Getting Started with Health Information Outreach

On the first day of Midwest/MHSLA 2017, I attended Getting Started with Community Health Information Outreach, taught by Darlene Kaskie. In this course, attendees learned how to examine specific populations for targeted outreach initiatives.

To do this, we first discussed the various resources available for getting a clearer picture of the populations in certain communities. By utilizing census data and other government health resources, it is possible to develop a better understanding of the demographic makeup of specific communities, as well as the health needs in those areas.

Throughout the course, there was an emphasis on learning and asking questions. For example, if you wanted to speak to a demographic that was culturally different from groups you had worked with previously, it’s important to develop an understanding of that group before trying to start an outreach project. So, if you were working with senior citizens who had limited understanding of mobile technologies, you may not want to lead with the cutting edge mobile apps available to them. However, by communicating with your targeted group and asking questions, you could learn what their particular struggles and health issues might be and how you as an information professional may be able to address them.

One way to learn more about a community is to seek out a community health assessment for that particular region. If an agency or institution has already conducted a community health assessment, you can easily determine what the health needs are for that particular area. Examining a community health assessment also allows you to easily target potential partners for your outreach efforts.

In addition to learning how to target and explore specific communities for outreach efforts, we also discussed NLM and other government resources that are freely available, including MedlinePlus, HealthReach, Genetics Home Reference, and the Disaster Information Management Resource Center.

I have always enjoyed attending conferences for the educational opportunities that help me keep abreast of advancements in our field. These courses teach us how other librarians are problem solving, expanding their roles, and developing new strategies to best utilize their skills in an ever-changing environment. Both continuing education courses I attended at Midwest/MHSLA 2017 gave me the chance to learn about new (or new to me) resources and how librarians are harnessing these tools to create new roles for themselves.

Research Data Management and Serendipity

Saturday at #MidwestMHSLA17 was a full day of Continuing Education for me. I had planned to learn about Research Data Management (RDM) with Kevin Read and Alisa Surkis from New York University School of Medicine in the morning, then about library assessment in the afternoon. I thought it would be a nice introduction to two dissimilar topics, one having to do with research and numbers, and the other with having to do with marketing and the business of libraries.

Serendipitously, though, I ended up spending a full eight hours learning about RDM. My afternoon class got cancelled and so I ended up in a second class entitled Data Management for Librarians given by Caitlin Bakker from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

From Kevin and Alisa I learned not only the basics of RDM, but also how it can be marketed. I learned that librarians should make meetings with researchers about their research, not about the library. Kevin even went into how to “cold-call” researchers to drum up business for the library. A couple of ways to find out about what your institution’s researchers are doing include the NIH RePORTER database and your institution’s grant office.

Then Alisa showed us this cute video, which dramatized many of the frustrations researchers have when managing their data and what can go wrong with RDM and sharing.

I’m going to start learning more about RDM by reading this article by Kevin and Alisa and their colleagues, “Starting the data conversation: informing data services at an academic health sciences library.”

As usual, I felt overwhelmed with the information in just one CE class; nevertheless, I persisted in the afternoon, as Caitlin Bakker reinforced many of the RDM topics from Kevin and Alisa’s class. Caitlin provided us with some hands-on exercises using the DMP Tool to actually critique and compose a Data Management Plan. Within a few hours she had the class reviewing and creating real plans that would meet institutional and funder requirements.

I ended up with a day-long crash course in data management, but I still learned about library marketing as I had hoped. I was a beneficiary of a serendipitous confluence of three great instructors and a rising topic in health sciences librarianship. I made sure to tell Emily Ginier, the Chair of the CE Committee, how pleased I was with my day, despite the cancellation and substitution of my afternoon class. I also wrote to Kevin, Alisa, and Caitlin suggesting they team teach a seminar together on RDM. What an excellent day of learning at #MidwestMHSLA17!

Donald Pearson, MBA/MIS, MLIS, AHIP
Library Technology Specialist, Mount Carmel Health Sciences Library
Columbus, Ohio
dpearson@mchs.com | library.mchs.com

Upcoming Fundraiser at Midwest Chapter MLA 2017

Upcoming Fundraiser: Support Midwest Chapter MLA 2017 Scholarships Three Ways!    

  • Bid on handmade silent auction items donated by Chapter members,
  • Pay $1.00 to vote for the Midwest MLA Chapter ‘Critter’ of your choice, and
  • Purchase a ribbon for $1.00 with sayings on them for yourself or your colleague’s nametag!

Fundraiser Location: Conference Registration Area

Silent Auction Details

  • Silent Auction items will be represented on the table(s) by bid sheets due to limited space
  • As space allows, items will be displayed as much as possible
  • Ask for a closer look at any item – they will be available nearby
  • Preview the auction items: http://z.umn.edu/mc_auction

Silent Auction Parameters:

  • Hours: 8:30 AM to 4:50 PM on Sunday 10/15/17
    • Final Bidding: 4:30 to 4:50 PM
    • Winners Pay & Pick Up Winnings: 4:50 to 5:15
  • Cash or check only
  • A starting bid will be stated on the bid sheet
  • Bids must be at least $2.00 each (unless otherwise stated)
  • A starting bid will be stated on the bid sheet
  • All sales are final. There will be no exchanges or refunds unless otherwise noted. All items are “as is.”
  • Must be present to win or have designated in writing who is picking up and paying on your behalf
  • The auction item value listed is an estimate of fair market value. Items have not been appraised unless so noted. The amount you pay above this fair market value estimate is normally tax deductible as a charitable contribution. Please consult your tax adviser to clarify amount of deduction.

Chapter Critter Update & Details

There was an enthusiastic response to the call for Chapter ‘Critter’ suggestions.  A total of 26 different suggestions came in and the Executive Board voted on their 5 top choices.  Survey results revealed 6 top ‘critters’ due to a 3-way tie.

  • Members vote to select one of the 6 as the ‘critter’ or mascot to represent the nine states in the Midwest MLA Chapter.

Top Six Proposed ‘Critters’

In-Person Chapter Critter Voting Parameters

  • Hours: 8:30 AM to 4:50 PM on Sunday 10/15/17
  • $1.00 per vote – cash or check only
  • Vote as often as you like for the critter of your choice
  • If there’s a tie, the winner will be pulled out of a hat by the Chapter president
  • The winning ‘Critter’ will be announced at the Business Meeting on Monday 10/16/17

Online ‘Critter’ Voting 10/1 – 10/15 until 5 pm

How to donate and cast your vote(s):

  • Use the Midwest MLA online donation form: https://mcmla45.wildapricot.org/page-1745931
  • Votes are $1.00 each.  Put the total amount you wish to donate for votes, i.e. $10.00 for 10 votes
  • In the Comments field put the ‘critter’ / mascot for which you want to vote
  • Complete the form and pay.

Purchase ‘Fun’ Ribbons for Name Tag

  • $1.00 per ribbon – cash or check only
  • Buy ribbons for yourself or your colleagues
  • Buy as many as you like

Bid, vote, and purchase ribbons often to raise Midwest MLA scholarship funds!   

Questions?  Contact us.

Thanks everyone!

Edith Starbuck (edith.starbuck@uc.edu) and Nicole Theis-Mahon (theis025@umn.edu)

2017 Silent Auction Fundraiser Co-chairs

Midwest MLA Scholarship Fundraiser – Coming Soon!

Midwest MLA Scholarship Fundraiser – Coming Soon

Be ready to participate in the upcoming scholarship fundraiser – show your support 3 different ways!

• Bid on handmade silent auction items donated by (Chapter members, click here to preview the silent auction items: (http://z.umn.edu/mc_auction))

• Pay $1.00 to vote for the Midwest MLA Chapter ‘Critter’ of your choice

• Purchase a ribbon for $1.00 with fun sayings on them for yourself or your colleague’s nametag

The fundraiser is only on Sunday 10/15/17 so be ready to bid, vote, and purchase ribbons often!

• Cash or check only
• Check out the conference website for additional details.

Together we can make a difference for the scholarship fund!

Thank you.

Fundraiser Co-Chairs: Edith Starbuck and Nicole Theis-Mahon

Midwest Chapter MLA 2017 Fundraiser

Midwest Chapter MLA 2017 Fundraiser – Support the Midwest Chapter MLA Scholarships & Awards

The fundraiser this year is a silent auction and we need your help!

Are you creative and talented? Do you knit, crochet, quilt, make jewelry, or create other small beautiful objects? Do you know an author or an artist or a business person?

If so, consider donating a silent auction item or asking a business, author or artist to donate an auction item. AND bid on the silent auction items during the upcoming 2017 Midwest Chapter/MLA annual conference!

Silent auction donation parameters:

• High quality and easily packable
• Register your commitment
• Send photo of item by September 15, 2017 or sooner
• Silent auction coordinators reserve the right to select the final items for the silent auction
• Donated item must be at the conference – bring the item with you or ask a colleague to bring it

If you ask a business, author, or artist for a silent auction donation:

• Let us know that you’re willing to ask
• We will supply an information kit (coming soon)
• Provide a photo of the item by September 15, 2017 or sooner
A great big ‘Thank You’ to the creative and talented members who have already stepped up and volunteered to donate a silent auction item! We will share photos and more information as we get closer to the conference.

Together we can make this scholarship fundraiser a great success!

We look forward to hearing from you.

Edith Starbuck (edith.starbuck@uc.edu) and Nicole Theis-Mahon (theis025@umn.edu)

2017 Silent Auction Fundraiser Co-chairs

Midwest MLA Student Annual Meeting Grant

Are you a library science student? Are you interested in medical libraries?

Would you like to attend the Midwest Chapter Medical Library Association’s Annual Meeting in Ypsilanti, MI on October 13-16, 2017?

Apply for the Midwest MLA Student Annual Meeting Grant for FREE conference registration and $500 in expenses.
There are 2 grants available – so tell your friends to apply too!

For an application and more information, see the attachments to this email or visit the Midwest Chapter’s Awards page at http://midwestmla.org/committees/awards/

The DEADLINE TO APPLY is May 26, 2017.

Completed applications can be sent to:
Nicole Theis-Mahon (mailto:theis025@umn.edu)
Chair, Awards and Scholarships Committee, Midwest Chapter/MLA

Midwest/MLA & MHSLA 2017: Visit Us in Pure Michigan for Pure Information 2017!

Already thinking about Midwest/MLA ’17? Check out the information below and start planning now!

Please save the dates of October 13 – 16, 2017, for the Joint Conference of the Midwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association (MLA) and the Michigan Health Sciences Libraries Association (MHSLA)!

This conference, being held in picturesque Ypsilanti, MI, at the Ann Arbor Marriot at Eagle Crest, offers numerous learning and networking opportunities, including MLA CE courses, poster presentations, special events, and a keynote address by Curt Guyette, an award-winning investigative journalist for the ACLU Michigan.

To learn more, please visit the conference website at: http://midwestmla.org/conference2017 Also get the latest updates by following MHSLA on Twitter @MHSLANews

Welcome 2017

  • Thank you 2016 Annual Conference committees for a great conference. We’re already working on the 2017 conference. Check back for updates.
  • Browse the #midmla16 conference photos (flickr) and tweets.
  • Register or renew online your membership

Research by Design

Research by Design handout
Class Handout

Merge & Converge started off early Saturday morning with a coffee from the lobby Starbucks and then onto Lorie Kloda’s CE class – Research by Design: Proposing, planning, and carrying out a research project for the practicing librarian. The class delivered on everything the title promised. Having no prior research experience, I was happy to walk out of the class with a direction for a research project and feel more comfortable taking the first steps to starting that project.

It was a great way to start off the conference and get some library ideas flowing. The class was broken up with some lecture and then group activities, which worked extremely well for newbies just getting into the research arena. Being able to brainstorm with other librarians from across the Midwest was a great way to get multiple perspectives, focus ideas, and make the whole process seem much more attainable and less of an overwhelming, impossible goal.

The class started out with identifying a “burning question”; what had we been wondering and wanting to learn more about? From this burning question, in later activites we went on to hash out some of the finer details of creating a research proposal.

Having only taken one research course during my MLIS education, this class served to refresh some previously stowed away knowledge and stir up some motivation to take on completing some original research of my own.

Lorie also let the class know about the MLA Research Institute and provided attendees with additional resources to support their research goals.

The class made for a perfect fit with the conference theme Merge and Converge and I am looking forward to more as the conference continues on.