By Jacy Bell
The UofA Chapter of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) is one of three SIRLS student organizations. We are officially recognized by the national Association and report to them annually. As with the other student groups, we coordinate professional development, networking, and social events, in addition to organizing tours with non-traditional library and information environments. If you’re interested in corporate, rural, or tribal libraries; special collections; archives; or museums you should consider becoming involved with our chapter.
Ways to become involved include attending club meetings and functions, becoming a member, and becoming an officer. You do not have to be in Tucson to participate! We are coordinating events outside of Tucson this fall in addition to providing podcasts and holding our meetings online through Breeze. Also, all officer positions can be held by a distant student except for Vice President/Treasurer due to money handling. It definitely looks great on your resume! There are currently two open offices: Events Coordinator and Fundraising Coordinator. Please see our constitution on our website for office descriptions and duties. If you are interested in either position, please email uastudentslagroup@gmail.com.
The goals of our Student Chapter are to:
· create a better understanding of special libraries
· encourage students to not limit themselves to traditional roles, and ensure that students know the value of the SLA in achieving and continuing their professional goals
Benefits of membership include:
· participation on our listserv, where you will receive information about scholarships, awards, and job postings
· networking opportunities with professional special librarians
· the opportunity to set yourself apart from other library students entering the profession by showing future employers that you understand the importance of organizational involvement through your membership support
Membership is $10 per year or $15 for the entire time as a SIRLS student. Unfortunately, our student chapter membership does not include membership to the national SLA.
Fall 2009 Meeting Schedule
October 23
November 6
November 20
December 4
It’s not too late to participate, so please join us for the remaining fall meetings and upcoming events.
Have a great semester!
Jacy Bell
SLA President
LSO Vice President/Treasurer
To view our constitution, join the SLA listserv, and for more information about our club, please go to our website: http://sirls.arizona.edu/SLA.
12 October 2009
Special Libraries Association – UofA Chapter
Poster Presentation at SLA 2009: Information Accessibility and the Disability Community
By Jacy Bell
This past spring I completed an internship at the Sonoran University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) as an Interdisciplinary Trainee. I worked on various projects exploring information accessibility and library services for individuals with disabilities. Summarizing my efforts, I created a poster entitled, Information Accessibility & the Disability Community, which highlights the barriers to accessing information in both virtual and physical environments for the purpose of informing librarians of their role and responsibility in alleviating such barriers.
On June 14th, 2009, I presented my poster at the Special Libraries Association 2009 Annual Conference in Washington, DC during the Social Science; Museum, Arts, & Humanities; and Education Divisions’ poster session and open house: Inspiration and Diversity – SLA Around the Globe. Attendees voted on their choice for the best poster with the winning poster’s author receiving a one-year SLA membership. Unfortunately, I didn’t win but was first runner up — exciting considering this was my first poster! I had a great time at the conference and would like to thank the Sonoran UCEDD for supporting my participation.
To view my poster, please visit http://sucedd.fcm.arizona.edu/sites/sucedd.fcm.arizona.edu/files/Information
For more information on the Sonoran UCEDD and their Interdisciplinary Training Program, please visit their website: http://sonoranucedd.fcm.arizona.edu/.