“If a university journalism program or nonprofit association is interested in using this domain as an aid to journalists or journalism, drop me a line. Contact Bill Dedman. I don’t think whoever takes over the site has to make it what it was. The name is flexible enough that it could be used for public records, crowdsourcing, computer-assisted reporting, etc.”

For more info:

http://powerreporting.com/

Posted by Rich

“Today, yet another bricks-and-mortar media bibliothèque fell victim to the digital age.”

“This afternoon, in an email to his staff, David Westin, the president of ABC News, announced that ABC News will be converting its existing research library on the second floor of its 47th street building into a smaller, more cyber-focused “Digital Research Facility.”

“You will continue to receive the same exceptional service as you have in the past,” he added. “But we’re developing, with an outside research consultant, a state of the art research system tailored to our particular needs. When this new system is completed, you will be able to get the information you need and conduct your own searches from your desktop.”

Mr. Westin went on to inform his newsroom that the changes will result in a “reduced staff” but that some of the current library staff would be staying on through the transition and “perhaps beyond.”

For the whole article:

http://tinyurl.com/o7h8tn

h/t to LISNews:

http://www.lisnews.org

The Paper Cuts newspaper website reports that 10,025+ jobs have been lost in 2009.

http://graphicdesignr.net/papercuts/

Even this furry creature from a popular children’s television show received a pink slip!

http://tinyurl.com/dy9ho6

Posted by Rich

Barbara Semonche has retired.

That would indeed be the Barbara Semonche, champion, heroine, inspiration, and more to many news librarians around the world. Among her many accomplishments and credits is editing News Media Libraries: A Management Handbook, which found its way onto the shelves of many, many news libraries as a sort of quasi-religious tome and how-to manual for the profession. When I first read it, I was new to news librarianship and found it immensely helpful. I think I read it cover-to-cover several times while learning the ropes and writing papers in graduate school. A gem among writings about news libraries, it was the first book of its kind published in decades. A pillar among Special Libraries Association News Division members, she started the discussion list Newslib for the group back in the days when email discussion lists were a new, cutting-edge tool. It grew into one of the most important links between news librarians around the world and will probably remain so for as long as there are news librarians.

I’ve always admired Barbara. Every profession needs at least one person like her. It is up to us to fill her very large shoes. While I’ve been emotionally preparing myself for her retirement, reading her Friday email confirming her depature still brought tears to my eyes and more questions about what’s next for news librarianship to mind.

Barbara, thank you for everything you’ve done for the profession! Congratulations and all the best to you!

My hat is off to our colleagues. I can’t help wondering what will happen to the archives and all the history. The situation makes me sad. I don’t like writing about the demise of news organizations.

RIP.

The News Division of the Special Libraries Association invites graduate students and December 2008 graduates interested in a career in news librarianship to apply for the Vormelker-Thomas Student Award.

The award, co-sponsored by the News Division and ProQuest, is a $1,500 stipend to assist students attending their first Special Libraries Association Annual Conference. The 2009 Annual Conference will be June 14-17, 2009 in Washington, DC.
Selection Criteria:

1. Applicants must be members of the Special Libraries Association when they apply for the stipend.
2. Applicants must be attending their first SLA conference.
3. Applicants must be graduate students or December 2008 graduates interested in a career in news librarianship.
4. Applications must include:
   • a word-processed essay (500-1,000 words) addressing an issue in news librarianship

   • a letter of reference from a news librarian, a news editor, or a faculty member
   • a resume
   • a list of course work undertaken
   • a statement of professional goals
   • a statement of what the applicant expects to gain from attending the conference
5. Applications must be e-mailed no later than Wednesday, March 4th at 5 p.m.

E-mail applications to:
Justin Scroggs
Phone: 239-601-9065
Email: jscroggs at newsbank dot com

A Word document with these stipend application guidelines is available via the SLA News Division Web site.

Posted by Rich

Editor & Publisher:

“NEW YORK The librarian who operates The Wall Street Journal’s news research library — which is set to close with the elimination of her job and another staffer’s — said in a memo to other librarians that the shutdown is both a personal difficulty and a hit to news coverage.

“When I asked who will do research for the reporters, I was told, ‘No one,’” the memo from Leslie A. Norman, posted on a librarian list serve last week, stated. “The reporters will probably be using a Lexis product called Due Diligence Dashboard (you know how your moms told you ‘if you can’t say something nice…’)”

She later adds that it cannot replace the “knowledge about how to research using all the tricks we’ve learned over the years. We figure that the reporters will probably spend 10 times our compensation trying to do their own research.”

The library cutback is part of a 14-person newsroom job reduction announced last week by the Journal, which also includes news assistant Ed Ramos in the library. Norman and Ramos plan to remain on the job until at least March 23, the memo stated.”

Techdirt:

Apparently, the Wall Street Journal has eliminated the two research librarian jobs at the paper with no plans to replace them. The idea, apparently, is that reporters should be doing their own damn research from now on. I actually have rather mixed feelings on the news. At a time when newspapers should be focused on providing a better product to remain relevant, you have to wonder if removing research services makes sense. However, the question remains as to whether or not the position is really needed. This is not — at all — to suggest that research librarian aren’t quite good at what they do and provide a truly valuable service. But, it is true that the tools for research have become much cheaper and accessible for anyone.

Here are the two links:

http://tinyurl.com/d8ul84

http://tinyurl.com/cpg49z

h/t to LisNews.com

Posted by Rich

Carolyn shares more details about Liz’ death on NewsliBlog.

RIP, Liz, and my condolences to your family, friends, and colleagues.

Addenda 12/11/08: I finally felt emotionally strong enough to read Liz’ obituary in The Miami Herald. Reading it really brings home to me how stellar she was. There’s a nice selection of photos, too. Thanks, Carolyn, for posting that.

<soapbox & shameless Dad-promotion>After reflecting on Liz’ death and what an appropriate response from me might be, I realized I have a perfect outlet. For years, my Dad has been participating in the Climb for Clean Air, a project of the American Lung Association of the Northwest that raises funds for its activities through sponsorships of hikers climbing Mt. Ranier. I always give my Dad money for the hike because I believe in the cause and I want to support him. The other night, he mentioned to me that he’s worried about fund raising efforts because of the slumping economy and asked if I could give him some more money for his hike in lieu of holiday presents. With Liz’ death from lung cancer, I am even more motivated to give him a little extra this year.

I thought long and hard about whether it is appropriate for me to write my thoughts on this matter in this space because I don’t think this blog should be a fundraising platform and I’m not asking you directly to donate money to my Dad, the climb, and the cause. Liz was such an inspiration to me to start blogging, which has brought a wealth of good things into my life, I want to do something to honor her. I feel like sharing my plans publicly via this blog is appropriate.

12/18: SLA Connections has a blog post about Liz that points to a memorial in The Washington Post. Joel Achenbach highlights the important role Liz and the other researchers played during the Watergate investigation by sharing her words about the movie All the President’s Men and the scene including a librarian. (By the way, I love the graphic at the top of Achenblog. I often feel like the person riding the beast.)

The Chicago Tribune, of course, has coverage. I read an article about the prospective action in the print edition of The Boston Globe earlier today.

What’s next for the news industry? How many more organizations will follow? What is the future of news?

Newspapers, broadcasters, citizen journalists and an array of bloggers provide news and opinion
around the clock on the printed page, on TV, radio and via computers and telephones. With the media
in an unprecedented state of flux, library users can be overwhelmed with sources of information.
What is the impact of these changes on the public in the expanded dialog between news consumers
and creators?

Speakers:

Bill Densmore, founder of the New England News Forum and the Media Giraffe, currently at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, working on a new economic model for web-based news

Fabrice Florin, founder of the non-profit NewsTrust.net: your guide to good journalism.

Martin Reynolds, editor of the Oakland Tribune, will describe the unique relationship he has with the
West Oakland Branch Library in Oakland, California

For more info:

http://www.nelib.org/conference/2008/index.htm

Posted by Rich

http://ndpbeta.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/home

Info via Peter Scott’s Library Blog:

http://xrefer.blogspot.com/

Posted by Rich