So many firsts! My first trip to Philadelphia, my first national professional conference, and now my first blog post.

When I graduated with my MLS a little more than one year ago, I realized how little I knew about the world of library and information science outside of academic and public libraries. What else is out there, and where do I even begin to look? Lucky for me, several of my coworkers suggested I look into the Special Libraries Association. This turned out to be excellent advice, and shortly after joining SLA, I heard about the VASLA Susan Adkins travel grant. I was thrilled that my grant application was accepted, and I was able to attend the 2011 SLA annual conference in Philadelphia.

Starting with the Dine Around group on Saturday night and continuing through four days of information sessions, I met SLA Fellows, former SLA presidents, and chapter presidents. I attended sessions on topics from mobile apps to how to get published. I also attended social events hosted by the Competitive Intelligence division and the Mid-Atlantic Chapter.

In a nutshell, the conference was invaluable and overwhelming. I came away with a much wider and deeper professional network (shout out to several California law librarians), an appreciation for the diversity of career options, and a fantastic sense of camaraderie. I feel welcomed into the world of librarians and information professionals. Thank you, VASLA, for the opportunity to to experience so many firsts!

Links to presentations or speakers’ websites for several of the sessions I attended follow.
So They Say You Have To Publish – http://librarywriting.blogspot.com
Design Thinking For Better Libraries – http://stevenbell.info/index.htm
60 Apps in 60 Minutes – http://joemurphylibraryfuture.com/60-apps-in-60-minutes-sla2011/

-Liz Thompson
2011 Adkins Travel Award Recipient

VASLA Membership Director Greg Stoner of Williams Mullen in Richmond has been published in the February 2011 issue of Virginia Lawyer.  Greg wrote the current entry in the publications recurring column, Law Libraries.  You can download the article here:

http://www.vsb.org/docs/valawyermagazine/vl0211_libraries.pdf

or view the homepage of Virginia Lawyer.  Congratulations, Greg.

SunTrust Banks, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the nation’s largest banking organizations, serving a broad range of consumer, commercial, corporate and institutional clients. As of June 30, 2010, SunTrust had total assets of $170.7 billion and total deposits of $118.7 billion. The Company operates an extensive branch and ATM network throughout the high-growth Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states and a full array of technology-based, 24-hour delivery channels. The Company also serves clients in selected markets nationally. Its primary businesses include deposit, credit, trust and investment services. Through various subsidiaries the Company provides mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage, investment management, equipment leasing and investment banking services. There are approximately 28,263 full-time equivalent employees working at SunTrust.

The SunTrust Information Center supports the mission of the bank which is to help people and institutions prosper by providing financial services that meet the needs, exceed the expectations, and enhance the lives of our clients, communities, colleagues, and ultimately our shareholders. We do this by supporting any SunTrust teammate that may need information in a variety of formats. Much of our work involves electronic research and distribution. These days we rarely meet the teammate for whom we are working, since e-mail is our main form of communication and distribution. However, we do maintain a core collection of books and periodicals which are used regularly. Over the years our staff grew from three to four employees, and then shrunk to two employees. Yet our output continues to increase every year. As the electronic databases improve and our skills improve as well, we maintain a level of service that is appreciated by our teammates.

Information Center Average Monthly Statistics
Six Months ending June 2010

Books & specific articles requested: 3,755
Research requests: 647
Average daily transactions: 222

Sue Miller, manager of the Information Center has 35 years of service at the bank and all of it has been spent in the Information Center. I have 30 years of service at the bank of which 24 years have been in the Information Center.

Be sure to check out the January/February 2010 issue of Information Outlook, where VASLA member Jill Heinze has an article on “Leveraging Internal Partnerships for Library Success.” Jill is a research analyst in the Marketing Department at Affinion Loyalty Group in Richmond, VA, and a member of SLA’s Competitive Intelligence Division.

Catch SMR International’s latest e-Profile on Virginia librarian Ken Winter: Ken Winter at VDOT: KM/Knowledge Services = Innovation, Opportunity, and Influence

Ken Winter is Director of Library and Information Services for the Virginia Department of Transportation.