KSG Staffing

News and Updates

In Progress: Selections for GS-9 Library Technicians in the ALD Consulting Section and the HUM Consulting Section are being finalized. Interviews are being held for the GS-7 Library Technician positions in the DSP, FDT, and G&F Consulting Sections and will be completed when Heidi returns from leave. On Detail: As previously announced, Kimberly Allen and Frances Bufalo were selected for the detail opportunity in the Operations Group. Kimberly will serve October 31, 2005 - January 13, 2006 and Frances will serve January 16, 2006 - March 31, 2006. Michael Anderson was selected for the detail opportunity in the Humanities Consulting Group. Michael will undertake some of the duties of the Assistant Section Head beginning November 14, 2005. Charles Brown has been detailed to the Operations Group beginning November 7, 2005. Charles will be assisting Kimberly Allen with such management projects as vendor training and documentation among other things. On Rotation: Hannah Fischer, KSG-FDT, is undertaking a developmental working assignment as a Presidential Management Fellow at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) from October 24, 2005 through February 24, 2006. Hannah will be working in USTR's Office of Korea, Japan and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and she will work on bilateral negotiations and special reports the agency is conducting. Space: The first phase of the LM-219 renovation will begin on November 16. Holly Mirchel, Vanessa Cieslak, Tom Coipuram, Julissa Gomez-Granger, and Barbara Torreon will move into swing space in LM-215. Ken Ford will move into swing space near Kimberly Allen (LM-219 Phase II area). The KSG Inquiry Contol Center (aka Pinks Room) will move to LM-212 in the area now occupied by the PDC Products Line which is moving to the PDC Service Desk. The area of LM-219 which is closest to LM-215 will be sealed off from the rest of LM-219 with plastic sheeting. Renovation of this area is expected to be completed by January 17, 2006. Staff scheduled to move into this renovated space include Kimberly Allen, Joe Casazza, Luis DeCastro, Ken Ford, Jan Johansson, and Cheryl StadelBevans. Phase II (from the LM-219 doorway to the back wall of LM-219) will be renovated during the period January 18, 2006 - March 30, 2006. Cubicles have been dismantled in the back of LM-219 to provide space for a staging area for renovation materials. At the conclusion of Phase II, staff from the KAMG will move into the renovated space. We are working diligently with the assistant directors in FDT, G&F, and RSI to get the remaining consulting staff relocated into the divisions as soon as possible. If those moves cannot take place before January 18, 2006, staff currently in the back of LM-219 will be moved temporarily into swing space in areas yet to be determined. Update on the KSG Staff Training and Professional Development Project Team: The team's first meeting was held on Oct. 19th with 13 of the 17 members in attendance, plus Pat and Cliff. The full agenda included introductions; the vision for the project team along with its charge; a beginning discussion of our KSG authoritative research methodology and how it relates to training; results from two CREA survey questions related to KSG training needs and desires; an announcement about KSG-OPS efforts to incorporate training into database/electronic resources' vendor contracts; and preferences for team meeting day/time. The next meeting will be held during the week of Nov. 7-11. Lisa Dove is project coordinator, (7-1845 KSG-RSI); comments are welcome. Members of the team are: Kimberly Allen; Michael Anderson; Lisa Dove; Anne Gwynn; Julie Jennings; Sandy Johnson; Donna Jones-Bey; Fran Larkins; David Mao; Holly Mirchel; Angela Napili; Joanne O'Bryant; Mari-Jana Oboroceanu; Tara Rainson; Tangela Roe; Barbara Torreon; and Yuan Yao. Update on the INF Collections Disposition Team: The LM-219 Collections Task Force has completed work on weeding or relocating resources in the old FA team area, the general INF collection, the "Windows Room", and a portion of the A&S team area. Staff response to several questions was very much appreciated and the task force used your excellent suggestions for filling in gaps in other collections throughout CRS. Many of these books have been cataloged by the KAMG for the La Follette or IRCs and their new locations can be found through the CRS Online Catalog. During the month of November, task force attention will focus on book and team file collections in the remaining areas of LM-219. Your feedback as stakeholders will continue to be very important in this project. I. Current status of the FY2005 Hiring Plan Posting has opened for three Reference Assistants GS-7 with the promotion potential to GS-8 in the Consulting Section, KSG. Vacancy announcement is 054240 and closes 9/26/05. http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=34040391 Librarian (GS-9 PT--LCRR evenings/Sat)--Richard Dickey reports today, September 12 [new] Information Research Specialist (GS-9 in place of 4th PMF candidate)--interviews to be scheduled Law Librarian (GS-9 PT)--interviews in progress Library Technician (GS-9; hiring 2)--interviews to be scheduled Library Technician (GS-7 in ladder to GS-8; hiring 3)--job analysis completed Data Librarian (GS-14)--interviews completed Completed: Head, KAMG--completed Section Heads for DSP, FDT, G&F, HUM, and RSI Consulting Sections--completed Assistant Section Heads for DSP, FDT, and RSI Consulting Sections--completed Librarian (Acquisitions Specialist)--completed (3) Access Management Section Head--completed ALD Consulting Section Head--completed Information Research Specialist (3 PMF candidates)--completed Information Research Specialist (COP Program)--completed Acquisitions Section Head--completed Information Systems Specialist--completed II. Supreme Court Primary Resources In July, soon after the President announced his Supreme Court nominee, the KSG launched an online product to help Congress with its research needs on the subject. The Recent Supreme Court Nominations: Congressional Documentation page�available from the Appointments: Supreme Court CLI�initially included the hearing transcripts, Congressional Record debate, floor statements and floor votes for all sitting Supreme Court Justices (all as PDF documents). In response to analysts and Congress� continuing needs, the KSG recently redesigned the page to provide direct access to the PDF documents from the primary page, and to include similar documentation on recent unconfirmed Supreme Court nominations such as Homer Thornberry and Robert Bork. The product and the redesign required significant collaboration and coordination between KSG�s Operations Group, ALD Consulting Group, and G&F Consulting Group. Staff in other KSG sections also contributed to the success of this project. Moreover, the Library�s OSI played a key role in digitizing documents for the product. On Stephanie's behalf, I'm pleased to announce two recent appointments: Karma Ester was selected as an Information Research Specialist under the recent COP posting and will be joining the KSG/DSP Consulting Section, effective August 22. Karma came to CRS in 1992 and worked with the Search Team in INF for nine years. She moved to DSP in 2001, becoming a Technical Information Specialist working on immigration issues. In her new position, Karma will cover a broad range of immigration issues and will also work on crime and criminal justice issues. Karma will be located in her current office in DSP in the ELI Section. Audrey Fenner, who joined KAMG on May 31 as an Acquisitions Librarian, has been selected as the section head for the Acquisitions Section, effective August 22. Before coming to CRS, Audrey worked as Head, Acquisitions Department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Previous positions have included work as Acquisitions/Serials Management Librarian at Missouri Western State College, as well as a Cataloger at National Library of Canada. Audrey also has experience in public and other university libraries. In addition to her MLS from the University of Western Ontario, Audrey has a degree in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Ontario. Please join me in congratulating Karma and Audrey and wishing them well in their new assignments! Reminder--KSG Vacancy Announcements KSG postings which are currently open are listed at http://www.loc.gov/crsinfo/ 1) Library Technician, American Law (GS-9)--closes 8/25/05 2) Library Technician, Humanities & Reference (GS-9)--closes 8/25/05 3) Librarian (Research Specialist) (GS-9)--closes 8/31/05 Reassignments: * Mari-Jana Oboroceanu is being reassigned from the Humanities Consulting Section to the G&F Consulting Section effective Monday, August 8. M-J will be located in LM-219. * Joanne O'Bryant is being reassigned from the Humanities Consulting Section to the FDT Consulting Section effective Monday, August 22. Joanne began spending afternoons in KSG/FDT on July 25. * Jack Schwarz is being reassigned from the G&F Consulting Section to the Humanities Consulting Section effective Monday, August 8. Jack will be working full-time in the Senate Research Center. Please join me in wishing them all well in their new assignments. Upcoming Moves: M-J Oboroceanu is moving to LM-219 on August 15. Merete Gerli, Mary Jordan, and Carolyn Torsell are moving to LM-303 (KSG/G&F) on August 17. Vastine Platte and Joyce Thorpe are moving to different locations within LM-230 (KSG/ALD) on August 17. Mike Waterhouse is moving to LM-309 (KSG/FDT) and Brent Mast is moving to LM-303 (KSG/G&F) on August 31. Reconstruction in LM-215 is on schedule with move-in expected to be August 30-31. In addition to Stephanie, Lynne, Cliff, and Pat, the following members of the Operations Group will be located in LM-215: Sarah Aderholdt, Rod Atkinson, Frances Bufalo, Bob Ennis, Anne Gwynn (at a later date), Shirley Loo, Geraldine Nobles, Kathy Palmer, and Tanya Suggs. Update on the KSG Staff Training and Professional Development Project Team: We would like to welcome Donna Jones-Bey and Angela Napili (both CREA representatives) to the team. The initial meeting was slated for the week of July 18th, but due to a large number of summer vacations and team members' work on other KSG initiatives, we're going to delay the first meeting until the week of September 12th. At that time, we will review the project plan and share KSG training and professional development suggestions since Day One. Lisa Dove is project coordinator, (7-1845 KSG-RSI); comments are welcome. Members of the KSG Staff Training and Professional Development Project Team are listed below. Michael Anderson (HUM); Lisa Dove (RSI); Anne Gwynn (G&F); Julie Jennings (RSI); Sandy Johnson (RSI); Donna Jones-Bey (CREA); Fran Larkins (DSP); David Mao (ALD); Angela Napili (CREA); Joanne O'Bryant (HUM); Mari-Jana Oboroceanu (HUM); Tara Rainson (ALD); Tangela Roe (G&F); Barbara Torreon (FDT); and Yuan Yao (KAMG) Upcoming Postings: We expect two vacancy announcements to open on Thursday, August 4: 1) a GS-9 Reference Assistant (Library Technician) in the ALD Consulting Section; 2) a GS-9 Reference Assistant (Library Technician) in the HUM Consulting Section. Arrivals: Zina Watkins, a Professional Management Fellow, is reporting on Monday, August 22. Zina has a B.S. in Elementary Education from the College of Charleston and a MLIS from the University of South Carolina. Most recently she has worked as a Children's Service Librarian and a School Media Specialist in the Charleston County Public Schools. Zina will be assigned to the Humanities Consulting Section and will be located in LM-204 near the LCRR. Kimberly Allen is reporting on Tuesday, September 6. Kimberly has a Bachelor's degree in General Studies and a MLS, both from the University of Michigan. Most recently, Kimberly has worked as Director of the Knowledge Center for the American Society of Association Executives. Kimberly will be assigned to the Operations Group and will be located in LM-219. Please join me in welcoming Zina and Kimberly. Farewells: Vince Briggeman's last day was Friday, July 29. Angel Young will complete her summer internship in KSG-FDT Consulting Section on August 12. Cassandra Trevino and Juan Lopez will complete their HACU internships in KAMG on August 12. Jay Dragon will complete his HACU internship in OPS on August 26. Mark Bard (OPS) and Candace Debnam (KSG/G&F) will complete their volunteer service on August 19, which is also the last day for Charles Fenly (KAMG contractor). Our thanks to all these summer staff members and to Charles for their contributions. News--LM-215: Construction will begin on schedule in LM-215 on Tuesday, July 5. The shelves which formerly housed periodical collections were removed last week. Those collections have been moved to shelves inside LM-212 (PDC area), to LM-214 with the Search Unit, or into the LCRR collection. A complete listing of titles and locations is being produced and will be shared with all KSG in the next few days. Information on equipment that was formerly housed in LM-215 is as follows: 1) the large screen monitor has been moved from the KSG training room into the 2nd Floor Conference Room (LM-221) and can be used there. 2) the LM215 high speed printer has now been relocated in LM214 next to the SU area. 3) the LM215 NEXIS dedicated printer has now been relocated in LM214 next to the SU area. 4) the CD-Rom workstation in LM215 has now been relocated to the back area of the LCRR. 5) the LM215 color copier has been moved to the temporary work room (Pat's old office) and will remain there during the construction period. KSG staff on the 2nd floor should direct their color prints to the LM219 color printer while LM215 is under construction. There is also a color printer in the IRC3 for use by KSG staff on the 3rd and 4th floors. Access via LM-215 and LM-217 will not be available beginning Tuesday, July 5. Signs will be placed on the doors redirecting CRS staff and visitors. Staff News: On Monday, June 27, 2005 Brent W. Mast joined the KSG/G&F Consulting Section as an Information Research Specialist. Brent graduated from the University of Texas this year with a Masters of Science in Information Studies/Library and Information Science. He also has a Bachelors of Science in Economics. Most recently, Brent was a researcher in the Department of Economics at Amherst College where he worked closely with a member of the faculty to identify relevant sources of information by retrieving and evaluating online and print resources, executing literature searches, and compiling statistical data. Prior to that, he was a researcher in the Economics Department at the University of Texas where he performed similar duties, including synthesizing and summarizing relevant sources to assist a professor�s research by creating reports, charts, graphs, spreadsheets, and text. Earlier in his career in the information field, he worked at the Phoenix Public Library for several years where he was a library assistant performing a variety of jobs: accessing print and online resources, assisting clients with using the catalog, and training patrons to use Internet search engines. While employed for several years at Borders Stores, he was a training manager. Currently, Brent will sit in Fran Larkins� former office across from Anne Gwynn�s temporary office in LM219. Please stop by and welcome him to CRS. Staff News: Yuan Yao, http://crsapps06.crsdomain.loc.gov/crsdir/detail.aspx?PERSON_NUMBER=100606 KAMG�s new Access Management Section Head arrived June 6. Most recently Yuan worked as Head of Cataloging at Georgetown University Law Library. Prior to that, Yuan served as Principal Cataloger at Georgetown University's Laniger Library, as well as, Catalog Librarian at Bowdoin College Library in Maine. Yuan is active in several professional organizations including AALL, the Asian-American Law Librarian Caucus, and the Chinese American Librarians Association. In addition, Yuan serves as Artistic Director of the Yellow River Drama Group. Yuan is located in the office formerly occupied by Sandy Patterson. KAMG also has two HACU interns who arrived on June 6. Both Cassandra Trevino and Juan Lopez will be with us for the summer. Juan Lopez is completing his Master's in Information Sciences degree from the University of Puerto Rico. He has worked at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico as well as in other libraries in Florida and New York. Juan will be working in Access Management Section. His workstation is next to Geraldine Robinson's. Cassandra Trevino is completing her Master of Science in Information Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She has worked most recently with the Benson Latin American Collection at the University of Texas, Austin in both Acquisitions as well as on a Digital Collection Project. Cassandra will be working in the Acquisitions Section, and her workstation is on the other side of Geraldine. As announced earlier, David Mao arrives today as the Section Head, KSG/ALD Consulting Section. David has a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a MLS from the Catholic University of America. After serving a year in the Georgetown University Law Library, he has worked in increasingly responsible positions at the Covington & Burling law firm for over seven years, including positions as a Legislative Librarian and as Conflicts Manager. For the past four years, he held the position of Assistant Librarian for Conflicts and Research Services at the firm. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Information where he created a graduate level legal research and legal information class. I know you will join me in welcoming all to the KSG. Space News: Mary Jordan is moving from LM-214 to swing space near the IRC-3 on July 5, 2005. When space becomes available in G&F in the next few months, Mary will be relocating as part of the G&F Consulting Group. Julia Leggett, a new librarian in the Acquisitions Section, is reporting July 11 and will sit in the office vacated by Mary. The Search Unit moved from LM-215 to LM-214 on June 15. Reconfiguration of the LM-215 area is scheduled to begin on July 5. That area will be a construction zone and will not be open until the work in completed; LM-215 and LM-217 will have signs to indicate no entry through those doors. We expect to move into the renovated area by Labor Day. During this period, the LM-215 conference room will not be available for use; meetings should not be scheduled in that conference room after June 30. Lynne, Cliff, and Pat will remain in their offices during construction, but will be sealed off from the construction area with drop cloths. Access to their offices will be via LM-219. Access to the D-20 Book Charging Station during construction: Alicia Bartlett will continue to monitor the D-20 bookroom and will notify staff when books are available. When ready to pick up your books, contact Alicia at 7-8949 and she will meet you at the D-20 charging station (LM-218 hallway door) to have your books charged. As an alternative, staff who normally page books to D-20 can have the books sent to A-20 and the LCRR will notify you when the books are there. You may want to copy something from the books and have them returned. If you do want to remove the books, Alicia or one of the HUM Library Technicians will take you to the D-20 Book Charging Station to have them charged internally. Former INF Collections Task Force Update: With the move of the Humanities-SU staff into LM-214, Fran Larkins, Sharon Butts, David Paris, and the Humanities-SU staff have been working to inventory and assess the resources in LM215. A portion of the collection which duplicates holdings of the LCRR has been weeded. The Section Heads of the KSG consulting sections are now being asked about the remaining periodical titles on the shelves in LM215 to determine whether they should be relocated with the Search Team or be better utilized in the LCRR, the IRCs and/or section collections. This Phase I review of INF collections is expected to be completed by the end of June so the reconfiguration of LM215 can begin. The task force for Phase II of this project will hold its first meeting by the end of June to develop plans for consideration of the INF collections in LM219 which will take place over the summer. Members of the task force which will be headed by Fran Larkins are: Donna-Jones Bey and Marjorie Washington of the KSG-DSP; Tom Coipuram, Lisa Mages, and Barbara Torreon of the KSG/FDT; Anne Gwynn, Justin Murray, and Jennifer Manning of the KSG/G&F; Beverly Banks, Lisa Dove, and Anne Gillis of the KSG/RSI; David Mao, KSG/ALD; Michael Anderson, KSG/HU; Frances Bufalo, KSG/Ops; and Christine Dulaney and Nese DeBruyne of the KSG/KAMG. The task force has a major job ahead and will be asking for your suggestions and guidance on the collection. Subject Directory: The Inquiry Section has added all new assignments for KSG/RSI and KSG/DSP and have removed KSG/RSI names on terms staff are no longer handling. The Inquiry Section also received new terms for KSG/HUM, KSG/G&F and KSG/FDT and will begin adding to the Subject Directory. Inquiry plans to have all KSG edits completed by the end of the summer. I am pleased to announce that David Mao will be joining the KSG on June 20 as Section Head, ALD Consulting Section. David has a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a MLS from the Catholic University of America. After serving a year in the Georgetown University Law Library, he has worked in increasingly responsible positions at the Covington & Burling law firm for over seven years, including positions as a Legislative Librarian and as Conflicts Manager. For the past four years, he held the position of Assistant Librarian for Conflicts and Research Services at the firm. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Information where he created a graduate level legal research and legal information class. I know you will join me in welcoming David to the KSG. Audrey Fenner joined KAMG on Tuesday, May 31 as announced in an earlier e-mail. Audrey most recently worked as Head, Acquisitions Department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Previous positions have included work as Acquisitions/Serials Management Librarian at Missouri Western State College, as well as, a Cataloger at National Library of Canada. In addition, Audrey has experience in public as well as other university libraries. In addition to her MLS from the University of Western Ontario, Audrey has a degree in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Ontario. Her workstation is located in the former Pan Hairston duplex, please stop by and welcome Audrey. Shirley Loo was installed as President of the DC Chapter of Special Libraries Association on May 31. Please stop by and congratulate Shirley. I'm sure she would appreciate any suggestions for professional development programs for the upcoming year. Linda Johnson has accepted a 120-day detail to Supervisor of the Law Library Stack Services/Collections Maintenance Section beginning Tuesday, May 31. She is temporarily replacing Charles Jackson, the current supervisor, who is retiring at the end of next week. While Linda is on detail, David Paris will serve as Acting Supervisor of the PDC Unit. I hope you will all join me in wishing Linda well in this new assignment. We will miss her and will look forward to her return Please join me in congratulating Sherry Shapiro, KSG-FDT, who has been selected to participate in the 2005 Congress-Bundestag (CBBSX) Staff Exchange Program sponsored by the House Office of Interparliamentary Affairs. Sherry is traveling to Germany May 21-June 4, 2005. In Berlin she will shadow a member of the Bundestag as he carries out his legislative duties and she will also travel with him as he returns to his constituency in Bavaria. Also, please join me in congratulating Hannah Fischer, KSG-FDT, who has been selected for the Congressional Staff Economic Exchange sponsored by the Korea Economic Institute (KEI) and the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP). Hannah will be traveling to South Korea May 28-June 4, 2005. The program consists of meetings with leading Korean government officials, academics, and business leaders, and visits to Korean industrial areas. New Hire Vicky Crone, http://crsapps06.crsdomain.loc.gov/crsdir/detail.aspx?PERSON_NUMBER=100577, our new Acquisitions Librarian joined KAMG on Monday, May 16. Vicky comes to us from the Air Force History Library at Bolling Air Force Base where she developed acquisitions and collection development policies and procedures. Vicky has worked closely with various vendors and subscription agents, including Ebsco. Prior to her position with the Air Force, she was a Librarian at the Naval Research Laboratory. Vicky received her MLS from the University of Washington in Seattle and her BS in Animal Science from the Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Vicky will sharing a duplex with Mary Jordan, so please stop by and say hello when you get a chance. I am also pleased to announce that we received reporting dates for three of the four Presidential Management Fellows who will be joining the KSG. The personnel action for the fourth PMF candidate whom we recommended is still in process. Brent Mast and Cheryl Beaver both recently received Masters of Science in Information Science from the University of Texas at Austin. Brent is reporting on June 27 and will be assigned to the G&F Consulting Group. Cheryl is reporting on July 11 and will be assigned to the DSP Consulting Group. Zina Watkins received a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina in December, 2004. She will be reporting on August 22 and will be assigned to the HUM Consulting Group. I know you will join me in welcoming these new staff members as they arrive over the course of the summer. New Hires Audrey Crane-Hirsch is reporting Monday, April 18 to serve as a 6-month temporary Information Research Specialist in the Humanities Consulting Section assigned to the La Follette Congressional Reading Room. After her initial training, Audrey will work 10:30 am - 8:00 pm Monday - Thursday and 9:30 am - 6 pm on Friday. Audrey most recently worked as a reference librarian in the Law Library. Yuan Yao is reporting June 6 to serve as Supervisory Librarian (Cataloguer) in KAMG. Yuan most recently worked as Head, Cataloging, Georgetown University Law Library. Vicky Lynn Crone is reporting on Monday, May 16 to serve as a Librarian (Acquisition Specialist) in KAMG. Vicky most currently worked at the US Air Force History Library. Julia Leggett is reporting on July 10 to serve as a Librarian (Acquisition Specialist) in KAMG. Julia is currently participating in the Library's Leadership Development Program. Audrey Fenner has accepted the position of Librarian (Acquisition Specialist) in KAMG. Audrey will be moving here from North Carolina and is reporting June 13. We have made tentative offers of employment to four PMF candidates and they have accepted. I will announce their names as soon as the official offers of employment are made by the Library. We expect they will be arriving between June 26 and August 22. Changes in Assignments Judy Frazier-Thompson has been reassigned from the G&F Consulting Section to the Humanities Consulting Section to work in the Rayburn Research Center. Tara May has been reassigned from the ALD Consulting Section to the Humanities Consulting Section. Her current assignment is the Rayburn Research Center. I know you will all join me in welcoming our new staff members when they arrive and in wishing all of our colleagues the best in their new assignments. Personnel: 1) Head, Operations Group--I am pleased to announce that Rod Atkinson has been selected as the Head, Operations Group, effective June 26. Prior to joining CRS, Rod held several positions at the Naval Research Laboratory from 1992 to 1999, ending his tenure there as the Associate Librarian for Information Technology. Rod has been here in CRS since 1999. I am looking forward to having Rod as a member of the KSG Management Team, and I hope you will all join me in wishing him well in this new assignment. 2) Assistant Section Head (KSG/RSI)--I am pleased to announce that Lisa Mages has been selected as the Assistant Section Head in the Resources, Science, and Industry Consulting Section. Lisa brings many years of information research expertise and leadership to the position including subject specialization in RSI issue areas. Lisa begins this position effective Monday, June 26, 2006. I want to welcome Lisa to the KSG Management Team and I know you will all join me in wishing Lisa well in this new position. Lyle Minter, Barbara Torreon, and Lisa Dove will work closely together to facilitate a smooth transition for the issue areas that Lisa Mages has been covering. 3) Information Research Specialists (HUM/LCRR Evening-Saturday)--Interviews have been completed. 4) Technical Information Specialist (OPS)--Interviews have been completed. 5) Information Research Specialists (KSG/DSP, KSG/FDT, KSG/G&F)--Postings closed on June 20--waiting for applications. 6) Guests from WRK--Ke'Nisha Dunlap and Celia Rivas joined CRS on June 12 in the Office of Workforce Development. Until space is available in WRK, they will be sitting in KAMG in LM-219. Please join me in welcoming them to the neighborhood! Budget-related Requests: Budget requests � everybody gets them and they can be a real challenge! Is the requester asking for appropriations, authorizations, budget figures for agencies, programs, subjects (concepts)? Are they for one year or a run of 20 years? Not to mention earmarks. Recently, in the KSG Budget Group and at a KSG Management Team meeting, Mary Bley and Justin Murray have discussed examples of the increasingly-difficult types of budget-related requests and some of the problems associated with trying to identify the correct figures. We need to get a handle on this situation. To do that, we�re going to take several steps: ? Section Heads will ask you to make copies of all the budget-related requests you did from January 1 to the present. ? We�ll form a task force of interested volunteers composed of members from each Consulting Section. They will analyze all of the requests to determine (1) the types of questions, (2) the volume of the requests, (3) the associated deadlines, and (4) any other useful data. This information may reveal patterns, such as what types of figures are requested most often. ? The task force will identify and share �best practices� for handling budget requests. They�ll also investigate the already-existing training to see which might be helpful for us. Finally, they�ll work on developing any necessary new training. If you�re interested in this issue and would like to be a part of the task force, please talk to your Section Head or Heidi Yacker (7-7490). Ergonomic Moves/New Maps: Some KSG/RSI team members will be part of Phase I of the RSI ergonomic moves. Lisa Dove is moving temporarily back to the office she previously occupied in RSI on Monday, June 26. Julie Jennings and Kori Calvert are moving temporarily to LM-215 on Tuesday, June 27. Beverly Banks, Mark Gurevitz, and John Williamson are moving temporarily to cubicles in RSI which are located just inside LM-419. This phase of the RSI ergonomic renovations is expected to last 6-8 weeks. Julie and Kori will remain in LM-215 during Phase II while their new ergonomic workstations are being constructed. Wayne Morrissey and Nadew Negussie will also be part of the Phase II project. Robert Riddle is working on updating the KSG maps which show locations of KSG team members and we will share them with you as soon as we receive them. VRC Updated: As announced in the CM meeting, the updated VRC will go live on Monday, June 26. Thanks to all those who have been involved in updating both the content and the infrastructure. Passwords--Section Briefings: Rod Atkinson, Kimberly Allen and Ken Bailey (TO) will be meeting with each consultancy to discuss the use of passwords in CRS. Their presentation will cover: many of the systems used in CRS that require passwords; the password obligations of team managers and members, as mandated by both the Library and CRS; whom team managers and members should contact with questions concerning passwords; many of the systems used by CRS that require passwords but are not directly controlled by the Library or CRS; and, additional password obligations of systems developers and integrators in the Library and CRS (a small group of CRS staff). Welcome Coffee--Thanks! Thanks to all those who organized and contributed to the Welcome Coffee for our summer interns and new KSG team members! Calendar Items: 6/27, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm: BNA Training (KSG conf rm, LM215) 7/4, FEDERAL HOLIDAY 7/6, 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm: The New Nexis.com (KSG conf rm, LM215) 7/6, 2:15 pm - 3:30 pm: LexisNexis on the Web (KSG conf rm, LM215) 7/11, 10:00-11:00 am: First Contact Target Team meeting (KSG training rm, LM219) 7/11, 9 am-3 pm: Metrochek Distribution (A-M) (Dining Room A, LM-620) 7/11, 2-3pm: KSG Budget Group meets with Wayne Morrissey (RSI Information Research Specialist) to discuss his detailed budget and appropriations reports on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and his contributions to other CRS products including FY2007 Federal Research and Development Funding. (open to all) (LM304) 7/11, 2:00-2:30 pm: Getting into Your Groupwise Quarantine without a Password (KSG training rm, LM219) 7/12, 9 am-3 pm: Metrochek Distribution (N-Z) (Dining Room A, LM-620) Emergency Preparedness Classes: 6/28, 10:00-11:00 am: Evacuation Chair (LM-654E) Emergency Preparedness Web site training: 7/19, 11:00 am-noon, LA-G42 8/16, 11:00 am-noon, LA-G42 9/13, 11:00 am-noon, LA-G42 10/25, 11:00 am-noon, LA-G42 11/15, 11:00 am-noon, LA-G42 12/12, 1:00-2:00 pm, LA-G42 Personnel 1) Information Research Specialist (GS-9)--Postings for four positions (in DSP, FDT, and G&F Consulting Sections) opened on May 30 and will close on June 20. Links to the postings are on the CRS Employment Opportunities page at http://www.loc.gov/crsinfo/ . 2) Assistant Section Head (KSG/RSI)--Interviews are being scheduled. 3) KSG Technical Information Specialist--Applications have been received from HR. Following a narrative review, interviews will be scheduled. 4) Head, Operations Group--A recommendation has gone forward to WRK. We hope to have this position filled within the next month. LCRR Coverage--Monday Evenings Based on an analysis of user evening statistics, the La Follette Congressional Reading Room (LCRR) will implement new coverage hours for Monday evenings. The librarian who is scheduled to work the evening hours (5 to 8:00 PM) will be accompanied by one of the LCRR information specialists until 6:30 pm. This additional coverage should allow the LCRR to respond more efficiently to congressional telephone calls from 5:00 to 6:30 pm on Monday. The statistics indicated that this additional coverage was not needed on other days of the week. Calendar Items 6/5, 11:00 am: KSG Handbook Team meeting (open to all) (KSG conf rm, LM-215) 6/6, 2:00 pm: GIS overview with Ginny and Cheryl StadelBevans (LM-316) 6/7, 9:30-10:30 am: LexisNexis on the Web (KSG conf rm, LM-215) 6/7, 11:00-noon: The New Nexis (KSG conf rm, LM-215) 6/9, 7:05-10:00 pm: KSG at the Ballpark, Nats vs Phillies (RFK Stadium) 6/21, 2:00-3:00 pm: KSG Budget Group meets with Meredith Peterson and Maggie McCarty to discuss how Meredith was integrated into the DSP housing group, her work on housing funding questions, and how she contributes to CRS Reports on the HUD FY2007 Budget and Housing Issues in the 109th Congress. (open to all) (LM304) 6/22, 10:00 am: Coffee/gathering for interns (KSG reception area) BNA Training: Tuesday, June 6 (1 session) - 2nd FL Conference Room (LM-223) 10:00 am - Tax Management Portfolio Collection (KSG/G&F, KSG/DSP) Monday, June 12 (4 sessions) - 2nd FL Conference Room (LM-223) 10:00 am - Business Library (KSG/G&F, KSG/FDT, KSG Cross-Sectional Business Team) 11:00 am - Intellectual Property Library (KSG/ALD) 1:00 pm - Litigation Library (KSG/ALD, KSG/DSP) 2:00 pm - Environment News Library (KSG/RSI) Events Calendar Thanks to Kimberly Allen and Jan Johansson for developing the KSG Events Calendar which was announced by e-mail last Friday. Thanks also to all of you who participated in focus groups to make the first release as useful as possible. Having this calendar will help all of us to stay better informed about events. Please note that events posted on this calendar are not specific to any one location. (You can book the KSG Conference Room or the KSG Training Room on their own calendars which are separate from this calendar). Remember that the Events Calendar is a "living" tool--if you ever have ideas for improvement, please contact Kimberly. Training Room I am happy to announce that the KSG Training Room in LM-219 is now outfitted and ready for use. This facility will provide us additional space for holding meetings and training sessions--a good place for collaborative work. A separate e-mail with details about scheduling the room will be sent out later today. BNA--Expanded Agreement for Online Content Starting this Wednesday, May 24th, the online content from Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) accessible from the VRC Database Center will increase significantly. BNA offers news and in-depth, quality analysis for many subject areas of interest to CRS, including : Corporate Law & Business; Employee Benefits; Employment & Labor Law; Environment, Health & Safety; Health Care; Human Resources; Intellectual Property; Litigation; Tax & Accounting. In addition, BNA will soon be offering CRS and LC LAW Library personalized email alerts that notify interested staff whenever a particular BNA publication has been updated. The BNA publications that the have been available through the VRC for several years (e.g., Daily Report for Executives; Daily Tax Report; Daily Labor Report; Health Care Policy Report; Daily Environment Report, etc) have been among the most used publications in CRS. To help staff become familiar with the many new publications that will soon be available, BNA will be sending experts to CRS over the next six weeks to offer demonstrations and answer questions. The following 4 session have been arranged for Wednesday, May 24th, in the KSG Conference Room, LM-215 (note: all staff CRS/LAW may attend these sessions; the KSG Sections listed in parenthesis have expressed extra interest in these particular BNA collections): Wednesday, May 24 (4 sessions) 10:00 am - Labor & Employment Library (KSG/G&F, KSG/DSP) 11:00 am - Employee Benefits News & Reference Library (KSG/DSP) 1:00 pm - Corporate Law Library (KSG/G&F, KSG/DSP, KSG/ALD) 2:00 pm - Finance & Banking Library (KSG/G&F, KSG/FDT) Additional BNA demonstrations and overviews will be available as follows (location in CRS to be determined): Wednesday, May 31 (1 session) 10:00 am - Tax Management Portfolio Collection (KSG/G&F, KSG/DSP) Tuesday, June 6 (1 session) - 2nd FL Conference Room (LM-223) 10:00 am - Tax Management Portfolio Collection (KSG/G&F, KSG/DSP) Monday, June 12 (4 sessions) - 2nd FL Conference Room (LM-223) 10:00 am - Business Library (KSG/G&F, KSG/FDT, KSG Cross-Sectional Business Team) 11:00 am - Intellectual Property Library (KSG/ALD) 1:00 pm - Litigation Library (KSG/ALD, KSG/DSP) 2:00 pm - Environment News Library (KSG/RSI) Calendar Items 5/24, 10:00 am-5:00 pm: CQ Training for DSP (DSP training room and individual training in Pat's old office) 5/24, 10:00 am: BNA Labor & Employment Library (KSG conf room - LM-215) 5/24, 11:00 am: BNA Employee Benefits News & Reference Library (KSG conf rm - LM215) 5/24, 1:00 pm: BNA Corporate Law Library (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/24, 2:00 pm: BNA Finance & Banking Library (KSG conf rom - LM215) 5/24, 2:00-3:00 pm: Legislative Histories training (KSG training rm - LM-219) REPEAT 5/25, 11:00 am-noon: RSS Feeds/Bloglines Training (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/25, 1:30-2:30 p.m.: KSG C-Cubed meeting with Janine D'Addario on the KSG News (open to all) (4th floor conf rm - LM-426) 5/30, 11 am � noon: QuITT meeting - Cheryl/Rita (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 6/1, 1:30-2:30 p.m.: KSG C-Cubed focus group on the KSG Handbook (open to all) (KSG training rm - LM-215) 6/6, 2:00 pm: GIS overview with Ginny and Cheryl StadelBevans (LM-316) 6/9, 7:05-10:00 pm: KSG at the Ballpark, Nats vs Phillies (RFK Stadium) See also--the BNA Training dates listed above. Events Calendar Thanks to Kimberly Allen and Jan Johansson for developing the KSG Events Calendar which was announced by e-mail last Friday. Thanks also to all of you who participated in focus groups to make the first release as useful as possible. Having this calendar will help all of us to stay better informed about events. Please note that events posted on this calendar are not specific to any one location. (You can book the KSG Conference Room or the KSG Training Room on their own calendars which are separate from this calendar). Remember that the Events Calendar is a "living" tool--if you ever have ideas for improvement, please contact Kimberly. Training Room I am happy to announce that the KSG Training Room in LM-219 is now outfitted and ready for use. This facility will provide us additional space for holding meetings and training sessions--a good place for collaborative work. A separate e-mail with details about scheduling the room will be sent out later today. BNA--Expanded Agreement for Online Content Starting this Wednesday, May 24th, the online content from Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) accessible from the VRC Database Center will increase significantly. BNA offers news and in-depth, quality analysis for many subject areas of interest to CRS, including : Corporate Law & Business; Employee Benefits; Employment & Labor Law; Environment, Health & Safety; Health Care; Human Resources; Intellectual Property; Litigation; Tax & Accounting. In addition, BNA will soon be offering CRS and LC LAW Library personalized email alerts that notify interested staff whenever a particular BNA publication has been updated. The BNA publications that the have been available through the VRC for several years (e.g., Daily Report for Executives; Daily Tax Report; Daily Labor Report; Health Care Policy Report; Daily Environment Report, etc) have been among the most used publications in CRS. To help staff become familiar with the many new publications that will soon be available, BNA will be sending experts to CRS over the next six weeks to offer demonstrations and answer questions. The following 4 session have been arranged for Wednesday, May 24th, in the KSG Conference Room, LM-215 (note: all staff CRS/LAW may attend these sessions; the KSG Sections listed in parenthesis have expressed extra interest in these particular BNA collections): Wednesday, May 24 (4 sessions) 10:00 am - Labor & Employment Library (KSG/G&F, KSG/DSP) 11:00 am - Employee Benefits News & Reference Library (KSG/DSP) 1:00 pm - Corporate Law Library (KSG/G&F, KSG/DSP, KSG/ALD) 2:00 pm - Finance & Banking Library (KSG/G&F, KSG/FDT) Additional BNA demonstrations and overviews will be available as follows (location in CRS to be determined): Wednesday, May 31 (1 session) 10:00 am - Tax Management Portfolio Collection (KSG/G&F, KSG/DSP) Tuesday, June 6 (1 session) - 2nd FL Conference Room (LM-223) 10:00 am - Tax Management Portfolio Collection (KSG/G&F, KSG/DSP) Monday, June 12 (4 sessions) - 2nd FL Conference Room (LM-223) 10:00 am - Business Library (KSG/G&F, KSG/FDT, KSG Cross-Sectional Business Team) 11:00 am - Intellectual Property Library (KSG/ALD) 1:00 pm - Litigation Library (KSG/ALD, KSG/DSP) 2:00 pm - Environment News Library (KSG/RSI) Calendar Items 5/24, 10:00 am-5:00 pm: CQ Training for DSP (DSP training room and individual training in Pat's old office) 5/24, 10:00 am: BNA Labor & Employment Library (KSG conf room - LM-215) 5/24, 11:00 am: BNA Employee Benefits News & Reference Library (KSG conf rm - LM215) 5/24, 1:00 pm: BNA Corporate Law Library (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/24, 2:00 pm: BNA Finance & Banking Library (KSG conf rom - LM215) 5/24, 2:00-3:00 pm: Legislative Histories training (KSG training rm - LM-219) REPEAT 5/25, 11:00 am-noon: RSS Feeds/Bloglines Training (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/25, 1:30-2:30 p.m.: KSG C-Cubed meeting with Janine D'Addario on the KSG News (open to all) (4th floor conf rm - LM-426) 5/30, 11 am � noon: QuITT meeting - Cheryl/Rita (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 6/1, 1:30-2:30 p.m.: KSG C-Cubed focus group on the KSG Handbook (open to all) (KSG training rm - LM-215) 6/6, 2:00 pm: GIS overview with Ginny and Cheryl StadelBevans (LM-316) 6/9, 7:05-10:00 pm: KSG at the Ballpark, Nats vs Phillies (RFK Stadium) See also--the BNA Training dates listed above. Personnel Please join me in welcoming two new hires and five summer interns! Two information research specialists were selected from among the 2006 Presidential Management Fellows: 1) Kim Klarman will join KSG/FDT on May 30. Kim received her BA in Asian Studies from Wheaton College in Norton, MA; an MBA from the University of Connecticut at Storrs; and an MSLS from the Catholic University of America here in DC. Kim worked most recently at the Fairfax County Public Library's Collection Management Group where she coordinated selection and purchase of library materials for a very large urban public library system. She has also worked as a freelance writer/editor, as an executive producer of educational television series, and as a specialist in company mergers and acquisitions. 2) Alison Raab will join KSG/G&F on June 12. Alison received her BA in History from the University of California, Berkeley, an MA in History (Japan & World) from the University of California, Davis, a Certificate in Advanced Japanese Language from the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama, Japan, and her MLS from the University of North Carolina. Alison worked most recently at the SAS Institute in Cary, NC., where she is a research analyst, working with a team for SAS OpRisk Global Data, a database of financial loss data. She has interned at several libraries over the last couple of years and in 2004 worked as an LC Junior Fellow with the Veterans History Project. Five interns will be arriving on May 30 to work in various sections within KSG: Logan Council from Morehouse College--in KSG/RSI Natasha Hodges from Morgan State University--in KAMG Brandon Huffman from the University of North Carolina--in KSG/G&F Anthony Parr from Morehouse College--in KSG/G&F and KSG/HUM Angel Young from Spelman College--in KSG/FDT All of the interns will be sitting in the KAMG area in LM-219. With Lisa Dove's selection as the Section Head for the RSI Consulting Section, we have received permission to fill the Assistant Section Head, KSG/RSI position. It opened today and can be found at http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=43126526 . GIS Article The June CRS Report will include an article about the Congressional Cartography Program (CCP) in the Library's Geography and Map Division. The article will feature how research analysts use GIS technology in their written products and will highlight KSG's role. CRS staff will be encouraged to consult with KSG information professionals within their division and with the KSG data librarian (Cheryl Stadel-Bevans) for advice and support for congressional requests involving geographic information systems (GIS) data or maps. If you receive a request involving GIS, please feel free to contact Cheryl and ask for assistance. Cheryl will work with you and Ginny Mason of the CCP to identify resources to answer the request. Cheryl and Ginny will provide an overview of GIS and GIS data resources for all interested KSG team members on Tuesday, June 6th, 2 pm, CRS Third Floor Conference Room (LM-316). Peer Training The Informal Peer Training group has completed its first round of sessions. Forty KSG team members participated in a class on using the Groupwise calendar. Feedback was positive and requests were made for advanced training in Groupwise. Kimberly Allen and Jan Johansson are planning to train incoming KSG employees on this valuable tool upon their arrival. Everyone is encouraged to post his/her appointments in the calendar, as it will make all of our lives easier. Please contact Kimberly or Jan if you have questions about using the calendar. The next peer training event is scheduled for Thursday, May 25th, 11:00 - noon, KSG conference room, LM215. Rita Tehan and Julissa Gomez-Granger will be teaching RSS Feeds/Bloglines Training. Corrections Department We inadvertantly left out M-J Oboroceanu as a contributor to the planning of Pat's retirement party. Sorry, M-J--and thanks! Calendar Items 5/17, 11 am � noon: QuITT meeting - Cheryl/Rita (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/18, 1:30-2:30 p.m.: KSG C-Cubed meeting (open to all) (4th floor conf rm - LM-426) 5/22, 11:00 am-noon: KSG Handbook meeting (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/22, 3:00-4:00 pm: KSG New Employee Training/Mentoring meeting (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/24, 2:00-3:00 pm: Legislative Histories training (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 5/25, 11:00 am-noon: RSS Feeds/Bloglines Training (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/25, 1:30-2:30 p.m.: KSG C-Cubed meeting with Janine D'Addario on the KSG News (open to all) (4th floor conf rm - LM-426) 5/30, 11 am � noon: QuITT meeting - Cheryl/Rita (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 6/9, 7:05-10:00 pm: KSG at the Ballpark, Nats vs Phillies (RFK Stadium) CAIR Group--Bi-monthly Meetings The CAIR Group is kicking off regular bi-monthly meetings to further the CAIR objective �to develop and facilitate learning opportunities within the KSG in order to enhance understanding of the authoritative information research process.� The first meeting is Wednesday, May 3, 9 am - noon in the KSG Conference Room--LM-215. This is an open meeting. CAIR is especially interested in exploring how it can partner among its target teams, with our KSG knowledge-sharing teams (such as BIG, C�, Budget/Appropriations Group, the New Employees Orientation team � just formed), and others, and has invited the lead individuals of these teams to the meeting. CAIR Group - Target Teams � Contact, Discuss, & Negotiate -members Michael Anderson, M-J Oboroceanu, Pat Ayers � Design Review -members Anne Gwynn, Holly Mirchel, Pat Ayers � �Thou Shalt Not�/ Parameters of Services -members Mark Gurevitz, Rita Tehan, Bonnie Mangan, Pat Ayers, Brent Mast � Identifying Authoritative Resources -members Kori Calvert, Anne Gwynn, Lyle Minter, LJ Cunningham, Pat Ayers � QuITT / Authoritative Quantitative Data -members Rita Tehan, Cheryl Stadelbevans, Mike Donnelly, Vanessa Cieslak, Justin Murray, Hannah Fischer, Sarah Aderholdt, Jennifer Teefy, Julissa Gomez-Granger, Carol Canada, Merete Gerli, Jill Ziegler, Gary Sidor, Lisa Dove, Zina Watkins, Brent Mast, Meredith Peterson Calendar Items 5/2, 9:00-10:00 am: Groupwise calendar class (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 5/2, 12:00-2:00 pm: Pat Ayers' retirement party (Dining Room A) 5/3, 9:00 - noon: CAIR Open Meeting (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/3, 10:00 am-1:30 pm: Factiva Open House (3rd Floor conf rm - LM-316) 5/4, 11:00-noon: Groupwise calendar class (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 5/4, 1:30-2:30 pm: C-cubed meeting - Focus group for KSG Events calendar and Password Primer (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/8, 11:00 am-noon: KSG Handbook meeting (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/8, 3:00-4:00 pm: KSG New Employee Training/Mentoring meeting (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/9, 4:00-5:00 pm: Groupwise calendar class (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 5/9, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm: Factiva training (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/10, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm: Factiva training (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 6/9, 7:05-10:00 pm: KSG at the Ballpark, Nats vs Phillies (RFK Stadium) Please pay Vanessa Cieslak or Cheryl StadelBevans by 11 am on Tuesday, 5/2. CAIR Group--Bi-monthly Meetings The CAIR Group is kicking off regular bi-monthly meetings to further the CAIR objective �to develop and facilitate learning opportunities within the KSG in order to enhance understanding of the authoritative information research process.� The first meeting is Wednesday, May 3, 9 am - noon in the KSG Conference Room--LM-215. This is an open meeting. CAIR is especially interested in exploring how it can partner among its target teams, with our KSG knowledge-sharing teams (such as BIG, C�, Budget/Appropriations Group, the New Employees Orientation team � just formed), and others, and has invited the lead individuals of these teams to the meeting. CAIR Group - Target Teams � Contact, Discuss, & Negotiate -members Michael Anderson, M-J Oboroceanu, Pat Ayers � Design Review -members Anne Gwynn, Holly Mirchel, Pat Ayers � �Thou Shalt Not�/ Parameters of Services -members Mark Gurevitz, Rita Tehan, Bonnie Mangan, Pat Ayers, Brent Mast � Identifying Authoritative Resources -members Kori Calvert, Anne Gwynn, Lyle Minter, LJ Cunningham, Pat Ayers � QuITT / Authoritative Quantitative Data -members Rita Tehan, Cheryl Stadelbevans, Mike Donnelly, Vanessa Cieslak, Justin Murray, Hannah Fischer, Sarah Aderholdt, Jennifer Teefy, Julissa Gomez-Granger, Carol Canada, Merete Gerli, Jill Ziegler, Gary Sidor, Lisa Dove, Zina Watkins, Brent Mast, Meredith Peterson Calendar Items 5/2, 9:00-10:00 am: Groupwise calendar class (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 5/2, 12:00-2:00 pm: Pat Ayers' retirement party (Dining Room A) 5/3, 9:00 - noon: CAIR Open Meeting (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/3, 10:00 am-1:30 pm: Factiva Open House (3rd Floor conf rm - LM-316) 5/4, 11:00-noon: Groupwise calendar class (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 5/4, 1:30-2:30 pm: C-cubed meeting - Focus group for KSG Events calendar and Password Primer (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/8, 11:00 am-noon: KSG Handbook meeting (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/8, 3:00-4:00 pm: KSG New Employee Training/Mentoring meeting (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/9, 4:00-5:00 pm: Groupwise calendar class (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 5/9, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm: Factiva training (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/10, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm: Factiva training (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 6/9, 7:05-10:00 pm: KSG at the Ballpark, Nats vs Phillies (RFK Stadium) Please pay Vanessa Cieslak or Cheryl StadelBevans by 11 am on Tuesday, 5/2. Correction The actual document url is http://www.crs.gov/staff/crd/guides/memos_transmittals.pdf if you wish to bookmark. The link to KSG Links is http://www.crs.gov/staff/crd/crd.html and the document is on that page. [the reason it did not work in the KSG News is we used the parenthesis - my fault for not catching this.] Memos/Transmittals Guidelines Several months ago, I asked CAIR to review the Memos/Transmittals Guidelines, recommend changes in presentation and content, and suggest a roll-out plan. Three open focus sessions were held to gather KSG team member input. Two dozen staff attended these sessions, reviewing the document, and offering suggested changes. Subsequently, Lynne, Cliff, and I met with CAIR to review the document and recommended changes. Memos/Transmittals Guidelines is a tool to assist us when determining whether to use the memorandum or transmittal format. There are times when it is not easy to decide the appropriate format, and at these times, reference to Memos/Transmittals Guidelines may be helpful, but is not necessarily a substitute for discussion between you and your section management. I urge you to continue to offer suggestions for improving the Guidelines, as well as additional examples of memos and/or transmittals you would like to submit for inclusion. Anne Gwynn and Mark Gurevitz will be stewards of the Guidelines document and will periodically review and update it. Please send all feedback directly to them. Access to the Guidelines (attached now as a pdf document) is available via the url on the S drive in the file folder at S:/ksg-guidelines/ , and via KSG links on your toolbar if you use them (http://www.crs.gov/staff/crd/crd.html) . I envision the Guidelines being added to the KSG Handbook, when that becomes viable. House Administration Briefing Tangela Roe and David Mao presented a briefing to the Committee on House Administration. They provided information on CRS resources available to the committee which was well received. They reported that there were quite a few questions during the talk. Special thanks to Tangela for her dedication to the Service as she came in for this presentation even though she had just finished her jury duty commitment for the day. Also thanks to Cassandra Foley who provided lots of help in coordinating the presentation materials and serving as a back-up. Factiva Open House KSG will be co-hosting with Factiva an Open House to highlight the new Factiva Search 2.0 interface. The event will take place on May 3rd, from 10:30-1:30, in the CRS Third Floor Conference Room, LM-316. You can stop in anytime during the OpenHouse and Factiva representatives will be on hand to answer your questions and to demonstrate the product. Highlights of the new Factiva Search 2.0 experience include: � Relevancy searching that uses normal language and returns results based on an adjacency algorithm. Some Boolean search logic is also supported. � Unique intelligent filters that organize search results by subjects, companies, industries, sources and news clusters. � Interactive, visual navigation that allows you discover a new perspective on your search by easily linking to articles groups. � Contextual snippets give you more than just the headline and enable you to quickly determine the relevancy of an article. Factiva's Search 2.0 interface is already available in Beta mode to CRS and can be accessed via your normal Factiva.com account. If you don't yet have a Factiva account, you may self-register for one on the VRC Database Center - http://www.crs.gov/staff/databases/database1.html. Contact Rod Atkinson at 7-9339 for further details. Retirement Planning Seminars We have been asked about the schedule for retirement seminars. There are three remaining Federal Retirement Planning seminars for 2006: May 16-18, June 20-22, and September 19-21. There is no charge for this seminar, but the regular training request forms found on the WRK website should be completed and submitted in the usual way via supervisors. Spouses may attend. If a spouse elects to attend, the employee should note that information on the training request. Please contact Bebe McCalip at 7-7781 with any questions. Calendar Items 4/24, 11:00 am-noon: KSG Handbook meeting (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 4/25, 12 noon - 2:00 pm: Brown bag lunch on Computers in Libraries (KSG conf rm - LM-215)--We apologize for the less than two weeks notice given for this event--the presenters just notified us. 4/25, 2:00-4:30pm Creating A CRS Product (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 4/26, 9:00 am-4:00 pm: Metrochek make up day (LM-139) 4/26, 11 am � noon: QuITT meeting - Cheryl/Rita (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 4/26, 2:00-3:00 pm: CRS Awards ceremony (Mumford Room) 4/27, 2:00-3:00 pm: Legislative History class - David Mao (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/2, 9:00-10:00 am: Groupwise calendar class (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 5/2, 12:00-2:00 pm: Pat Ayers' retirement party (Dining Room A) 5/3, 10:00 am-1:30 pm: Factiva Open House (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/4, 11:00-noon: Groupwise calendar class (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 5/4, 1:30-2:30: C-cubed meeting - Focus group for KSG Events calendar and Password Primer (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/9, 4:00-5:00 pm: Groupwise calendar class (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT Personnel I am pleased to announce that Michael Anderson was selected as the Assistant Section Head in the Humanities & Reference Consulting Section. Michael begins this position effective today, 4/17/06. I want to welcome Michael to the KSG Management Team and I know you will all join me in wishing Michael well in this new position. Rod Atkinson is detailed to serve as Acting Head OPS beginning today, April 17, 2006 until June 30, 2006. If we fill the position under the posting before that date, Rod's detail will end at that time. Lynne and I want to thank Kimberly Allen and Frances Bufalo again for their contributions in the detail. We also want to thank Rod for taking on this assignment and hope you will join us in wishing him well. Audrey Crane-Hirsch and Ryan Granger have been selected as 90-day temporary Information Research Specialists (GS-9) in the La Follette Congressional Reading Room. Ryan is reporting today and Audrey will repor on 5/1/06. Audrey and Ryan will be sharing the evening/Saturday schedule while we are in the process of filling the full-time evening/Saturday posting which is up now on USAJobs at http://jsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobId=41648351 . This posting will close on 5/4/06. Research Management The consulting section and assistant section heads, Lynne, Cliff, Pat, and I have been meeting to discuss and ensure a common understanding of �research management� including responsibilities and expectations for us as information research managers. We have identified several quality characteristics for our KSG product line (print and web products, In the Mailbag, Reference Desk, and external links). KSG products should closely align with policy issue areas before the Congress and reflect changes related to congressional decision-making. Products written as �workload managers� should address repeated requests and be archived when they no longer fulfill that need. We should continually assess active products by thinking creatively about the content, presentation of information, and format to best address evolving needs. Since we have limited resources, we will re-prioritize our product inventory, when needed, in order to focus on the most critical congressional needs. Consulting section and assistant section heads will discuss and identify next steps with their teams as part of their next section meeting. Your feedback, as CRS authors with individual "research management" responsibilities, will be very important in this ongoing process. BNA Publications CRS currently has electronic access to 32 BNA publications. The Service is in the final stages of negotiating access to additional sources. We anticipate a contract will be finalized in the next few weeks and that CRS will then have access to over 200 BNA publications. To help launch these new services BNA will conduct training sessions. We will schedule KSG training first before we schedule CRS-wide training. Calendar Items 4/19, 4:00-5:00 pm, Business & Industry Group (BIG) meeting (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 4/19, 1:00-2:00 pm: KSG/DSP Census training - Cheryl/Heidi (West Meeting Room) 4/20, 2:30-3:30 pm: KSG CM meeting (Dining Room A) 4/20, 10:00 am-2:00 pm: ProQuest demonstration (CRS Development Center) 4/24, 11:00 am-noon: KSG Handbook meeting (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 4/26, 2:00-3:00 pm: CRS Awards ceremony (Mumford Room) 4/26, 11 am � noon: QuITT meeting - Cheryl/Rita (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 4/27, 2:00-3:00 pm: Legislative History class - David Mao (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 5/4, 11:00-noon: Groupwise calendar class (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT CM--Hold the Date The next KSG CM meeting will be held on Thursday, 4/20, 2:30 - 3:30 in Dining Room A. Lisa Mages has volunteered to facilitate; we are still looking for a notetaker. Legislative Histories David Mao will hold a class on answering legislative history requests. Date and time are to be determined; look for an upcoming separate announcement. LIS Training The last LIS training class customized for the KSG was taught this week. Forty-nine KSG team members attended the three classes. If you wanted to attend but were unable, LIN plans to teach some classes for Bill Digest. Louis Drummond has indicated that he would be receptive to KSG team members attending one of those classes. Earlier this afternoon Kimberly Allen distributed an evaluation form for this class. Your feedback on these KSG training opportunities is critically important so we can continue to develop courses to assist you in your work. CLI Project The PDC was tasked with providing a copy of all CRS written products related to the Current Legislative Issues (CLIs) as part of a major CRS-wide project. The current PDC staff of four began fulfilling the request and, after about an hour, realized that help was needed to meet the anticipated deadline of 12:00 noon the following day. Collaboration among the KSG Section Heads resulted in forming a team of all available Library Technicians. Led by Linda Johnson, Jackie McNeil, David Freeman, Reggie Faison, Terrence Lisbeth, Dominic Ofori, and Rozana Ambush pulled products until 8:45 pm. This team was joined by Pat Layne-Brown and Doug Owens the following morning to complete the 30-page list of approximately 1600 products. Carla Berry, Jane Boyd, Cecelia Storms and Reggie Faison assisted with quality control; Joyce Green and Jackie McNeil typed a list of authors' names. Reggie Faison and David Freeman worked diligently through each phase of the project including restocking the product shelves, and delivering each Division's products shortly after the deadline at 3:00 pm. I appreciate the dedication and collaboration of all Library Technicians who pulled together to see this hectic and tedious--but critical--process through. LexisNexis On Thursday, from 10:30-2:00, KSG sponsed a LexisNexis OpenHouse to highlight the new Nexis.com that will be released to CRS this Summer. The OpenHouse was attended by approximately 150 CRS staff. Four trainers from LexisNexis were on hand to offer individualized demos of the new Nexis.com and to go over other changes for CRS this Summer, such as: new passwords and self-registration (both Nexis.com & Lexis.com); migration from client research software to Web platform; transition from dedicated LexisNexis printers to multipurpose networked printers. Many staff attending the OpenHouse signed up for the Nexis.com training to be held in May, June, and July. If you haven't yet signed up for training and are interested, contact either Rod Atkinson or Kimberly Allen. Pat Ayers' Retirement Party Please save Tuesday, May 2nd from Noon - 2:00 to celebrate Pat Ayers' retirement from CRS. The party theme will be nautical Caribbean to help Pat prepare for the next phase - ocean studies aboard the research vessel, Tiburon - so bring your swizzle sticks and Parrot hats and get ready to limbo! If you would like to be a part of the party planning committee, come to the next meeting in the LCRR on Tuesday, April 11th at 10:30 am. Calendar Items 4/10, 11:00 am-noon: KSG Handbook meeting (open to all) (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 4/11, 2-3 pm: KSG Budget Group Meeting (open to all), with invited guest David Bearden speaking about the political context of budget and appropriations numbers. (G&F conf rm - LM304) 4/12,1:00-2:00 pm: Quantitative Information Target Team (QuITT) Meeting (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 4/12, 9 - noon: Creating a CRS Product, (KSG conference rm, LM215) 4/13, 1:30-2:30 pm: C-Cubed Team Meeting (open to all) with invited guest Janine D'Addario to continue brainstorming short- and long-term suggestions for the KSG News (Director's conference room - LM-203) 4/13, 11am -noon: CAIR -Parameters of Service target team (KSG conference rm, LM215) 4/13, 3-4pm: KSG Business & Industry Group-initial meeting, (KSG conference rm, LM215) 4/13, 4-5pm: CAIR -Identifying Authoritative Resources meeting, (KSG conference rm, LM215) 4/13, 2:00-3:00 pm: Peer Informal Training Session on GroupWise Calendar (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 4/20, 10:00 am-2:00 pm: ProQuest demonstration (CRS Development Center) 4/27, 2:00-3:00 pm: Legislative History class - David Mao (KSG conf rm - LM-215) Personnel In addition to the information research specialist position already approved for the Humanities Section, we are pleased to announce that the Director approved our request for six additional information research specialists (GS9/11) which we will fill either using the PMF Program or through AVUE. These positions are part of the KSG succession initiative in the consulting sections. A recommendation to fill the Assistant Section Head, Humanities Section was forwarded to the Library�s HR Office this week. Cliff, John Moore, and I are on the interview panel for the KSG/RSI Section Head position. We have just received the packet of applications for review and expect this position will be filled by the end of April. While we continue the merit selection process for a new KSG/RSI section head, we have asked Lisa Dove to serve as acting KSG/RSI section head beginning Tuesday, April 4. Thanks to Lisa for agreeing to serve during this transition period. Communications Office�New Staff Gretchen Sherrill, a temporary staff assistant in the Office of Communications, will be sitting at the front desk by the LCRR door across from the Law Library beginning Monday, April 3. I hope you will all join me in welcoming Gretchen to the LCRR neighborhood! HATS OFF TO JIM RIEHL! As the saying goes, when they made him, they threw away the mold! The same could be said for some of the hats (and ties) at Jim Riehl's absolutely fantastic retirement party yesterday in the CRS Third Floor Conference Room [see attached photos for a sampling***]. Who knew of Jim's many "hidden" talents? Penmanship champion, investment wizard, fashion trend-setter, calligrapher extraordinaire, handyman par excellence, weightlifting advisor ... the list goes on. If you missed the social event of the season, console yourself by stopping by and saying good-bye to Jim in person today and all day Monday, April 3rd. Plus, due to overwhelming popular demand, plans are underway to hold additional screenings of "Evolution of a Riehl Man and His Lunch Box" next week. Stay tuned! The party was as spectacular as the man himself, thanks to many, many people: The Party Crew - Beverly Banks, Vanessa Cieslak, Mike Donnelly, Lisa Dove, Julie Jennings, George Mangan, Holly Mirchel, Justin Murray, Carolyn Smith, Michelle Springer, Barbara Torreon, and Heidi Yacker The "Reel to Riehl" Movie Crew - Luis De Castro, Justin Murray, Rita Tehan, and Heidi Yacker The Memory Book Creator - Alix Salinas The Contributions/Donations Committee - Michael Anderson, Mary Bley, Stuart Carmody, Vanessa Cieslak, Janet Kinzer, Maria Lanzeritsch, Holly Mirchel, and Carolyn Smith And last, but certainly not least, the KSG Cookie Bakers - Maureen Bearden, Cheryl Beaver, Kori Calvert, Vanessa Cieslak, Nese DeBruyne, Mike Donnelly, Anne Gwynn, Jan Johansson, Maria Lanzeritsch, Lyle Minter, Meredith Peterson, Cheryl Stadel-Bevans, Rita Tehan, Barbara Torreon, and Mike Waterhouse ***Additional photos of the party and the hats will be put on the KSG shared drive next week - an email will be sent when they're up. CAIR Identifying Authoritative Resources Target Team We encourage you to join Kori Calvert, Anne Gwynn, and Pat Ayers at the inaugural meeting of this target team on Thursday April 6th from 3:00-4:00 pm in the LM-215 Conference Room. Please see the e-mail sent earlier today by Anne Gwynn on this team. Calendar Items 4/3, 11:00 am- noon: KSG Handbook meeting (KSG conf rm - LM-215) Open to all KSG team members. 4/3, 2:00-3:00 pm: Peer Informal Training Session on GroupWise Calendar (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 4/4, 1:00-4:00 pm: Creating A CRS Product (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 4/5, 10 am-noon: LIS training (CRS Third Floor conference room - LM-316) 4/6, 10:30 am-2 pm: Nexis Open House (CRS Fourth Floor conference room - LM-426) 4/6, 1:30-2:30 pm: C-Cubed Team Meeting (open to all) with invited guest Janine D'Addario to brainstorm short- and long-term suggestions for the KSG News (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 4/6, 3:00-4:00 pm: Identifying Authoritative Resources Target Team of CAIR initial meeting (KSG conf rm - LM-215) All meetings are open. 4/11, 2-3 pm: KSG Budget Group Meeting (open to all), with invited guest David Bearden speaking about the political context of budget and appropriations numbers. (G&F conf rm - LM304) 4/7, 9:00 am - noon: Creating A CRS Product (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 4/12,1:00-2:00 pm: Quantitative Information Target Team (QuITT) Meeting (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 4/13, 2:00-3:00 pm: Peer Informal Training Session on GroupWise Calendar (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT Legislative Histories The RPC has approved new procedures on how Inquiry will handle requests for legislative history information. Inquiry anticipates implementing these new procedures in mid-April. Following is a summary. 1. Requests for legislative history information or material relating to a law or program will first go to the subject division responsible for that law or program (e.g., a request for legislative history information on the Clean Water Act would go to RSI). 2. The American Law Division will be assigned those legislative history requests that do not fit into a clear subject matter category or that concern laws or programs with a legal focus (e.g., laws governing court procedures). ALD may also be assigned complex legislative history requests regardless of subject matter if the request needs an information professional with expertise in legal materials. The RPC based its decisions on the fact that legislative research skills are a part of the position descriptions in the KSG. Moreover, subject division information professionals have the skills in order to best serve both clients who seek information on legislative history and CRS analysts who must be familiar with and use legislative documentation in the course of research and analysis. Consulting Section Heads will discuss and identify next steps with their teams as part of their next section meeting. In the last six months of 2005, KSG-ALD was assigned approximately 20 legislative history research requests. While KSG information professionals in each consulting section may be assigned legislative history information requests, David Mao and Tara Rainson in KSG-ALD will be available to guide anyone that may have questions about how to approach or complete a request. KSG may hold training sessions if needed. Training Riding secret elevators in the Capitol, impeaching the President, doing research with shark biologists, and proving that information professionals can write were just some of the topics discussed at Tuesday's information-sharing panel with Pat Ayers and Jim Riehl. With 68 years combined research experience, Pat and Jim time-traveled with about 45 of their KSG colleagues through the '70s, '80's, '90s, and up to the present day, revealing significant changes, major challenges, greatest moments, most interesting requests, and top business resources. If you missed it, don't worry! A transcript is being prepared with all of the fantastic questions compiled and asked by the C-Cubed Team, as well as by members of the audience. Pat and Jim's responses and photos taken on Tuesday will become part of our KSG community "archive" and will be shared with all KSG team members next week. Here's a sneak preview and a couple photos (attached) - the single most important piece of advice Pat and Jim would like to give to their colleagues: Never say you can't do anything! (Pat) and If you can develop a good relationship with an analyst ... that's the best way to learn. (Jim) Thanks Pat and Jim for sharing! And thanks to C-Cubed for organizing! The peer training group conducted their first training session, Calendar: Meetings, Conference Rooms and Tools for Collaboration this past Wednesday. Feedback received indicated that attendees found the introduction helpful in managing their schedules and arranging group meetings among other things. I attended and walked away with 5 new tips! Kimberly and Jan are talented trainers which kept the level of detail and pace of instruction at the right tempo. The original plan was to offer a session every three weeks, however, based on feedback Kimberly and Jan will be offering two more sessions April 3 and 13. Please see the Calendar of Events below. Please continue to forward Kimberly suggestions for future training. KSG Products To support CRS and its congressional clients during the several recent Supreme Court nominations, KSG created an electronic product on previous Supreme Court nominations. The product has now been updated to include the Congressional Record debate, vote, and statements, and also the hearing transcripts for the nominations of all sitting justices, including Justice Alito[http://www.crs.gov/reference/general/officialdocuments/WO00001.shtml]. The product is a great example of collaboration between people in various parts of the division: the ALD, DSP, and G&F consulting groups, and OPS. KSG is now ready for the next nomination. Special thanks to Cassandra Foley, Maureen Bearden, Angela Napili, Jan Johansson, and Luis De Castro for their help in the recent completion of the project. Calendar Items 3/27, 10 am-noon: LIS training (CRS Third Floor conference room - LM-316) 3/28, 1:00-2:00 pm: LIS training (CRS Third Floor conference room - LM-316) 3/29, 11-noon: Advanced Excel Demo (CRS Third Floor conference room - LM-316) 3/30, 12-2 pm: Jim Riehl Retirement Party (CRS Third Floor conference room - LM-316) 4/3, 2:00-3:00 PM: Peer Informal Training Session on GroupWise Calendar (KSG conf rm- LM-215) REPEAT 4/5, 10 am-noon: LIS training (CRS Third Floor conference room - LM-316) 4/6, 10:30 am-2 pm: Nexis Open House � more information forthcoming in separate e-mail from Rod Atkinson (CRS Fourth Floor conference room - LM-426) 4/6, 1:30-2:30: C-Cubed Team Meeting (open to all) with invited guest Janine D'Addario to brainstorm short- and long-term suggestions for the KSG News (KSG conf rm LM-215) 4/13, 2:00-3:00 pm: Peer Informal Training Session on GroupWise Calendar (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT Personnel I am sorry to announce that Richard Dickey has accepted a position at another agency and will be leaving CRS on May 6, 2006. We will miss Richard and wish him well! We received permission to post a position for a full-time Information Research Specialist (GS-9) to work evenings and Saturday, and expect that posting to go up in early April. We also received permission to hire a temporary Information Research Specialist (GS-9 nte 90 days) while we are in the process of filling the posting. This temporary position has a fixed schedule of 11:30 am - 8 pm Tuesday - Thursday, 9:30 am - 6 pm Friday, and 8:30 am - 5 pm Saturday. If you know of anybody who would be interested in this temporary position, please have him/her contact Sharon Butts at 202-707-7110 or [email protected]. Those interested in the position should submit a government resume; interviews will be held. Dubai Ports World and LIS Legislative Alerts Take a look at a new feature on the VRC (CRS Staff Virtual Resource Center) at http://www.crs.gov/staff/vrc/vrc.html which provides information on legislation introduced in the aftermath of the Dubai Ports World proposal. This new resource is located under "Information Resource Centers" on the right side of the VRC Home page; clicking on the "Dubai Ports World Aftermath Legislation" link will automatically launch a search in LIS for all legislation that Bill Digest has identified that relates to this topic. We have alerted CRS analysts who are working on this issue that KSG can assist in establishing an LIS legislative alert to receive regular updates on legislation relating to this topic. If you need refresher information, check http://www.congress.gov/help/about-alert.html . In addition, you can attend one of Lou Drummond's LIS training sessions next week (see calendar below). Of course you also have the option of referring the request to your supervisor. An article about this service and our KSG offer to assist in establishing LIS legislative alerts will appear in TMU on 3/21. Statutory Interpretation Seminar On March 16, KSG and ALD jointly sponsored a class for CRS analysts and information professionals on the basics of statutory interpretation. This was an excellent example of collaboration in the CRS research community. David Mao from KSG�s American Law Consulting Section started the discussion by reviewing some federal law basics; he covered the official publication of federal laws and described some of their basic parts. ALD legislative attorney George Costello followed with a fascinating discussion on how courts approach statutory interpretation. His case examples illustrated many tools courts use to interpret statutes, including �plain meaning,� judicial canons, assumptions, and presumptions. Attendees learned that statutory interpretation is not always so straightforward and that when in doubt, consult with ALD lawyers. We are pleased that David Mao and the KSG/ALD Consultancy are also available for consultation on legal research. Calendar items 3/21, 10-11am: CAIR Focus Session on Memos/Transmittals Document (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 3/21, 2-3 pm: Pat Ayers-Jim Riehl Information-Sharing Session (CRS Third Fl conf rm - LM-316) 3/22, 10:30-11:45 am: Peer Informal Training Session on GroupWise Calendar (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 3/22, 2-3 pm: Beginners' Excel Demo (CRS Fourth Fl conf rm - LM-426) 3/23, 2-3 pm: CAIR Focus Session on Memos/Transmittals Document (KSG conf rm - LM-215) 3/27, 10 am-noon: LIS training (CRS Third Floor conference room - LM-316) 3/28, 1:00-2:00 pm: LIS training (CRS Third Floor conference room - LM-316) 3/29, 11-noon: Advanced Excel Demo (CRS Third Fl conf rm) 3/30, 12-2 pm: Jim Riehl Retirement Party (CRS Third Fl conf rm) 4/3, 2:00-3:00 PM: Peer Informal Training Session on GroupWise Calendar (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT 4/5, 10 am-noon: LIS training (CRS Third Floor conference room - LM-316) 4/6, 10 am-2 pm: LexisNexis Open House (CRS Fourth Fl conf rm - LM-426) 4/13, 2:00-3:00 pm: Peer Informal Training Session on GroupWise Calendar (KSG conf rm - LM-215) REPEAT

Last Updated: June 29, 2006

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