Freedom of Information

Court Orders FBI to Release Withheld Information

As often happens, the Federal Bureau of Investigation invoked national security a few years ago to justify withholding certain information from a Freedom of Information Act requester named Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler.

But as rarely happens, a court last month critically assessed the FBI national security claim and ordered the Bureau to release some of the withheld information.
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2012/10/hetzler_fbi.html

Kiriakou Pleads Guilty in Leak Case

This morning former CIA officer John Kiriakou pleaded guilty to one count of disclosure of information identifying a covert agent, a violation of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act.

“When KIRIAKOU disclosed the identity of Officer A to Journalist A, KIRIAKOU acted willfully in that defendant knew the disclosure was illegal,” according to a Statement of Facts approved and signed by Mr. Kiriakou today.
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2012/10/kiriakou_plea.html

Stephen King’s ‘Different Seasons’: Banned, briefly, at Rocklin High School

“Think about Stephen King books with disturbing themes and the tale of the Overlook, a malevolent hotel, might come to mind, or Christine, a malevolent Plymouth. As a bestselling horror novelist, King made his bones and his fortune by frightening the wits out of readers. Yet it was his collection of non-horror novellas with themes more societal than scary that was briefly banned this month from a high school outside Sacramento.”
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/28/stephen-kings-different-seasons-banned-briefly-at-rocklin-high-school/

Public Policy

DLC Annual Meeting and Conference

The Government Relations Office staff is attending the Depository Library Council Meeting and Federal Depository Library Conference this week in Arlington, VA!

In addition to educational sessions offered by government agencies and librarians, the Government Printing Office will be presenting the preliminary results from the FDLP Forecast Study, and you can tune in online. More information is available on the FDLP Desktop, and a transcript will be available after the event.
http://aallwash.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/dlc-annual-meeting-and-conference/

Conservatives’ Tax Strategy: Use Economic Fears to Cut Taxes for the Wealthy

Congressional conservatives have revealed their negotiating strategy for dealing with the fiscal cliff slope: scare the public and congressional Democrats into a deal that reduces the deficit through spending cuts alone. These fears have been blown out of proportion. A fiscal Armageddon will not happen on Jan. 1, 2013.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) tipped their strategy when they responded to a speech by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who called on Democrats to fight to retain Clinton-era income tax levels for upper-income households. Schumer urged Democrats to allow the top two income tax brackets to revert back to 36 and 39.6 percent (from their current levels – 33 and 35 percent) and to increase the capital gains tax rate to some level below 40 percent (from today’s 15 percent).
http://www.ombwatch.org/conservatives-tax-strategy-use-economic-fears-to-cut-taxes-for-wealthy

D.C. Council members push for longer library hour

“D.C. library advocates told D.C. Council members Thursday that they want libraries to be open longer, but are worried that extra hours would mean more staffing. “We want extended hours, but there needs to be funding to staff these hours,” said Susan B. Haight, president of the Federation of Friends of the DC Public Library. “My concern is that legislation will be passed and the funding will not follow. An unfunded mandate does not work for us.”
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/26/d-c-council-members-push-for-longer-library-hours/

Privacy Concerns

Privacy & Civil Liberties Oversight Board Invites Public Input
The long-dormant Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) announced that it will hold its first public meeting next week and it invited members of the public to provide input to help shape the Board’s near-term agenda.
“In anticipation of setting the agenda of issues on which the Board will focus its attention, the Board would welcome the views of nongovernmental organizations and members of the public,” stated a notice in the October 23 Federal Register.
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2012/10/pclob_meeting.html

Open Access

Government Accountability Office Report Debunks Industry Criticism of New Federal Fracking Rules

As of Oct. 15, oil and gas operators must notify the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) via e-mail two days in advance of extracting natural gas from a hydraulically fractured or refractured well. This notification requirement is part of EPA’s new Clean Air Act (CAA) standards, which will reduce emissions from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released during natural gas production by requiring “green completions” after January 2015. Industry opposes the standards, but a new report shows they are crucial to protecting the public.

The oil and gas industry appears to be ramping up its lobbying efforts to dismantle the new rule, beginning with criticism of the advance notice requirement that went into effect last week. In particular, drillers are upset that they must send the advance notice to EPA, preferring state regulation of hydraulic fracturing.
http://www.ombwatch.org/gao-rpt-and-new-clean-air-act-fracking-rule

Fracking Continues to Expand Rapidly Despite New Evidence of Health Risks

Another public interest report has confirmed that shale gas extraction is creating new public health risks. However, the fracking boom grows unabated, and drilling is occurring near schools and other locations. This could lead to increased chemical exposures among children and other vulnerable populations.
http://www.ombwatch.org/fracking-expands-despite-health-risks

Scaling Up Transparency: New Approaches Could Yield Greater Openness

Two reforms launched by federal agencies this month represent new approaches to more efficiently releasing government information. New websites to publish declassified documents and records released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) could set new precedents and improve on older practices by making the information available to everyone online.
http://www.ombwatch.org/scaling-up-transparency

iPads set to take over from books in school libraries, principal says

“Principal of Madison Park Primary David Lawton said books would become a “thing of the past”. “The day has arrived – iPads are here … look out books,” Mr Lawton told the News Review Messenger. “School library budgets are being lowered and our budgets for technology are higher, so it’s only a matter of time before technology takes over from the traditional way of teaching. “IPads are increasing the rate and quality of learning and schools have to lead in this area.”
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/26/ipads-set-to-take-over-from-books-in-school-libraries-principal-says/

International Outlook

Podcast: The Foreign Policy Auction with Ben Freeman
POGO’s Ben Freeman just released his book The Foreign Policy Auction, so we sat down with him to find out who is paying to change U.S. foreign policy and how.
http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/podcasts/government-corruption/podcast-foreign-policy-auction.html

Please feel free to pass along in part or in its entirety.
The Intersect Alert is a newsletter of the Government Relations Committee, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, Special Libraries Association.

Hello fellow chapter members! I am eagerly gearing up for my term as President of the San Francisco Bay Region chapter next year, and I am looking for people to join my team. As Mimi mentioned in her recent President’s Message, she and I are working on filling the open positions on the 2013 Advisory Council. Although we plan to offer more discrete volunteer opportunities working with all of our Advisory Council Chairs throughout the next year, our current need is to fill these specific Chair positions.

Here’s where we need you to raise your hand!

• Bayline – As Mimi mentioned, the transition of Bayline to a blog format integrated into our new website was thrown off a bit due to unforeseen events in the life of our wonderful Bayline editor. We really need someone to step up and take the reins of our chapter newsletter. This would involve soliciting content to ensure at least two or three posts are generated a month (though more are welcome). You would have help since the Director and Assistant Director of Programs, along with the rest of the Board, are already soliciting write-ups of the various events throughout the year. However, we really need someone to solicit additional articles, set deadlines, edit the articles, and get them posted to the web site. Since the blog format is new, you’ll have a lot of opportunity to shape the Bayline editor role for the future.
• Webmaster – The web site itself is in need of a new friend. Cynthia Matano has very skillfully migrated our chapter content to the new WordPress format bringing us into line with the association’s Operation Vitality efforts. Cynthia has worked long and hard to bring us through this transition and now she needs a break! Help us keep our web site up-to-date. You will receive leadership rosters from yours truly, meeting minutes from the Secretary, and event notices from the Director of Programs. You will help Vendor Relations post sponsor advertisements on the site. Now that we are on the same platform, we are also exploring options for creating a new version of the Jobline page that can exist simultaneously on the both chapters’ web sites.
• Tours – Organize tours of local libraries and archives all over the Bay Area! These are very popular programs that always get great attendance. You will be responsible for setting up two tours, one in June and another in November. This is your chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at whichever institution you’ve always wanted to see. Best of all, the current Tours Chair is moving into another position on the Board and will be available to pass along her list of ideas and help get you started!
• Networking – Help our members connect with like-minded professionals! Keep current on local events sponsored by other groups of information professionals and make sure they know about our events, too! We are also looking at using this position to expand our social media efforts. Do you post questions or reply to other people’s posts on LinkedIn? Do you spend time engaging with groups on FaceBook? Are you active on Twitter? Spend a just a couple extra minutes on any or all of these platforms to develop the chapter’s presence.
• Public Relations – We know how awesome we are, but you can help communicate the value of information professionals to the world outside our membership! Write or solicit articles for local business newspapers. Find out where the C-Level people go for their information and make sure we have a presence there, too! Work with the association’s Public Relations Advisory Council on their podcasting project to interview members’ bosses about the value and impact information professionals bring to the organization. This is a more externally facing position that can really be what you want to make of it.

Volunteering with the chapter pays back in dividends many times over. As with so many things in life, you will get back out what you put in. So get involved! Please contact me if you are interested in any of these positions, or in hearing about other volunteer opportunities that arise.

I look forward to hearing from you!

By Anne N. Barker
Chapter President-Elect

Freedom of Information

Kiriakou Not Allowed to Argue Lack of Intent to Harm U.S.

A court ruled this month that former CIA officer John Kiriakou, who is charged with unauthorized disclosures of classified information to the media, will not be permitted to argue at trial that he intended no harm to the United States, or that his entire career testifies to a deep commitment to national security.
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2012/10/kiriakou_intent.html
GPO PARTNERS WITH TREASURY DEPARTMENT ON PUBLIC ACCESS TO DIGITAL COLLECTIONS

“The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury are partnering on a pilot project to make digitized content from the Treasury library available on GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys), a one-stop site to authentic, published Government information. Through the pilot project, the Treasury Reporting Rates of Exchange, 1956-2005, which list the exchange rates of foreign currencies based on the dollar, are now available on FDsys. Over the next year, additional historical documents within the Treasury’s library collection will be made available on FDsys, including the Official Register of the United States: 1829-1861; 1879-1959, a publication with information about the Federal workforce, including the name of every employee, their job title, state or country of birth, the location of their post, and their annual salary”

http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/17/gpo-partners-with-treasury-department-on-public-access-to-digital-collections/
ProQuest Study Looks Beyond Journals to Identify What Other Sources Faculty Consult for

“In addition to using scholarly journals for active research projects, business faculty rely on materials that share insights and ideas ahead of publication, according to a new study from ProQuest that explores non-journal resources. Business faculty members are using working papers, printed books, pre-prints, conference proceedings and dissertations to explore specific research topics. When asked about passive forms of research — such as staying up-to-date in the field or identifying ideas for further research — newspapers join books at the top of most-used resources.”
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/17/proquest-study-looks-beyond-journals-to-identify-what-other-sources-faculty-consult-for-research/
Announcing Whispercast for Kindle–A Free Self-Service Tool for Schools and Businesses to Manage Large Deployments of Kindles and Support Purchase and Distribution of Kindle Books and Documents Across Kindle E-Readers, Kindle Fires and Free Kindle Reading Appsfrom

“Amazon.com, Inc. today announced “Whispercast for Kindle,” giving schools and business customers a simple, scalable online tool for deploying Kindle devices and Kindle content. Whispercast provides a single access point to easily purchase and distribute Kindle books and documents for educational, marketing and employee incentive programs across Kindle devices and free Kindle reading applications for iPad, iPhone, Android phones and tablets, PCs and Macs. In the coming months, Whispercast will support distribution of Kindle Fire applications.”
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/17/announcing-whispercast-for-kindle-a-free-self-service-tool-for-schools-and-businesses-to-manage-large-deployments-of-kindles-and-support-purchase-and-distribution-of-kindle-books-and-documents/
Groups Call on Congress to Rein in Excessive Compensation of Defense Department

Groups Call on Congress to Rein in Excessive Compensation
of Defense Department Contractors

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2012—Today, a group of public interest organizations and unions wrote to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, urging them to rein in excessive government compensation of Defense Department contractors. The groups strongly support an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 (S. 3254) that would lower the cap on such compensation.
http://www.ombwatch.org/node/12251
Obama’s big green donors starting to thaw – New Solyndra emails – Inhofe to release report on regs delayed until after election – N.Y. Senate candidate spar over fracking safety

THE BIG GREEN THAW: Some wealthy green donors who enthusiastically backed President Barack Obama four years ago are steering their dollars elsewhere this election. Others are opening their checkbooks to aid the president — but largely out of fear of what a Mitt Romney administration would do to their causes. Darren Goode has the story for Pros:
https://www.politicopro.com/login/
Public Policy

The Purpose of National Security Policy

The most fundamental purpose of national security policy is not to keep the nation safe from physical attack but to defend the constitutional order. At least, that is what President Reagan wrote in a Top Secret 1986 directive.

“The primary objective of U.S. foreign and security policy is to protect the integrity of our democratic institutions and promote a peaceful global environment in which they can thrive,” President Reagan wrote in National Security Decision Directive 238 on “Basic National Security Strategy,” which was partially declassified in 2005.

In a list of national security objectives, the directive does note the imperative “to protect the United States… from military, paramilitary, or terrorist attack.”
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2012/10/nsdd_238.html
Job Growth During the Recovery

New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has not made available to the public include the following.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41434.pdf
Miles of Documents Now Online

“Imagine if the entirety of the Library of Alexandria, once a vast repertory of documents from the ancient world, had been digitized and preserved on the Internet before its destruction. Now imagine the digital collection had a function allowing users to search—and find—a single name. That’s what Georgette Bennett and Leonard Polonsky did. Then they provided a lead gift of $1 million to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Global Archives to enable the digitization of 1.8 million historic documents.”
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/17/miles-of-documents-now-online/
Copyright

“What has developed in the content industries is a sense that copyright exists to support their

“What has developed in the content industries is a sense that copyright exists to support their businesses, so any new way they find to extract a little extra money from the rights they hold should be endorsed and protected by the courts. If you start from that premise, it makes sense to sue libraries for providing digital copies to blind people and professors for giving students access to short excerpts from a scholarly book because you believe you are acting from within the core purpose of copyright. But the premise is wrong.”
http://policynotes.arl.org/post/33838462253/what-has-developed-in-the-content-industries-is-a

International Outlook

Google Under Pressure from EU Regulators on Privacy

On Oct. 16, European Union data protection authorities issued a letter to Google CEO Larry Page calling upon the search engine giant to revisit its privacy policy. Earlier this year, the policy was unified into one policy covering a wide range of different Google services and integrating data from Google search history and YouTube accounts. When Google first unveiled its new privacy policy, European regulators greeted it with skepticism and requested Google to delay instituting the revised policy. Google refused. The letter followed a months-long exchange between Google and EU privacy regulators, stemming from a formal investigation as to whether Google’s new privacy policy adheres to EU privacy regulations.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/google-under-pressure-eu-data-commissioners-privacy-policy
Please feel free to pass along in part or in its entirety.

The Intersect Alert is a newsletter of the Government Relations Committee, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, Special Libraries Association.

Freedom of Information

Why Do Librarians Expect a Fair Price for an Ebook?

Hachette’s recent big price increase coupled with Random House’s large increase earlier this year got me thinking.  Does the publishing community understand why librarians would balk at increases on the order of 100% or 200%?

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2012/10/why-do-librarians-expect-a-fair-price-for-an-ebook/

Join the Team

Here’s a friendly reminder to complete our quick survey to become a member of AALL’s Advocacy Team if you haven’t already done so!

With Congress making cuts to Government Printing Office and Library of Congress funding, looming threats to eliminate crucial print legal resources, and important information policy issues competing for attention in the upcoming lame-duck session, now is the critical time to make your voice heard. Whether you’re new to our advocacy efforts or a seasoned veteran, the Government Relations Office would like to invite you to become a more effective, engaged member of AALL’s Advocacy Team by providing us with some brief information about yourself and your interests. The information you share with us will help us help you become your most effective advocate.

http://aallwash.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/join-the-team/

Obama Issues Directive on Intelligence Community Whistleblowers

President Obama yesterday issued Presidential Policy Directive 19 on “Protecting Whistleblowers with Access to Classified Information.”

The directive generally prohibits official reprisals against an intelligence community employee who makes a “protected disclosure” concerning unlawful activity or “waste, fraud, and abuse.” It does not authorize disclosure of classified information outside of official channels to the press or the public.

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2012/10/ppd_19.html

Public Policy

LCA Comments on Authors Guild v. Hathi Trust Decision

The Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) welcomes Judge Baer’s decision (pdf) yesterday that the HathiTrust Digital Library’s (HDL) use of digitized works is a fair use permitted under the Copyright Act. Judge Baer’s key holding was:

I cannot imagine a definition of fair use that would not encompass the transformative uses made by [HDL] and would require that I terminate this invaluable contribution of the progress of science and cultivation of the arts that at the same time effectuates the ideals espoused by the ADA.

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2012/10/lca-comments-on-authors-guild-v-hathitrust-decision/

National Medal Nominations Open

Library supporters who believe their libraries are providing communities with exceptional service now have the opportunity to get national attention for their libraries. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced this week that the agency is accepting nominations for the 2013 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for exemplary service by museums and libraries. The award nomination deadline ends on October 15, 2012.

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2012/10/national-medal-nominations-open/

Internet Access

AAP and Google settle… questions remain

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) announced today they have reached a settlement in their lawsuit filed in 2005 against Google, Inc. According to AAP’s press release,

US publishers can choose to make available or choose to remove their books and journals digitized by Google for its Library Project….Apart from the settlement, US publishers can continue to make individual agreements with Google for use of their other digitally-scanned works.

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2012/10/aap-and-google-settle-questions-remain/

International Outlook

Highest Court in the European Union To Rule On Biometrics Privacy

Courts are investigating the legality of a European Union regulation requiring biometric passports in Europe. Last month, the Dutch Council of State (Raad van State, the highest Dutch administrative court) asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to decide if the regulation requiring fingerprints in passports and travel documents violates citizens’ right to privacy. The case entered the courts when three Dutch citizens were denied passports and another citizen was denied an ID card for refusing to provide their fingerprints. The ECJ ruling will play an important role in determining the legality of including biometrics in passports and travel documents in the European Union.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/highest-court-european-union-rule-biometrics-privacy

Kiriakou Not Allowed to Argue Lack of Intent to Harm U.S.

A court ruled this month that former CIA officer John Kiriakou, who is charged with unauthorized disclosures of classified information to the media, will not be permitted to argue at trial that he intended no harm to the United States, or that his entire career testifies to a deep commitment to national security.

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2012/10/kiriakou_intent.html

Please feel free to pass along in part or in its entirety.

The Intersect Alert is a newsletter of the Government Relations Committee, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, Special Libraries Association.

Freedom of Information

Agency Proposal Would Reduce the Public’s Right to Know about the Fish Population

Our nation’s ocean wildlife and fish are a public resource, and citizens should be able to track the impact of fishing on fish populations. But a new proposal from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will greatly reduce the public’s access to essential fisheries data, including taxpayer-funded programs.
http://www.ombwatch.org/agency-proposal-would-reduce-public-right-to-know-about-fish-population

National Archives and Government Printing Office Release Presidential Documents

“The National Archives’ Office of the Federal Register (OFR) and the Government Printing Office today released a Presidential Documents free mobile Web application (app) on the President’s daily public activities.
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/10/national-archives-and-government-printing-office-release-presidential-documents-app/

What Happened to the National Zoological Park Library, or How a New Model of Librarianship Came to the Smithsonian Libraries

“The end of an era has come to the Smithsonian Libraries and a new one begins!  The current model of a library, with a physical location, books and journals on the shelves and a librarian to manage it all is so 2011.
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/09/what-happened-to-the-national-zoological-park-library-or-how-a-new-model-of-librarianship-came-to-the-smithsonian-libraries/

Library in transition – Harvard moves rapidly into digital future, while preserving past

“A new Web portal for the revamped Harvard Library is opening the window on a massive reorganization effort that is designed to preserve the incredibly valuable print past while embracing the increasingly important digital future.
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/04/library-in-transition-harvard-moves-rapidly-into-digital-future-while-preserving-past/

Public Policy

Celebrating a Public Protections Milestone: The 40th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act

Oct. 18 marks the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, a crucial law that protects the nation’s water from pollution. Congress passed the landmark legislation at a time when much of our water was so contaminated by industrial waste and other pollutants that it was unfit for public use.
http://www.ombwatch.org/clean-water-act-40th-anniversary

EFF Opposes US Government’s State Secrets Claim (Again) in Jewel v. NSA, the Warrantless Wiretapping

Yesterday, EFF filed its latest brief in the Jewel v. NSA case, aiming to stop the government from engaging in mass warrantless collection of emails, phone calls, and customer records of ordinary Americans. The matter is set for hearing on December 14, 2012 in federal court in San Francisco, on the question of whether these Americans will get their day in court.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/eff-government-state-secrets-jewel-nsa

Passing Over the “Fiscal Cliff” in Early 2013 Seems Increasingly

While the outcome of the 2012 election will still ultimately decide next steps on the federal budget, a status-quo election that leaves Democrats in control of the presidency and Republicans in control of the House of Representatives seems likely to produce a budget stalemate that will last through the rest of the year and will trigger a “fiscal cliff” of spending cuts and tax increases in the new year.
http://www.ombwatch.org/passing-over-fiscal-cliff-in-2013-increasingly-likely

Internet Access

 New Senate Report: Counterterrorism “Fusion Centers” Invade Innocent Americans’ Privacy and Don’t Stop Terrorism

The Department of Homeland Security’s 70 counterterrrorism “fusion centers” produce “predominantly useless information,” “a bunch of crap,” while “running afoul of departmental guidelines meant to guard against civil liberties” and are “possibly in violation of the Privacy Act.”
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/new-senate-report-confirms-government-counterterrorism-centers-dont-stop
 

Please feel free to pass along in part or in its entirety.

The Intersect Alert is a newsletter of the Government Relations Committee, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, Special Libraries Association.

We’re well into the third quarter of my year as President, and while we still have some exciting events coming up, the Executive Board is thinking hard about next year.  David Grossman and the Nominating Committee are very close to completing their recruiting for next year’s Executive Board, Hilary Schiraldi is beginning to sketch out next year’s program schedule, and Anne Barker and I are working on filling out the Advisory Council.  You’ll be hearing more from Anne on that front, but, in keeping with my “Community” theme, I encourage you all to take on leadership roles in the organization to the extent that you are able.  I’ve found that the relationships I’ve developed through my involvement in the organization pay dividends later.

Already it has been an eventful year.  Cathy Solomon and Jonathan Leff have done excellent work as our new Archives Chairs, establishing electronic archives for our digital records, and compiling much needed lists of our past award winners.  Shelli Owens, our Academic Relations Chair, has diligently worked through contact lists for information schools with distance learning programs so we can improve our outreach to local students from distant schools.  Our Hospitality Chair, Sarah Cook, has found some fantastic new venues for our chapter events.  And Chris Orr, our Professional Development Chair, has established the chapter’s capability to provide webinars for our members.

We’ve had some challenges as well, most notably in relation to our newsletter, Bayline.  We were all excited to move from a PDF file to a blog, and integrate Bayline into our new website.  Unfortunately, we lost our  editor in the midst of the transition, and this has resulted in less frequent Bayline updates than we’d like.  Special thanks go to Heather Gamberg for supporting Bayline in addition to her work as Secretary.  Bayline will clearly be an area of focus for 2013, as the newsletter is a critical tool for keeping us all in touch with one another and recording our chapter history.

We still have plenty of opportunities to meet and get together this year.  On November 13^th, we’ll have part 2 of Deb Hunt and David Grossman’s professional development program “Expanding Your Career Potential”.  Later in November, we’ll have our second tour of the year (location is still TBA), and finally, on December 18^th we’ll have our annual Holiday Party, once again at Thirsty Bear brewpub, but this year incorporating our annual awards ceremony.  Watch for details on that event.

Finally, I want to let you know about a change in pricing for next year’s events.  For several years, the chapter has used its funding reserves to subsidize the cost of chapter events, keeping the standard registration fee at an affordable $25 for members.  The board still feels that subsidizing events is an appropriate use of chapter reserves; however, the losses we sustained on events this year are simply not sustainable.  Therefore, the board has agreed that the standard registration fee for 2013 will be $30 for members.  The non-member and student/unemployed rates will stay the same at $50 and $20, respectively.  The chapter will still be underwriting events at those rates, but at a level that will allow us to continue subsidies into the future.

I look forward to seeing you all at the holiday party!

By Judy Bolstad, Editor

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Local News!

Sandy Malloy had a great time at the America’s Cup World Series in San Francisco on Friday, August 24. It was a beautiful day, it was fun, and since she stood instead of buying a grandstand ticket it was free!

————————————————————–

New Positions

Corporate Member Annual Reviews, a nonprofit scholarly publisher of 41 journals, recently hired librarians Anna Allegra Fleming as Institutional Marketing Specialist and Erin Lee as Electronic Content Coordinator.

Anna focuses on marketing promotions for libraries, including arranging strategic presence at relevant conferences, cultivating a growing sponsorships program, managing social media for libraries, and strengthening relationships with subscription agents. Prior to Annual Reviews, she was Head of Collection Management at Northwestern University’s medical library after a stint as Library Relations Manager in the University of Chicago Press Journals Marketing Department. Long ago, while in library school, Anna was the Vice-Chair for the student chapter of SLA at the University of Washington’s School of Information.

Erin organizes and posts online supplemental material, is responsible for the delivery of journal metadata to abstracting and indexing services, and uses her librarian detective skills to solve any findability issues for Annual Reviews publications. Before joining Annual Reviews, Erin worked as a special collections librarian at the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse and taught a research skills class at West Valley College.