Infotoday Blog Archive

He flew four Space Shuttle missions and was the first person to log over 1000 hours in space.

Today Tom Henricks is a publisher–President of Aviation Week (McGraw-Hill)–but by his remarks this afternoon, you could tell he is still in love with the stars.

I planned to only stay long enough to get a picture and quote, but I found his talk so riveting I missed completely the other sessions I had wanted to attend.  Henricks shared video clips and still photos from his missions, describing what it was like to be an astronaut.
 
"It’s been 50 years this October since Sputnik launched," he said. "In that time, less than 480 humans have been in space and only 120 have been more than once."

He recalled how as a boy living on a farm in Ohio, he had watched the ECHO balloon on the horizon at sunset. 

"Most people don’t realize," he said, "that on a clear night you can see the International Space Station overhead.  There are sites online where you can find when things are visible in your area."

I found this one:  http://www.heavens-above.com/  

The purpose of  Henricks’ talk was to explore how more young people can be encouraged to explore careers in the great, wide yonder . . . how to "create that spark that ECHO did for me."  If I were a tad younger, he would have convinced me.

Dick Kaser
ITI VP, Content

How One Librarian Made a Huge Difference

Brad Robison could hardly contain his enthusiasm, as he spoke this afternoon to fellow "solo librarians."

In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombings in 1995, Robison volunteered to catalog the items left at the Murrah building’s wailing wall.

In the process he also cataloged artifacts of the building itself, including shards of glass that later proved of use in scientific study.

One thing led to another.

"The affects of terrorism just go on and on," he said.

The project has grown into a world-class Web site, regarded as the number-one public resource for responding to terrorist attack, including databases from EBSCO, Gale, and Rand.  The site also includes a "Lessons Learned" database unique to the site.

Visit MIPT.org (The Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism), home to the Terrorism Information Center, which Robison directs.

Dick Kaser
ITI VP, Content

I watched one lucky player win a $100 gift certificate in Elsevier’s clever Book Bingo product demonstration, where audience contestants matched numbers (related to Elsevier products) on their gaming cards.  Who said product reviews have to be dull?  Once again, Elsevier sets the benchmark.  Visit them in Stand #513.

Dick Kaser
ITI VP, Content

SLA’s Tech Zone

An army of computers awaited willing learners this morning in the room SLA was using for its hands-on mini-workshops on Podcasting ("Make Noise the New Way"); Blogs, Wikis & RSS ("Cool Stuff within Sharepoint 2007"); "Creating Product Demonstrations with Adobe Captivate"; and "Best Practices–Top 10 Essentials of Successful Web Sites."  Though the sessions carried a modest additional fee, it must have been more-or-less cost-recovery, given the infrastructural investment SLA made in setting up this (clearly) state-of-the-art lab.

Dick Kaser
ITI V.P., Content

This morning’s opening session–dubbed the "Synergy Session"–in the Korbel Ballroom featured Information Today’s own CEO Tom Hogan, Sr. (left screen), SLA President-Elect Steve Abram (right screen), CNI’s Cliff Lynch and Information Professional Eugenie Prime.  

The session was conducted in an innovative Q&A open conversation format, based on questions submitted by SLA members.  Of 60 submitted questions, said Hogan, who was acting as moderator, 10 were selected for discussion. 

In answer to how the value of information professionals could be improved, Prime said that, "First we must be convinced of our own value, and then we have to deliver and communicate results."  She stressed the importance of using stories to "add flesh to statistics."

On the question of why OPACs are not appreciated, Abrams had a few choice words:  "OPACs do a lot of stuff really well, but they do not generate a good user experience."  

While not arguing with the need for a good user experience, Lynch observed that the idea of giving users "the Google experience," which is often mentioned in this context, is "largely wrong."  The essence of the Google experience, he said, is not so much about search as it is "the instantaneous access to whatever you find, one click, anytime, right to the source."

I’m sure my fellow bloggers will have other reports to share from the very energetic and, yes, synergistic opening session.

DIck Kaser
ITI V.P, Content

It just seemed politically correct to turn the spotlight on industry efforts to become more environmentally conscious at this SLA conference in Denver. After all, former vice president and global warming expert (An Inconvenient Truth) Al Gore gave quite a moving opening conference keynote (or so I heard). EBSCO Publishing has been busy doing its part by "going green." Company employees have been recycling cans, bottles, magazines, and newspapers; the company has been using paper products in bathrooms and kitchenettes made of 100 percent recycled papers and changed incandescent light bulbs to high-efficiency fluorescents; and established an Energy Management System in renovated buildings to lower energy consumption by 20 percent. Every little bit can and does make a difference, according to Kathleen McEvoy, media communications coordinator. Look for EBSCO Publishing to include solar panels to be installed on the roof of its largest building to generate more than 20 percent of that building’s electricity and converting the fleet of company-owned cars in the U.S. and Canada to hybrid vehicles.

Barbara Brynko
Editor in Chief
Information Today