Support : Publications : Chronolog Archives : November/December 2003

InfoStars: A Year in Review

| Europe | Australia and New Zealand | North America |

The Dialog InfoStar community has continued to grow in the past year. Regardless of their level within the organization, InfoStars are enthusiastic and positive about the value and future of information services. These individuals are drawn from the information professional community and act as role models for creativity and innovation. Awards were presented in Europe, Australia and New Zealand and North America for 2003.

In Europe InfoStar awards were presented in December 2002 at International Online to Yulia Aspinall, information officer for Cambridge Antibody Technology (U.K.); Carol O'Driscoll, regional research director for Russell Reynolds Associates (U.K.) and Ylva Fernvall, manager of Scientific Information for Biovitrum AB (Sweden). In Australia and New Zealand in January Lorraine Tremain, a knowledge navigator team leader at the Fonterra Research Centre, in Palmerston north New Zealand and Karen Tempest, manager of information services for CSL Limited, based in Parkville, Victoria, Australia received their awards at ALIA. In North America awards were presented in June at the Special Libraries Association conference (SLA) to Richard Huffine, national program manager for the Environmental Protection Agency's library services, Vincent Mariano, an information specialist at the New York City law firm Darby & Darby and Lucy Park, library manager of the Headquarters Library in Washington, D.C. of the ASRC Aerospace Corporation, a company that is contracted by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The InfoStars award winners were chosen for these key characteristics:

• Strategic involvement in their organizations
  
  
• Proactive relationship building
  
  
• Innovative information services
  
  
• Continuous change and development

InfoStars' Accomplishments

top

Europe—awarded at International Online, December, 2002

Yulia Aspinall, information officer for Cambridge Antibody Technology (U.K.), a leader in the discovery and development of human monoclonal antibody therapeutics. Under her direction, the company's Information Center has grown significantly, providing more than 270 staff with scientific, business and patent research support, as well as training, management of an Information Services intranet, and maintenance of internal databases.

Carol O'Driscoll, regional research director for Russell Reynolds Associates (U.K.), a global executive recruitment and management assessment firm. O'Driscoll is responsible for developing research policy and strategy for the firm's European operations, overseeing 60 researchers. She recently successfully introduced a research performance measurement initiative and revamped appraisal process.

Ylva Fernvall, manager of Scientific Information for Biovitrum AB (Sweden), who has been instrumental in creating her company's first electronic library. Biovitrum is a biotech company active in the research of metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity, and in the development, production and marketing of recombinant and plasma-derived protein drugs.

top

Australia and New Zealand—awarded at ALIA, January, 2003

Lorraine Tremain is a knowledge navigator team leader at the Fonterra Research Center, in Palmerston North New Zealand. She provides information searching, research and analysis services to Fonterra staff, including literature searches, patent mapping, competitor analysis and market trends. Tremain previously worked for the New Zealand Dairy Research Center, now part of Fonterra, most recently as manager of its Information Center. She also currently manages a 400-acre farm, raising beef, deer, goats and forestry products, and enjoys classical music and travel.

Ms. Tremain holds a postgraduate diploma from the New Zealand Library School and a master's (Hons) in English Literature and Music from the University of Canterbury. Her undergraduate degree is also from the University of Canterbury.

Karen Tempest is the manager of information services for CSL Limited, based in Parkville, Victoria, Australia. CSL develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products of biological origin. Tempest's department provides information support and services to the company's global staff, bolstering its business decision-making and research processes. Tempest previously served as a research librarian for CSL, and prior to that held a number of research and information management positions in the health care field. She is active in a number of professional organizations, including holding leadership posts in the Australian Library and Information Association.

Tempest holds a Graduate Diploma of Librarianship from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts from LaTrobe University.

top

North America—awarded at SLA, June, 2003

Richard Huffine works for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where he serves as the national program manager for EPA's library services. He coordinates the activities of 28 EPA libraries across the United States that serve the agency's 18,000 employees. He has worked with the EPA since 1996, integrating the agency's Web site, commercial electronic content and traditional library services into a coordinated approach to environmental information. In his work, Huffine continuously emphasizes the importance of building relationships with key stakeholders and aligning services with the organization's mission. He holds a master's degree in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Vincent Mariano is an information specialist at the New York City law firm Darby & Darby, experts in intellectual property. He provides research services to his firm's attorneys, patent agents and scientific advisors. Mariano was instrumental in setting up his firm's intranet, which features search templates that enable end users in the law firm to search Dialog content directly. Mariano holds a master's degree in Library Science from Queens College, and an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York — Stony Brook.

Lucy Park works for ASRC Aerospace Corporation, a company that is contracted by the Environmental Protection Agency to provide library and information services. Park serves as a library manager of the agency's Headquarters Library in Washington, D.C. She also serves as a coordinator for the EPA's Desktop Library service, with responsibility for electronic content integration and continual improvement. She helped integrate Dialog-supplied content, including e-journal linking features, into the Desktop Library used by EPA staffers nationwide. Park holds a master's degree in Information Science from the University of Tennessee, and an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University.

top