My 2012 SLA experience
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| Mr. Yap receiving the 2012 SLA Asian Early Career Award |
On March 22, 2012, I eagerly applied for the 2012 Special
Libraries Association (SLA) Asian Early Career Award. Upon knowing of such a
travel grant, I grabbed that opportunity to become an SLA member and submitted
my essay to the Awards Committee. After more than a month, Ms. Kyoko Sato,
chair of the Awards Committee, sent me an email confirming my selection as the
winner of 2012 SLA Asian Early Career Award!
The SLA 2012 Annual Conference & Info-Expo gave me a
taste of how conferences for American librarians are being organized and
managed. As a first-timer, choosing which session to attend to is somehow
overwhelming. From the vast number of interesting topics to the spotlight
sessions, I was really fortunate to have been a part of this successful
professional event in Chicago.
Participants absolutely get a chance to network with the
top exhibitors at the Info-Expo. More than 150 exhibitors participated in this
grand event. It is a place where librarians could relax, interact with
colleagues and suppliers, dine with friends, win prizes and receive terrific
novelty items from each of the generous library vendors. My lucky day was on a Sunday
when I won 12 bottles of wine. Unfortunately, I could not bring that home to
the Philippines. I was hoping my number to
be called for a Kindle or an iPad. Nevertheless, I am happy to share that prize
with my generous room-mate, Mr. James Arshem, a retired librarian from USPTO.
Expect to bring home a wide-array of new knowledge from the
scheduled sessions and programs just for every special librarian. The
conference provided what is needed to be discussed to advance the career of the
information professionals. Hearing Guy Kawasaki during the general session and
awards presentation is an entertaining way to empower librarians in every
positive way they can. I extend my congratulations to the fellow librarians who
received their prestigious awards this year.
Joining the DBF open house during the 27th
Annual Bibliography is also a way of showcasing the achievements of the divisions’
authors. I was indeed lucky to have been
a part of it. My sincerest and special
thanks to Ms. Lucrea Dayrit for including me on the list of distinguished
authors for my paper I presented during the Congress of Southeast Asian
Librarians (CONSAL) last May in Indonesia. This open house also exposed me to
the world of marketing. I, together with Ms. Kyoko Sato, took time to spend a
minute or two to invite speakers and sponsors for the upcoming 3rd
International Conference of Asian Special Libraries (ICoASL III) to be held in
the Philippines on April 10-12, 2013. I was able to touch-base with the best
authors and members of the SLA during this open house and got the chance to
meet the Chair of B&F, Mr. Christopher Hoeppner.
It was also an exciting networking affair when I attended
the Pharmaceutical & Health Technology Division. With the encouragement of
Ms. Sato, I was able to meet the representative of the Sub-Saharan Africa
chapter, Ms. Nerisa Kamar. Afterwhich, I was also able to bump into Ms. Affra
Al Shamsi of the Arabian Gulf chapter. SLA is truly global and international.
My interest in competitive intelligence as a discipline
grew when I learned that there were Filipino librarians working for a local CI
company. It enabled me to learn more
about this area, listening to the competitive speakers during the session on collaborative insights. It was an
interactive one. My interest grew deeper
and will consider joining their division next year.
As part of my attendance in SLA, I received my award during
the supposed-to-be Asian Chapter Board Meeting and Presentation of Awards. However, since there is a just a few of us
present, we just pushed through with presentation of awards and introduction of
the ICoASL to the small audience. SLA President Brent Mai was there to witness
the ceremony. I shared the stage with Ms. Lata Suresh, the winner of the SLA Asian Professional
Award.
After the Asian Chapter Board Meeting, we headed to the
Business & Finance Division Awards Presentation and Reception. A convenient
shuttle bus is needed which is a complimentary of SLA for those who are
checked-in at their partner hotels. The next stop is at Hilton Chicago where
the reception is happening. It was a larger crowd with award recipients coming
from Argentina, Philippines, India, United States and United Kingdom. It was
really a get-together for some of the attendees and a way of honoring the
innovative and competent librarians from all over the world.
Other sessions I attended were, “Building a Greener
Library” by Ginnie Cooper sponsored by Military Libraries Division and Museums,
Arts and Humanities Division; and “Marketing for the Rest of Us: a Guide for
Introverts” by Mary Ellen Bates.
My
six-day trip to Chicago is incomparable. Nothing beats the 37,000 feet altitude
combined with a lot of turbulent moments while crossing the Pacific Ocean,
Alaska and Canada. Receiving an award is a prestige, participating in a
conference is a plus, meeting people is extraordinary and visiting Chicago is a
glory. Again, all my gratitude goes to
the SLA B&F, to Asian Chapter, to all the people who believed in me and
supported me in this superb dream to be in America. God bless you all.
- Joseph M. Yap