SMS, telephone, and more. Come away with a plan for tackling your own virtual or physical pile of overload.

Discover practical approaches for managing the different information media in your life. Come away with plans for tackling email, RSS feeds, social networks, IM, text messaging, print media, and even the telephone. Make that virtual pile of work disappear faster than you can say "I love libraries."

Date: Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EST

Location:

LexisNexis
6th Floor
1150 18th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
(Metro: Farragut West/North)

Guests must show a photo ID to the guard in the lobby.

RSVP (All Attendees Must RSVP):

Please RSVP to Marie Kaddell to reserve your seat.

Make sure to note whether or not you are a SLA member in your RSVP.

Price:

Free for DC/SLA members; $25.00 for non-DC/SLA members (payable via PayPal). Non--members: Please confirm your space before making your payment on PayPal.

DOI Library Program: Compiling a Federal Legislative History - A Step-by-Step Example

George Franchois, Coordinator of Library Services, U.S. Department of the Interior Library, extends an invitation to an upcoming free Department of the Interior Library training session entitled "Compiling a Federal Legislative History - A Step-by-Step Example".

Read on:

Hi Everyone -

In order to find the legislative intent of a bill or public law, researchers need to compile reports, testimony, debate, and other materials related to that piece of legislation to find keys as to what Congress hoped to accomplish by passing this bill. The final compilation of all these materials provides the researcher with a "legislative history" of the bill or law in question and hopefully will answer the question of what Congress intended with this legislation.

In order to find the legislative intent of a bill or public law, researchers need to compile reports, testimony, debate, and other materials related to that piece of legislation to find keys as to what Congress hoped to accomplish by passing this bill. The final compilation of all these materials provides the researcher with a "legislative history" of the bill or law in question and hopefully will answer the question of what Congress intended with this legislation.

Those interested in learning the process involved in compiling a federal legislative history will find this program invaluable. A specific Public Law will be the focus of a step-by-step piecing together of a legislative history, using print resources such as the U.S. Statutes at Large, Congressional Record, and U.S. Congressional Serial Set. Online sources of federal legislative history information will also be highlighted. This program will be conducted by DOI Law Librarian Maureen Booth and Reference Librarian Shyamalika Ghoshal.

All that are interested are invited. The DOI Library is located in the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street, NW, Room 1151 in Washington. Space is limited so please contact the Library by e-mail to let us know you will be coming. For more information about future DOI Library Training Sessions, we encourage you to visit our Training Sessions website.

We hope to see you here on August 17th!

DOI Library Park Ranger Program: The Old Post Office Building and Tower

George Franchois, Coordinator of Library Services, U.S. Department of the Interior Library, extends an invitation to an upcoming free Department of the Interior Library Park Ranger Speaker Series lecture entitled "The Old Post Office Building and Tower".

Read on:

Hi Everyone -

Please join us for the next in our regular monthly series of free Department of the Interior Library Park Ranger Speaker Series lectures, entitled "The Old Post Office Building and Tower," on Wednesday, August 18th from 1:00 - 1:45 pm in the Department of the Interior Library.

Built between 1892 and 1899, the Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue is one of the few remaining examples of Richardsonian Romanesque Architecture left in the United States. The building’s 315 foot tower contains an observation deck and is home to the Bells of Congress, which were a present from England on our Bicentennial. From the observation deck, located 270 feet above the street level, visitors can get a spectacular view of our nation’s capital. Because of these attributes, the building is considered by many to be one of the city’s “hidden treasures.”

Please join Park Ranger Shunda Yates for a presentation about the Old Post Office Building & Tower. Learn about its colorful history and the efforts through the years to preserve one of Washington’s most visible but least known about landmarks.

All that are interested are invited. The DOI Library is located in the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street, NW, Room 1151 in Washington. Space is limited so please contact the Library by e-mail to let us know you will be coming. For more information about future DOI Library Park Ranger Speaker Series programs, we encourage you to visit our Park Ranger Speaker Series website.

We hope to see you here on August 18th!

ALA 2010: Libraries in a Time of War

Thanks to Lily McGovern, Reference Librarian, National Defense University Library, for this very interesting guest post on her takeaways from the 2010 ALA session: Libraries in Wartime. If you are interested in this topic, you might want to read this Government Info Pro post too:  ALA 2010: Libraries in Wartime, Software & Screencasts, and Some Famous Readers.

Read on...

Beverly Lynch moderated a very interesting program with presenters discussing how libraries have fared in war from ancient times to the present. There is nothing new about sacking libraries or considering the cultural treasures in libraries to be spoils of war. A core value of the library profession has been to protect and preserve the collections entrusted to our care. Librarians and library staff have made plans for orderly evacuation in advance of armed conflict and sometimes have had to move quickly to deal with unforeseen events. In many countries at many times in history people have risked their lives knowing that if they fail, whole collections will go up in smoke.

There were many examples of how the Nazis carried this out in a very methodical manner that overcame actions that were taken to move collections to safety in other places or other countries. Forced labor was used to sort books in some countries occupied by the Nazis since they didn’t have enough soldiers that could read those languages. Some of those people risked their lives to save works that they knew would be destroyed. Many unique works and collections were burned or sent to be pulped for paper. Many items were recovered after World War II ended. The process of restoring books and manuscripts to their rightful owners is still ongoing.

Corine Wegner from the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield explained the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. I was fascinated to learn that this Convention was signed in 1954 but never ratified by the US until 2008. In it countries agree to plan during peacetime to safeguard cultural property and to respect others cultural property during times of armed conflict. The Blue Shield is the cultural equivalent of the Red Cross. The U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield helps libraries and other organizations prepare their plans by providing advice and assistance, keeping a database of volunteers who can advise and assist worldwide when cultural property is damaged or threatened during armed conflict. They provide U.S. military units with training on the recognition, protection, and preservation of cultural property during armed conflict. This presentation gave hope after the depressing accounts of how much cultural property has been lost during wars.

Other speakers discussed the development of libraries for military members. Ann Parham pointed out that the mission of military libraries that support the soldiers at war has not changed significantly since Civil War days. They provide reading materials to soldiers for morale, recreation and education. Today the books may be on MP3 players as well as paperbacks but the goal is to provide access to books that may keep our soldiers in touch with current literature back home, further their education, or get their minds off where they are and how long it will be until they are back home. War has always had many hours of waiting punctuated by minutes of the chaos of battle.

This was a very enlightening look at libraries and war from several points of view. My career has been spent in military libraries yet I learned a lot from these presentations.