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From Mary Markland, 2008 Midwest Chapter President
Library of the Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Fargo, ND

I hope everyone got their License to Learn and License to Lead in Omaha! It was a great conference and I want to thank everyone who worked on the conference planning for making it such a success. The Midwest Chapter meeting is always the highlight of my fall. It helps me get energized for the long winter ahead.

2008 Officers:
President-Elect Deborah Lauseng, President Mary Markland,
and Immediate Past President Chris Shaffer

Besides seeing old friends and making new ones, I kept busy attending the sessions and helping with some of the work that makes this such a great chapter. Our executive board is top-notch and I am excited to carry on from Chris Shaffer. As you know, we changed our bylaws and this last year has been spent implementing some of the changes. We’ve established our committee charges and we are ready for the next task, an updated policy and procedure manual. It seems like we have a lot of verbal lore and miscellaneous notebooks that get handed down from committee chair to committee chair. We want to get that organized and up on the web so everyone knows their duties and when things need to get done. If you have been on a committee in the past and have some lurking documentation, I’m sure our Policies and Procedures Special Committee would be glad to see it. Please contact one of the committee members: Chris Shaffer, Sheryl Stevens, Eileen Stanley, or Rebecca Caton.

Our other big project from last year is our website redesign. The site went live the day before the meeting so you might not have seen it. It is a great improvement but remains a work in progress. Thanks to everyone who worked on its transfer to a new host and helped with the redesign. We are still interested in comments. Can you find what you are looking for? Are there things we left out? How do you feel about a blog? An RSS feed? Workspace to share documents and work on projects? We want the site to be not just a place to find out where the next conference is but to be a place to connect with each other. Please let us know your opinions. The Website Redesign Special Committee is still active and would love to hear from you.

I am excited about the coming year. I look forward to hearing from you throughout the year and possibly seeing you at the spring executive board meeting (March 7th in Minneapolis) or at the annual conference in Troy, Michigan. It sounds like they are planning a terrific program for us. Make sure and put October 18th - 21st, 2008 on your calendar!

Submitted by Melissa L. Rethlefsen
Learning Resource Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

What is social bookmarking?

Simply, social bookmarking is bookmarking in public. This accomplishes two things: first, your bookmarks are accessible not just from one computer, but from anywhere you can access the web; and second, instead of having a huge list of disorganized bookmarks or favorites in your browser, you have a database of tagged bookmarks where it's easy to find just what you need.

What are the social bookmarking tools?

del.icio.us: del.icio.us is pretty much synonymous with social bookmarking. It was the first social bookmarking tool, and though it has spawned dozens of clones and wannabes, del.icio.us still reigns supreme, it's the best at what it does, it has the most users, and basically I can't say enough good things about it. The del.icio.us crew is working on an overhaul of the whole system (to be formally renamed delicious.com) that promises to make del.icio.us even better than it is now. I, for one, will have a lot of trouble learning how to type delicious without the dots, however. (Try also: Ma.gnolia, BlinkList, unalog, Simpy, Google Shared Stuff)

Connotea: The Nature Publishing Group are social software innovators, and their version of del.icio.us, Connotea, is just one example of this innovative spirit. Connotea takes the model of del.icio.us and makes it relevant to scientists. It specializes in bookmarking scientific and medical journal articles, and is thus often called a social reference manager or an academic social bookmarking tool. It can parse out all the citation information for journal articles and books from a number of different publishers and web sites, including Amazon.com, PubMed, and of course all the Nature journals, and allows the data it gathers to be exported to regular citation managers like EndNote. (Try also: CiteULike, Bibsonomy)

PeerClip: PeerClip is one of a new breed of population-specific social bookmarking tools, this one geared just to physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants (that's right, no librarians allowed). Right now, the site is in beta and can't verify your credentials just yet, but the plan is to run each member through a verification system to make sure that the community is exclusive. Other than its exclusivity, its only real difference from del.icio.us is that it doesn't work as well. (Try also: CiteMD)

diigo: diigo's twist to the social bookmarking arena is social annotation. diigo has featured prominently in Michael Wesch's videos of the future of the web (The Machine is Us/ing Us and Information R/evolution), where Wesch uses diigo to mark up and annotate web pages. And watch diigo's introductory video to see their thanks. Social annotation means that you can mark up and leave sticky notes on web pages, and everyone who is a diigo user can see them. This is an excellent research tool. (Try also: diigo WebSlides, Trailfire, Clipmarks, SharedCopy, Fleck)

What about using social bookmarking in a medical library?

I see four reasons for using social bookmarking in a medical library: personal productivity, teaching our clients how to use them for their personal productivity, sharing web resources with other staff, and creating subject guides. Each and every one of these four reasons is covered in depth in the resources I've listed below, but to get you started, here are a few ideas and examples.

Personal productivity: Using del.icio.us, CiteULike, diigo, or any other social bookmarking tool is a great start to making your life easier. Every one of us has at one time seen something great on the web, and three months later, when it would be really useful, couldn't find it again. Social bookmarking changes all that. Because your bookmarks are basically in a database, there is no reason whatsoever to skimp on bookmarking anything; you can bookmark everything you want and still be able to find it again. It all boils down to tagging, assigning keywords to your bookmarks. If you tag it, you can find it.

Keeping track of what you've seen is great, but there's another reason to use a social bookmarking tool for personal productivity, social networking. In nearly every social bookmarking tool, you can keep track of what other people (total strangers who happen to like what you like or your best friends) bookmark. If you find someone that bookmarks regularly on topics you are interested in, subscribe to their RSS feed or add them to your network (in del.icio.us), you may be able to cut down on that list of blogs you track. Plus, if you can convince your friends and colleagues to join up, you can easily send them links without having to resort to the old copy/paste/email method.

Teaching our clients: What holds true for us holds true for our clients. Social bookmarking can make everyone's information life easier. Scientists may gravitate to Connotea and physicians to PeerClip, but any social bookmarking tool will do. Some librarians, notably Patricia Anderson at the University of Michigan, have already begun teaching del.icio.us to their clients. Follow her lead!

Sharing web resources with staff: One of the most common library uses of del.icio.us is to create a database of shared links for reference desk staff. If you have a joint account, everyone can add, search, or browse bookmarks, plus you can subscribe to the RSS feed to get updated when any new links are added. If you want to get really fancy, you can use an RSS to Javascript tool like Feed2JS to roll the new links on a staff web page.

Subject guides: There have been a couple of good blog posts recently about subject guides 2.0. With the retirement of HealthWeb, it's pretty clear that the old ways of disseminating good web resources to our clients is changing; keeping static web pages up to date is time-consuming, requires technology skills not everyone may have, and makes for easily out-of-date web pages. Using social bookmarking tools to create subject guides alleviates some of these problems by making it easy to add new web sites to your subject guides in a matter of seconds with no knowledge of HTML or web development tools needed.

Resources

Basics

Submitted by Ed Holtum, Chair, 2007 Joint Annual Meeting Publicity Committee
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

The Missouri River was the gathering point for camaraderie, fun, entertainment, and education as well over 200 participants from sixteen states gathered for the Joint Midwest/Midcontinental MLA Chapter Meeting in Omaha. “License to Learn/License to Lead” proved to be a memorable experience as evidenced by the many comments received by the Planning Committee:

For those of you who attended, you’ll have your own favorite moments. Perhaps it was the classy and sumptuous reception at the McGoogan Library listening to the Mainstring Jazz Quintet while downing delicious delicacies, or seeing a colleague win a well-deserved award. Perhaps it was one or more of the well-received plenary speakers or a paper or poster that struck your fancy and inspired or ignited your imagination. You may have learned something quite special at one of the many, well-attended CE classes or spent some valuable schmoozing time with a vendor at an exhibit or a breakfast session.

The drizzly weather did not curtail the many Omaha epicurean experiences made possible through the varied “dine-arounds.” And who could forget the wonderful secret agent performance by “Shaffer...Chris Shaffer” and “Lander...Jim Lander,” the musical nightcap with Kenny O and T. Scott, and to top off the evening, the fetching and sinuous Rebecca Graves, designated belly-dancer of the Midcontinental Region whose memorable fund-raising performance established a new level in practice guidelines.

Kudos to the various planning committees, speakers, presenters, and the multitudes who worked so hard to make this conference a success. Next year the Midwest and Midcontinental groups will once again go their separate ways. In the meantime, take some time to go to the conference blog and relive your Omaha experience.

Submitted by Deborah Lauseng, 2007 Midwest Chapter Secretary
Taubman Medical Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

This year, President Chris Shaffer and the Executive Board have working on updating committee charges in light of the new bylaws. Committee charges were drafted during the spring executive board meeting, and approved this fall by the board. The standing committees include: Annual Meetings, Awards & Scholarships, Communications, Finance, Governmental Relations, Membership, Nominations & Elections, Professional Practice, and State Liaisons. The list of committee charges and rosters can be found on the chapter website under the business tab.

The new chapter website was unveiled during the board meeting. Appreciation was expressed to the members of the Website Redesign Special Committee, and to Allan Barclay, Webmaster. The website redesign group has been reappointed for another year to continue working through the changes, and to develop a members only section, an intranet and a membership directory.

For 2008, another special committee has been appointed. The Policies and Procedures Special Committee will collect existing policy and procedure documents, recommend revisions or new policies and procedures, published the final group of documents on the Midwest Chapter’s intranet. Members of the committee include: Chris Shaffer (Chair), Sheryl Stevens, Eileen Stanley, and Rebecca Caton.

The Membership Committee will be seeking student member volunteers to assist with designing a Midwest Chapter/MLA promotional banner that can be used by the state liaisons. Bette Sydelko will be overseeing this project. The committee also updated the membership brochure and distributed to the state liaisons to use with their recruitment efforts.

The State Liaison Committee, a new standing committee, has been busy during this year helping to recruit new members through the various communications and contacts with the state health sciences library organizations, promoting the attendance at the 2007 Joint Meeting in Omaha, and assisting with the Omaha meeting registration activities.

The full reports of the Executive Board officers and committees are located on the chapter website under the business tab.

Prepared by Marlene Porter, Midwest Chapter Treasurer
Mulford Health Science Library, University of Toledo Health Science Campus, Toledo, OH

The Financial Statement November 16, 2007 shows a beginning balance of $68,178.92 and an ending balance of $53,926.11, for a net decrease of $14,252.8. This is due to expenses for the 2007 Annual Meeting and payout to 2006 Annual Meeting hosts. See the updated 2007 account link: http://midwestmla.org/board/treasurer/2007.xls for details.

Submitted by Sheryl Stevens, Chair, Midwest Chapter Scholarship and Awards Committee
Carlson Library, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH

Peggy Richwine, Outreach Services Director at Indiana University School of Medicine Libraries, is the 2007 recipient of the Midwest Chapter/MLA Distinguished Librarian of the Year Award. The Award was announced and presented at the chapter’s 2007 Annual Business Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska on October 15.

Peggy Richwine and Sheryl Stevens

Peggy’s invaluable contributions to the health sciences library profession, to health science library organizations, and to the health of her community have spanned 20+ years. She was described in one of the nomination letters that the Chapter's Awards & Scholarships Committee received as: “…truly our hero. I can’t imagine where our state and adjacent regions would be in terms of health information if we had not been the benefactors of her vision, work, enthusiasm & leadership.” She was also described as: “a dedicated teacher,” “an outstanding mentor,” “an energetic collaborator,” “a technology innovator,” and “an exemplary librarian who is constantly moving the profession forward, taking every opportunity to share her excitement and knowledge with her colleagues.” In addition, her leadership skills were deemed exceptional: “She encourages others to serve, she guides us, she advises us, and she leads by example.”

The Midwest Chapter’s Distinguished Librarian of the Year Award recognizes members who have made outstanding professional contributions to health sciences librarianship and the Chapter. The award was established and first presented in 2005. Previous winners are Christopher Shaffer (2005) and Carole Gilbert (2006).

Congratulations, Peggy!

Brenda Fay and Brooke Billman
"Show the Money"

Submitted by Brooke L. Billman

Education and Outreach Librarian
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

I am very lucky to have received the Midwest Chapter Annual Meeting Scholarship which enabled me to attend the Joint Chapter meeting this year in Omaha. I can definitely say that I benefited by being able to meet and network with librarians in neighboring states as well as those who work in the same “neck of the woods” as I do. I was fortunate to have met some great people who live and work near me and because of this conference I made some fantastic connections.

Because of this scholarship not only was I able to attend all days of the conference but I was also able to attend two continuing education classes taught by Peg Allen. As a nursing liaison, I am glad that I was able to take advantage of the expertise that was available at this local meeting.

The posters and sessions gave me a chance to exchange ideas with colleagues and get up to date on the research that is happening all around me. Although all I was able to learn many things from all aspects of the conference, I especially enjoyed the speakers. Rivkah Sass and Fred Lee very much resonated with me. Ms. Sass reminded us to open up our minds and think of how to alter ideas in order to target patrons. Thinking “outside of the box” can really help to connect with our users in an extraordinary way. Mr. Lee’s message on providing service to our patrons that is above and beyond is vital for our profession. He really put a spin on public service and going that extra mile to keep the patron in mind when providing services. We don’t just want satisfied patrons; we want “very satisfied” patrons!

After several days of learning, networking, and enjoying the company of my fellow librarians I left refreshed and filled with many ideas of how to reach out to the populations that I work with. Again, I would like to thank the Scholarship Committee for awarding me this scholarship and allowing me the opportunity to take advantage of all that the Joint Meeting had to offer!

Submitted by Betsy Bromley

Student Reference Assistant
Ebling Health Sciences Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

Omaha, Nebraska: Home of good people, good steaks, and good times. Omaha was also, for an all-too-brief time in October of 2007, host to a spirited group of medical librarians from all over the middle part of the United States. As the recipient of one of the Midwest Chapter’s Annual Conference Scholarships, I was able to attend the conference, something that would have been impossible without the chapter’s financial support.

I was thrilled to hear that I had received the scholarship, in part because I had never attended a professional conference. I had no idea what to expect, but I was excited nonetheless. My colleagues at the Ebling Health Sciences Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison assured me that the conference would be great, and they were right. It was amazing: Over here were dozens of enticing presentations. Over there were the wonderful speakers. Around every corner there was another friendly librarian willing to talk about their experiences in the field. And there was chocolate. Oh, was there chocolate! I’m still saving the cookie the hotel gave me, as one last sweet reminder of my weekend in Omaha.

The annual conference was overwhelming in the very best possible way. I met so many knowledgeable people who were happy to discuss issues in the field of medical librarianship. I left Nebraska with my nifty red conference folder stuffed to bursting with notes from the excellent presentations, ideas for future projects, contact information for helpful librarians, and a whole lot of new pencils from the vendors. In the coming months, as I finish library school and begin my career, I know I will put all of those items to use. Especially those pencils!

But in all seriousness, I wish to thank the Midwest Chapter for making it possible for me to attend the conference. I look forward to seeing more of my midwestern colleagues at future meetings! Once again, thank you very much.

Submitted by Brenda Fay

Lead Librarian
Aurora Libraries, Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI

Thank you so much for awarding me the $500 new professional grant to attend the 2007 Joint MCMLA conference. Because of this award I was able to attend the full conference as well as a CE opportunity. I also had a little free time to explore the Old Market as well as Omaha’s world-class Henry Dourly Zoo…if you haven’t been there check out the bat cave and swamp on your next visit!

I was especially interested to hear about health sciences libraries and marketing. To this end I was able to attend several sessions on this topic. It was very helpful to hear of the successes and failures of library promotions in “Adventures in Marketing” with Linda Bunyon and “Case Studies in Marketing and Promoting to Health Sciences Students” with Elizabeth Smigielski.

I also enjoyed the poster session, along with the keynote speech from Omaha Public Library Director Rivkah Sass. I especially took to heart her message of librarians supporting libraries of all kinds (not just our own field or specialty). I’m sure everyone else who attended the NLM/MLA breakfast on Monday morning agrees that it was well worth the early wake-up call to see MLA President, Mark Funk’s miming of parts of his presentation due to laryngitis.

In addition to the “meat” of the conference, the presentations and programs, I enjoyed meeting with other professionals in the field. My professional circle has grown tremendously because of “License to Learn, License to Lead.” I met many health sciences librarians that I hope to collaborate with and learn from in the future.

Thank you again for this wonderful opportunity.

Submitted by Jason Young
Genesis Medical Center, Davenport, IA

Chris Crutcher, a writer and family therapist whose young adult books have been frequently challenged, delivered an inspiring keynote talk before nearly 1,000 librarians during the opening day of the 2007 Iowa Library Association conference on October 11 in Coralville, Iowa. The Iowa Library Association Health Sciences Subdivision held its business meeting later that afternoon after sponsoring two presentations: "Your 'What' Hurts? Researching Consumer Health Resources on the Web" and "Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America's Women Physicians." In the first presentation Kathy Skhal, Clinical Education Librarian at Hardin Library for the Health Sciences at the University of Iowa, demonstrated how to find reliable health information to a room of mostly public librarians. Later that day, Kristi Bontrager, Coordinator of Public Relations, University of Iowa Libraries, discussed the National Library of Medicine's exhibit and the planning involved to be selected to display the exhibit.

Iowa resource library Des Moines University (DMU) has received a $1.9 million federal grant in order to improve access to health care in rural Iowa. The project will allow DMU to develop four Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) in communities north of I-80 that will focus on training health care providers in the surrounding area.

The other resource library, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, has received three subcontracts from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Greater Midwest Region. They focus on outreach to the greater Iowa community, patient safety information training for healthcare professionals, and Go Local funding to link Iowa resources to the MedlinePlus database for consumers. Elizabeth Nummela, a graduate student in the department of Library and Information Science, has been hired as technical manager of the Iowa Go Local site.

At the subdivision's spring meeting in Des Moines, Holly Ann Burt taught "Patient Safety Resource Seminar: Librarians on the Front Lines." Larry Marquardt of DMU was elected as chair for 2008 and Paula Whannell of Iowa Methodist Medical Center was elected as chair for 2009.

Submitted by Patricia Martin

The Michigan Health Sciences Libraries Association held their 34th annual conference in Bay City, Michigan, September 26-28. The Doubletree Hotel, right on the banks of the Saginaw River, was the center of activity, and fit right in with the theme, “Navigating the Sea of Information.”

The conference was rich in CE opportunities, with a total of 26 hours offered, some concurrent. "Ethnic Awareness and Health Information Resources: Chicken Soup and Crawdad Gumbo" and "Beyond an Apple a Day" provided resources and considerations for providing health information to consumers and to ethnically diverse users. Three other classes used the very nice computers labs at the Delta College Planetarium and Learning Center, just a stone’s throw from the conference hotel. To mention just one specifically, Sandy Swanson taught "Introduction to RSS & Blogging for Librarians" and continues her mission in promoting the MHSLA Blog. For pure fun, we had an interesting presentation by Doc Choc (Dr. Patrick F. Fields, MSU) on chocolate, followed by a yummy tasting session.

Our keynote was given by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, speaking on "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Library." They are the creators of Unshelved, a comic strip about libraries. They provided some good laughs and worked on our ball catching skills.

At the business meeting, Janet Zimmerman accepted the president's gavel and Mike Simmons was awarded recognition as The Librarian of the Year. But the highlight of the that meeting was the invitation to the 2008 Midwest/MHSLA Conference "Vital Signs: Keeping You and Your Library Vibrant and Healthy." The conference will be held at the Troy, Michigan Marriott.

I hope this gives you a sense of our conference. It is hard to mention everything, but be assured we had a great dinner event at that same planetarium, we had interesting posters, and we had, as usual, much support from and good conversations with our vendors. Please visit our website section for the conference, with presentation slides and handouts.

From Mary Markland, 2008 Midwest Chapter President
Library of the Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Fargo, ND

The Health Science Information Section of the North Dakota Library Association met in Jamestown on September 27, 2007 as part of the annual NDLA Conference. The conference theme was “Laughing with Librarians: Becoming Unhinged and Unshelved!” After donning our jester hats, we set out to have a good time while still taking care of business. The biggest item of business was our discussion of the North Dakota GoLocal project. The University of North Dakota Library of the Health Sciences recently received the award for this project and they are asking for the assistance of all the health science librarians in the state. Jacqueline Lescovec from the GMR was our guest. She was the winner of the friendliest exhibitor award given by the New Members Roundtable! The HSIS program was also held on September 27th. We had two speakers from the Fargo VA Hospital speaking on “Lighten Up! How to Take Your Work Seriously, Yourself Lightly!” One of the other highlights of the meeting was the Friday luncheon with Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, the creators of the Unshelved comic strip.

Submitted by Shirley Lewis
Walsh University Library, North Canton, OH

Twenty-two members of the Ohio State Health Sciences Library Association (OHSLA) met Friday October 19, 2007 at South Pointe Hospital in Warrensville Heights. Participants enjoyed morning and afternoon sessions of an MLA continuing education program. “Patient Safety Resource Seminar: Librarians on the Front Lines” was presented by Holly Burt, Outreach and Exhibits Coordinator for the Greater Midwest Region (GMR). After lunch a business meeting was convened by President Michelle Kraft. Treasurer Susi Miller reported that membership stood at 71 with 65 renewals. The Regional Advisory Council update was given by Shirley Lewis. One of the areas that will be addressed by the region over the next year will be the library role in disaster planning and response. Program Committee Chair Marlene Porter reported the next meeting will be April 4 in Columbus with a program on Health Literacy. Ohio Council of Library and Information Services (OCLIS) representative Brian Hickman reported that OHIONET was putting up the OCLIS website and there are plans for a blog. They are continuing to look at a statewide borrowing system. Holly Burt presented an update from the GMR and Nomination Committee Chair Ximena Chrisagis asked that any recommendations or volunteers for officers be sent to a member of the committee. Marlene Derrick reported that the Hospital Advocacy Committee prepared a brochure on hospital library services for hospital administrators. Copies were available to view. Marlene Porter updated the group for the Midwest Chapter 2009 Planning Committee. The Midwest Chapter 2009 Annual Conference will be held in Columbus with OHSLA hosting the event.

Eileen Stanley is now Senior Information Scientist for Ecolab, Inc. Her new contact information is: 651-795-5450 and eileen.stanley[at]ecolab.com.

Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Ellen Geraghty, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL who passed away September 12, 2007. Read her obituary here.

Submitted by Pam Rees and Karen Hanus
Midwest Chapter Representatives to the MLA Chapter Council

We both attended the MLA Chapter Council Meeting on May 19, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chapter Council is one of two MLA councils serving in an advisory capacity to the MLA Board of Directors. There are fourteen chapters, each of which elects two representatives to serve on Chapter Council for a period of three years. Chapter Council represents the interests of the Chapters at the Board level. It serves as the communicating body between MLA and the chapters as well as expediting communication between chapters through the chapter representatives. The Council provides a means of sharing experiences and programs among chapters and serves as a forum for identifying and discussing problems and concerns of chapters.

Communication between the chapters and MLA is accomplished in a number of ways. There is a chapter page at http://www.mlanet.org/chapters/chapters.html that directs users to the different chapter pages where you can find out who the officers are, information about belonging to the chapters, and chapter activities. This page also has information about the Chapter Council as well as policies and procedures that apply to all chapters. The web site also directs users to other links on the MLANET site where you can find out more about MLA. This summer, the MLANET site was revised with a new interface, making it easier to locate specific areas of interest.

MLA offers a variety of awards and prizes to individuals and chapters. The deadlines for applications for many of these awards are due November 1st each year. Reminders of these deadlines are communicated to the chapter representatives who pass them along via chapter listservs. MLA members receive the MLA Bulletin which has articles in the Chapter News Column about Chapter Council and/or individual Chapter activities. Chapter newsletters are also sources of information about MLA and Chapter Council when chapter representatives submit information.

Another communication channel from Chapter Council to the chapters is through MLA committee liaisons. Chapter Council has liaisons to the chapters for continuing education, membership, and credentialing. These liaisons serve as the communicators between these committees, Chapter Council, and the 14 MLA chapters.

In addition, Mark E. Funk, the 2007/2008 President of MLA, welcomes comments and suggestions. You can e-mail him at president@mlahq.org. Mark’s theme is “Only Connect”. He has an “Only Connect” blog at: http://president.mlanet.org/mfunk/.

A major activity of Chapter Council at MLA annual conferences is to sponsor an event called Chapter Council Presents Sharing Roundtables. Participants gather for lunch at tables of 8-10 people to discuss a topic that is of interest to them. There was a choice of thirty topics this year from which to choose. This is a very popular event which attracts over 300 participants. Attendance is optional and the cost is usually around $25.00. The Midwest Chapter and MLA sponsor scholarships to this event. More details about this will be available next spring. Summary reports of the discussions are available online on the MLANET Chapter Council page.

Chapter Council and Section Council jointly sponsored a plenary session at the 2007 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. The focus of the session entitled “Health Information Literacy: Evolution in Roles” featured the partnering with the health care team and the role of librarians.

MLA's 2007 benchmarking data collection website is now open! Available October 12, 2007 to December 31, 2007, data entry is open to all health libraries, including nonmembers. For more information, go to: http://www.mlanet.org/resources/benchmark07/.

MLA has a new Social Networking Software Task Force (SNSTF) blog.The SNSTF is working on recommended Web 2.0 software, suggested guidelines for using Web 2.0 technologies, and tips and tricks for MLA units wanting to use blogs or wikis to collaborate. For more information, go to: http://sns.mlanet.org/blog/.

MLA Membership renewals for 2008 will be processed online. Membership renewals will no longer be sent through the mail except to those who do not have online access.

Six new Medspeak brochures have been published on the following topics: breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, eye diseases, stroke, and HIV/AIDS.

Watch for a membership survey that will be sent out soon.

The theme of MLA ’08 is “Connections: Bridging the Gaps "in Chicago, May 16-21, 2008. An MLA ’08 blog is on MLANET at http://npc.mlanet.org/mla08/.

MLA offers a variety of scholarships and grants to assist qualified students in graduate library science programs and to enable practicing health sciences librarians to take advantage of opportunities for continuing professional development. The application deadline for most of the MLA grants and scholarships is December 1, 2007. For a listing and application forms go to: http://www.mlanet.org/awards/grants/.

Submitted by Ruth Holst
NN/LM, Greater Midwest Region University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL

We have a new deadline for the Professional Development Award: December 10, 2007.

The Professional Development Award is intended to enable individuals to expand their professional knowledge and experience to better manage their libraries and to provide improved health information access to health care professionals and consumers. Money is available to fund three awards for up to $1000 each. Eligibility is targeted to individuals working in Primary Access Libraries that are "Full" network members. Go to:
http://nnlm.gov/gmr/funding/profdev/individual/profdevrfp.html for more information.

We also offer Professional Instruction Awards for up to $1500 to Full members. The purpose of this award is to support a network member in the sponsorship of a workshop, technology fair or forum, or other professional educational activity that will assist network members in developing their skills and knowledge, and enhance their abilities as participants in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM). There is no specific deadline for the Professional Instruction Award. Go to:
http://nnlm.gov/gmr/funding/profdev/institution/profinstrrfp.html for more information.

Submitted by Mary K. Taylor
Morris Library, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL

Lisa Berrones is a Student Reference Librarian at the Ebling Health Sciences Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to staffing the reference desk, she creates and maintains subject guide pages. Her professional interests include consumer health, bioinformatics, information architecture and database management. Lisa, who is from Gurnee, IL, has an undergraduate degree in Genetics. She is attending the School of Library and Information Studies at UW-Madison, and will graduate in 2008.

Brooke L. Billman is Education and Outreach Librarian at the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences at the University of Iowa. She is the liaison to the College of Nursing, and the Nursing, Family Medicine, and Psychiatry Departments at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Brooke’s interests include nursing information, distance education, and learner-centered teaching. She also teaches classes on searching and conducts one-on-one consultations with faculty, staff, and students. Brooke holds an undergraduate degree in Women’s Studies from Bowling Green State University (Ohio). She is a 2006 graduate of the University of Arizona’s School of Information Resources and Library Science. This native of Sullivan, OH, enjoys “Caring for my spunky 10 year old Cocker Spaniel, reading, sewing, learning Hebrew, [and] cycling.”

Marci Brandenburg provides references services as a Student Library Assistant at the University of Michigan Health Sciences Libraries. Her interests include medical informatics, bioinformatics, general sciences, and health sciences. She has an undergraduate degree in Biology from Bowdoin College, a Master’s degree in Biology from Ohio University, and will receive her Master’s degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Information in Spring 2008. Marci’s home town is Atlanta, GA.

Betsy Bromley is a Student Reference Assistant at the Ebling Health Sciences Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison. She provide reference services at the desk, develops subject guides, and assists librarians with other projects as requested. Betsy, who has an undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will graduate from that institution’s School of Library and Information Studies in May, 2008. Her home town is Lancaster, WI.

Jodi Jameson is the College of Nursing Librarian at the Mulford Health Science Library on the University of Toledo Health Science Campus in her home town of Toledo, OH. As the liaison to the College, she provides reference and research assistance to students, faculty, and staff. She also does all the collection development for nursing materials, and enjoys being a guest lecturer in various nursing courses. Jodi also serves as the library representative for the UT Medical Center's Nursing Research Council. She states, “It is very worthwhile and rewarding to run literature searches for busy (yet appreciative!) staff nurses, and eventually see that research being applied to nursing practice.” Jodi received her MLIS from Kent State University in 2005, having previously majored in English and minored in Art History as an undergraduate at Lourdes College. She adds, “One of my greatest pastimes is shopping for new clothes, shoes, and handbags! I also enjoy cooking, reading, and watching old movies. My current source of daily entertainment is my newly adopted calico kitten Neely. She is a true bundle of energy and curiosity.”

Stacey Knight-Davis is a librarian at the Booth Library, Eastern Illinois University, in her home town of Charleston, IL. Her responsibilities include reference, instruction, and collection development for Health Studies, Nursing, Geology, Geography, and Physics. Stacey has an undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and received a Master’s degree in 2001 from that institution’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science. She also has an M.S. in Technology from Eastern Illinois University.

Janna Lawrence is Assistant Library Director for Collections and Outreach at the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences at the University of Iowa. Her main responsibilities include collection development, administration, and reference and education. She is also the library's liaison to the College of Public Health. She states, “Although my current job consists of mostly collection development and administration, I am a public services person at heart. If we aren't constantly thinking about our clientele and how they use the library and its resources, we're not doing our job.” Janna received her MLIS from the University of Texas at Austin. She has an undergraduate degree in Rhetoric from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a native of Raymond, IL (near Springfield), but has spent the past twenty-three years in San Antonio, TX. She adds, “Although leaving San Antonio was a difficult decision, I'm really happy to be back in the Midwest, where my roots, and most of my family, are.” She says she is “a rather obsessive knitter” and likes to bake “and do all sorts of crafty stuff (scrapbooking, stamping, needlework).”

Michael McGraw is Reference and User Services Librarian at the Health Center Library (part of Cleveland Health Sciences Library) at Case Western Reserve University. In addition to his primary role in reference, he is responsible for circulation, does “some cataloging,” and provides one-on-one and group bibliographic instruction via appointment, faculty invitation, and scheduled tutorials. Mike has taken continuing education classes in Evidence-Based Practice, and is the subject specialist in that area for the library. His other professional interests include literature searching and reference and instruction. He received his undergraduate degree in Government at Harvard University, and is a 2003 graduate of the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University. This Toledo, OH native’s hobbies and interests include “exercise, quality cinema, Celtic folk-rock music, [and] major league baseball.”

Katie Mihaly is a Library Media Technical Assistant 1 in Circulation and Interlibrary Loan at the Mulford Library on the University of Toledo Health Science Campus in her home town of Toledo, OH. She will receive her MLIS in December 2007 from Wayne State University. She has an undergraduate degree in Literature and Women’s Studies from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, OH. She adds, “With an undergraduate degree firmly in the humanities, I never would have thought about working in the medical library field, but Mulford happened to be the only library in my area that was hiring when I started, a year ago April. I love it because I feel like I am making a concrete difference in people's lives, and I am learning all kinds of medical concepts and terminology (good for crossword puzzles and Scrabble). I enjoy working with the incredibly hardworking medical students and the sometimes eccentric faculty and staff. I can definitely see myself continuing in a medical library after I graduate, and that's why I joined the Midwest Chapter MLA.”

Sandra Lee Nickell is a work-study graduate student at the University of Kentucky Medical Center Library. Her duties include loading electronic journal records into the Voyager ILS for display in the OPAC, copy cataloging electronic journal records, cataloging graduate theses, and searching OCLC Connexion. Her professional interests include “technical services, especially serials, electronic journals, theses, and acquisitions.” Sandra will graduate December 14, 2007 from the University of Kentucky School of Library and Information Science. This Hazel Green, KY native has an undergraduate degree in Sociology from Eastern Kentucky University. Her interests include yoga, bicycling, and pets.

Meredith Orlowski is an Information Services Librarian in the Academic IT & Libraries (AIT&L) department of the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, where she works at the customer service desks, teaches classes, and conducts software training. Her professional interests include “tinkering with new technologies.” Meredith’s home town is Huntington, NY. She has a degree in Business from Wake Forest University, and received her MLIS from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She adds, “I graduated from library school in December 2005. I worked at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine while in library school and then for a short time after. I had to move to Cincinnati because my now husband enrolled at UC, where I was fortunate enough to get a position. I’ve been at UC since September 2006 and am enjoying myself very much!”

Sue Raymond is a solo Hospital Librarian at the University Hospital Library, University of Louisville Healthcare. She performs general reference, literature searching, and document delivery for the University Hospital staff and University’s medical students, residents, and faculty. She also serves on the hospital research committee and attends residents’ conferences in the OB GYN department. Her professional interests include Evidence-based Medicine and Web page development. Sue has an undergraduate degree in Biology from Georgetown College in Georgetown, KY. She received her MLIS from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1971. Her hobbies include rug hooking, bridge, sewing, and reading. Sue, a native of Whitesburg, KY, adds, “I was a long time member of the South Central Chapter, and worked quite a few years at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. Those of you who may have known me in a "previous life" might like to know that I moved back to my home state of Kentucky following my husband, Harvey's death in 2005. We were in Omaha, NE, which is a terrific city, but my heart strings were pulling me here. My daughter, Emily and her husband Matt have a beautiful 1 year old son, William Alexander! They live in Independence, MO; I will see them for Christmas. I am happy here with my two black kitties ;>).”

Susan Schleper is Health Science Librarian at the Health Science Library of the St. Cloud Hospital/CentraCare Health System. She says, “I do a little bit of everything from literature reviews to shelving books - I like the variety.” She is interested in how librarians fit into the evidence-based practice process. This 2000 graduate of the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has a degree in International Relations with an emphasis in Latin American Studies from the same university. Susan was born in Japan, but considers San Marcos, TX her home town because she lived there for twenty years. Her interests include movies and singing. She adds, “I have a wonderful family - three daughters ages 2, 5, and 6 - oh, and a great husband too. Needless to say they take a lot of energy. I did work at St. Cloud State University as an assistant professor and had worked in academic libraries for many years. However, when I was in ‘library school’ I enjoyed my course work in special libraries - so I'm glad to be in a new environment and learning about medical librarianship. I'm very glad to be here at St. Cloud Hospital!

Mary Ann Upchurch is Librarian at the Health Sciences Library in the Covenant Medical Center of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Iowa in Waterloo, IA. She manages “day-to-day operations of the library and provides knowledge-based information for use inpatient care, education, research and management.” She received her MLIS from Valdosta State University and has an undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia. Mary Ann is a native of Commerce, GA. She adds, “Medical librarianship is new to me. I worked at the Commerce Public Library prior to moving to Waterloo, IA.”

Submitted by Mary Markland, 2008 Midwest Chapter President
Library of the Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Fargo, ND

Executive Board

Mary Markland, President, 2008
Deborah Lauseng, President-Elect, 2008
Chris Shaffer, Immediate Past President, 2008
Marlene Porter, Treasurer, 2008-2009
Bette Sydelko, Membership Secretary, 2007-2008
Nancy O'Brien, Representative at Large, 2007-2008
Elizabeth Smigielski, Recording Secretary, 2008-2009
Pam Rees, Representative to the MLA Chapter Council, 2007-2010
Karen Hanus, Alternate Representative to the MLA Chapter Council, 2007-2010

*All members of the Executive Board are elected by the membership.

Other Officers

Bryan Vogh, Parliamentarian, 2008
Rebecca Caton, Archivist, 2007-2008
Sue London, Auditor, 2008-2009
Ed Holtum, Potential Candidate to the MLA Nominating Committee, 2008

Annual Meetings Committee

Donna Barbour-Talley, Chair, 2008-2009
Chris Shaffer and Jim Lander, Iowa, 2007
Sandra Martin and Ellen O'Donnell, Michigan, 2008
Marlene Porter and Bette Sydelko, Ohio, 2009

*Local meeting planning chairs serve on committee until their final report is submitted.

Awards and Scholarships Committee

Sheryl Stevens, Chair, 2008-2009
Doreen Roberts, 2008-2009
Dottie Hawthorne, 2007-2008
Kaye Crampton, 2007-2008
Deborah Lauseng, President-Elect, 2008

*President-Elect serves on committee per bylaws, allowing for tiebreakers

Communications Committee

Karen Anderson, Chair, 2008
Clare Leibfarth, Editor, 2007-2008
Allan Barclay, Webmaster, 2008-2009
Mary Taylor, 2008-2009
Jason Young, 2008-2009

Finance Committee

Marlene Porter, Chair, 2008-2009
Wendy Hess, 2008-2009
Pat Redman, 2007-2008
Lisa Ann Urbatsch, 2007-2008
*Treasurer serves as chair.

Governmental Relations Committee

Julie Schneider, Chair, 2008-2009
Daneen Richardson, 2008-2009
Nancy Allee, 2007-2008
Ely Anderson, 2007-2008

Membership Committee

Bette Sydelko, Chair, 2007-2008
Kristina Howard, 2007-2008
Barbara Platts, 2008-2009
Camille Richmond, 2008-2009

*Membership Secretary serves as chair.

Nominations and Election Committee

Chris Shaffer, Chair 2008

*Members appointed by Immediate Past President, who chairs the committee.

Professional Practice Committee

Karla Block, 2008-2009, Chair 2008
Carolyn Martin, 2008
Sharon Kambeitz-Lumphrey, AHIP Liaison, 2007-2008
Deb Werner, 2008-2009

State Liaisons Committee

Nancy O'Brien, Chair, 2007-2008
Beth Carlin, Illinois
Joan Zivich, Indiana
Elaine Hughes, Iowa
Ann Schaap, Kentucky
Pat Martin, Michigan
Sharon Kambeitz-Lumphrey, Minnesota
Barb Knight, North Dakota
Lisa McCormick, Ohio
Karen Hanus, Wisconsin

*Representative at Large serves as chair.
Members appointed by state health sciences library associations.

Web Site Redesign Special Committee 2007-2008

Brian Finnegan, Chair
Rebecca Holz
Mary Congleton

Policy and Procedures Special Committee 2008

Chis Shaffer, Chair
Sheryl Stevens
Rebecca Caton
Eileen Stanley

*Special committees are appointed by the president to fulfill specific tasks.
The Web Site Redesign Special Committee will work under the guidance of the Communications Committee.

MIDLINE is published in electronic format four times a year by the Midwest Chapter/Medical Library Association. The newsletter archives are available at http://midwestmla.org/midline-archive/. Statements and positions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily represent the official positions of the chapter, the chapter executive board, or the editor. Contributions from all chapter members are welcomed and encouraged.

Copy deadlines for future issues are as follows:

Winter 2008: January 15, 2008
Spring 2008: April 15, 2008
Summer 2008: July 15, 2008
Fall 2008: October 15, 2008

Contributions may be edited for brevity, clarity, or conformance to style. The Medical Library Association Style Manual, available at http://mlanet.org/publications/style, provides guidelines for MIDLINE contributors. All copy should be submitted in electronic format to the editor, Clare Leibfarth (email: leibfarth@oucom.ohiou.edu). Photos should be submitted as .jpeg files.

Mailing address changes should be reported to: Bette Sydelko, Membership Secretary, Midwest Chapter/MLA, Fordham Health Sciences Library, 125D Medical Sciences Bldg., Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435 (e-mail: bette.sydelko@wright.edu).

The Midwest Chapter/Medical Library Association website is located at http://midwestmla.org.

Clare Leibfarth, Editor
Medical Library
Affinity Medical Center, Doctors Campus
400 Austin Avenue N.W., Massillon, OH 44646