Month: July 2010

Vote! Now!

It’s election time! Time to look forward a little in time and think about who you would like to serve in Midwest Chapter/MLA leadership positions for the next couple of years. Again this year we will be voting electronically. Midwest Chapter members received an e-mail today with a link to the ballot. Please vote as soon as possible since the ballots must be tabulated so that results can be reported out before our 2010 Annual Conference in late September. The ballot will be available through Friday, August 6th.

Here is this year’s slate of candidates:

For President-Elect, 2011:

  • Karen Hanus
  • Janna Lawrence

For Membership Secretary, 2011-2012:

  • Katherine Chew
  • Mary Pat Harnegie

For Representatice-at-Large, 2011-2012:

  • Frank Davis
  • Stephanie Schulte

For Potential Candidate for Membership on the MLA Nominating Committee, 2011:

  • Diane Hummel
  • Mary Markland

Be sure to review the biographical information for these exceptional candidates posted on the chapter website before you vote!

Thanks to all of you for agreeing to run for chapter office. And special thanks to Immediate Past President Deborah Lauseng, who is also chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee, and her committee members, Kellie Kaneshiro, and Nancy O’Brien. Where would we be without all of our fantastic chapter members!

Planning Ahead for Madison

Yes, it is definitely summer out there and most of us are thinking vacation. But it is also time to start thinking ahead about our annual conference in the fall. This year we will be visiting another one of our delightful Midwest state capitals, Madison, Wisconsin.
Your intrepid blog editor is already thinking ahead. Weeks ago I made my hotel room reservation at our conference hotel, the Inn on the Park Capitol Square. Looks really nice, huh? There is even an indoor swimming pool and hot tub for a nice relaxing swim after a hard day of back to back fabulous conference events. Be sure to visit the Conference Hotel page on the conference website for information on how to reserve your room at the conference group room rate. Helpful hint: You’ll need to call the hotel directly to make your reservation.
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Our chapter awards and scholarships are a very important part of our annual conference. We have two awards which support attendance at the annual conference. The application deadline for these awards is AUGUST 17!
The first is the Annual Meeting Scholarship. Two of these $500 scholarships are awarded each year to library science students. So if you know any library science students who are considering a career in health sciences librarianship, encourage them to apply for this award. It will probably cover most of their conference expenses since full conference registration for library school students is only $75! And of course, student membership in the Midwest Chapter is FREE.
The second award is the Professional Development Award which supports first time attendance for chapter members at our annual conference. Two of these $500 awards are available this year as well. So if you know someone who has never been to the annual conference, encourage them to apply!
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Our most prestigious award is the Distinguished Librarian of the Year award. This award “recognizes Chapter members at any career level who have made outstanding professional contributions to both health sciences librarianship and the Chapter.” The winner gets one cool plaque and a $500 check in recognition of their career accomplishments. Who do you know who is a “distinguished” librarian? Nominate that person for this award! The details are here, the nomination form is here, and nominations are due AUGUST 27.
The Jean Williams Sayre Innovation Award “recognizes individuals, groups, libraries, or organizations for their creative approaches to the delivery and management of health information.” The winner is given a certificate of recognition and $500 check at the chapter business meeting. The award information on the chapter website lists these as some examples of the kinds of accomplishments which might be recognized by this award:

  • Technological solutions or new technological applications
  • Software development or new applications for existing software
  • New or improved teaching methods
  • Organizational innovations or new marketing initiatives
  • New consumer health outreach initiatives
  • New roles for the library
  • Successful combination of a new job or job skill with traditional library work
  • Publications that describe successful innovative approaches to information delivery

So put on your thinking cap. Who could YOU nominate for this award? Do it today! Nominations are due AUGUST 27.