From Mary Markland, 2008 Midwest Chapter President
Library of the Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Fargo, ND
Well, it's that time when Clare, our superb editor, politely reminds me several times that I need to write something for the newsletter. So here it goes...
We held our spring executive board meeting on March 7th in Minneapolis. It was a little chilly, but I think everyone survived. I heard one person remark that they were excited to be in such cold weather. It wasn't anyone from the Upper Midwest!
Highlights from the meeting include updates from the conference planning committees. It sounds like the Troy, Michigan conference is going to be great. Ohio and Wisconsin are also moving ahead with their plans. Make sure and check out the Michigan conference website for more information on Vital Signs.
We also spent time reviewing our new technology and the website. We have added a new blog called ConnectMidwest for all chapter members. This is a place for us to chat about a variety of issues. The comment feature is turned on so please respond to the postings if you are so moved. The Communications Committee always welcomes extra eyes to take a look at our web page links and make suggestions for new resources to add. Another recent addition to our web presence is a Facebook group. You can now add it easily using the search function and looking for Medical Library Association Midwest Chapter.
As you know, we revamped our e-mail discussion lists when we went to the new ISP. One feature that was requested was the ability to send attachments. You'll be pleased to know that the chapter's e-mail discussion lists will accept attachments. The chapter members e-mail discussion list attachment feature will be moderated so it might take a little extra time for your message to appear.
Our budget remains healthy and our books have been audited with no problems found. Please get your membership renewals in and encourage others to join. It's probably the cheapest professional investment you can make. Membership forms are on the website.
While you're at the website, check out our Awards and Scholarships page. We have scholarships for attending the fall meeting along with the Jean Williams Sayre Innovation Award and the Librarian of the Year Award. The committee is looking for nominations for both. You can even nominate yourself for the Innovation Award!
We've had a few changes in our committee members. Janna Lawrence is the new chair of the Professional Practice Committee. Beth Carlin is our benchmarking liaison. I am looking for someone to be a web editor dealing with the content on our website while Allan Barclay remains our webmaster dealing with technical issues. Let me know if you might be interested.
We have two new special committees. First of all, we're taking a look at the bylaws. I know we just changed them, but a few things have come up that need to be clarified. Sheryl Stevens is the chair. She was on the original committee looking at the bylaws so she knows them well. We are also looking into contracting with a company to allow credit cards to be used for membership and conference registration. They might also handle registration for our conferences and even our membership database. This would certainly relieve a burden on the conference planning committees and the membership secretary. Bette Sydelko, Marlene Porter, and Karen Anderson are on the Online Finances Committee. I'll be following that one closely too as I think it is an import service for our chapter to offer.
Last but not least, you might be getting calls to run for office or serve on a committee. Please consider saying "yes." This is a fun group and the best way to learn about the chapter is by being an active participant. If you checked the interest box on the membership form, don't be surprised if you get a call one of these days!
I hope to see you in Chicago!