MLA ‘08 Blog

Did you know that the Nursing and Allied Health Resources Section (NAHRS) is the second largest section in MLA?(see the end of this post to learn who is the biggest)

NAHRS works to address the interests and concerns of librarians who support nursing and the allied health professions. Our members include librarians in a wide variety of settings including hospital, academic medical, and general academic libraries.

Make connections with NAHRS members at the following:

NAHRS Business Meeting
Date: Monday, May 19th
Time: 4:30-6:00 PM
Room: Hong Kong

NAHRS Dinner at the Weber Grill ($43)
RSVP required: David Nolfi (nolfi@duq.edu)
Date: Monday, May 19th
Time: 7:00 PM

Learn About Assessment in Health Sciences Libraries:

Connecting Libraries to Organizational Mission: Using Assessment to Strengthen the Library’s Institutional Role
Date: Tuesday May 20th
Time: 2:00-3:30 PM
Room: Regency Ballroom B

ACRL Research Librarian of the Year Peter Hernon will be joined by distinguished MLA members Jim Shedlock and Michele Klein-Fedyshin. Together they will discuss new ways to think about how assessment can strengthen the role of academic and hospital libraries.

A ‘must see’ for librarians who are interested in accreditation:

Connecting Libraries, Nurses, and Accreditation/Credentialing Organizations to Improve Patient Care
Date: Tuesday May 20th
Time: 4:30-6:00 PM
Room: Columbus EF

Do you ever get tired of accreditation agencies telling your library what to do? Do you wish you could tell them what to do?? Librarians who worked on MLA’s efforts to help shape accreditation standards will discuss their progress and recommendations. The session includes a play designed to help nurses understand the importance of information literacy.

When you’re attending a NAHRS event . . .

Visit the Art Institute of Chicago (http://www.artic.edu/aic/index.php). If you have not seen Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” in person, you have no idea what you’re missing. Prints don’t do justice to this enormous, vibrant masterpiece!

- David Nolfi

*** The Hospital Libraries Section is the largest MLA section, and they are our partner in presenting the above programs.

Sections are the heart of the MLA experience!

• Sections provide the place to network with other medical librarians who work in setting similar to yours and who serve populations such as yours.
• Sections are where you find out new developments, services and products relevant to specifically to what you do.
• Sections provide a chance to be one of a select group rather than just one in the large crowd of medical librarians that is MLA.

The first annual Section Shuffle at MLA ‘08 Chicago will be held on Sunday May 18 from 6:00-7:00pm.

At the Section Shuffle, attendees can explore all of the Sections in one place. All 23 Sections have signed up to participate and will inform you about their activities with creative displays. Where else can you see a demonstration of two different page turning software programs, enjoy Chicago treats like lemonheads and other muchies, play Simon Says, win prizes to Chicago attractions, feel like a detective and get an international perspective on the profession?

Shuffle on over to the Section Shuffle in Regency Ballroom C to find opportunities you never expected to find at MLA!

- Judy Burnham

Tell us briefly about the purpose and/or background of your SIG.
The African American Medical Librarian’s Alliance (AAMLA) SIG is committed to providing leadership and support on issues such as recruiting and retaining diverse librarians, developing mentoring and leadership for minority librarians, and creating a repository of information on the expert skills and special abilities of minority librarians in MLA, particularly those of African American descent.

Do you have a website? a list-serv? or other means of communication?
The AAMLA web site is available on mlanet. AAMLA members engage in lively discussions and exchange information via the AAMLA listserv. Please subscribe online on the AAMLA web site.

Will you be meeting at MLA? If so, when? and what is on your agenda? Is the meeting open to non-members?
AAMLA is meetings and co-sponsored programs at the Annual meeting, visit our events calendar.

The Official AAMLA Business Meeting will be held on Monday, May19th from 7:00am-9:00am in the Hyatt Regency Chicago, Acapulco room.

Is there anything else about your SIG that you’d like to share with MLA blog readers?
AAMLA is co-sponsoring three exciting events at the 2008 Annual Meeting:

Connecting the Dots: Strategies for Building a Portable Career (Leadership, Networking, Professional Development & Career Building and Career Reinvention) and Speed Mentoring.
Date: Monday, May 19th
Time: 2:00-3:00PM
Location: Hyatt Regency Columbus IJ.
(You can read a description on this post from the session co-sponsor, the New Members SIG; be sure to register online)

Opening Doors: The African American Connection in Medical Librarianship
Date: Sunday, May 18th
Time: 4:30 to 6:00 PM
Room: Columbus GH.

Health Disparities: Bridge, Gap, or Chasm?
Date: Monday, May 19th
Time: 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Room: Columbus CD.

[Complete abstracts are available in the online program].

- Shannon Jones

Tell us briefly about the purpose and/or background of your SIG.
The purpose of the New Members Special Interest Group is to provide a forum for librarians with less than three years of experience to engage in information exchange and discuss information important to new librarians and new MLA members. Our goal is to foster learning, cooperation and support amongst new librarians and new MLA members. The New Members SIG is sponsored by the Leadership and Management (LMS) section. The New Members SIG was featured in the New Members Column of MLA News in the May 2006 issue.

Do you have a website? a list-serv? other means of communication?
The New Members SIG website is available on mlanet. New Members are encouraged to join the discussion on our listserv. We are also on Facebook as well. All interested are invited to be our friend on Facebook.

Will you be meeting at MLA? If so, when? and what is on your agenda? Is the meeting open to non-members?
For more information about SIG meetings and co-sponsored programs at the Annual meeting, visit our events calendar. Membership in the New Members SIG is open to ALL MLA members who are interested in issues and concerns affecting new librarians and new members.

~ Business Meetings ~

The New Members SIG is sponsoring two meetings at the 2008 MLA Annual Meeting. All new association members are invited to attend our business meeting on Monday, May 19, 2008 from 6:00 – 8:00PM in the Hyatt Regency Toronto. The agenda (6:00 – 7:00PM) includes greetings and introductions, a review the NM SIG purpose, goals, and objectives, selection of SIG conveners, and suggestions for programming to co-sponsoring at the 2009 Annual Meeting. The meeting will conclude with a discussion forum (7:00 – 8:00PM) focusing on Leadership Development for New Librarians.

We will also be meeting on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 from 7:00 – 9:00AM in the Hyatt Regency Gold Coast. All interested attendees are invited to join us. Several seasoned librarians will offer tips on preparing or retooling your professional portfolio. The discussion will begin at 8:00AM.

~ SIG Dinner ~

Join Us for Dinner in Chicago on Sunday, May 18th, 6:00pm at the Webber Grill, 539 N. State Street, Chicago, 60610. The restaurant is a short distance from the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Please RSVP to Ely Anderson. Need Directions? Click here to view the Google Map.

~ Co-Sponsored Program ~

Connecting the Dots: Strategies for Building A Portable Career (Leadership, Networking, Professional Development & Career Building and Career Reinvention) and Speed Mentoring.
Date: Monday, May 19th
Time: 2:00-3:00PM
Room: Hyatt Regency Columbus IJ.

“Connecting the Dots” is a two-part, hands-on session. In part one; attendees will participate in roundtables on professional development and job-searching skills and techniques. Part two is a speed mentoring session, in which mentees will have ten minute meetings with two to three library administrators to review resumes and discuss professional development opportunities. Attendees are encouraged to reserve their space at preferred round-table online.

• Table 1: Leadership
  Facilitators: Lisa Boyd and Neville Prendergast
• Table 2: Professional Networking
  Facilitators: Gabriel Rios and Meredith Solomon
• Table 3: Career Reinvention
  Facilitator: Mary C. Congleton and Molly Knapp
• Table 4: Professional Development/Career Building
  Facilitators: Julia Player and Heidi Sandstrom

Sponsored by the Leadership and Management Section, the Professional Recruitment and Retention Committee, and the New Members and African American Medical Librarians Alliance SIGs.

- Shannon Jones

As you set out for Chicago, take a look at the MLA ‘08 Travel & Transportation page to get directions to the Hyatt (including driving and public transportation options from the airports).

If you’re staying at the Hotel Orrington, in Evanston, see this page for directions to the hotel. You may also want to print out a copy of the Orrington-Hyatt shuttle schedule. Alternatively, you can travel between the hotels via the CTA Purple Line train; see our directions here.

Once you’re in Chicago, you may find these resources from a previous post helpful. Also feel free to stop by the MLA Hospitality Booth to ask for directions and suggestions from a member of the MLA ‘08 Local Assistance Committee. We’re glad to help!

Chicago has varied weather in the Spring. Daytime highs can range from upper-50s to mid-70s. (Since the Hyatt is located close to the lakefront, some days it may be a few degrees cooler here than elsewhere in the city). You may see a week of sunshine, or several rainy days in a row. The moral of this story? Come to MLA prepared: pack and wear layers, and stash an umbrella and jacket in your bag. You can keep an eye on Chicago weather using weather.com’s 10-day forecast.

But don’t worry, there is a wealth of both indoor and outdoor activities you can take advantage of during MLA. No matter the weather, we’re confident you’ll have fun in Chicago!

Insider Tip: Although Chicago is called the “Windy City”, it’s not because of the weather. Read about the history of the moniker, a metaphor for “talkative” or “boastful” locals, here.

It’s hard to read the news for a week or two without hearing about possibly unethical conduct. Sometimes it’s in politics (perhaps a bribery charge), sometimes it’s in health care (maybe some physicians did not declare their financial interest in a drug they reviewed), and sometimes it’s in some other field (an athlete accused of taking a banned drug, for example).

Have you ever wondered about the ethics of librarianship? Maybe someone using some information in a paper without giving credit? How about spending a lot of money with a vendor and then attending a meal or party paid for by the vendor?

On Monday, May 19 at 10:30-12 in the Hyatt’s Columbus EF room, the CDS will sponsor “Bridging the Library Ethics Gap: Conflict of Interest Concerns of Librarians.”

Joan Schuitema from the University of Illinois at Chicago will describe “The Nature of the Gap”. Andrew Robinson, PhD, from Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, England, will “Mind the Publication Ethic’s Gap.” Jonathan Lord, AHIP, of the University of Virginia, will speak on “Pens, Pencils, and Parties: Avoiding Conflicting Interests in Collection Development”. The session will conclude with a Question & Answer panel session.

We’d also love for you to attend our 2008 Business Meeting later the same day at 4:30-6 in the Hyatt’s Toronto room. Both members and nonmembers are invited to attend.

And just for fun . . . Must see list in Chicago:

I love to walk in Chicago and look at people, sculpture, buildings, bridges, and store windows. My favorite places are the Lakefront and Michigan Avenue. I love to put on my walking shoes and stroll.

- Melissa Nasea

Cancer Librarians Section (CLS) provides a forum for cooperation and communications among librarians having a interest in cancer-related libraries and information services. CLS promotes the continued development of cancer libraries, information resources and services.

Open to everyone!

CLS is working to get the word out that the CLS is not just for those who work in specialized cancer facilities. Most librarians have interaction with clients (health professional or consumer) who deal with cancer issues. The members of the CLS provide a unique resource to turn to when questions may arise. We will have a section update in MLA News soon that will mention our section benefits. Because of the size of CLS the opportunity to be involved in the leadership of the section is a significant benefit for those interested in pursing AHIP.

Catch up with section members at the following events:

Section Shuffle – Stop by to learn about our exciting section!
Date: Sunday May 18
Time: 6:00-7:00 PM
Room: Regency Ballroom C

2008 Business Meeting — We hope that you will attend the business meeting.
Date: Tuesday May 20th
Time: 4:30-6:00 PM
Room: Atlanta

Translational medicine and the library’s role
Date: Tuesday May 20th
Time: 2:00-3:30 PM
Room: Columbus EF.

We will have a panel of distinguished librarians who have worked in this area:

• Terry Burton (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
• Carolyn Reid (Weill Cornell Library)
• Andrew Hamilton (Oregon Health & Science University)
• Jon Eldredge (University Of New Mexico)

The panel will provide us with an overview of translational medicine: ­ what it is and the impact it will have on how we understand the epidemiology, diagnosis, and therapy of diseases. This will be followed by discussion of the role of the library in translational medicine within (particularly in CTSA ­, Clinical Translational Science Awards) and across institutions. Case studies of library programs in translational medicine will be featured, with an open discussion session to follow.

- Julia Esparza

Here are some activities to put in your MLA calendar, courtesy of the Educational Media Technologies Section:

Don’t Miss!

Bridging the Gap with Web 2.0: Connecting With Our Community and Ourselves
Date: Monday, May 19
Time: 2-3:30 PM
Room: Grand Ballroom B

Come and hear four view points on the way social networking tools, virtual spaces, and other emerging technologies are changing how libraries and the library’s primary clientele seek expertise, find information, and relate to each other.

Other activities to put in your calendar . . .

Open Forum: Task Force on Social Networking Software
Date: Tuesday, May 20th
Time: 3:30-4:30pm
Room: Regency Ballroom B

Two other wonderful sessions co-sponsored by EMTS:

Top Technology Trends: Bridge Today, Gone Tomorrow
Date: Monday, May 19th
Time: 10:30-noon
Room: Columbus KL

Technologies in Teaching
Date: Tuesday, May 20th
Time: 2-3:30
Room: Regency Ballroom A

And if these topics sound exciting to you, don’t miss the EMTS business meeting (Sunday, May 18th 4:30-6, New Orleans room) where all of the cool kids will be hanging out.

To do while you’re in Chicago . . .

Need a break from all of the networking? Head over to Second City Chicago for a few laughs that have absolutely nothing to do with medicine, electronic resources, students, books, etc.

-Rikke Ogawa

Are you ready for a challenge? The Medical Informatics Section will participate in the Section Shuffle to be held on Sunday, May 18, 6:00 - 7:00 pm by holding a Tech Trivia Challenge. Any one who turns in the Tech Trivia Challenge will be entered into a drawing for an iPod Nano. We’d also be happy to talk to you about MIS and becoming a member!

- Janis Brown, Chair, Medical Informatics Section