Government Info Pro

Following CIL 2009 on Twitter

To follow along with Computers in Libraries 2009 on Twitter you can either do a Twitter search for #cil2009 to get to this CIL 2009 Twitter search result or subscribe to the CIL 2009 Twitter RSS feed in your reader.

Even after the conference is over, reading through these microblog posts can provide lots of information of value shared by conference attendees.

LexisNexis® Coffee Break Webinars for April 2009

Here's a great way to have a productive coffee break from the comfort of your own desk: The LexisNexis® Coffee Break Webinars.

These webinars are on the house and they're quick 20-minute format makes it easy for you to fit one into your day. You can choose from a whole menu of sessions, review a Coffee Break you've already attended, or view any previously held Coffee Break when it suits your schedule.

Upcoming Coffee Breaks for April include:

• Commercial Bankruptcy Research the Way You Want It (4/21/2009 3:00 PM EST)
  
  Whether you’re working on a reorganization plan under Chapter 11 or a liquidation plan under Chapter 7, now you can access to all the specialized bankruptcy tools, content and services you need in one place—all organized around the way you work.
  
  Attend this 20-minute Webinar to discover best practices that can help you become more efficient and effective in all aspects of your bankruptcy practice—from interviewing and investigating clients to preparing the petition, drafting the plan and beyond. 

• Comprehensive Environmental Due Diligence in 2 Minutes or Less (4/22/2009 3:00 PM EST)
  
  How much time do you spend conducting environmental site research required to comply with the EPA’s All Appropriate Inquiries rule, or to make sure your agreements are “green” and up to date? Find out how you can perform comprehensive due diligence on any property in the U.S. and generate a customized environmental site report—in two minutes or less—using the Environmental FirstSearch service via Lexis® Transactional Advisor Environmental Practice Center.

• Get Breaking News and Case Updates Affecting Your Clients—Automatically (4/23/2009 3:00 PM EST)
  
  Attend this 20-minute Webinar and discover the power of LexisNexis® Alerts—the easiest way to stay current on news, legal developments, pending legislation and more affecting current and prospective clients, relevant businesses and court cases.

• Tax Relief for Overburdened Tax Practitioners (4/28/2009 3:00 PM EST)
  
  If keeping current with the latest tax legislation is critical to your work, now there’s a faster, easier way to make sure you’re up to date with the latest tax law changes, their impact on different IRC sections and most importantly how they affect your clients.
  Attend this 20-minute Webinar to see how LexisNexis Tax Advisor-Federal Code gives you quick access to the complete Internal Revenue Code, conveniently organized by IRC Section. Instantly pull up the full text of the Section you need, complete with seamless links to related materials.

• Best Way to Research Patents? It’s All Semantics! (4/29/2009 3:00 PM EST)
  
  If keeping current with the latest tax legislation is critical to your work, now there’s a faster, easier way to make sure you’re up to date with the latest tax law changes, their impact on different IRC sections and most importantly how they affect your clients. When it comes to finding relevant patent information needed to protect your intellectual property, LexisNexis® TotalPatent® is unmatched with FULL TEXT patent data from 22 patent authorities. Now you can get the most value from this comprehensive patent information with the new semantic search feature.
  Attend this 20-minute Webinar to learn how you can use semantic search technology to broaden your search queries and unearth more relevant information that you might not have known to search for otherwise.

CLICK HERE to find out more about the LexisNexis® Coffee Break Webinars and to see a list of on-demand Coffee Breaks.

Are We There Yet?

Ellen H. Ensel, Knowledge Manager, United States Institute of Peace, writes on Web 2.0 and provides a poetic note to a Friday afternoon.

This article was originally published in the 2008 Best Practices for Government Librarians: Web 2.0 in the Workplace and Beyond. The 2008 edition includes 70 articles and other submissions provided by more than 40 contributors from libraries in government agencies, courts, and the military, as well as from professional association leaders, LexisNexis Consultants, and more.

Read on...

When Marie Kaddell insisted (politely) that I write a piece for this years’ Best Practices collection, I hesitated, and came up with a stereotypical librarian’s response: What did I have to contribute?  Upon further reflection, I realized that this was precisely the problem; we are a smart and skillful bunch constantly underestimating our ability to meet new challenges and find new ways to support our various missions.

And so it is with the 2.0 universe. I don’t know about you, but it seems as if I’ve been hearing about Web 2.0 and its library and information professional corollaries for years. Was it really just 2003 or 2004 when the Web 2.0 phrase was coined and the collaborative environment of the Web suddenly became new?  The Internet was all about collaboration (think ARPANET, DARPA, etc.), but the Web as a platform for sharing was a new twist. Using technology to make it easier for web users to have a say in how things were constructed and organized began to make inroads in areas that were once the provenance of technical experts, including librarians.

If you think in “technology time,” four to five years is an eon, but in “library time,” we’ve barely moved to embrace the changes the 2.0 paradigm demands of us. Of course, shrinking budgets and shrinking staffs (in number, not stature) with the admonition to do more with less and to justify our existence to our respective administrations certainly focus the mind, but there is also a definite need to revisit how we see ourselves, to develop a different way of doing things, and some of us are resisting.

Sometimes I think this resistance, or perhaps reluctance, is partially rooted in—please pardon the pun—the relationship we as a profession have to our physical space. Doctors/physicians are not commonly called hospitalists¹, and lawyers/attorneys are not usually called courtists. Bankers work in banks, but they do banking; we don’t do librarying. We are identified with the building we work in and our physical collections. When my peer managers in support services here at USIP want to tease me, all they have to do is threaten to knock down a few walls and reapportion the library space. That always gets a rise out of me, and for good reason. We have relinquished (or lost) space in the last five years, and less space proposed for the future. We are called on to defend the space we have, and give good reasons for why we need more.

 But beyond the need to maintain a physical inventory, we librarians have been the keepers of the information keys, so to speak, the mediators who unlocked the secrets of the stacks for the library patrons who came to us for help. In a world dominated by technology and information retrieval, in which technology brings the user closer to the information source and seeks to eliminate the middleman, what then is our role? Will we go the way of the pressmen who ran the linotype machines for newspaper runs, edged out when technology brought production to the newsroom? Or will we be the personal trainer, professional shopper, organizer, or financial consultant of the information world, providing the expertise to help people achieve their information and knowledge goals?

 In short, to realize the benefits of the 2.0 world, we have three questions to consider:

(a) What do we as a profession hold on to (or let go of)?

(b) What can we do differently or how do we cast what we already do differently?

(c) What do we have to grab hold of for the future?

 Let’s hold on to the good stuff, but be prepared to be flexible about our physical environment and the need to balance a physical collection with other resources. That’s the reality, after all. When the same “book” cataloging format for a bibliographic record applies to both print and electronic “books,” the emphasis should be on content and accessibility, in whatever form.

 Let’s rethink (or rename) what we do. If I wrote a blog, this would be a blog entry. If I invited someone else to collaborate with me on this blog/opinion piece, that could be the beginning of a wiki, and if I pulled ideas from different media and resources, this might be the “thought” equivalent of a mashup. Cataloging (metadata organization and database enhancement) and reference (information or knowledge integration) are just two functions recast in newer terminology.  We are experts at organizing metadata, but MARC may not speak to every need; let’s be flexible about how information presents itself to us and what our users want from us.

Let’s consider how younger generations (anyone younger than me is a member of a younger generation) communicate and what they need from us.  My son is 13, and he would no more use a printed encyclopedia resource than clip a magazine article for school. He still subscribes to magazines at home and reads books, but he lives online—doing research, chatting with friends, creating and posting videos on YouTube, playing computer games—when he’s not texting or hanging out with his friends, playing baseball, soccer, or video games. What he needs are the skills to find and discern good information sources and to learn how to transform the information he acquires into knowledge.

 Librarians as information professionals should be perfectly poised to forge ahead in a 2.0 environment. We are researchers, data analysts, database developers, taxonomy specialists, knowledge integrators, and teachers, among others.  Technology just gives us new jargon and new ways to present what we as librarians already do. I’m ready for 2.1; how about you?

¹ Hospitalist is a recent term used in the medical field to describe doctors who care primarily for hospitalized patients.  The field is growing, and appears to fill a niche, defined by the building in which the physician works. The term was first proposed in 1996. See Marinella, Mark A., “Hospitalists—Where They Came From, Who They Are, and What They Do,” Hospital Physician, May 2002: 32-36.

Consequences of Illiteracy

I predict that someday people will forget

How to write, spell or read

In whatever language may be fashionable

At the time,

Thinking these skills unnecessary

In a world of electronic images

And surround sound.

I also predict, and mark my words,

That some rebellious imp

Who just wants to see what will happen

Will pull the plug, the ultimate hack,

And deprive us of the required power

To view, compute and interact in a non-interpersonal way.

Then comes the day of reckoning.

You will have two choices:

You may muddle through, in a non-electric,

Non-push button, non-instant environment,

Frantically staving off the eventual famine.

Or you may seek out those repositors of wisdom,

Those individuals who still remember

What information is and how to find it.

Librarians will rule the world.

---Ellen Ensel (May 1991)

This was written during a poetry workshop led by Andrei Codrescu and during the early years of my library career.

DOI Library Program: Anthony Pitch on the Lincoln Assassination

George Franchois, Coordinator of Library Services, U.S. Department of the Interior Library, extends an invitation to an upcoming DOI Library Free Lecture on the Lincoln assassination:

Hi Everyone -

Noted local historian Anthony Pitch, author of the recently released book They Have Killed Papa Dead!: The Road to Ford’s Theatre, Abraham Lincoln’s Murder, and the Rage for Vengeance, will present a free lecture about the Lincoln assassination on Wednesday, April 15th at 2:00 pm in the Main Interior Building’s Sidney R. Yates Auditorium.  Pitch will offer a fresh look at one of the most breathtaking moments in American history, revealing much that is new about the stories, passions, and times of those who shaped this great tragedy.

Anthony Pitch is the author of a number of books including The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814, a selection of the History Book Club and winner of the Arline Custer Memorial Prize and Maryland Historical Society’s annual book award. He has been featured on outlets ranging from NPR to The History Channel to C-Span to Fox News. A former journalist in England, Africa, and Israel, Pitch has been a broadcast editor for the Associated Press and a senior writer for US News and World Report’s books division.

This program is sponsored by the Department of the Interior's Cultural Resources and Events Division, which includes the Interior Library, Interior Museum, and Educational Partnerships Program.  The Interior Museum and Interior Library are also located in the Main Interior Building. 

WHO: Anthony Pitch, author of They Have Killed Papa Dead!: The Road to Ford’s Theatre, Abraham Lincoln’s Murder, and the Rage for Vengeance”

WHAT: Lecture

WHEN: Wednesday, April 15, 2009, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Department of the Interior Sidney R. Yates Auditorium in the Main Interior Building. The visitor entrance to the Main Interior Building is at 1849 C Street, N.W. Each adult must have photo identification to present to the security guard.

LexisNexis Government E-Learning for April 2009

Don't forget about the LexisNexis Government E-Learning series. LexisNexis Government E-Learning webinars are fast, effective, and best of all -- they're accessible right from your desk. You can link to information on the series from the right sidebar of the Government Info Pro - just click the red Government E-Learning series badge.

APRIL CLASSES

Thursday, April 2nd at 11 am and 2 pm

Is it that time of year already? Tax Time is near... 

Prefer to research tax issues by IRC section? By topic? Either way, LexisNexis makes it easy for you to access exclusive, authoritative analytical materials from CCH®*, Tax Analysts®, Shepard's®, Matthew Bender® and Kleinrock- and more!  Find out how to streamline your federal tax research with the Tax Area of Law Page.

Thursday, April 9th at 11 am and 2 pm

Explore three distinct resources from LexisNexis dedicated to the environment practice of law: 

Learn about Transactional Advisor Environmental Practice Center, Environmental Area of Law Page, Environmental Law & Climate Change. They are portals to the most current information available for this evolving area of law.

Thursday, April 9th at 11 am and 2 pm

Industry and Company Research:  The Complete Picture!

Get comprehensive, easy-to-read profiles of 43 million companies worldwide, 58 million executives and information on 1,200 industries to your desktop in just seconds. Identify potential new customers or acquisition targets, understand a company's brands and trademarks, access detailed financial and recent litigation information, and more with the Dossier Suite. 

Thursday, April 16th at 11 am and 2 pm

Lexis Web - Have You Tried It?

Do you use interent search engines to find materials - only to spend countless hours looking through irrelevant results?  Get the results you need with Lexis Web!  Lexis Web is a legal-specific search engine that serves up free web content only from legal sites validated by LexisNexis attorney editors.  Plus, Lexis Web offers state-of-the art filtering tools so that you can get the relevant information you need efficiently!  Access Lexis Web at www.lexisweb.com

Thursday, April 23rd at 11 am and 2 pm

New Area of Law Tabs on Lexis.com:  Financial Crisis Litigation and Financial Services Information.

Did you know you can customize your tabs on Lexis.com?  Learn how you can quickly and easily get to the sources and topics of interest to you by customizing your Area of Law and Jurisidiction tabs.  As an example, we'll explore two new tabs that have been created to help you stay up to date:  Financial Crisis Litigation and Financial Services Industry--Critical Issues are just two of the topics you can create custom tabs for! 

Thursday, April 30th at 11 am and 2 pm

DON'T FORGET! On-Demand Classes are pre-recorded webinars available for your convenience. Choose from Courtlink, Company/Financial Research, the new Public Records enhancements, and more.

Just click HERE to access the recorded classes.

SLA Legal Division Quarterly Articles on Intranets, White Boards, More

The Winter/Spring 2008-2009 SLA's Legal Division Quarterly is available in PDF. Articles include:

• Get Your Intranet Engines Started by David Whelan, Manager, Legal Information, Law Society of Upper Canada
• Whiteboards Rock by Constance Ard

Learn more about the SLA Legal Division.

Customizing Your Tabs on lexis.com

This tip from the Weekly Tips from Librarian Relations Consultants on the LexisNexis Info Pro site will help you make the most of customized tabs on lexis.com.

Read on...

Many of us customized our lexis.com tabs a long time ago and haven't really given much thought to them since. The lexis.com service allows you to create custom tabs to easily surface your most commonly used jurisdictions and areas of law. If you haven't looked at the options under the Add/Edit tabs recently you might want to give them another look. New tabs have been created to keep up with topics our customers are interested in now. Financial Crisis Litigation and Financial Services Industry—Critical Issues are just two of the topics you can create custom tabs for!

To add a new Area of Law tab simply...

To read the full tip CLICK HERE.

SLA's 100 Tools in 100 Minutes: The First 25

If you missed the recent program:  SLA's 100 Tools in 100 Minutes, Part 1, hosted at the National Geographic Society in Washington D.C. on February 19, 2009, you can learn about the sites covered here.

This first session covered 25 sites as highlighted by National Geographic staff in the following areas:

• Calendars & Events
• Lifelong Learning
• Search Engine Tips & Tricks
• Info on the Go
• Government & Politics

Visit the DC/SLA site for more information about upcoming events and programs.

Government Librarians...

In celebration of Library Week 2009 LexisNexis would like to invite you to join us at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. for a program designed just for government librarians.

Change: Managing it, Surviving it, Thriving on it. How will you manage, harness, and create change in your libraries and beyond?

Please mark your calendars for April 27, 2009 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

This is an opportunity to network with your colleagues and discuss best practices as well as listen to a panel of experts who have effectively managed and embraced change.

Don't miss this event.  Please mark your calendars today!

Additional details will be provided shortly.

Future of Government

Chris Zammarelli, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shares information about the March 12, 2009 program: 10 Challenges Facing Public Managers from the Future of Government seminar held in Washington D.C. in his article: The Future of Government out on the SLA DGI site. The event featured speakers Jonathan Breul, Executive Director of the IBM Center for the Business of Government, and Michael Keegan, producer of The Business of Government Hour and Managing Editor of The Business of Government Magazine. The article summarizes the 10 challenges and provides links to the presentation and 10 Challenges Facing Public Managers from the Future of Government Report.

The links to the presentation and report are also available on the DC/SLA website.