Congrats to Chris, and here’s to all of the other bright stars in the DGI constellation!

Intersect Alert takes a broad sweep of the news at the U.S. national, U.S. state, and international levels. Take a look at the most recent issue (19 February) to get an idea of news items they summarize and link to.

Many thanks to the San Francisco Bay Region chapter for this outstanding resource!

Here is what the December 2011 announcement said:

OTTAWA — On February 1, 2012, self-serve standard products available on the Statistics Canada website—including CANSIM and census data products—will become free of charge.

Statistics Canada will maintain current pricing practices for products such as print publications, maps, CD-ROMs, and custom products and services.

Licensing restrictions for the use of Statistics Canada data products will be removed.

[Hat tip to Amanda of Canada]

Library students:

Would you like to win a student registration to attend the SLA Annual Conference in Chicago? Just submit a brief blog entry (250-500 words) to be posted on the DGI blog, and you will be entered into a random drawing for a paid registration.

You are free to write on a topic of your choice, relevant to government information. Ideas for possible topics may include:

•    What intrigues/motivates/challenges you about government information?
•    What concerns or excites you about the future of government information?
•    Review a new resource or tool for accessing government information.

Please remember, DGI cannot take political positions and can only accept apolitical postings. Political entries will be disqualified; however, the authors of disqualified entries may submit new posts for consideration. The DGI blog can be viewed at http://govinfo.sla.org/blog/.

Deadline: March 1, 2012. Submit entries to Yannet Lathrop, DGI Membership Director, at Yannet.Lathrop@utoronto.ca.

Membership Requirement: The winner must be eligible for a student registration, and must be, or become a member of DGI by March 1, 2012. To become a DGI member, please see http://www.sla.org/content/membership/unitchange.cfm.

The winner will be selected in a random drawing from among eligible entries, and notified by March 9, 2012.

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Additional Information:

•    Entrants may submit as many postings as they wish; each accepted entry constitutes one entry into the drawing.

•    The winner should plan to attend the DGI Business Meeting at the 2012 Annual Conference.

•    The winner must be eligible for a student registration, and must be or become a member of DGI by March 1, 2012. DGI’s Membership Director will compare the names of blog entry authors with the division’s list of active members to determine eligibility before drawing the winning name.

•    Should the winner be unable to attend the conference, an alternate winner will be selected at random from the same list of bloggers and the DGI active member list. Should an alternate winner prove to be unavailable, the registration fee will be refunded back to DGI.

•    The division will arrange payment for one student conference registration for the winner. Additional ticketed events, if desired, can be purchased at the winner’s expense by logging in to the conference registration portal.

•    DGI cannot cover travel, lodging, food, or any other additional conference expenses.

Please contact Yannet Lathrop, DGI Membership Director, at Yannet.Lathrop@utoronto.ca with any questions or to submit your blog post!

The Government Information Division is looking for speakers for an exciting session on mobile apps!  This session can cover topics from how government libraries use mobile apps to help their patrons find the right information to how governments develop mobile apps to make information more accessible to the public at large.  Interested speakers should contact Kim Schultz, 2012 DGI Chair, for more information.  Please email kim dot lyall @ gmail dot com if you are interested in speaking or have ideas or contacts to pass along.

Information on the SLA Annual Conference is available at:
http://www.sla.org/content/Events/conference/ac2012/

The U.S. Government Printing Office is seeking recommendations for new members to serve on the Depository Library Council (DLC) from June 1, 2012, through May 31, 2015. The DLC is an advisory body that counsels the Public Printer in matters pertaining to future trends, innovation, and new concepts in libraries and information dissemination, particularly as they relate to the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP).

Individuals appointed to serve on the DLC are typically leaders and innovators in key areas related to the future of the FDLP. Currently, this includes essential elements of development, management, and dissemination of electronic information, such as version control, authentication, and preservation of digital information. In addition, ideal candidates for such service should possess a commitment to the mission and goals of the FDLP, with a focus on increasing access and services as related to Federal Government information.

Recommendations will be accepted now through January 20, 2012. To submit the names of one or more qualified individuals for consideration, please visit the FDLP Desktop at <http://www.fdlp.gov/component/form/?form_id=23>.

Aileen Marshall – Chair-Elect
Yannet Lathrop – Director of Membership
Sharon Lenius – Secretary
Kari Anderson – Treasurer

Kim (Schultz) Lyall is the 2012 Chair, and Marie Kaddell will serve as Past-Chair.

See the division website for a list of the current, 2011 officers.

It’s time once again for the annual SLA Government Information Division Executive Board election.
DGI has four executive board positions open for calendar year 2012. These positions are Chair-Elect, Secretary, Director of Membership and Treasurer. Bios of the candidates for these positions are listed on the ballot available at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CPB3FKZ

Please complete your ballot by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 24, 2011.

Thank you for your participation!

We’re looking for leaders! If you are ready for an opportunity to hone your leadership skills while leading the SLA Government Information Division, please consider running for Chair-Elect. During this three year commitment, you will learn a variety of skills and work with and develop wonderful friendships with colleagues throughout the world. And you will be supported by the experienced DGI executive and advisory boards.

In your first year, you will plan DGI’s programs and events for SLA’s 2013 Annual Conference in San Diego, California. As a member of the “SLA Division Cabinet,” the Chair-Elect attends both the SLA Leadership Summit (January 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia, US) and the SLA Annual Conference (July 2013 in Chicago).

In the second year, as Chair, you will manage all of the Division’s activities, wrap up the DGI 2013 Annual Conference planning, and lead the Annual Board and Business Meetings at these meetings.

In the third year, as Past-Chair, you lead fundraising efforts for DGI and oversee the Officer nominations process.

If interested, please let me know by Monday, 8 November 2011.
~Sabah Eltareb, DGI Past-Chair 2011, email: seltareb -at- library.ca.gov