St. Catherine University: SLA

On Monday, August 30, 2010 , the student group leadership is holding a 2010-2011 kickoff planning meeting. We are meeting at Brewberry's coffee shop near campus to begin planning events and library tours for the upcoming school year. This is a perfect opportunity to learn more about the student group and get more involved! We have a few things in the works, but please join us and bring your ideas on how we can explore and learn more about special librarianship! Brewberry's The Coffee Place - near St. Kate's campus 75 Fairview Avenue South, St Paul, MN 55105-1712 Monday, August 30, 2010 5:15 p.m. Also, please join us even if you only want to learn more about the student group or meet this year's co-leaders. You don't have to jump in with both feet - you can do as much or as little as you are comfortable with. Or, if you can't make it next week and have ideas to share or want to be involved in the future please email the student group at: stkates

The Minnesota SLA chapter announced the 2010 winner of their annual Grieg Aspnes Scholarship.  Congratulations go to Carol Lynn O'Gara - our own student group Co-Leader!  Here is the announcement made today from the Minnesota chapter: Congratulations to Carol Lynn O'Gara, the winner of the 2010 Grieg Aspnes scholarship! Carol is planning on graduating in May of 2011 from the St. Kate’s MLIS program.  She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from the College of St. Thomas and her law degree from the University of Minnesota. Carol Lynn has served as one of the SLA Student Group co-presidents and will continue that role in the upcoming year.  She has especially enjoyed her management and technology classes at St. Kate’s, and while her interests cover many areas of special librarianship, her newest interest is law libraries. She just accepted a job at Crane Engineering as a librarian/research assistant. Carol Lynn also continues to volunteer at the Minnesota State Service for the Blind.

The Student Governance Organization (SGO) of St. Catherine University's MLIS program is hosting author Marilyn Johnson on October 15, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. in the Jeanne d’Arc auditorium on St. Catherine University’s St. Paul Campus. Ms. Johnson is the author of  This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All . For more information see St. Kate's MLIS SGO Blog .

Yes, you have landed at the right place. - your eyes are not playing tricks on you.  This is the St. Kate's Special Library Association Student Group blog! This new look for our blog is a preview of the new look for the Student Group Web site.  The Web site redesign is in testing and will be launched before the start of the new school year.  The blog has been redesigned to match more closely with the new Web site design and create a cohesive online presence for the Student Group. Watch here for the announcement when the Web site redesign goes live!

Polly Perkins was our 2010 SLA National Conference Scholarship Winner and she was off to New Orleans in June. Polly wrote of her experience at her first SLA National Conference for the MN SLA Chapter's Spring 2010 Bulletin . Her reflections are reprinted here: SLA in New Orleans: What a Great Time! Polly Perkins, Student Group Co-President I was so excited to be awarded with the St. Kate's SLA Student Group Conference Scholarship. I was thrilled to be able to experience a truly professional networking and learning opportunity in a city I had not seen for over twenty years. When I arrived, I gathered my maps and headed out for a stroll around the French Quarter. I had no concept of the true definition of hot until I stepped outside my hotel and was steam broiled in about two seconds. As I walked and sweated, I was amazed at how lovingly the history had been preserved by the current residents and their refusal to give in to the devastation caused by Katrina. There is a unique

Our new Associate Dean for the St. Kate's MLIS program, Dr. Deborah Grealy, was introduced to the MN SLA Chapter at their meeting on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 . Dr. Grealy spoke of her career in Special Librarianship and how she has always sought out the local SLA chapter. She also spoke of the accreditation process and her vision for St. Catherine University's MLIS program. She was warmly received by Minnesota's special librarians. Following Dr. Grealy's talk, five St. Catherine MLIS graduates and current students sat on a Reverse Mentoring Panel. The purpose of the panel was to provide veteran librarians with some insight from new librarians. The panelists spoke of school and work experiences that have been most helpful to them, ways experienced librarians can help those of us new on the job, the importance of communication and business skills, and being a "pretend extrovert." Many thanks go out to Liz Scheibel for planning and moderating the panel. Also,

Before we begin the new school year, it is time to look back at some of the events we had last spring. On Monday, March 15 the student group joined with the SCU MLIS department and shared a Monday Night Event. The student group's portion of the evening was a presentation on the SLA Alignment Project. The following recap, from Polly Perkins, was published in the MN SLA Chapter's Spring 2010 Bulletin : "Caralyn Champa, MLIS Alum 2009, and SLA Alignment Ambassador, presented at the March 1st Monday night event at St Kates on the Alignment Project, an intensive two-year research effort recently undertaken by the Special Libraries Association. The Alignment Project was aimed at understanding the value of the information and knowledge professional in today's marketplace and how to communicate that value. Caralyn's report covered the Projects results, information of interest to everyone concerned with the changing information landscape and SLA. Caralyn's PowerPoint