2010 Annual Banquet

On Thursday, December 2nd, NCSLA hosted their Annual Banquet at the Rizzo Conference Center in Chapel Hill. The festivities kicked off at six o’clock with a social hour followed by an excellent dinner. The Board meeting following dinner highlighted the past year’s NCSLA sponsored events such as NCSLA Technology Round Table, Workplace Diversity 2.0, Professional Presence Workshop, Get Connected: Networking Event, Resume Review Workshops, and Student Networking Dinner. These workshops not only allowed librarians to interact with colleagues, but also gave them the opportunity to update their professional skills.

The meeting continued with the year-end award ceremony where NCSLA members were recognized for their accomplishments.

The Information Management Award was presented to Joanie and Andre Olivier of Iconitel Consulting Services, Inc. This award is given to an organization for its excellent support in serving a North Carolina special library.

The Horizon Award was presented to Jill Robinson Morris of NC Live. This award is given to a member who has demonstrated the promise of becoming an outstanding member of the library and information science profession.

The Meritorious Achievement Award was presented to Susan Forbes of the EPA-RTP Library, UNC SIS Contractor. This award is given to a chapter member who has made outstanding contributions to NCLSA and to the library and information science profession.

The NCSLA Chapter recognizes and thanks the award winners for their hard work and continued commitment to special libraries and the profession.

The banquet closed with the announcement of the newly elected leaders of the NCSLA board. Susan Forbes is the new President Elect and Jill Robinson Morris is the new 1st Year Director. Tamika Barnes, the new President, closed the meeting. You can find a complete listing of the NCSLA Board and Committee Chairs here: http://units.sla.org/chapter/cnc/board.cfm

Annual Banquet: Announcement and Registration!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…time for NCSLA’s Annual Banquet! Join your friends and colleagues at the Rizzo Conference Center in Chapel Hill for an evening of reminiscing the past and celebrating the future. We will install new officers, recognize the chapter’s annual award recipients, have a brief meeting, and enjoy a delicious meal together.

Date: Thursday, December 2nd, 2010, 6:00 – 8:30 PM

Place: Rizzo Conference Center, Meadowmont Room
150 DuBose House Lane
Chapel Hill, NC 27517

Price: Members, $30; Guests, $35; Students, $20

Please RSVP by November 19, 2010

Professional Presence Workshop

The Professional Presence Workshop took place on October 22nd at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC. Kathy Schaftlein, Senior Learning & Development Manager from the Center for Creative Leadership, and Mike Crumpton, Assistant Dean for Administrative Services at the University Libraries of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, were the guest speakers. Unfortunately, the presenter from Nordstrom was unable to attend, but Schaftlein, Crumpton, and chapter members stepped in to fill this spot.

The presenters discussed the importance of having a professional presence. The impression we make on an employer or colleague will be reinforced through our actions and appearance. The presenters urged job seekers to pay attention to their professional presences in-person and online.
Here are some tips to improve your professional presence:

Resume/Cover letter
Your resume and cover letter should be accurate and professional. You should always double check for spelling errors before submitting your application. To your potential employer, the resume is a preview of your capabilities. Thus, you should be meticulous in your spelling, grammar, and format of your resume.

When you are filling out an application, be sure to research the company and the position. You can research the company by going to the company website, speaking to a representative, and reading news articles on the company. You can show your interest in the company by incorporating pieces of your research into your cover letter.

Background Checks:
You should be aware of your online presence and what it says about you. Are your LinkedIn and Facebook pages professional? If not, do you have a private profile?

When you choose your references, think about the kind of recommendation they will provide. Will it be positive? Negative? Vague?

The Interview:
When you are going to an interview, be sure to dress appropriately. For the interview, a suit for both male and females are appropriate. The presenters mentioned that your outfit should be moderate, not flashy. Navy or dark grey suits are good choices because black suits may seem too strong. If you have tattoos or piercings, it may be a good idea to cover them for the interview.

After the interview, be sure to send a thank you card to the hiring person or committee.

Starting a new job:
Find the more successful people within your organization and model yourself after them. Usually, but not always, these people are successful because they represent the ideals of the organization in the future.

Key Success Factors for your professional career:
Always try to learn and grow personally and professionally. Stay aware of your career interests and goals and find ways to achieve them. This may mean through innovative ways or handling multiple roles within the company.

Workplace 2.0: Capitalizing on Workplace Diversity

On October 12, NCSLA hosted the “Workplace 2.0: Capitalizing on Workplace Diversity” event at the Duke Conference Center at Perimeter One in Morrisville, NC. Guest speaker, Barbie Keiser, discussed the importance of diversity in everyone’s lives. Keiser is an Information Resources Management consultant from the Washington DC metro area. She has 25 years of experience in library administration and library education.

Keiser began the presentation with a discussion of the word “Diversity” and its importance in society, especially in the workplace. She explained that diversity can be differences in culture, demographics, or capital knowledge. To illustrate diversity in capital knowledge, Keiser used social networking as an example. There are people who use social networking everyday while others rarely, if ever, use it. Keiser suggested employers can close the knowledge gap by capturing knowledge. The military uses this technique to help with the transition between new and retiring employees.

Keiser suggested using diversity to foster innovation in the work place. With technology changing the way people work, Keiser encouraged participants to recognize diverse working styles in order to get people to work better together. She also encouraged the audience to get a better understanding of working with other cultures. In a diverse work environment, Keiser stressed the importance of learning the different work styles, work ethics, and needs of employees.

The event was attended by seven NCSLA members who generated a great informal discussion about diversity in the workplace.

The Get Connected: Meet Your Local NC Library Associations

The Get Connected: Meet Your Local NC Library Associations event took place on Thursday, October 7, 2010, at the beautiful new South Regional Library in Durham. The North Carolina Special Libraries Association and the North Carolina Library Association- New Members Round Table sponsored this free event. Attendees had the opportunity to meet with association representatives and learn more about the North Carolina library associations as well as the Special Libraries Association and the American Libraries Association. Sixteen NCLA and NCSLA representatives spoke with twenty-five participants about their leadership roles in library associations. The participants ranged from MLS students to new or newly relocated professionals. Dave Trudeau, Library Director at Vance-Granville Community College, won a $25 gas card. A networking dinner at California Pizza Kitchen at Southpoint Mall followed the event with twenty-two people participating.

The NCSLA and NCLA representatives:
Jamal Cromity & Tamika Barnes, President & President-Elect- NCSLA
Jill Robinson Morris, NCSLA Student Relations Chari & NCLA New Members Round Table
Tiffany Lopez & Susan Forbes, 1st and 3rd year Directors - NCSLA
Sherwin Rice, President, Executive Board - NCLA
Rodney Lippard, ALA Council, Executive Board- NCLA
Betty Garrison & Kathy Makens, Business Librarians in North Carolina (BLINC) – NCLA
Mark Sanders, Reference & Adult Services Section – NCLA
Carolyn Willis & Suchi Mohanty, College & University Section – NCLA
Jason Tomberlin, Round Table on Special Collections – NCLA
Meralyn Meadows, North Carolina Library Paraprofessionals Association - NCLA
Terri Luke, Public Library Section – NCLA
Iyanna Sims, Round Table for Ethnic Minority Concerns (REMCo) – NCLA
Jennifer Hanft, Membership and New Members Round Table - NCLA

Professional Presence Workshop - October 22nd

How do you create a professional image?

Presenting yourself successfully in person and online is essential to achieving your career goals. Our speakers will discuss the elements that will help you to create a presence that will enhance your profile with prospective employers and colleagues.

Professional Presence Workshop
October 22nd, 2010
12:00 – 4:00 (Lunch included with registration)
Center for Creative Leadership (Driving Directions)
One Leadership Place
Greensboro, NC

Speakers will include:

Kathy Schaftlein, Senior Learning & Development Manager, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC
Kathy manages the Center’s employee benefits and serves as the HR Compliance and Privacy Officer. Additionally, Kathy is involved in the Center's internal learning and development initiatives to support employee development. Prior to joining CCL she worked in Human Resources Development roles in the retail and financial services industry.

Mike Crumpton, Assistant Dean for Administrative Services at the University Libraries of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Mike's areas of responsibility at the Libraries include personnel management. He has a background as a manager with Barnes and Noble Bookstores and has also been a community college library director.

Personal style representative, Nordstrom, Durham, NC
This person will discuss how clothing style and personal appearance contribute to creating a professional image.

Lunch will be provided as we network and exchange business cards.

Registration deadline: October 18th
Registration fee: $15.00 NC Chapter of SLA members; $10.00 students; Guests and non-members $20.00.
Registration: Go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FLLDGMK

For more information:
Mary Krautter at mmkrautt@uncg.edu or 336-256-0274 or
Mary Lane at mlane@lortobco.com or 336-335-6896

October 12th Event - Workplace 2.0: Capitalizing on Workplace Diversity

"Workplace 2.0: Capitalizing on Workplace Diversity" presented by Barbie Keiser

Date: Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Time: 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Place: Duke Conference Center at Perimeter One
3005 Carrington Mill Blvd, Suite 125
Morrisville, NC 27560

Register for this FREE event here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KBRVGHB

Brief Description:
Diversity of staff contributes positively to a culture of understanding that extends beyond the organization, affecting its products, services, and modes of communication with (and delivery to) clients. Demographics and the advent of Web 2.0 social networking tools affect the efficiency with which individuals work and the effectiveness of an organization. This presentation is designed to understand the challenges libraries face assuring that all modes of learning and working are taken into account as new services are designed and technology utilized, particularly for communication and collaboration among staff where not only culture comes into play, but generational issues and approaches.

About the Presenter:
Barbie Keiser is an Information Resources Management (IRM) consultant located in the Washington DC metro area, with 25 years experience in library administration and library education.

Register for this FREE event here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KBRVGHB