SLA Student Chapter

Special Librarians Panel Notes

This meeting took place on February 15, 2011 from 11:30-1:00 p.m.

1) Panelist Introductions
Katherine Wesenberg from USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Molly Hamm from Cogdell Spencer Erdman
Anne Moser from Wisconsin's Water Library (Also the chapter faculty
adviser)
2) Katherine Wesenberg
-USGS publishes circulars and fact sheets that she maintains for the
national center.
-Functions as a private librarian for 15 scientists and retrieves
whatever they request.
-Entered USGS following SLIS program. Eased in with part time hours
spent cataloging. USGS created a permanent position for her.
-The division was previously part of Fish & Wildlife, the change over to
USGS was challenging for many employees.
-Created mission statements, guiding principles. Strategic planning has
been very important for her. Suggests ‘Field Guide to Nonprofit
Strategic Planning and Facilitation’ (http://www.worldcat.org/title/field-
guide-to-nonprofit-strategic-planning-and-
facilitation/oclc/53191009&referer=brief_results).
-Many special libraries handle their own OCLC work.
-Content Manager Specialist—Her title when working with the
publications warehouse.
-She advises that once you begin gaining professional experience,
development becomes easier.

3) Molly Hamm
-Cogdell Spencer Erdman is an architectural firm within the healthcare
field.
-There have been many layoffs in her agency in the past few years,
following a corporate merger.
-Service to shareholders is a major priority in her position.
-Made connection to agency on her own. She views entrepreneurship
as being very important. Vendor management skills, reference,
intranet management, industry specific skills and training have helped
her maintain her position in the face of layoffs.
-Involvement with WLA has been helpful to keep her connected to
other librarians in the area.
4) Anne Moser
-Academic background in Spanish and art history.
-First job was in environmental consulting.
-Loves that she is always learning about a topic outside of her major
and always helping with new reference questions.
-Enjoys that entrepreneurial ideas always add challenges-sometimes
they are successful and sometimes they are not.
-Also values being backed by the University and GLS (though Water
Library isn’t a part of GLS) as a special librarian. Her library is federally
funded.
-Marketing is the most challenging aspect of her job.
-She coordinates her own outreach. One example is the creation
of a relationship with the Ho-Chunk Nation for a storytime.
-Duties include cataloging, reference, shelving, providing equity and
diversity in service.
-Suggests both WLA and SLA participation. There is not too much
overlap between the organizations. Networking and connecting is
vital. Leadership roles are also helpful.
-Coming in and making changes in the library under a different director
was a challenge.

5) Questions
-Embedded librarianship and evolving titles are changes in the field.
-Is a CV acceptable for a librarian position?
 -Yes, a CV and resume may be helpful. Be concise! Be formal!
-What changes do you foresee in the coming years?
-Molly-more business based duties.
-Katherine-more outreach, less searching. Possible loss of
library/contract librarians. Loss of institutional memory through
agency changes/staff cuts.
-Anne-less focus on physical collection, more digitization.
-Job search advice
-Pay special attention to job descriptions and tailor letter to the
position. A lot of thought is put into the descriptions.
-Write letters for positions you feel you can bring something to,
even if you don’t meet every position qualification.
-May be necessary to take a position outside of Madison, with the
idea of returning.