2014 OBS-SIS Candidate for Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
Marjorie E. Crawford, Head of Technical and Automated Services, Rutgers University Law Library
I am honored to be considered by the Nominating Committee of the Online Bibliographic Services-Special Interest Section (OBS-SIS) to serve in the position of Vice-Chair/Chair Elect. If elected to this leadership position, it would allow me to serve the OBS-SIS in the fulfillment of our vision as delineated in the OBS-SIS Strategic Plan 2012.
In my professional activities at the Rutgers Law Library of Newark, I have been responsible for implementing and performing administrative tasks for the national and local bibliographic utility systems for more than a decade. I believe this experience will enable me to make an important contribution towards the ongoing efforts of the OBS-SIS to address emerging issues and concerns of the membership.
The Internet has changed profoundly the way law libraries deliver services to users. With this transformative change, the cost of library operations has escalated to its highest point. Consequently, law libraries are being compelled to investigate a variety of ways to improve services and manage automation costs. As your Vice-Chair/Chair Elect of the OBS-SIS, I would work with the leadership team to provide the membership with relevant developments relating to national and local bibliographic utilities. If given the opportunity, it would be a treasured honor to serve as a part of the OBS-SIS leadership team.
2013 OBS-SIS Candidate for Member-at-Large
Barbara Ginzburg, Electronic Resources Librarian, Washburn University School of Law
I am honored to be considered for the position of Member-at-Large on the OBS-SIS Board. Over the course of my 18 years in law libraries, I have witnessed profound changes in the ways that we deliver services to patrons. I have seen the move from standalone, single-library services to more collaborative services, often organized and funded through library consortia. I am currently serving as the Electronic Services Librarian at Washburn University School of Law, but I have moved between the realms of technical services and public services several times in my career. In each position, my focus has been on how to utilize all of the tools of the library to deliver the best services to my patrons. This has not always been easy—cataloging rules have changed, budgets have been cut, new discovery platforms have developed, e-books have become more prevalent, and more of our resources have moved online.
As librarians struggle to navigate such changes, it is important that the OBS-SIS continue to support its members through excellent Annual Meeting programs, special projects, and assistance for member research activities. As an officer of the SIS, I would strive to be an informed and engaged participant in these endeavors. If given the opportunity, I would be honored to serve as Member-at-Large for the OBS-SIS.
Jennifer Noga, Technical Services Librarian, Wake Forest University Law Library
Online Bibliographic Services is a concept that has gone through a complete transformation in the past 10 years, let alone the past 35 years since OBS-SIS was founded in the late 1970s. At that time many libraries were just becoming automated and the internet was a fledging enterprise. Libraries have gone from closed bibliographic databases to online systems that are one in a vast array of online information sources. As librarians involved with these systems, we have traditional concerns about functionality, interoperability, and usability. But we also deal with the impact of open source, social media, and other issues arising from the proliferation of online information tools and sources, and the puzzle of how our systems fit in to that universe.
We face complex challenges, but I know that cooperative efforts can lead to innovation and creative solutions. In the 2 ½ years that I’ve been a member of AALL and the OBS-SIS I’ve seen many successes brought about by teamwork among members, and I would like to contribute to that success. Therefore, I am excited to be a candidate for OBS-SIS Member-at-Large. I consider myself relatively new to law libraries. I served as Technical Services Librarian at a large community college for a number of years prior to becoming Technical Services Librarian at the Wake Forest University Law Library in 2011. I’d like the opportunity to bring new ideas and a fresh perspective as a Member-at-Large for the OBS-SIS. If elected I will focus on representing all members of the section and fulfill the duties of the position with enthusiasm and an orientation toward the future of our systems in information discovery.