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With the migration of PAMweb to the new Wordpress-driven SLA web services, we now have blog capabilities there. That means that this site may go away. If this is still where you go for All News PAM, please comment and let us know! Thanks.

International Membership Award: Nominations Open!

Nominations for the International Membership Award (IMA) are now being accepted by the Physics-Astronomy-Mathematics (PAM) Division of the Special Libraries Association (SLA). The SLA-PAM Division will present this award to a librarian from the developing world.

The award provides a two-year SLA membership for the years 2012 and 2013; a virtual (online) access to the 2012 Annual Conference; and $500 USD worth of SLA professional-development materials in the form of Click U webinars and online courses and/or e-books.  For more information about SLA professional development training, please visit the following web page:
http://www.sla.org/content/learn/index.cfm

Please submit nominations to the chair of PAM International Relations Committee (IRC) (address below) by December 5, 2011. The award will be announced in January 2012.  More information about the PAM Division and the award can be found at: http://pam.sla.org/projects/irc/

Objective:
The purpose of the award is to provide an opportunity for librarians from the developing world to be an active member of SLA and of SLA-PAM.

Components:

• The award will provide SLA membership, including PAM Division affiliation, for a period of two years.
• PAM will provide the IMA winner a virtual pass to the 2012 SLA Annual Conference.
• PAM also provides the equivalence of $500 USD in professional development through Click U online courses, webinars, and/or books.
• The award recipient will send the IMA Chair a short report on the state of scientific information/libraries in his/her country so that the report can be posted on the PAM IRC webpage.
• The award recipient will also prepare a final report reflecting on his/her experience with PAM and providing recommendations for future improvements to the award program; this report is to be sent before the end of the second year of the award to the PAM Executive Board and PAM IRC.
• The award recipient will serve as a member of PAM’s International Relations Committee (IRC) during the term of the award.

Qualifications:

• The nominee must reside and work in a developing country and have basic English skills.
• The nominee must be working currently in a library, information center, library school or other information-related capacity, in one of the subject areas related to science and technology. Priority will be given to applicants working in Physics-Astronomy-Mathematics areas.
• The nominee should not have had any previous opportunity of active involvement in SLA such as attending the SLA annual conference or any other professional library association meetings in the U.S.

Nomination Process:
Self nominations are encouraged. Nomination documentation should include the following:

• A letter highlighting the candidate’s professional career and qualification and explaining why this person should be granted the award.
• The candidate’s current professional resume.
• Contact information for the nominee: name, position, business address, and (if possible) email address.

Nominations are to be submitted by December 5, 2011, to the PAM IRC chair. Electronic submission by e-mail is preferred.  The award recipient will be announced in January 2012. Selection will be made by the PAM Executive Board in consultation with the PAM IRC Chair/Co-Chair.

Please submit nominations to:

Khue Duong
Chair, SLA-PAM International Relations Committee
California State University, Long Beach
University Library
1250 Bellflower Boulevard

Long Beach, California 90840-1901
Phone: (562) 985-2641 | Fax: (562) 985-1703 |
Email: kduong@csulb.edu

2011 Call for Award Nominations

The PAM Awards Committee cordially invites you to submit, by May 1, your nominations for the 2011 PAM Division Award and/or for the 2011 PAM Achievement Award.  Previous recipients of the Division Award include the Jahrbuch Project, the American Physical Society, and John Gardner for developing assistive technologies.  Previous honorees of the Achievement Award include Martha Tucker, Bob Michaelson, Kris Fowler, and Molly White.  There are many more deserving colleagues and worthwhile endeavors to honor.  Please send nominations for individuals or groups to any of the committee members via the e-mail addresses listed below.  If you're thinking of someone but aren't quite sure if you can make the May 1 deadline, then please send a message to any of the committee members.

The PAM Division Award is given for significant contribution to the literature of physics , mathematics, or astronomy, or to honor work that demonstrably improves the exchange of information within these three disciplines.  The contribution also should benefit libraries or enhance the ability of librarians to better serve their patrons.  The contribution should be special - above and beyond the normal job requirements of the individual(s) or group concerned.  The honoree(s) may be a member(s) of SLA/PAM, but need not be.

The PAM Achievement Award is reserved for recipients whose professional work is marked by distinction and dedication to librarianship in astronomy, mathematics, and/or physics.  The award recognizes those members of SLA/PAM who have made outstanding contributions to the Division.

More details, guidelines for nominations, and a list of previous winners can be found on the PAM Division web site at http://www.sla.org/division/dpam/manual/awards/index.html  (PLEASE NOTE THAT WE HAVE EXTENDED THE DEADLINE TO MAY 1 for this year!)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Your PAM Awards Committee:

Donna Thompson (Chair) dthompson@cfa.harvard.edu (617)496-7660
Michael Fosmire  fosmire@purdue.edu    (765)494-2859
Danny Dotson       dotson.77@osu.edu       (614)688-0053

Beyond the Bell(s)

Be sure to check out (and bookmark!) the great new blog from the Philadelphia Hospitality Committee, Beyond the Bell(s)! "Every week we will update readers on some of the best local restaurants, cafes, museums and destinations in the Philadelphia region. We have tasked ourselves to think beyond the typical tourist destinations. You all know about the historic Liberty Bell and the wonderful Franklin Institute. Here you will learn about where to get the best Philly Cheesesteak (and how to order!), where to catch a baseball game (besides Citizens Bank Park), and how to get around like a local."

Thanks so much to Peggy, Lauren, Louise and Sharice - what a great way to share the skinny on Philly!

Congratulations to the 2011 PAM Travel Stipend Winners!

IOP Publishing, a generous and long-time supporter of libraries and librarians, has provided PAM with funding for four $1,000 stipends to help defray the costs of traveling to the 2011 SLA Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA. Qualifying applicants had to be recent graduates of a library science graduate program, in their first three years of professional librarianship, employed by a physical sciences library or as a subject specialist for one or more of the PAM disciplines, and first-time attendees of the SLA Annual Conference as a professional librarian. For more information, please visit click here.

We would like to thank all of the new librarians who applied for this stipend. We appreciate the time and effort you put into your application letters and we look forward to welcoming you into the PAM Division.  Below are listed the stipend winners.

Margaret Lam is the physical sciences liaison librarian at Fenwick Library, George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. She received an MLS degree from Queens College, CUNY in Flushing, NY and graduated with a MA degree in Chemistry from the same college.



Kathleen Lehman is the head of the Physics Library at University of Arkansas.  Her MLIS from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee followed an MAT in multidisciplinary education from Webster University in St. Louis and a BA in physics and astronomy from the University of Iowa.


Andrea Miller-Nesbitt graduated from McGill University’s MLIS program.  She began working at McGill’s Schulich Library of Science and Engineering shortly thereafter as a liaison librarian for the School of Computer Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.


Catherine Vu is the science librarian at California State University, Fullerton and is responsible for providing reference and bibliographic instruction. She received an MLIS degree from San Jose State University and graduated summa cum laude with a BS degree in Chemistry from University of San Francisco.


If you have the opportunity, please introduce yourself to Margaret, Kathleen, Andrea, and Catherine at the June conference.  Help them feel at home in our division, which as we all know is a very special part of SLA.

The PAM Division is deeply grateful to IOP Publishing for their continued involvement with and support of librarians at the SLA conference, and most especially for their generous commitment to the professional development of young science librarians.  Three cheers for IOP Publishing!

Selection Committee Members:

Sharice Collins, Vice President, Marketing, IOP Publishing, Inc.
Ruth Kneale, PAM Chair
Nedelina Tchangalova, PAM Professional Development Chair