Quatrefoil Library Tour

We are excited to announce that our next library tour will be at the Quatrefoil Library. St. Kate's MLIS students Lacey Mamak and Karen Hogan will be our hosts as we learn about this volunteer run library (great opportunities to gain library experience!) and the unique issues it must confront.

"The mission of Quatrefoil Library is to collect, maintain, document and circulate gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer materials in a safe and accessible space, in order to promote understanding, an appreciation of diversity and history, and the value of communities"

What: Tour of the Quatrefoil Library
When: Wednesday, April 1, 6-7pm
Where: Quatrefoil Library, 1619 Dayton Ave., Ste. 105, St. Paul, MN 55104-6206

There is plenty of street parking in that neighborhood. We've scheduled the tour early in the evening in the hopes that students with Wednesday classes can arrange to miss part of class to attend (thanks in advance to our generous and wise St. Kate's professors and instructors).

Apply for the 2009 Grieg Aspnes Memorial Award

Library and Information Science students, either full-time or part-time, are invited to apply for an award of up to $2,000.00 and complimentary membership in the Special Libraries Association and the Minnesota Chapter of SLA. Only one such award will be granted annually and is limited to students who will graduate in December 2009 or later.

The criteria are:

1. Interest in special librarianship, as shown by course selection or past experience;

2. Leadership abilities, demonstrated in either academic or extracurricular activities;

3. Overall academic achievements.

Students who are interested in applying should submit a letter addressing the criteria listed above, a resume, and a copy of their transcript of courses in library and information science to:

Mary Wagner, Director of Graduate Studies in Library and Information Science

The College of St. Catherine

P.O. Box 4125

St. Paul, MN 55105

The deadline for application is May 15th, 2009.

The Award will be formally presented at the September 2009 meeting of the Minnesota Chapter.

The Grieg Aspnes Memorial Award is in honor of Grieg Aspnes, a talented librarian at Cargill, a past president of the Special Libraries Association, and an active leader in its Minnesota Chapter, Information Technology and Advertising Divisions, and Education Committee. Grieg was also a strong advocate of the information profession and was a guest lecturer in the library schools at St. Catherine’s and the University of Minnesota. This award, made only to the College of St. Catherine, is funded by the Minnesota Chapter of the Special Libraries Association and the Cargill Information Center for the purpose of encouraging the recipient to pursue a career in special librarianship. The College of St. Catherine expresses its appreciation to the Aspnes family, the Minnesota Chapter of SLA and Cargill for providing this grant award.

Spring Happy Hour

Please join student group members and local SLA members for a happy hour during the St. Kate's MLIS spring break. We're hoping a magical combination of food, smart people, and spring breezes will make the perfect networking opportunity.

What: SLA Student Group happy hour
When: Wednesday, March 25, 5pm-7pm
Where: Rock Bottom Brewery, downtown Minneapolis, 800 LaSalle Plaza

We will try to leave the name of our group with the staff at the door so that people can find us, or hopefully you can recognize us. We will also buy the group some appetizers - Rock Bottom's actual Happy Hour ends at 6pm, so get there early enough to order before 6!

We hope to see you there!

Mentors in for Spring 2009

Having a mentor is the new black! Don't be left behind in the professional fashion world!

2009 Call for Mentees

Discover what they don't teach in library school!
There is a lot to learn in while working on your MLS, some of which isn't necessarily covered in textbooks or class discussions.

Pop QUIZ:
Q: Where can you get a real life take on what it means to be a professional librarian in the current environment?
A: Be a mentee - you can connect with an experienced professional who can be your resource for
Sharing professional experiences and insights
Discussing career paths and options
Discovering commonalities in professional interests

Take the first step --
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=RFmjMR3PW3P1FxEvnHxRyQ_3d_3d

Or, feel free to email (replace -at- with @ in email addresses) Margaret Ostrander margaret.ostrander-at-thomsonreuters..com, margaretostrander-at-hotmail.com, or Jennifer Witt ricdhc3-at-aol.com for more information

The Mentoring Program is a part the Minnesota Special Libraries Association (MNSLA) http://units.sla.org/chapter/cmn/index.html

MN SLA Salon Series

MN SLA is pleased to announce the first in a series of free discussion groups to give you a chance to meet your peers informally and discuss the latest and most provocative issues impacting our profession.

At the gatherings the facilitator will kick start the discussion by introducing the featured topic. Meetings will take place at coffee shops, affordable restaurants and member libraries. And in the spirit of a good book club, we're offering (light) suggested reading in advance to help guide discussion.

The salon series is designed to take on a life of its own. Salon Facilitator Jen Hahs will plan downtown sites, but ANYONE is invited to take the issues at hand and organize one at a location and time convenient to them. If you'd like to plan one closer to your neck of the woods, contact jhahs@martinwilliams for a discussion guide.

The first salon will tackle social networking technologies and making them work in your professional life.
Social Networking Technologies: Friend or Foe?
Love 'em or hate 'em, tools like Twitter, Facebook, and Delicious are rapidly changing the information landscape. Please come prepared to share your experiences, thoughts, questions and tips.

Suggested Reading:
"Twitter: Productivity Tool or Time Waster?" http://tinyurl.com/at4xds
"Information Overload--Bring it on!" http://tinyurl.com/d73jkk

Event details:
Wednesday, March 25th
12 - 1 pm
Bring your own lunch to Martin Williams Advertising
60 S. 6th Street
Take elevator to 28th floor reception.
(Parking not validated.)
Please join us! RSVP to jhahs@martinwilliams.com; (612) 342-9739

We have a winner!

The St. Kate's SLA Student Group is pleased to announce that Erin Perry is the winner of this year's Student SLA Conference Scholarship!

Erin will be graduating this May from the Dominican University/St. Kate's MLIS program. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from the Central College in Pella, Iowa.

She is currently employed at Target Corporation where she is Supervisor of Vendor Supply Chain Technology in Vendor Operations. Her team is responsible for troubleshooting, analysis and assisting vendors with supply chain processes.

Erin has served since Fall 2007 as one of the SLA Student Group co-presidents. As a member of the leadership board, she has been part of the group's direction and a 2007-2008 campaign to expand membership. She assisted with development and execution of new ideas for fundraising in support of the annual conference scholarship. In addition, she partnered to plan multiple social events and several library tours sponsored by the group.

With this as a background, you can see why Erin was chosen as the winner! After the conference, we will hear about her experience in the Minnesota SLA Chapter Bulletin.

Thank you to all who applied. If you didn't this year, the scholarship will be offered again next year, or, if you won't be a student at that time, the Minnesota SLA Chapter offers a similar scholarship. Both scholarships require the recipient to be an SLA member.

Congratulations Erin - enjoy Washington D.C.!

Scholarship to Attend SLA Conference

This year we are able to offer a $1,500 scholarship to a St. Kate's MLIS student to attend SLA's 2009 conference in Washington, D.C., June 14-17.

The application process is quite easy: you must submit an essay of 1,500 words, be attending the conference for the first time, be in the MLIS program at St. Kate's, and be an SLA member (the membership fee is $35, and it's quite possible a member of the Minnesota SLA chapter would sponsor you).

Better to make plans early (registration is cheaper earlier) before hotels and flights fill! Details about the conference can be found here.

Go to http://units.sla.org/StudentGrps/ucsc/confschol.shtml for all the details, and let us know if you have questions. Apply now!