Looking for an easy way to get involved in the Michigan Chapter of SLA? Volunteer for this year’s Nominating Committee and help select the slate of candidates for the 2013 Board election. Three chapter members are needed for this short-term volunteer commitment. The Nominating Committee is active from May through elections in September.

To volunteer, or for more information, please contact the current Chapter Director, Jennifer Zimmer, at jamm@umich.edu by April 13, 2012.

Please join us for a lunch and learn webinar on Thursday April 19.  We will be hearing from Matt O’Connor, Director of Business Intelligence at Midland-based AIM.

DESCRIPTION
This presentation will discuss how competitive intelligence can be used for more than assessing threats. It will focus on opportunity-based intelligence, which can help generate sales leads, enhance marketing strategy, identify collaborators, and leverage technology. Using both primary and secondary research, opportunity-based intelligence can deliver a competitive advantage for organizations because it provides unique and differentiated insight into growth strategies/tactics. Practical research techniques and examples will be included, as well as a discussion on the evolving definition of competitive intelligence and how it impacts special libraries.

When:  Thursday April 19 at 12:00 noon

Cost:
SLA Michigan Chapter Members – Free
Non-Members – $15

Webinar Information will be sent out prior to the event to those who have registered.

ABOUT MATT
Matt is Director of Business Intelligence at Midland-based AIM. He is responsible for AIM’s new business development and strategic marketing initiatives. He collaborates with AIM leadership on the formulation and execution of AIM’s strategic plans, and serves as a project leader and manager. Matt is a seasoned and professional intelligence analyst who has held diverse research and marketing positions at Plenum Publishing Company, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Wayne State University, and Penn State University. He has an MLIS from Wayne State University and an MBA from Bloomsburg University.

ABOUT AIM
AIM provides customized strategic intelligence research and analysis on a global scale. AIM is a highly respected and leading intelligence firm with a broad range of experience in both business intelligence and media/issues research. For over 30 years, AIM’s ability to collect, synthesize, analyze, and communicate critical information has helped clients anticipate threats, capitalize on opportunities, and, most importantly, make informed and accurate decisions. For more information, please visit www.allisinfo.com.

Are you a library/information science student in the SLA Michigan Chapter who would like to attend the SLA Annual Conference in July? If so, let us help! The Michigan Chapter has a student travel stipend award that will pay for your registration and $634 to help with expenses. The application must be submitted by April 5. This stipend is paid for by funds raised during our chapter’s annual meeting/holiday party’s auction this past  December. Many thanks to all of our generous members for raising the money! Without you this would not be possible.

Questions?  Contact Breezy Silver

Learn how to create a successful survey! Join us for a presentation that aims to demystify the survey process by sharing simple rules for survey success.  This presentation introduces 10 tips for crafting effective survey questions to elicit informative answers. In addition, constructing an easy-to-use questionnaire format and various features of web survey tools to consider will be discussed.

Presenter:
Deborah H. Charbonneau, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Wayne State University
School of Library and Information Science
Detroit, Michigan 48202

When: Monday, March 19, 2012 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Where: Community Room (3^rd floor), WSU David Adamany Undergraduate Library

Map/Directions: http://www.lib.wayne.edu/info/maps/ugl.php

We will also be providing a light snack.

Cost:
SLA Michigan Chapter Members – Free
Non-Members – $15

Registration and more info: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Michigan_SLA_March_2012

You may also mail a check. No cash. If you select this, you will be given information on where to mail the check.

Not a Michigan member but want to become one? Click here to join or add the Michigan chapter to your membership: http://www.sla.org/content/membership/index.cfm.

****Not able to attend? Please take a few moments to tell us why: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M9L3KQR

The CFL/DSOC Nonprofit Section March Virtual Learning Session will focus on the topic of archives.  This 30-minute presentation followed by a 15 minute Q&A will be held on March 23 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.  Here is the description and presenter info:

Archives 101 – Preventing Institutional Alzheimer’s

What is an archive and why is it important to your organization?  Technically speaking, an archive is a collection of individual or organizational records that are important enough to be preserved in perpetuity.  What it really is for your organization is institutional memory.

This session will explore:

• the importance of creating an archive
• how to get management on-board and legal off your back
• uses of archival material in research by staff and historians

Presenter:
Bruce Compton is the Senior Manager, Research and Records at The Pew Charitable Trusts.  Bruce started at Pew as a consultant in 1990 to develop an archive for the foundation.  Since 1991, he has served as Pew’s archivist and head of the Research Department.  Prior to coming to Pew, Bruce was vice president at Gardner Associates, a business history consulting firm.  He has also worked for the National Park Service, the National Archives, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.  He holds degrees in Philosophy and History/Archives Management from LaSalle University and a certificate in Oral History from Vermont College.

Deadline to register is March 16.  You can sign up using this link to the form:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEFmMDNSSGpQRnVmMi1DSjVybXJfQXc6MQ

Sponsor: SLA CI Division
Co-Sponsor: Aurora WDC
Date: Monday, March 12
Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Topic: “Benchmarking: A broadly applicable CI tool (and a state of mind)”
Speaker: Martha R. Matteo, Ph.D.- Fellow and former President of Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
Cost: Free for SLA members and Non-SLA Members
Register: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/504587822

Planning for the future is driven by company goals as well as underlying assumptions about the state of the business and the external environment in which it operates.  Benchmarking is a powerful tool for clarifying and validating those underlying assumptions.  When used effectively, it enables the planning team to focus on the relevant and critical few issues that will drive success.  This session will show how benchmarking analysis of the external environment, in the context of internal issues, can be used to eliminate blind spots and open the path for management consideration of unfamiliar or uncomfortable options.  The benchmarking process can range from very formal, involving interviews and confidentiality agreements, to a straightforward analysis of secondary sources.  The choice is driven by the issues to be addressed.  Examples will be drawn from across this range, with emphasis on the nature of the problem and the ultimate business impact of the benchmarking exercise.  Caveat:  the process should be done in a way that follows ethical guidelines and presented with maximum transparency, to minimize surprises for those expected to act upon the findings.

Ms. Matteo is the founder of the C(T)I function and former director of Knowledge Management and R&D Planning at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc; Board Member, BioXcel.

Please submit your articles and reports for the next chapter newsletter.  Do you know of a person or subject you would like to promote?  How about a new trend, event, or other information of possible interest to our members?

Send your article or report to Bryce Rudder, Newsletter Editor, not later than March 15.