Role of Associations

1
Role of Associations

• Ties profession together
• Networking
• Art of the possible
• Publications
• Advocacy and lobbying
• Research
• Statistics

2
Ties Profession Together

• Defines profession
• Certification
• Enculturation
• Historical knowledge and appreciation
• Sets priorities
• Established and chronicles trends

3
Medical Library Association

• Founded in 1898
• 1,100 Institutions and 3,600 Professionals
• Sections, SIGs, and Chapters
• Publishes BMLA (in 2002, JMLA)
• Annual Meeting (Doe lecture, papers given)
• Certification of Medical Librarians (AHIP) since
  1990.

4
Networking and Communication

• National, Regional and Local
• MLA Listserv and Website
• JMLA (used to be BMLA)
• Meetings - annual and regional

5
Advocacy, Lobbying, and Support

• AAHSL/MLA Joint Legislative Task Force
• Problem-solving at individual and org levels
• Pricing and licensing issues
• Compensation

6
Continuing Education

• Roster of MLA Courses
• Offered widely and often
• Academy of Health Information Professionals
• Scholarships for professionals and students

7
Advances the Profession

• Through all of the previous methods
• Fosters research and publication
• Encourages lifelong learning

8
Annual MLA Meeting

• Presentation of papers
• Section meetings
• Networking - what others are doing
• Janet Doe Lecture
• NLM Update by Director/Deputy Director
• Awards and recognition

9
MLAs Current Focus

• Pricing and licensing of Journals
• Role of the librarian, information specialist,
  informationist . . . . . .
• Downsizing/elimination of hospital libraries
• Compensation for librarians

10
MLA Sections

• Cancer Librarians
• Chiropractic Libraries
• Collection Development
• Consumer Patient Health
• Dental
• Educational Media and Technologies
• Federal Libraries

11
MLA Sections (contd.)

• History of the Health Sciences
• Hospital Libraries
• International Cooperation
• Medical Informatics
• Medical Library Education
• Medical School Libraries
• Nursing and Allied Health Resources

12
MLA Sections (contd.)

• Pharmacy and Drug Information
• Public Health/Health Administration
• Public Services
• Relevant Issues
• Research
• Technical Services
• Veterinary Medical Libraries

13
MLA Selected SIGs

• Clinical Librarians
• Veterans Affairs Librarians
• Geriatrics/Gerontology
• Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual
• Mental Health
• Osteopathic
• Vision Science

14
MLA Chapters

• Hawaii-Pacific
• Southern California and Arizona
• Mid-Atlantic
• Midcontinental
• Midwest
• New York/New Jersey
• North Atlantic Health Sciences libraries

15
MLA Chapters (contd.)

• Northern California and Nevada
• Pacific Northwest
• Philadephia Regional
• Pittsburgh
• South Central
• Southern Upstate New York and Ontario

16
Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries
(AAHSL)

• Founded in 1977
• 142 Academic Health Sciences Libraries in U.S.
  and Canada
• Represented by Directors of the Libraries
• Society within AAMC
• Annual Statistics
• Legislation/Lobbying w/MLA,NLM,AAMC

17
AAHSL Annual Statistics

• Begun in 1977 by R. Lyders - HAM-TMC
• Descriptive information for collections, staff,
  budgets, facilities, equipment, etc.
• Quinquennial measures
• Trends analysis and mini-surveys
• Listing of salaries by region and position

18
Networking and Communication

• AAHSL Listserv - problem-solving/support
• Annual Meeting at AAMC
• Matheson Lecture at AAMC

19
AAHSL and other Orgs

• National Library of Medicine
• Medical Library Association
• Association of Research Libraries
• Association of American Medical Colleges
• Council of Academic Societies
• Group on Information Resources

20
AAHSLs Current Focus

• Scholarly Communication
• New task force and charge
• Research Integrity
• Grant proposal(s) and Matheson Speaker
• Measurement, Evaluation, and Outcomes
• LibQUAL, ARL Academy, and Assessment
• Workforce and Leadership
• Fellows Program, Education, Recruitment

21
AAHSL 'other'

• Building Symposium and 'Library as Place'
• LCME Accreditation
• Education of the Next Generation
• 25th Anniversary of Organization